Here are the biggest changes between the script for Thundbolts and the finished film.
Most films undergo significant changes from script to screen because, as the saying goes, movies are written three times: first in screenplay form, then during production, and finally in the editing room. However, some films undergo greater modification than others.
When a film is rewritten as it is being filmed, it typically keeps the same genre and tone from its original vision. However, sometimes during production, directors discover their picture isn’t working, so they completely rework the plot, switch up the genre, or shift their attention to something else.
From changing the villain to killing a hero, here are the most surprising changes between the script written by writer Eric Pearson and the theatrical film.
WARNING: There are spoilers for Thunderbolts* ahead!
Taskmaster Survived
Although the death of a significant MCU character should theoretically play a significant role in the film, author Eric Pearson claimed he had no actual say in the choice to kill off Taskmaster. Pearson told The Hollywood Reporter that it was completely out of his control when Ghost shot the former Black Widow, who had a remarkable talent for mimicry, and left her behind in the first act of Thunderbolts*. The author said that in his final script, which underwent some revisions by Joanna Calo while the film was being filmed, he had managed to keep Taskmaster alive throughout the entire film.
“That was the one biggest change,” Pearson said. “When they started shooting, I was back in Burbank working on Fantastic Four. When I saw the cut, the biggest change from my draft to later was Taskmaster’s death. Taskmaster lived out the movie in the last draft that I left them. I was as shocked as you were.”
Although Pearson was unable to attend the shoot, he just had the opportunity to discuss this change with director Jake Schreier. He quoted the director when he stated, “He wanted to raise the stakes and have a shock moment, which also says, ‘This is a dangerous world.’?” Although we portray these individuals as evil, there are numerous instances of their goodness throughout this film. It’s like, “We say these are bad people, but we see them be good quite a bit in this movie. Having a moment where it’s like, ‘They are coming from a moment where they have done heartless things…’ But I did not make that call and I was quite surprised when I saw it.”
When fans finally went to see Thunderbolts* for themselves this past weekend, they were equally taken aback. Taskmaster appears frequently in the film’s promotion, giving the impression that she will be there throughout. Fortunately, she was given plenty of opportunity to shine in her last appearance in the MCU, and it is evident that Yelena and Ghost were affected by her passing as the plot progressed.
It would have felt crowded with Black Widow characters if Taskmaster had been on a team alongside Yelena and Red Guardian, outnumbering the other titles crossing over here. Furthermore, many fans didn’t like the MCU’s Taskmaster remix. After the multiversal dust had cleared, many wished for a reboot because she very different from her comic book inspiration.
Evil Baron Zemo
Baron Zemo, played by Daniel Brühl, nearly received a call-up for Marvel’s Thunderbolts after his standout performances in Captain America: Civil War and the Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Though it does sound somewhat appropriate for the misfit team-up film, it wasn’t intended for the character, who began as a major evil but gained sympathy the longer he stayed in the MCU. In the comics, he also has a lot of connections to the Thunderbolts. Baron Zemo secretly leads the first iteration of the team.
Returning to his wicked ways, one of Thunderbolts’ writers revealed to Screenrant that Baron Zemo was included in an early draft of the movie.
“I think there was a version of a tag written a long time ago [where] it was revealed that Baron Zemo was pulling some strings from prison or whatever,”Although he wasn’t entirely sure of the specifics, Eric Pearson explained, “I feel like there might’ve been a version where a tag where Zemo had broken out and swapped places with someone … [but] I think those ideas lived for one iteration and then died. Sometimes people think that we’re zagging on purpose, and it’s like, ‘No, we know that Zemo is very integral to a different story version of them.’ He’s part of putting [the Thunderbolts] together, and we negated the need for that with our very premise.”
As much as Thunderbolts stayed true to its source material, Pearson noted that Zemo “just didn’t fit” with Yelena at the heart of the narrative and the arrival of the Bob character. “There’s always the debate about, ‘Well, Baron Zemo should be there if there’s a way to cleverly include him in this,'” he stated. But in the end, Zemo was excluded since the stories didn’t fully fit together.
As much as Thunderbolts stayed true to its source material, Pearson noted that Zemo “just didn’t fit” with Yelena at the heart of the narrative and the arrival of the Bob character. “There’s always the discussion of, ‘Well, if there’s a way to cleverly include Baron Zemo in this, he absolutely should be there,’” he stated. But in the end, Zemo was excluded since the stories didn’t fully fit together.
Starting as a villain in Civil War he has a long arc of redemption in the Disney+ show. Shockingly, they planned to reverse that.
Evil John Walker
The main villain of Thunderbolts was not always Bob aka Sentry. The initial plan was for Walker to be manipulated by de Fontaine into believing his Super Soldier serum was wearing off. This would lead him to become a Red Hulk villain.
“There were a lot of versions where Valentina had planted this kind of timebomb inside John Walker, and the goal was to make him the most unlikeable person on the team,” Pearson says. “He then becomes the monster, and [the Thunderbolts] have to talk him down. It didn’t ever totally work.”
The Sentry and his sinister character the Void were selected as the main antagonist since they more closely matched the movie’s themes, especially those related to mental health.
In The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, John Walker is presented as a nuanced character. He acts out of duty and dedication to the government. Walker’s actions, while sometimes morally questionable, are often driven by his sense of duty and his belief in government authority. He’s not motivated by malice or a desire to harm.
To turn that on its head and make him the villain of Thunderbolts* would have damaged a lot of his character.
Yelena Confronts Valentina
In Black Widow’s post-credit scene, Yelena is sent to kill Clint Barton. She seeks retribution for the death of Natasha (Scarlett Johansson). In Hawkeye, Clint fixed the record. He explained that her adopted sister sacrificed her life to protect Yelena and half of the people from Thanos.
“I loved [the confrontation scene] because it emphasized Valentina’s manipulation. Yelena entered the scene on fire, furious, accusing Valentina of setting her up to take out her sister’s killer, when, in reality, he was her best friend,” Pearson said. “Then Valentina completely flipped the script on Yelena. I believe the line was: ‘Set you up? You mean paid you to do a job that, by the way, you didn’t even do? So I heard some bad gossip, pardon me for trying to motivate you. But this is your job, and asking questions isn’t a part of it.’”
Thunderbolts is currently showing in theaters.
How do you feel about this possible shift in the plot? Do you want Baron Zemo to return to action? Would John Walker have made a better villain?
