The Marvel Cinematic Universe is back, and while it’s not like it ever really went away, the scores on the doors are praising Jake Schreier’s Thunderbolts* as one of the best MCU movies in years. Proving itself to be much more than just the MCU’s answer to the Suicide Squad, this rag-tag team of rogues has put the hero in anti-hero while cementing themselves as a crucial part of the franchise’s future. While the big reveal that the likes of Florence Pugh and Sebastian Stan would be part of Avengers: Doomsday might’ve clad them in some vibranium-level plot armor, that didn’t take the fun out of Thunderbolts*.
We weren’t exactly surprised to learn that Olga Kurylenko’s Taskmaster was the sole casualty of Thunderbolts*, but moving forward, there are questions about what’s next for the Thunderbolts? The movie’s mysterious title was finally revealed as a placeholder for the ‘New Avengers’, but as the second post-credit scene explained, that puts the former Thunderbolts at odds with the supposed New Avengers lineup of Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson. It’s clear that the Thunderbolts will continue in some form, and whether as the New Avengers or going back to their original team name, one character you might’ve missed can help us get closer to the Thunderbolts from the comics.
Songbird can Finally Sing
Even before Thunderbolts* released, there was plenty of intrigue surrounding Geraldine Viswanathan’s Mel. As the downtrodden right-hand woman of Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), Bucky Barnes (Stan) tried to turn Mel against Val and finally see the shady head of O.X.E. pay for her crimes.
Despite being a relatively minor part of the ensemble, eagle-eyed viewers noticed how Mel seemed to be wearing a songbird necklace in the trailers, throwing fuel on the fire that she’s actually Mel Gold. In the comics, Mel Gold was a supervillain known as Screaming Mimi, who was recruited by Helmut Zemo to join the Thunderbolts and took on the moniker of Songbird. Introduced in 1979’s Marvel Two-In-One #54, Melissa was a runaway from her alcoholic father, who was encouraged to join the all-female wrestling team known as the Grapplers.
We don’t get any of that backstory for the MCU’s ‘Mel’, but comic book Gold was sent on a mission by Roxxon Oil and given special apparatus that converted her voice into a high-frequency sonic blast similar to the X-Men’s Banshee. Having worked with Zemo as part of the Masters of Evil, Gold ditched her Screaming Mimi persona and joined the Thunderbolts alongside the OG roster. Despite there being no indication that Mel has any powers like Songbird in the comics, Val and O.X.E. tinkering away on Bob Reynolds (Lewis Pullman) for the Sentry Project means Mel could easily gain her abilities this way. There were complaints that the MCU didn’t give us a more comic-accurate Thunderbolts lineup, but like James Gunn found great success by using the second iteration of the Guardians of the Galaxy, Schreier’s Thunderbolts roster makes sense now that he final credits have rolled.
Still, the inclusion of Viswanathan as Songbird (if it is her) brings us closer to a potential Thunderbolts revamp that honors Zemo’s version. First arriving in the aftermath of the “Onslaught” and the “Heroes Reborn" events, the final pages of 1997’s Thunderbolts #1 revealed that the supposedly heroic team was actually a rebranded Masters of Evil that was comprised of Zemo, Fixer, Beetle Goliath, Moonstone, and Screaming Mimi.
Under the guise of ‘Citizen V’, Zemo led the team as it attempted to replace the fractured Avengers and gain access to their security clearances. The MCU’s Thunderbolts becoming the New Avengers could’ve played out this way, but aside from them being reformed during Thunderbolts*, the team will likely have the threat of Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom to deal with.
As for the future of the Thunderbolts, many of the team members are yet to arrive in the MCU. Daniel Brühl’s Zemo has been MIA since The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, but add Melissa Gold into the mix, and the Thunderbolts could be lurking in the shadows. It’s also not hard to predict a typical MCU twist where Harrison Ford’s Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross is freed from the Raft and joins the team. It’s true that Ross’ Red Hulk was part of the revamped Marvel NOW! iteration of the Thunderbolts. Similar to how the MCU built up the original Avengers through their various solo movies, it would’ve felt out of place to just thrust a bunch of new characters in with Zemo, and while some were critical about Thunderbolts* largely being a dumping ground for Captain America and Black Widow castoffs, it only worked in the movie’s favor.
The problem is, Viswanathan’s Mel isn’t officially Mel Gold…yet. Back in January 2025, ScreenRant coyly asked whether Viswanathan considered herself to be a ‘songbird’, with the star responding: "Never in my life have I heard something like that. Yeah. Oh, look what you've done. Now, I'm all nervous. In this film, in You're Cordially Invited, I sing. I sing a song, but I'm not a bird. That's right."
Things have only amped up on the aftermath of Thunderbolts*, with Buzzfeed interviewing Viswanathan and her giving the typical stock Marvel media training response when she told the outlet: “I really can't say, or else I'll be sniped, but all I can say is that... Hey! I would love to. I'm available, and this experience has been such a dream and I would love to do it again, if I could.”
Ayo Edebiri was originally cast to play Mel in Thunderbolts* before she was replaced by Viswanathan, and while she’s remaining tight-lipped on her presumed future as Songbird, we expect to see a lot more of her. Even though Viswanathan isn’t listed on the groaning Avengers: Doomsday cast list, the fact that almost the entire Thunderbolts* cast is part of the ensemble (apart from you, Taskmaster) means Mel is a likely inclusion. The end of Thunderbolts* neatly segues into The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which itself is poised to catapult the MCU into Doomsday. Let’s hope Viswanathan has a good pair of lungs on her, because Songbird is a fan-favorite from the comics who seems destined to spread her wings in the MCU.