The Bear's Ayo Edebiri Joins The MCU In Thunderbolts

To say that "The Bear" was the unexpected cultural breakout of 2022 would be an understatement, and that can be seen in the rising career trajectory of its co-lead, Ayo Edebiri. Now, she's about to enter a whole new world of prominence, as she's officially been cast in Marvel Studios' "Thunderbolts." Deadline broke the news, which revealed that her role is being kept under wraps. So much so that Marvel themselves declined to comment on the casting.

There is a lot to say about how Marvel seems to grab rising talent at an alarming rate. It's like every time a new and talented actor or director comes onto the scene, Marvel seems to swoop in and commit them to at least one project. That being said, at least ir grabbed Edebiri for arguably its most interesting project moving forward. While exact details are understandably being kept a secret, we do know that "Thunderbolts" will follow a ragtag group of antiheroes and seemingly-reformed villains forced together on a dangerous mission. With a premise like that, it'll likely have a bigger focus on comedy than other recent Marvel projects, making Ebebiri a perfect choice for the ensemble.

Edebiri is slated to appear alongside a who's-who of recent Marvel characters. The ever-so-mysterious Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) will be heading up a team consisting of Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan), Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian (David Harbour), Antonia Dreykov/Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko), Ava Starr/Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), and John Walker/U.S. Agent (Wyatt Russell). Eric Pearson wrote the script for the film, while Jake Schreier is slated to direct it.

After years of fan speculation, the film was officially revealed during 2022's D23 event. Speaking later that year, Harbour seemed to lovingly call the team a bunch of losers brought together for an impossible assignment. "We're the losers," the actor told ComicBook. "There's also a lot of pathos in that. There's a lot of drama in a bunch of people who just keep getting their lives wrong and — because of character flaws — keep messing things up."

It's unlikely that Edebiri will be playing one of these losers, no matter how likable they eventually will be. Perhaps she will play an ally or second-in-command to de Fontaine, or maybe, she's the undisclosed villain that the Thunderbolts need to take down. Either way, we're stoked to see Edebiri get a role like this, and we certainly hope that it's a substantial one.

"Thunderbolts," well, bolts into theaters on July 26, 2024.