Marvel Studio’s Thunderbolts* is one of the most anticipated action-packed ensembles of the year with its uniquely eerie and dark themes, featuring a one of its kind anti-hero squad, each with a murky past and an unrelenting drive to redeem themselves.
Fuelled by internal conflict and external chaos, this band of misfits is thrown together to face a formidable enemy, a menacing entity known as The Void.
But what if this explosive anti-hero lineup was reimagined with a powerhouse of South Indian actors and actresses? It’s sure to become a cultural crossover of chaos!
Vijay Sethupathi as Bucky Barnes (Winter Soldier)
Bucky Barnes, given the name Winter Soldier, is a complicated character who is an assassin turned dark hero in search of redemption. Bucky represents a character that is battling a high degree of internal conflict, and who better than award-winning actor, Vijay Sethupathi to play this character which is full of broodish charm and emotional depth. Vijay’s performance in previous high octane roles like Chekka Chivantha Vaanam, Petta and Master, make him perfect to play The Winter Soldier.
Samantha Ruth Prabhu as Yelena Belova (Black Widow)
Yelena Belova, a trained Russian assassin from Red Room, is the sister of Natasha Romanoff (Black Widow). She is witty and fiery with a bold personality, one which resonates beautifully with Samantha Prabhu’s sharp screen presence. Her fierce performance in Citadel: Honey Bunny as Honey in which she plays the role of a spy makes her apt for this firecracker of a character.
Mammootty as Alexei Shostakov (Red Guardian)
Who better than the legendary Mammootty to play Alexei Shostakov, a trained Soviet counterpart to Captain America known as the Red Guardian who is a veteran with a commanding presence and a surprisingly tender heart. Mammootty’s comic timing in Rajamanikyam and Thuruppu Gulan, paired with the iconic MCU banter, is perfect for the Red Guardian’s ego-driven personality.
Sreeleela as Ava Starr (Ghost)
Ghost is an emotionally scarred and haunted character, caught in a painful transformation. She is physically tormented, quiet yet fierce. Sreeleela has mostly been seen in bubbly roles, but she has a wide emotional range. She has done a few roles that demonstrate the emotional depth required to channel her inner Ghost, like her role in Dhamaka, which highlights her physical agility and action sequences.
Aishwarya Rajesh as Antonia Dreykov (Taskmaster)
Antonia Dreykov, a skilled assassin, is the daughter of the Red Room director who can mimic the fighting styles of others with deadly precision, including the Avengers. She has been emotionally manipulated by her father from a young age and used as a weapon. Aishwarya has delivered some emotionally charged performances demonstrating strong emotional resilience in her previous works like Ka Pae Ranasingam, making her a flawless pick for the silent storm – Taskmaster.
Vijay Devarakonda as John Walker (U.S Agent)
John Walker is a complex character who has been appointed by the government as the ‘new Captain America’ who spirals under pressure and is driven by ego, patriotism and insecurity. He has a reckless charisma, emotionally unstable undertones and is physically imposing, perfect to be played by Vijay Devarakonda. His role in Arjun Reddy shows us how well he can play a character that is crumbling under his own expectations while he demonstrates raw physical action in Liger.
Ramya Krishnan as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine
Valentina is calculative, sly and the puppet master who puts together the band of misfits known as the Thunderbolts. Ramya Krishnan’s dynamic performance as Sivagami in Baahubali, where she plays the role of a powerful matriarch, shows her unmatched ability to play the role of a strong and strategic force to be reckoned with, perfect to play Valentina.
Allu Arjun as Robert Reynolds (Sentry)
Sentry is a God-like hero with a deadly alter ego called The Void. He is the embodiment of dangerous instability and immense power. The contrast between his golden heroism and lurking darkness makes Allu Arjun a stellar fit for this character. He is a renowned actor known for his duality, balancing mass heroism and emotional fragility in roles in Pushpa and Vedam.
Thunderbolts follows a crew of an irreverent team-up featuring depressed assassin Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) alongside the MCU’s least anticipated band of misfits. The film also returns to the screen the Marvel Cinematic Universe characters Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), Red Guardian (David Harbour), John Walker (Wyatt Russell), Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen) and Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), in addition to some exciting new faces. Jake Schreier directed Thunderbolts* with Kevin Feige producing it. Louis D’Esposito, Brian Chapek, Jason Tamez and Scarlett Johansson served as executive producers.
