The director of 2025’s Thunderbolts* has addressed a popular MCU theory about who assembles the titular team, insisting that that is not where the story is headed. In Marvel Comics, the Thunderbolts were initially assembled by Baron Zemo as a team of secretly evil Avengers replacements before subsequent iterations would be led by different characters. Zemo’s apparent absence from the confirmed Thunderbolts* cast, alongside multiple other differences including the Thunderbolts team members, has therefore given rise to multiple theories surrounding who will take his place and the nature of their goals.

CIA Director Valentina Allegra De Fontaine stands at the forefront of these theories, with many believing that she will be pulling the strings for nefarious purposes. The latest Thunderbolts* trailer lends credence to this as she is seen irreverently addressing the team as they stand together. Valentina has already influenced two of the Thunderbolts members, Yelena Belova and John Walker, while the shady pasts of the remaining lineup give Valentina plenty of leverage over them to carry out her demands.

Thunderbolts* director Jake Schreier has now addressed these theories in an interview in Empire magazine, refuting the idea that Valentina Allegra De Fontaine assembles the team to “do bad things.“ Instead, it seems another factor forces the team together before putting them through their paces, with Schreier comparing the movie to Ronin and Reservoir Dogs. His comments reintroduce a huge question mark over what exactly forces them to unify as they can be seen cooperating in the latest Thunderbolts* trailer. His full quote is as follows:

“I’ve seen a lot of synopses out there that just say, as though it’s a fact, that it’s a team assembled by Valentina to go do bad things. I understand why that would be the assumption, but that is not the story. It’s exciting to think of movies like Ronin or Reservoir Dogs, where you have a group of people that has no reason to trust each other. Could they even learn to work together? What sort of conflicts would arise?”

Perhaps The Thunderbolts Band Together Independently

Schreier’s comments might help to make sense of questions raised by the first Thunderbolts* trailer. Here, members of the titular team are seen brawling in what is presumably their first meeting before Yelena suggests that they were all sent there and a trap is sprung. Their recent misdeeds are listed after it’s also floated that somebody wants each of them “Gone.” This, it seems, would be enough for them to band together against a common enemy, rather than being assembled by De Fontaine.

Taskmaster’s conspicuous absence beyond the fight between the Thunderbolts suggests that she may not survive the subsequent trap.

Questions still linger, however, over what Valentina’s seemingly central role might be, if not as the Thunderbolts’ string-puller. Additionally, the trailer itself states “Careful who you Assemble,” which is an obvious allusion to the Avengers, but also suggests that the Thunderbolts are assembled after all. In addition to the asterisk, these are all mysteries that will apparently remain unanswered until the Thunderbolts* release date nears or arrives.

The Thunderbolts May Not Be A Dark Parallel To The Avengers After All

It is clear that Valentina plays a significant role in Thunderbolts* after it’s revealed that she bought Avengers Tower and is seen patronizing the Thunderbolts. If she is not the one to assemble the team, like Schreier states, then it may be that she is the one who forces them together as the movie’s arch-villain. I think this still gels with previous theories, as Valentina is far from Nick Fury and was always going to be an antagonistic figure. Even as the villain, she may still be the one to inadvertently cause the Thunderbolts to form.

Still, that is purely speculative. Another more convincing theory is that the team will desperately band together against insurmountable stakes – with those stakes taking the form of Sentry’s villainous alter-ego, the Void. Regardless, it seems as though Schreier is deflecting notions that we should think of the Thunderbolts as weaker, darker Avengers, and instead focus on their relationships with one another and their struggles – which, to be fair, I’m still totally on board with.

Upcoming MCU Movies

Source: Empire