Thunderbolts: Could Valentina’s Assistant Mel Turn out to be MCU’s Songbird?

Thunderbolts is killing it in the theaters and is the prime example of “never judge a book by its cover.”. As of now, Thunderbolts is not only making a lot of money but is also one of the highest-grossing movies in the world. Meanwhile, the thing with Marvel is that no matter how simple a movie might feel, they always have a card hidden in their sleeve for us to find, and it seems that Thunderbolts is no different. While we are busy focusing on the Red Guardian, Yelena, Walker, and Bob, there is a tiny detail regarding Mel that can lead to the introduction of Songbird, a comic-accurate member of the Thunderbolts, and here’s how.

Who Plays Mel in Thunderbolts?

Mel is played by Geraldine Viswanathan in Thunderbolts (Review). Initially, this character was set to be played by Ayo Edebiri, well-known for appearing in The Bear as chef Sydney Adamu. However, she dropped the part due to a certain scheduling conflict, allowing Viswanathan to make her MCU debut as Mel.

What Is Mel’s Role in Marvel’s Thunderbolts?

In Thunderbolts, Mel appears as Valentina’s assistant, and according to Val, Mel’s greatest skill is bringing her “a good cup of coffee” no matter what situation they are in. Even though Mel was initially very devoted to Valentina and her job, she gradually started losing faith in her when she realised that Val had gone completely off the rails with her obsession over the Sentry Project.

Following this, she started helping Bucky to get help in stopping Valentina, but it was way too late for that. Even though Mel was not exactly a superhero, she did have an important role in the movie, but now, fans have come to realise that Mel might be more than what we got to see on screen, and it’s quite exciting.

Theories Suggest Mel could be MCU’s Songbird

If you look at Marvel comics and then take a look at the Thunderbolts movie, you will realise that the team of heroes we have seen on paper is very different from the one we have been introduced to in the movie. However, it seems that one of the original members of the Thunderbolts comics might have been present in front of us all along. There is a possibility that Mel in Thunderbolts could be Songbird from Marvel Comics.

This speculation rose from a few details fans captured during Thunderbolts. First of all, Songbird’s name in Marvel Comics is Melissa Gold, and fans pointed out that Mel could be the short form for Melissa. Moreover, we have seen in the movie that Mel is wearing a bird necklace, which might be pointing towards a potential future of Mel as Songbird.

Now, this topic has been going on around the internet, and an official comment from Geraldine Viswanathan was inevitable. She had a conversation with Collider, where she said that Mel is just a regular girl who is caught between what she has to do and her ethics, and she chooses the latter. She stated-

“It felt very clear what to track, and it was really just about that internal struggle, but also what makes her pop is you don’t really know where her head’s at because you’re not really following her, but she then ends up driving a lot of the plot. She is also kind of instigating big things. She brings them to the Avengers Tower… Even just saying that now, it’s like, that’s so cool! But we just had to really trust that it’s a very real thing when you work for somebody and you’re like, ‘Wait, are they bad? I want to do good I think.’ We talked a lot about Jake and his assistant, and that dynamic felt like hopefully it would pop. But I think just trusting that maybe audiences weigh in a little bit, or that she’s a normal girl, and it’s a very relatable situation that she’s in.” – Geraldine Viswanathan

So, now the claims hang in the middle. On one end, there are theories and claims for Mel’s future as Songbird after her debut in Thunderbolts, and on the other, there is this comment by the actress herself. Now, we all know that Marvel has a history of keeping its actors zipped up about the truth.

There is a possibility that in the future, Mel injects herself with a version of the same serum Bob got and gains powers, but it’s just a theory. So, nothing can be said for sure as of now, so all we can do is hope for it to happen.

Will Mel Appear as Songbird in Avengers: Doomsday?

Now the big question is if Mel will get her powers before Avengers: Doomsday and appear in the movie as Songbird or not. Considering that the Thunderbolts are now the official New Avengers, there is a very good chance that Mel will be seen assisting them, since she helped Bucky in the Thunderbolts. It is also known that the revealed cast of Avengers Doomsday is only half of the complete cast, so there is a chance that her name will appear when the rest of the actors are announced.