‘Thunderbolts*’ Writer Joanna Calo Talks Bucky’s Congressional Run: ‘People Would Vote for Him!’

The antiheroes of Thunderbolts* make for an unconventional crew. Marvel Studios’ newest film unites a ragtag group of mercenaries and misfits, setting them on a dangerous mission orchestrated by CIA director Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus). At first glance, these not-so-heroic figures — Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), Ava Starr (Hannah John-Kamen), Alexei Shostakov (David Harbour), John Walker (Wyatt Russell), and newcomer Bob (Lewis Pullman) — have little in common. But together, they make a competent team, the kind who can even band together to save the world (even though they’ll probably argue the entire time). 

Juggling all those voices is writer Joanna Calo, who co-wrote the Thunderbolts* script with Eric Pearson. Best known for serving as co-showrunner of The Bear, Calo makes her Marvel Cinematic Universe debut with Thunderbolts*, weaving a twisty tale of action, comedy, and emotional connection. (She also previously worked on the TV series Beef with director Jake Schreier and writer Lee Sung Jin, who contributed to the Thunderbolts* script.)

With the film in theaters now, Calo sat down with Marvel.com for a peek inside the writing process, opening up about Thunderbolts*’ depiction of mental health and her favorite memories from set.

MARVEL.COM: This film assembles such a strange, delightful group of characters from across the Marvel Cinematic Universe. How did you want to put together this team?

JOANNA CALO: We really wanted to go deeper. Like, what has Walker been through? How do you take a character like that and make him someone you could redeem a little bit?  How is he able to work with Yelena and the whole team? That became the fun thing with each character. What have they been through? What have we seen? What didn’t we see? And how can they possibly join together?

MARVEL.COM: It's fun to see familiar characters in new places. Congressman Bucky Barnes, for example, is an unexpected turn. What interested you about exploring Bucky’s political career?

JOANNA CALO: All of these people have spent their lives trying to make the world better, and they’re also trying to come to terms with the bad they have done in the past. That is what all of our characters are trying to figure out. I really loved the idea that Bucky is still genuinely trying to figure out how to make the world a better place, but he doesn’t fit in. After the terrible thing happened to him almost a hundred years ago, he really hasn’t fit into life. He’s always been out of time. So, that’s where he finds himself in Congress.

People would vote for him! If you saw Bucky Barnes on the ballot, you’d probably vote for him! But he feels like he doesn’t really have the skills, and he feels like it’s not enough. I love that first scene with him where he doesn’t know how to talk to the reporters. He doesn’t have all the moves yet. I thought that was very charming.

MARVEL.COM: I also love Yelena’s arc in this film. She really feels like the emotional beating heart of this story. Why was she the right character to lead the team?

JOANNA CALO: Something I’ve always been interested in was how you see these Super Heroes or action heroes like James Bond, and it’s so thrilling. But then you realize that they have a body count, and we know that violence isn’t good for people.

I started thinking about what [Yelena] has been through. She grew up normal for a time and then became absolutely the least normal. When we meet her in Black Widow, she’s still longing for connection. She’s connected with her sister, and she’s since lost her sister, and she’s not coming back. What does that loss do to a person who has such a complicated backstory? She has hurt a lot of people in the past, but she also grew up with love. It’s not as simple as someone whose whole life was just being a killer. She’s someone who’s still desperate for connection.

MARVEL.COM: The film also highlights that father-daughter relationship between her and Alexei, which is so beautiful.

JOANNA CALO: And you can imagine he wouldn’t know how to be a good dad. He is her dad, but he’s not. He’s really becoming her father in this movie, in a way. That’s what the whole movie is about: It’s about connection for all of these characters and really believing that connection is the way out.

MARVEL.COM: Speaking of connection being the way out, let’s talk about Sentry and the Void. As a writer, how did you want to tackle this very complicated character?

JOANNA CALO: There’s a lot of people dealing with mental illness, and we wanted to make sure there was space in our movie to talk about that. And we wanted it to be something we’re not afraid to talk about. What I love about Sentry and Bob and the Void and all the names he has is: What does happen if someone like that gets power? I think we are seeing that in our world right now. What happens when people who have a lot of power perhaps shouldn’t? I love that we got to tell that story through Bob.

All the Sentry comics are really exciting, and everyone should take a look at them because they’re talking about the same stuff we’re talking about now. He’s this sort of emo, angry character who was dealing with all these difficult feelings, and then he got way too much power. But I hope that everyone out in the world can just connect with a friend. If you’re thinking about taking a super serum… 

MARVEL.COM: Yeah, if Julia Louis-Dreyfus shows up and tells you, “Hey, so I have this serum…”

JOANNA CALO: Maybe not. Maybe just go to therapy. [Laughs]

MARVEL.COM: Many of these actors have played these characters for years. Did the actors influence the story at all?

JOANNA CALO: From a writing standpoint, it was very moving to me to see how passionate Sebastian was about Bucky. Wyatt, too: He really had a strong point of view on the things that Walker wants and the way he seems himself. Walker has suffered greatly in the way that the thing that got him his Purple Heart was the worst day of his life, but he was trying to do the right thing. He’s not evil, even though bad things have happened. It was very impressive to me that the actors were so passionate about it.

MARVEL.COM: Thinking back to filming, did you have a favorite day on set?

JOANNA CALO: I still have pieces of fake broken glass from the day in the lab, these little pieces of rubber. It reignited that childlike feeling in me, that movie magic. But I also remember when we were shooting the big penthouse fight. Lewis walked over, and he was wearing a cape. I was like, “My job is so funny. A man wears a cape at my job.” [Laughs]

Marvel Studios’ Thunderbolts* is in theaters now.