The original Thunderbolts comic book from Marvel had a very different premise, and team roster, than the MCU Thunderbolts* film. In Kurt Busiek and Mark Bagley’s original series, the first issue ended with the surprise reveal that this new team of heroes, who appear after the Avengers vanished, were all villains in disguise. Thunderbolts* preserves this last-minute surprise ending, with the team revealed as the New Avengers. Yes, the Thunderbolts in the MCU have ties to later rosters from the comics. But not one original member from the comics made it into the movie lineup. Except, maybe one cast member was a stealth OG Thunderbolt all along. Is the heroine Songbird secretly in Thunderbolts*?
This theory comes from the folks at Collider. They believe that Valentina’s personal assistant Mel (Geraldine Viswanathan), who later (sort of) betrays her evil boss and helps Bucky Barnes, is secretly the heroine Songbird. They believe her name “Mel” is short for Melissa, as in Melissa Gold, Songbird’s real name. In addition, she wears a silver necklace with the image of a bird on it. Coincidence? We think not. Originally, in the comics, Songbird had enhancements that let her form soundwaves into solid constructs, like wings. She first went by the name Screaming Mimi, and was a Captain America villain. As a Thunderbolt, she changed her name to Songbird.
Although the original plan for the Thunderbolts was to disguise themselves as heroes to more easily conquer the world, Songbird actually liked being a superhero. This is similar to how Mel was uncomfortable with Valentina’s evil deeds, and went to Bucky for help. We never see Mel display powers of any kind in Thunderbolts*, much less take on a codename. But that doesn’t mean she won’t in a future project. And actress Geraldine Viswanathan seems to know more than she’s letting on. When asked about the Songbird theory, she said “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.”
Although not formally announced for the Avengers: Doomsday cast, it wouldn’t be shocking if Viswanathan shows up as a New Avenger named Songbird in that film. Like the comics, she’s already a “villain” who decided to become a hero. Well, sort of. Now all she needs is a plot device to give her sonic powers. Maybe she volunteers for some high-tech augmentations like Bob/The Sentry did? All we know that we’d love it if next time we see her, she has pink and white hair and giant sound wings.
Content shared from nerdist.com.