THUNDERBOLTS Report Offers Details on Lead Characters and How the Team Gets Its Name

Some more Thunderbolts rumors are making the rounds online, and they offer possible insight into the story, the lead characters, and how the team gets its name. Thunderbolts is now in production, and fans are hoping with a lineup of characters like this, the movie will be a high point for Marvel Studios.

Insider scooper @CanWeGetToast is reporting that Harrison Ford’s President "Thunderbolt" Ross or Tiamut will not factor into the story. These characters are two key elements from Captain America: Brave New World, and earlier reports have said they will be in Thunderbolts, but that might not be the case.

I’ve heard this from two different sources now, which means we won’t see Ford as Red Hulk in the movie. Ross has always been one of the main Thunderbolt team members, and he’s the whole inspiration behind the group's moniker. It will be a strange choice if they choose not to include him.

So, how does the team get its name in the film? Well, the Thunderbolts are supposedly named after Yelena Belova's childhood soccer team, which I guess is going to be some kind of gag.

Hollywood insider Daniel Richtman also shared some news saying that Bucky Barnes is not the Thunderbolts' co-lead with Yelena. It was previously reported that he would be leading the team. Instead, U.S. Agent is said to have a bigger role than Bucky, and in terms of the priority of the story, Black Widow and The Sentry will be the main leads along with Valentina Allegra de Fontaine and… Ghost.

These are all just rumors, but there might actually be some truth to them.

The cast of Thunderbolts includes Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes, David Harbour as Red Guardian, Julie Louis-Dreyfus as Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, Wyatt Russell as US Agent, Hannah John-Kamen as Ghost, Olga Kurylenko as Taskmaster, Lewis Pullman was offered the role of The Sentry, and of course, Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova. Then there’s Harrison Ford, who is taking on the role of General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross who is going to be President of the United States in Captain America: New World Order.

The film is being directed by Jake Schreier (Paper Towns, Kidding), from a script by Joanna CaloEric (The Bear) Eric Pearson (Thor: Ragnarok, Black Widow) and Kurt Busiek. Thunderbolts is currently set to be released in theaters on July 25, 2025.