Geraldine Viswanathan addresses whether her mystery Thunderbolts*' titular anti-heroes come from various corners of the MCU. Some of them are former villains, others are government agents, and one of them is an Avenger. In the comics, the first Thunderbolts were full-blown villains posing as heroes, though some of them liked their new persona so much that they eventually turned to the good side. Since then, a long list of Marvel characters all over the morality spectrum have gone through the Thunderbolts' ranks, but the team's original line-up remains an emblem of their history.
In an interview with ScreenRant about her role in the 2025 romantic comedy You're Cordially Invited, Geraldine Viswanathan hints at the mysterious identity of her Thunderbolts* character. Viswanathan was asked whether her You're Cordially Invited character has any relation to a "songbird" — a reference to one of the Thunderbolts' founding , the anti-hero Melissa Gold a.k.a. Songbird. Viswanathan cleverly eludes the question, remarking that she sings in You're Cordially Invited. However, she also points out how nervious the question makes her. Read Geraldine Viswanathan's full answer below:
ScreenRant: Geraldine, you and Will have quite the musical number in this film. Would you consider yourself to be a... Songbird?
Geraldine Viswanathan: I have no idea what you're talking about. 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.
ScreenRant: Fair enough. I don't know what you're interpreting from that question, Geraldine.
Geraldine Viswanathan: Oh no, actually no. I'm so normal and relaxed right now. You (Meredith Hagner, co-star) have no idea what's happening, so I'll fill you in later.
What Geraldine Viswanathan's Thunderbolts* Comments Mean
Geraldine Viswanathan Refuses To Confirm The Identity Of Her Thunderbolts* Character
Geraldine Viswanathan doesn't confirm nor deny whether her Thunderbolts* character has any relation to a "songbird", but her nervous reaction to the question suggests otherwise. Viswanathan's Thunderbolts* character is named Mel, which could be short for Melissa, Songbird's civilian name. When confronted with rumors about their MCU characters, actors such as Andrew Garfield, Patrick Stewart, and Willem Dafoe have either dismissed the questions or outright denied the claims that they were participating in Marvel Studios projects. Of course, these answers were soon proved to be attempts at distraction. Viswanathan's role could well be an original MCU character, but the likelihood of "Mel" being Songbird is higher.
Our Take On Geraldine Viswanathan's Thunderbolts* Comments
Geraldine Viswanathan's Secrecy Might Be A Hint At Thunderbolts*' Plot
With Sebastian Stan's Bucky Barnes confirmed to the team after its inception and Lewis Pullman all but confirmed to be playing Sentry, the fact that the true identity of Geraldine Viswanathan's "Mel" character in Thunderbolts* remains under wraps is suspicious. Thunderbolts* is already hiding important information, including the meaning of the asterisk in the Thunderbolts* title and Sentry's final form. Therefore, Geraldine Viswanathan's character name might be a key piece of information that could spoil Thunderbolts*' plot.
Marvel Already Revealed The Best Name For The Thunderbolts 6 Years Ago (& No, It's Not The Dark Avengers)
The asterisk in the Thunderbolts* title may already have an answer courtesy of Avengers: Infinity War's obscure Avengers offshoot team.
One of the most popular theories about the meaning of the Thunderbolts* asterisk predicts that the titular team will be replaced, either because it will dissolve or because most will die before the credits roll. If this theory is accurate, Geraldine Viswanathan's Mel could eventually adopt her full superhero identity and become one of the main of the Thunderbolts' second line-up as Songbird by the end of the movie. This would flip Songbird's comic book story, as she's one of the team's founding in the source material.
Thunderbolts*
- Release Date
- May 2, 2025
- Runtime
- 127 minutes
- Director
- Jake Schreier
- Writers
- Eric Pearson, Joanna Calo
- Producers
- Kevin Feige
Cast
Yelena Belova
Bucky Barnes
- Franchise(s)
- Marvel Cinematic Universe
- Budget
- $180 million
- Distributor(s)
- Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
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