What you’ve heard is true: The Walking Dead alum Steven Yeun is no longer in the cast for Marvel’s upcoming Thunderbolts movie.
The un-casting was officially confirmed via the Hollywood Reporter. Though an official reason wasn’t given, it’s worth pointing out that Thunderbolts had been heavily impacted by the Hollywood strikes from last year, and was in fact originally meant to come out this upcoming July. Eventually, things got to the point where production was paused indefinitely. While his inclusion in the film was never outright confirmed by Marvel in any official sense, it’s been known for some time, and Invincible creator Robert Kirkman recently let it slip that Yeun would be playing the Sentry, a Marvel hero with an eclectic array of powers.
Thunderbolts was announced back in 2022, and for all intents and purposes, looks to be the MCU equivalent of DC’s Suicide Squad films. As revealed at the D23 presser that same year, far, the film’s confirmed cast includes franchise alums Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes/Winter Solider, Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova/Black Widow II, and David Harbour’s Red Guardian. Yeun would’ve joined The Bear’s Ayo Ediberi as a pair of new additions to the superhero franchise, and at time of writing, her role continues to be under wraps.
Presently, Marvel hasn’t commented on Yeun’s exit, and it’s just as unclear who’ll end up replacing him. Right now, it’s not known when Thunderbolts’ production will start up, but it continues to have an expected release date of July 25, 2025.