A Thunderbolts star has shared her hopes for a super-powered future in the MCU

Geraldine Viswanathan as Mel and Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Valentina in Marvel's Thunderbolts — (Image credit: Marvel Studios)

Anyone well-versed in the Marvel Cinematic Universe knows that seemingly civilian characters sharing the screen with superheroes can eventually wind up being one themselves. That's what many predict to be the case for Geraldine Viswanathan, who starred in Jake Schreier's Thunderbolts* as Mel, the assistant to Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and a walking, talking easter egg.

While never officially revealed in the film, the suspicion is that Mel is actually Melissa Gold, aka Songbird, one of the original members of the Thunderbolts in the comics. It's a theory that Viswanathan supports, although whether it will actually come to pass has yet to be revealed. Speaking to ComicBookMovie about the character, Viswanathan expressed her excitement and getting caught up in the secrecy of the project, which is pretty much standard fare for anything linked to the MCU. "It was very exciting. The whole process at the beginning was so elusive," she explained. "I had a Zoom with Jake, and he had to explain the movie to me, because I couldn't read it before signing on. [He explained] my role and her arc, and role within the film itself, and this deeper connection to the MCU. It was all so thrilling."

That connection was only carefully skimmed over in Thunderbolts* (which will finally arrive on Disney+ next week), alluding to a potential link to Songbird by her character wearing a bird-shaped necklace in the film. "I mean, I would love to see her go down that path, and given the full evolution Marvel treatment," Viswanathan theorized. "I think that she deserves that, and there's a lot there to have fun with, and play with. I think she has more to do, you know?"

The question is, how long will we have to see this come to pass? We know that both the New Avengers and the old ones will be coming face to face in Avengers: Doomsday, but does that mean that Fontaine and, by association, Mel, will be making an appearance to ensure the new superteam is still looking good in the public eye? "We'll see! I'm not sure, but as Julie and I have been saying, we're available, and we'd be happy to."

Nick is a freelancer whose work can be found at Screen Rant, The Digital Fix, and Looper. He loves movies, TV, DC, and Marvel. He also believes that the best Robin Hood is still a talking fox.

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