The Marvel Cinematic Universe has a ton of upcoming movies and series for Phases Five and Six of the Multiverse Saga of the franchise. One of those projects lined up is Thunderbolts and is among those that were pushed back and delayed multiple times. Recently, the production of the movie faces another setback as one of its biggest stars, Steven Yeun, departs the project.
Marvel's Thunderbolts is the first of its kind in the Marvel Cinematic Universe for its antihero-centric feature that will have Yelena Belova, The Winter Soldier, The Red Guardian, and The US Agent together in one team. Other members of the team remain under wraps but one cast member that was confirmed in February last year was Steven Yeun whose role was not disclosed but his role was not announced. Yeun was later rumored to play Sentry but that was not confirmed. Unfortunately, he would not be making his MCU debut anymore as Steven Yeun exits Marvel's Thunderbolts as reported by The Hollywood Reporter.
While the report did not reveal any reason why Steven Yeun left Thunderbolts, the project was immensely affected by the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes that it has been pushed back and delayed multiple times. The movie was supposed to be out by July 2024 but was later delayed to a July 2025 release and its production has not started yet that recasting Yeun's role, whichever it may be, would be a rush for the film before it officially starts filming. Steven Yeun is best known for his roles in The Walking Dead as Glenn Rhee, Invincible as Mark Grayson, and Netflix's Beef as Danny Cho.
What is Marvel's Thunderbolts all about?
Marvel's Thunderbolts was confirmed to be under development in 2022 with Jake Schreier as the director and Eric Pearson and Lee Sung Jin as the scriptwriters. The movie was supposed to undergo production in 2023 but was pushed back by the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. It was supposed to be part of Phase Five but given its delay, it now forms part of MCU Phase Six.
In the comics, the Thunderbolts are known to be an antihero team which are mostly composed of villains or those in between being heroes and villains. The group is composed of superpowered figures who have heroic intentions but whose ways are without regard on what is right or wrong. The team first appeared in the 1997 The Incredible Hulk Vol. 2 #449 which was created by mark Bagley and Kurt Busiek.
Thunderbolts is slated for a July 25, 2025 release date.
