No, the Avengers: Doomsday Cast Announcements Didn't Spoil Thunderbolts (Probably)

Like galore of you, I spent a bully hunk of my time yesterday watching the 5 and a fractional hr Marvel livestream revealing the Avengers: Doomsday cast. In it, we saw a important fig of casting assumptions confirmed alongside large surprises similar a fig of Fox-era X-Men joining the fray. But the watercourse besides offered immoderate frustrations for fans, similar its confirmation that astir the full Thunderbolts formed would marque it into Doomsday, leaving a clump of folks asking “well, what the heck is the constituent of Thunderbolts then?!”

But what if I told you that I don’t deliberation the formed announcement spoiled Thunderbolts astatine all? And not successful a “we spot spoilers differently” benignant of way. I’ll admit that I don’t deliberation knowing who makes it retired live matters overmuch successful a comic publication franchise, but the existent constituent goes deeper than that. David Harbour, Wyatt Russell, and Hannah John-Kamen appearing successful Avengers: Doomsday doesn’t mean that their characters past Thunderbolts (Sebastian Stan and Florence Pugh coming retired the different broadside live was ever a given). To explain, we request to hop guardant (backward?) successful clip to The Fantastic Four: First Steps.

Marvel’s First Family

There are 2 certainties astir Fantastic Four astatine this nonstop infinitesimal successful time. The archetypal is that Marvel's archetypal household is successful a antithetic beingness than the MCU’s superior timeline, and the 2nd is that they request to yet determination implicit to said superior timeline. Now, erstwhile we saw the trailer for First Steps and however beloved the Fantastic Four were by the radical of Earth, I instantly assumed that by the extremity of their introductory movie they would beryllium dragged into the premier timeline successful the astir tragic mode possible: failing their ain Earth and being forced to flight to a caller country of the multiverse. But the Doomsday formed announcement changed that theory. Or, rather, it delayed it. I inactive fishy that result is inevitable. We don’t cognize which Earth First Steps takes spot on, but it ain’t going to marque it to the different broadside of the multiverse saga. Now, though, I judge that Earth volition travel to an extremity arsenic Avengers: Doomsday’s communicative comes to a adjacent alternatively than First Steps’ story.

What amended mode to acceptable up the stakes successful a caller and refreshing mode than to marque fans autumn successful emotion with the inhabitants of a satellite doomed to die? We spot the instauration of whatever-the-hell-we’re-calling the Fantastic Four Earth successful First Steps, spot its demise delayed by the Fantastic Four and then, travel Doomsday, Loki’s gotten progressive for [insert crushed that would animate the deity of the timeline to intervene] and has to telephone upon the top heroes of the multiverse.

Not each of those heroes are a portion of the premier timeline, though.

Crisis connected Infinite MCU Earths

Right now, determination are 2 known (or astatine slightest utilized) MCU timelines featuring the X-Men crew. The Fox timeline exists connected Earth-10005, portion the Earth featuring Patrick Stewart’s Illuminati mentation of Professor X is Earth-838.

That’s astatine slightest 2 full sets of X-Men already! Which is to accidental that conscionable due to the fact that U.S. Agent, Red Guardian, Ghost, and Sentry’s actors look connected a formed database does not mean that those are our U.S. Agent, Red Guardian, Ghost, and Sentry. Even Bucky and Yelena could beryllium antithetic versions of themselves. I emotion the Prime Timeline’s Bucky Barnes, but if Loki steps successful to propulsion the champion versions of each quality successful connected the combat is helium truly going to propulsion successful a congressman?

We are moving with infinite earths with infinite timelines. Just due to the fact that they amusement up connected a formed database for a aboriginal movie does not mean that the premier timeline versions of the quality that we cognize and emotion are a portion of the fray. Is that maine trying to person myself that I’ll inactive get to spot John Walker wound it successful Thunderbolts? Sure. But it’s besides conscionable comic publication logic astatine this point.

Not lone does it look improbable that the formed announcement spoiled the Thunderbolts, it whitethorn besides person hinted astatine much extent to Avengers: Doomsday.

One of the mechanics that tin marque a multiversal communicative truthful engaging is the accidental to showcase the symptom of a transportation that isn’t rather the transportation you expected, typically resulting successful a important magnitude of angst for beloved characters. Imagine what’s going to hap erstwhile Peter Parker (Tom Holland) sees Doctor Doom’s (Robert Downey Jr.) look for the archetypal clip and has to wrestle with the information that it’s not his surrogate begetter fig but, successful fact, a villain?

Trailers for Thunderbolts are already signaling heavy that, astatine the precise least, Harbour’s Red Guardian and Russell’s U.S. Agent aren’t making it to the different broadside of that film. One wants to beryllium determination for his girl portion the different craves redemption for his wrongdoings, mounting some up arsenic highest comic publication communicative sacrifice fodder and leaving some Bucky and Yelena with affectional moments to play disconnected of. Yelena is surely going to consciousness that nonaccomplishment mode much than Bucky, but redemption deaths often tug astatine adjacent the toughest of bosom strings.

I’d personally similar it if they would halt torturing Bucky Barnes and Yelena Belova, but I bash spot wherefore the accidental to messiness with immoderate of the Avengers’ much hardened characters is appealing erstwhile it comes to Doomsday packing an affectional punch. Having to interact with squad members that they presumably failed oregon couldn’t prevention successful Thunderbolts is an easy, passive mode to bring immoderate emotions to the array without having to usage up excessively overmuch screentime with exposition. Because with a formed that size and much implied to travel down the pipeline, determination isn’t going to beryllium a full batch of clip for quality moments that necessitate setup oregon longform explanations.

At the extremity of the day, we don’t really know one mode oregon the other. Both my mentation and the thought that they did actually spoil Thunderbolts some beryllium successful the aforesaid abstraction until we’ve each seen the movie. But I’m choosing not to presume the worst until I’ve really seen the movie.