Gabriel Luna & Jon Bernthal Are Down For A Thunderbolts Series

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a big place, and studio big-wigs seem keen to make the franchise even bigger. From film to television, the MCU has accumulated dozens of titles and added even more heroes to its line-up. Teams like the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy have entered the universe without question, and Marvel will soon assemble the Defenders over on Netflix. Now, two stars from the MCU have thrown in another team suggestion for the MCU, and the addition would see the Punisher team up with Ghost Rider.

Over the weekend, Phoenix Comic-Con got underway, and the massive event saw Gabriel Luna and Jon Bernthal make appearances. The Agent of SHIELD actor greeted fans first as Luna had a Q&A panel during the convention’s second day. It was there the actor told fans he was interested in making a Thunderbolts series with the Punisher (Bernthal) and Elektra (Elodie Yung) for Netflix. Luna said he’s also love to take part in a Midnight Sons spinoff featuring Blade, but it looks like the actor’s pitch for Thunderbolts has already got one supporter.

Thanks to Omega Underground, the site was able to ask Bernthal if he’d be down for the series. The actor said he’d be glad to reprise his role of Frank Castle for Netflix if the right script came along. So, as you can imagine, plenty of Marvel fans are hoping Netflix has some behind-the-scenes plans for such a crossover.

Still, fans should not get their hopes up for the Thunderbolts crossover yet. The MCU may rely on being interconnected, but its TV properties have always struggled to tie into other series. Agents of SHIELD airs on ABC, and none of the show’s actors (save for Agent Coulson) have appeared elsewhere in the MCU. Ghost Rider made his debut on the show, so there may the legal hurdles preventing the supernatural hero from appearing in one of Marvel’s Netflix titles.

It is easy to see what fans are hoping Marvel pursues as Thunderbolts spinoff. If you are not familiar with the team, then you should know the group originally housed super-villains. The team’s first iteration was started by Baron Zemo in a bid for world domination, but the squad eventually began to seek redemption by becoming a team of heroes. The Thunderbolts team has gone through many iterations, but Ghost Rider and the Punisher have been involved with the crew on various occasions. Other noted Marvel characters like Hawkeye, Green Goblin, Venom, Luke Cage, and more have also had ties to the Thunderbolts during their long histories.

Marvel’s The Defenders is developed by Douglas Petrie and Marco Ramirez. The miniseries will also feature Sigourney Weaver as the villain, Alexandra (Sigourney Weaver), and several recurring guest stars from Marvel’s Daredevil, Marvel’s Jessica Jones, Marvel’s Luke Cage, and Marvel’s Iron Fist, including Eka Darville as Malcolm Ducasse, Simone Missick as Misty Knight, Deborah Ann Woll as Karen Page, Elden Henson as Foggy Nelson, Carrie-Anne Moss as Jeri Hogarth, Scott Glenn as Stick, Rachael Taylor as Trish Walker, Rosario Dawson as Claire Temple, and Jessica Henwick as Colleen Wing.

The Defenders premieres on Netflix August 18.

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