Thunderbolts director reveals he "really wanted" Man-Thing on the team, but another Marvel project got there first: "It all worked out for the best"

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Exclusive: Thunderbolts* director Jake Schreier breaks down the makeup of the super-team in the new issue of SFX

Thunderbolts
(Image credit: Marvel Studios)

Thunderbolts* may include a motley crew of MCU misfits but, as director Jake Schreier reveals, there was still one that got away.

"I think there was a point during pitching when I really wanted Man-Thing to be on the team," laughs Schreier during an interview in the new issue of SFX magazine, which features The Walking Dead: Dead City season 2 on the cover and hits newsstands on Wednesday, April 23.

Man-Thing in Werewolf By Night

(Image credit: Marvel Studios)

Even Schreier admits, however, that "it all worked out for the best."

For the director, who was best known pre-Thunderbolts for helming Paper Towns, the construction of the team in the Marvel movie was less straightforward than merely bringing in characters for an easy redemptive arc.

"It was about looking through the MCU and not just finding bad guys who could be good but characters that exist more on that morally grey plane or who were potentially destined for something else but then something went awry," Schreier explains. "Or maybe they're just misunderstood, someone like John Walker, where he was literally Captain America."

Schreier adds of the goal of the Thunderbolts team (which includes Florence Pugh's Yelena, Sebastian Stan's Bucky Barnes, and David Harbour's Red Guardian), "Maybe there is something that is worth caring about. I think all of them have kind of lost touch with that idea. At first through sheer necessity, because of the situation that they're thrown into together, but then later more out of inspiration, as a group could they become something bigger than each of themselves could be on their own?"

Not a subscriber to SFX? Then head on over here to get the latest issues sent directly to your home/device!

Thunderbolts releases in cinemas on May 2. Read more in the latest issue of SFX magazine, which will be available from Wednesday, April 23. Check out The Walking Dead: Dead City season 2 cover you need to be looking out for on newsstands below...

Bradley Russell
Bradley Russell

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.

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