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Throughout the Infinity Saga, Marvel Studios churned out Avengers films every three years to mark the transition from one Phase to another…and that’s if you don’t count Captain America: Civil War–which featured more Avengers than either of the first two Avengers films–as an Avengers film! Over seven years from 2012 to 2019, fans were treated to The Avengers, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame (and Captain America: Civil War!), three of which are among the top 15 rated MCU films according to Rotten Tomatoes (four is you count Captain America: Civil War!) and all of which are top ten box office earners for Marvel Studios (except Captain America: Civil War, probably because they didn’t call it Avengers: Civil War). To recap, Avengers movies are well-made and make big money.
Given the successful track record of Avengers films, it would seemingly stand to reason that as the studio moved into an all-new, all-different era of storytelling in the Multiverse Saga, it would stick to the pattern; however, three plus years and one Phase transition into the new saga, fans still haven’t seen the Avengers assemble on screen, not even in a quasi-Avengers film like, say…Captain America: Civil War. But according to a new report, that’s all about to change in 2025.
According to a pair of online personalities regarded as insiders, Marvel Studios will roll out its team of New Avengers next summer in director Jake Schreier‘s Thunderbolts*.
First reported by GWW to be in development in 2021, Thunderbolts* was confirmed by a trade report in June 2022 before being announced by Kevin Feige at SDCC ’22 as the final installment in Phase 5 of the MCU. During 2022’s D23 event in Anaheim, Feige revealed the film’s ensemble cast which features Julia Louis-Dreyfus returning as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine and with Florence Pugh, David Harbour, Sebastian Stan, Wyatt Russell, Olga Kurylenko, and Hannah John-Kamen also reprising their characters from previous projects. So even though they passed on tradition at the end of Phase 4, could Thunderbolts* actually be a quasi-Avengers film?
The gist of the new report is that by film’s end, the collection of offbeat antiheroes who Val covertly collected to run top secret missions will be hailed as Avengers after accidentally being revealed to the public while saving the day. The report suggests that the reveal is tied to the asterisk that was added to the film’s original title, Thunderbolts, earlier this year. Should this be the case, it’s unlikely that all the characters involved in the film would end up as the MCU’s New Avengers. It’s rather more likely that John Walker, Yelena Belova, Ghost and Taskmaster form the core of the team, giving the group analogs for some of the original team of Avengers. Just how that will be received by the members of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes who are still shown to be in contact with one another during one of the stingers in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings remains to be seen.
Marvel Studios Thunderbolts* is set to hit theaters on May 2, 2025.
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New Angels pitcher Grayson Rodriguez reveals interesting health update after Orioles trade
Acquired in a trade with the Baltimore Orioles, new Los Angeles Angels pitcher Grayson Rodriguez believes there is a big reason why he is ready to put his injury history behind him in Anaheim. Just three days after turning 26 years old, Rodriguez is now a member of the Angels after a one-for-one trade that sent outfielder Taylor Ward to Baltimore. He is also hoping that a new location means an end to injuries that have limited him to 43 starts over the past three seasons. That includes zero starts and innings in 2025 because of an elbow issue in spring training, followed by a right lateral strain in April. More elbow problems popped up for Rodriguez in July before he underwent debridement surgery on his elbow in August, officially ending his season. That surgery, however, is, Rodriguez believes, the key to his return to the mound in 2026 as well as his ability to stay on it. Angels' Grayson Rodriguez said bone spurs have been an issue for a long time In a Zoom meeting with Angels reporters on Wednesday, Rodriguez said the bone spurs that were removed had been a problem for years. "That was something that's kind of lingered with me for about three or four years now," Rodriguez said. "I've had them for a while and kind of just got to the point where I couldn't really pitch through it. Pretty sure that's kind of what was causing some of the lat injuries." If that's the case, it could unlock a pitcher who has logged a 4.11 ERA in 238.2 innings over those 43 starts. He has also registered 9.8 strikeouts per nine innings while issuing just 2.9 walks. Getting those kinds of numbers would be a big boost for an Angels rotation that finished 28th out of MLB's 30 teams last season in ERA at 4.91. It would also represent a missed opportunity for an Orioles team that has stated it is looking for another front-line starter. Rodriguez said on Wednesday he would be ready for spring training, giving hope to the Angels that they have found a pitcher who can be a long-term answer for them on the mound. Rodriguez is not scheduled to be a free agent until the 2030 season. If Rodriguez can stay healthy and produce in Anaheim, it would be a gut punch for an Orioles team that is looking to get back into the postseason conversation in 2026. However, time will tell if those bone spurs are truly the answer to Rodriguez staying healthy and on the field.
Cowboys Announce Trevon Diggs News After Four Missed Games
Trevon Diggs watched on as Brian Schottenheimer and the Dallas Cowboys ended a two-game skid, defeating Geno Smith and the Las Vegas Raiders 33-16 in Week 11's edition of "Monday Night Football." Now, the Cowboys improve to 4-5-1 on the 2025 NFL season with a Week 12 NFC East matchup on the horizon against the Philadelphia Eagles. Ten games into the regular season, the Cowboys have fielded one of the NFL’s worst defenses, allowing 378.7 total yards per game, 30th in the league, and a league-worst 258.7 passing yards. With the unit struggling, Jerry Jones decided it was time for upgrades, acquiring defensive tackle Quinnen Williams and linebacker Logan Wilson at the trade deadline. The team also welcomed back linebacker DeMarvion Overshown, who had been recovering from a knee injury. With the reinforcements arriving for the Raiders matchup, the defense delivered its best performance of the season, allowing just 236 total yards, including only 27 on the ground. Despite the impressive outing, Dallas was still without one of its top defenders, as Diggs remained sidelined. Ahead of the Cowboys’ Week 7 win over the Washington Commanders, Diggs was ruled out after suffering a concussion in an accident at home. The following week, he was placed on injured reserve while also dealing with a separate knee injury. He has missed Dallas’ last four games, during which the team went 2-2. Diggs won't be able to make his return until the Thanksgiving matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs, meaning he will be out against the Eagles. But on Wednesday, Schottenheimer had a positive update to share on his Pro Bowl cornerback. "Brian Schottenheimer says that Solomon Thomas is 'making progress' and with Trevon Diggs, 'all signs are that he's doing everything he's supposed to do,'" Cowboys reporter Tommy Yarrish wrote on X. "#Cowboys are doing walkthroughs today, so they'll know more on the injury front tomorrow." The Cowboys will take on the Eagles on Sunday at 4:25 p.m. ET at AT T Stadium.
No. 4 Arizona accomplishes rare feat in thrilling road win over No. 3 UConn
The fourth-ranked Arizona Wildcats are putting a strong resume together and it is just the third week of the college basketball season. After riding freshman Koa Peat's sensational debut to an opening-night win over then-No. 3 Florida, the Wildcats added another impressive win on Wednesday night with a 71-67 victory at No. 3 UConn. Although Arizona led by as many as 13 in the second half, a 17-5 run from the Huskies made it a one-point game with 4:41 to play. UConn even held a 64-63 lead with just over a minute to play before Arizona took charge and accomplished something rarely seen in the sport. Arizona joins exclusive list after latest win over top-three opponent According to ESPN's Jeff Borzello, Arizona (5-0) is just the third team in AP poll history to have multiple wins over top-three opponents in its first five games of the season and the first since Kansas in the 1989-90 season (h/t ESPN Research). As Borzello noted, UConn was without leading scorer Tarris Reed Jr., who was sidelined with an ankle injury. While that certainly was a tough break for UConn in a top-five matchup, Arizona still had to take advantage and it did just that. Although the Wildcats were terrible from long-range (2-of-10), they outrebounded the Huskies, 43-23, and outscored them, 42-24, in the paint. Senior guard Jaden Bradley led the way with 21 points (6-of-13 FG), including this clutch layup to extend Arizona's lead to three with 16.3 seconds left. The freshman Peat was not far behind with 16 points (7-of-14 FG) and 12 rebounds as Arizona appeared to be the aggressor for much of the game. Arizona continues to ace tough nonconference schedule Wednesday night marked the third of five scheduled ranked matchups prior to the start of Big 12 play. Along with wins over Florida and UConn, the Wildcats also took down then-No. 15 UCLA, 69-65, on Friday. The schedule lets up through the end of November, but back-to-back games against No. 22 Auburn (Dec. 6) and No. 11 Alabama (Dec. 13) will provide two more tests for Arizona before a grueling Big 12 slate takes shape in January. Arizona may not be the top team in the country at the moment, but if it continues to pile up signature wins and handle tough road environments like it did on Wednesday night, it will only strengthen its case.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto grabs dinner with top Dodgers free agent target
With MLB free agency slowly but surely coming into shape, Los Angeles Dodgers fans have been scouring the rumor mill for the latest intel on who the next great superstar Andrew Frieman will land. Will it be Kyle Tucker, the current bell of the MLB ball? Or maybe Cody Bellinger, who might just be tired of watching his former teammates win World Series games without him? Well, if Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s recent social media activities are of any indication, it would appear Dodgers fans should keep a close eye on “Murakami-sama,” himself, Munetaka Murakami, as he looks to take his game from the NPB to MLB. Posing for a picture with the 25-year-old slugger while dining with Kenshiro Saito, Yamamoto had to know the interaction should make the rounds on social media and smiled for the camera all the same, setting off a firestorm among baseball fans that makes posting season all the more interesting. Standing 6-foot-2, 213 pounds, Murakami is a certified slugger the likes of which the NPB has seldom seen, leaving the league with 265 home runs on his resume. His 56 homers in 2022 broke a near-60-year record held by Sadaharu Oh, and even in 2025, a down year by his usual standards, he still hit 24 in just 69 total games. Though some question what position Murakami will play in MLB, be that his native third base, at first, or as a power-hitting DH, the Dodgers could easily platoon the 25-year-old with Max Muncy in 2026 and take over the spot in 2027, holding it down until Freddie Freeman rides off into the sunset a little further down the line. Now granted, just because Murakami and Yamamoto had dinner together doesn’t mean the former is a guaranteed lock to join the latter in Dodgers blue next spring. Another team could make a better offer, or Murakami could simply decide he wants to be a big fish in a small pond, instead of just another Japanese player on the Dodgers. And yet, for a player who came up watching Shohei Ohtani dominate in Japan and then America, why wouldn’t Murakami strongly consider teaming up with the “Unicorn,” Yamamoto, and Roki Sasaki to really make a proper go of things at a three-peat?
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