Thunderbolts Writer Explains the Surprising Original Villain, Ending, and Post-Credits Scene

Load out and lock in, Marvel fans, because Thunderbolts is now in theaters. The latest film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe reshuffles the MCU’s status quo in a big way in the third act, setting up a new Avengers roster that will presumably be a major part of Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars. We spoke with the film’s co-writer, Eric Pearson – who's worked on everything from The Consultant to Thor: Ragnarok to The Fantastic Four: First Steps – to dive into all the little details and big spoilers in Thunderbolts. As Pearson – who shares a writing credit with Joanna Calo – explains, the core idea of Thunderbolts started with Florence Pugh’s Black Widow character, which then led to the inclusion of David Harbour, who was also in that film, and Hannah John‑Kamen from the Ant‑Man and the Wasp side of things. We talked about that and much more, from the villains who almost made it into the film (Zemo!) to the big Fantastic Four post‑credits scene and beyond, so be sure to watch the full video.