Summary
While Marvel’sThunderboltshas an all-star cast, it also has to deal with one actor’s departure who shines in two recent Disney hits. The upcomingMCUfilm is one of the franchise’s most exciting impending projects, partly due to the stellarThunderboltsmovie cast, which includes many of Marvel’s best actors and characters, such asSebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnesand Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova. Unfortunately, the cast has lost some incredible talent, includingBeef’s Steven Yeun. Yeun was set to play Sentry, but left due to scheduling conflicts and was later replaced with Lewis Pullman.
Another rising star who was attached toThunderbolts*but had to leave the project is Ayo Edebiri, replaced by Geraldine Viswanathan. Edebiri’s career took off after her role inThe Bear, and it continues to grow with recent roles in films likeBottoms,Theater Camp, andTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem. The actor is having an excellent summer with starring roles in two major hits for Disney, and these both serve as a sad reminder that she won’t appear inthe MCU timeline.
I Think I Know What The Thunderbolts* Asterisk Means, & It’s Bad News For The MCU’s Team
Thunderbolts* has been made more interesting due to an asterisk in the title; I think I know what it means, and it spells trouble for the team.
Edebiri has significant roles in two of Disney’s recent success stories,Inside Out 2andThe Bearseason 3.Inside Out 2is dominating the box office, currently having accumulated $1.25 billion worldwide and becoming Pixar’s highest-grossing film of all time. It is now also the fifth highest-grossing animated film of all time, behind 2019’sThe Lion King,Frozen II,The Super Mario Bros. Movie, andFrozen. Meanwhile,The Bearseason 3 is breaking streaming records on Disney+/Hulu, hitting 5.4 million views in four days - making it the best premiere of any Hulu scripted series.
The Bearhas already been a hit for Hulu, having received plenty of accolades - including winning an Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series in 2022. Edebiri won Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 2023 for her role as Sydney Adamu. In season 3, Edebiri also directed episode 6, showcasing her strong talent in front of and behind the camera. InInside Out 2, Edebiri voiced Envy, a new emotion in Riley’s mind. While it was a smaller part, she still brought plenty of comedy to the film, and both these projects show her comedic and dramatic acting talents.
Geraldine Viswanathan Is Still An Excellent Addition To The Star-Studded Cast
Edebiri’s 2024 success does make this departure fromtheThunderbolts*moviehurt more. The actor would be an excellent addition to the MCU, and Marvel will likely look for another role for her in future projects. However, Edebiri’s replacement, Geraldine Viswanathan, is still a great addition to the roster. It’s unclear who Viswanathan will play, but she has proven herself a talented actor in projects such asBlockers,Miracle Workers, andBad Education, with a knack for blending comedy and drama that should fit into the MCU perfectly.
Additionally, the cast ofThunderbolts*is so good that Edebiri and Yeun’s absences may not be as missed. In addition to Pugh and Stan, the cast also includes Julia Louis-Dreyfus, David Harbour, Wyatt Russell, Harrison Ford, Hannah John-Kamen, and Olga Kurylenko. This is arguably one of Marvel’s greatest casts outside its Avengers films, and it’s a shame Edebiri won’t be a part of it, even though it’s still a promising overall roster.
