The Marvel Cinematic Universe is always releasing new content, both in theaters and streaming with a Disney+ subscription. While we look forward to upcoming Marvel movies, more information is still trickling out about previous installments. That includes Thunderbolts*, with the director finally revealing why other NYC heroes like Daredevil didn't factor into that final battle against The Void.
Thunderbolts* performed well at the box office, and the team is already set to return as part of the Avengers: Doomsday cast list. Director Jake Schreier recently spoke to CBM about his Marvel movie, and addressed fans like mylsef who wanted to see it connect with Daredevil: Born Again. In his words:
We were definitely aware of it. But we felt like the one thing that...obviously, these questions always come up in these movies of, 'Why wasn't this person there?' There are a lot of things in the world, and we always felt like our movie is so contained.
Clearly Schreier has heard all the chatter online. Those of us who have spent years watching the Marvel movies in order are always hoping for more crossovers, especially with stories set in New York City. After all, there a ton of superheroes residing there from the MCU movies and TV shows. So folks like me were hoping that someone like Daredevil might pop up in Thunderbolts*. Alas, that didn't happen.
Later in that same conversation, Schreier explained more about why there weren't even more characters in Thunderbolts*, specifically in that final sequence. He spoke about the scale and timeline of the rent MCU blockbuster, sharing:
The whole thing takes place within a matter of a couple of days, and so there's an immediacy to the threat [of The Void] and to the problem. So not only did we try to build a story where this particular antagonist, [the Thunderbolts] are the perfect people for it, because it's about common cause or an understanding of what that person's going through.
He's not wrong. Despite the cast of Thunderbolts* being from a number of different MCU projects, it's a contained story. The entire movie spans just a few days of time, and The Void's attack on New York City came as a surprise to everyone. As such, there wasn't exactly time for the motley crew of antiheroes to call for backup from NY-based heroes.
While he's heard all the discourse online, it's clear that the filmmaker is secure in his choices for Thunderbolts*. And that includes the timeline and inability to throw even more characters into the mix. As he put it:
I mean, no one else could even possibly get there like that. It's such a particular moment in time, and it happens so fast that those questions of martial law or this or that, I mean, it's all within an afternoon, and so we we could kind of not take that on and feel like it was still believable within that world, so that each story could kind of go on its own path, and wouldn't feel like they were stepping on each other.
He's not wrong. When Bob turned into The Void, his darkness quickly enveloped all of New York City. So even if the New Avengers tried to call in the calvary, it's doubtful any heroes would be able to get there in time. As such, it was up to Yelena and the rest of the motley crew to help out their new friend.
While some fans wanted more crossovers in their movie, the New Avengers will get to interact with other heroes in Avengers: Doomsday when it arrives in theaters on December 18th, 2026. The Thunderbolts* credits scene teased them meeting the Fantastic Four, to the joy of fans. As for that team, First Steps hits theaters July 25th as part of the 2025 movie release list.
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