The Marvel Cinematic Universe delivered a well-received hit with Thunderbolts, an unexpected result given the uncertainty surrounding the title. And, while the movie is enjoying a successful response from viewers, not everyone wanted to be credited. In fact, one MCU star asked for their name to be removed from the credits featured in Thunderbolts.
The film features a number of major stars, most of whom appeared in previous MCU projects, including Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, Wyatt Russell, Olga Kurylenko, Lewis Pullman, Geraldine Viswanathan, Chris Bauer, Wendell Pierce, David Harbour, Hannah John-Kamen, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. As such, it’s a film known for its cast, and one would assume everyone would want to be credited alongside these stars.
As shared with Interview magazine, however, the actor explained why they asked to have their credits removed. This was revealed when they sat down to speak with cast member David Harbour who previously starred in the previous MCU project Black Widow.
The cast member that spoke with Harbour, Scarlett Johansson, shared the following response when Harbour asked if she saw the film, noting that she’s “all over this movie” and responded with the following when she said she hadn’t:
“OK. You are an executive producer on it. Congratulations.”
Johansson added that she “asked to have my credit removed,” specifically because of her lack of creative input, noting that “I wasn’t involved.” It’s certainly a surprising response from the Black Widow star, especially knowing that she’s played her character in numerous MCU projects going back to some of the earliest films in the franchise.
Nevertheless, Thunderbolts does make another nice send-off for the character, even if she wasn’t creatively involved or mentioned in the credits. Whether or not she’ll receive other chances to work on the MCU remains to be seen, though it’s unlikely that she’ll reprise her role as Black Widow, which she insists in the interview has been completed.
Stay tuned to ScreenGeek for any additional updates on the Marvel Cinematic Universe as we have them. Now that Thunderbolts has hit theaters, fans can enjoy the release of The Fantastic Four: First Steps in theaters on July 25, 2025.