New set photos from Black Widow reveal that William Hurt will appear as Thunderbolt Ross, and it may be to set up the Thunderbolts. When Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe begins next year, it will do so by giving Scarlett Johansson’s Natasha Romanoff the solo movie fans have been asking for since 2010. The decision comes after Black Widow heroicly sacrificed her life in Avengers: Endgame, making it so her standalone film takes place in the MCU’s past.

Specifically, Black Widow will take place between the events of Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War. Serving as a prequel to some stories in the MCU, Black Widow will do more than just fill in a major gap in Natasha’s life. The movie will introduce a possible Black Widow replacement Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), the Russian’s answer to Captain America in Red Guardian (David Harbour), and a highly-skilled assassin Taskmaster. All of these characters could return in future MCU adventures, and now it appears a familiar MCU character will appear too.

With filming on Black Widow nearing its conclusion, Just Jared shared photos of William Hurt on the set (now in Georgia) reprising his role as Secretary Thunderbolt Ross. Debuting in The Incredible Hulk, Ross has made a recent return through Civil War and smaller appearances in Infinity War and Endgame. In the photos, Ross looks quite a bit older since we last saw him, with a cane needed to stand. As a result, it has sparked speculation - started by Charles Murphy - that Ross’ scene could be part of a tease towards the Thunderbolts forming.

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The idea that Black Widow could set up the Thunderbolts is one that many have considered before, but Ross’ now confirmed involvement in the movie makes it a more realistic possibility. The MCU has already introduced a few characters who could be part of Ross’ initial lineup with Helmut Zemo (Daniel Brühl) and Ghost (Hannah John Kamen). Meanwhile, it is possible that Yelena, Red Guardian, and Taskmaster could all be people of interest for Ross. And based on Ross’ aged look, him recruiting any of them could be happening in the present 2023 setting of the MCU, instead of the past setting the rest of the film has.

At this point, Black Widow setting up Thunderbolts is just speculation, but it would be a new wrinkle to throw into the future of the MCU. The Thunderbolts team could be Marvel’s version of Suicide Squad, with the similar anti-hero/villains saving the day set up. Plus, if that is what is happening in then it would guarantee that at least one of the new characters from Black Widow will be seen again. So, even though the movie will serve as a swan song for Natasha, it can also serve the larger, ongoing MCU narrative at the same time.

MORE: Theory: Why Black Widow’s Movie Can’t Take Place Any Earlier In The MCU

Source: Just Jared, Charles Murphy

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