– Releasing in early May
– Four trailers released so far
– Main cast revealed
– Story synopsis unveiled
– Other cast and plot rumors circulating online
– Unclear how it’ll set up future MCU events
Thunderbolts* is ready to storm into theaters. The second Marvel movie of the year will make landfall on May 1 (UK) and May 2 (internationally), so you don’t have long left to read up on everything we know about it.
Below, I’ll run you through one of 2025’s most anticipated new movies. Indeed, you’ll learn more about this Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film’s cast and story, see the main footage that’s been release so far, and get some hints about how it’ll impact future MCU projects.
Before you do all of that, though, read my Thunderbolts* review to see what I thought about it. Ready to proceed? Grand. Full spoilers follow for numerous Marvel projects, including Falcon and the Winter Soldier (FATWS), Black Widow, and Ant-Man and the Wasp (AM&TW), so proceed with caution if you haven’t seen them all yet.
Thunderbolts release date
As mentioned, Thunderbolts* will arrive on Friday, May 2. However, UK audiences can watch it a day earlier on May 1.
Thunderbolts* was first announced in June 2022 and was originally due out in December 2024. However, the 2023 Hollywood strikes led to multiple Marvel movies being delayed, including this one.
Owing to that months-long stand-off, plus the departure of Steven Yeun and Ayo Edebiri, who’d originally signed on to feature, filming didn’t start on Thunderbolts until it had ridden out its creative storm in March 2024. Thankfully, it hasn’t suffered further delays.
Thunderbolts trailer
The official Thunderbolts* trailer was released during Super Bowl LIX. It teases plenty, too including lots of humorous, action-packed, and melodramatic incidents, as well as the revelation that its main villain is someone you probably expected to be a good guy.
Before that, Thunderbolts’ first trailer was released publicly last September following its D23 Expo 2024 debut.
Two months later at the Brazilian edition of D23 Expo 2024, Marvel unveiled another look at Thunderbolts that suggested it’ll help Marvel Phase 5 end with a bang rather than a whimper, too.
One last trailer, which shines a spotlight on Thunderbolts‘ villain, made its way online in early April. It spoils who the movie’s Big Bad is, though, so I won’t directly link to it here. You can watch it via the aforementioned link if you so wish.
Thunderbolts cast: confirmed and rumored
Potentially big spoilers follow for Thunderbolts. Major spoilers also follow for multiple MCU projects, including Captain America: Brave New World.
You can read more about who’ll appear in the film via my Thunderbolts* cast and character guide, but here’s a quick rundown of who you’ll see in the MCU flick:
- Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova
- Sebastian Stan as James ‘Bucky’ Barnes/The Winter Soldier
- David Harbour as Alexei Shoshtakov/The Red Guardian
- Wyatt Russell as John Walker/US Agent
- Hannah John-Kamen as Ava Starr/Ghost
- Olga Kurylenko as Antonia Dreykov/Taskmaster
- Lewis Pullman as Bob Reynolds/Sentry/The Void
- Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine
- Geraldine Viswanathan as Mel
Everyone except Pullman’s Bob Reynolds and Viswanathan’s Mel will be familiar to MCU fans. But, if you’re new to the franchise or need a quick refresher on who they are, read on.
Pugh’s Belova was first introduced in Black Widow. She’s the sister of Natasha Romanoff, aka the MCU’s original Black Widow. The popular Avenger sacrificed herself in Avengers: Endgame to allow Clint Barton/Hawkeye to retrieve the Soul Stone on Vormir. Belova was last seen in Hawkeye on Disney+ where, suspecting Barton was behind Romanoff’s death, tried to kill him. However, when she realized he wasn’t responsible for Romanoff’s death, Belova ended her quest for vengeance.
Harbour’s Shoshtakov and Kurylenko’s Dreykov also made their MCU debuts in Black Widow. Shoshtakov is Romanoff and Belova’s father, and he’s also Russia’s answer to Steve Rogers’ iteration of Captain America – i.e. a super-soldier who wields a shield. Meanwhile, Dreykov is also known as Taskmaster, aka an individual who can mimic a person’s combat skills.
Stan’s Barnes needs no introduction. An MCU ever-present since 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger, he’s appeared in nine Marvel properties. Another super-soldier with a vibranium arm, and formerly a brainwashed Russian assassin called The Winter Soldier, Barnes has been elected as a Congressman by the time Thunderbolts* begins. This was previously revealed in Brave New World – read my Captain America 4 ending explained piece for more details.
Wyatt’s Walker was an antagonistic figure in FATWS. He was enlisted as the new Cap in that TV show after Rogers gave up the shield, but eventually lost the title to Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson. He was later hired by Louis-Dreyfus’ duplicitous CIA Director to become a black ops-like version of Cap called US Agent.
Speaking of de Fontaine, she first appeared in Black Widow‘s post-credits scene and has since shown up in FATWS and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. She’s responsible for sending Belova after Barton, too. Oh, and she’ll be helped by Viswanathan’s Mel, who’s her aide in this flick.
John-Kamen will reprise her role as Starr/Ghost, the primary antagonist of AM&TW whose abilities allow her to phase through solid objects. Like Belova and Walker, it appears Fontaine hires her to conduct secret missions.
Rounding out the main cast is MCU newcomer Pullman, who’ll portray Bob Reynolds. In the comics, Reynolds is an amnesiac middle-aged man who doesn’t know he’s also one of the world’s most powerful superheroes, aka Sentry. However, Reynolds harbors a dark secret. I won’t say much else for anyone who isn’t a Marvel Comics buff but, if you want even more details on him, check out our exclusive deal with Marvel Unlimited, the online service that grants you access to over 30,000 Marvel comics.
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Thunderbolts story synopsis and speculation
Possible spoilers follow for Thunderbolts*.
Here’s the movie’s official plot brief: “In Thunderbolts*, Marvel Studios assembles an unconventional team of antiheroes – Yelena Belova, Bucky Barnes, Red Guardian, Ghost, Taskmaster, and John Walker. After finding themselves ensnared in a death trap set by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, these disillusioned castoffs must embark on a dangerous mission that will force them to confront the darkest corners of their pasts. Will this dysfunctional group tear themselves apart, or find redemption and unite as something much more before it’s too late?”
The “death trap” aspect won’t be a surprise to anyone who’s watched the trailers. The footage suggests de Fontaine sends Walker, Starr, Dreykov, and Belova on a mission to eradicate each other, but that plan will fall apart when they team up to get revenge on her.
The big question is why de Fontaine has sent them to their apparent deaths. Is she trying to tie up some loose ends? In my view, that’s the most likely explanation. The trailers indicate that de Fontaine’s plan goes awry, though, with the group escaping alongside Reynolds and, after teaming up with Barnes and Shoshtakov, confront Fontaine at her new headquarters in the building formerly known as Avengers Tower. Yes, that’s the same skyscraper that Tony Stark owned until his death in Avengers: Endgame.
Anyway, each team member will be dealing with their own insecurities in this Marvel Phase 5 film. The trailer shows a disenchanted Belova going through the motions before she seeks out Shoshtakov for emotional support. Unfortunately, the wisecracking super-soldier appears ill-equipped to help as he struggles with his own demons of being a dead-beat dad and yearning for new adventures despite his aging body.
Walker will be grappling with his dark past, which we glimpsed in FATWS, while Barnes will likely use his own murder-laden history to rally the team together, as well as attempt to make a difference as a newly-elected Congressman. Then there’s Reynolds, who has his supervillain-esque internal issue to continually quell.
Thunderbolts* won’t be a wholly melancholy affair. There’ll be plenty of trademark MCU humor to enjoy, especially once this group of oddballs join forces for the greater good.
In another Empire magazine chat, Schreier said the ragtag team’s make-up is akin to Woody and Buzz’s found family in the Toy Story films. Clearly, Marvel is going all-out to make this so-called “A24-feeling assassin movie with superheroes” (Pugh’s word to Empire, not mine) to make Thunderbolts stand apart from its contemporaries.
But back to something I mentioned many paragraphs ago: what’s with the asterisk? Some fans believe it’s a subtitle placeholder, which will be revealed in the third act or before the credits roll. Right now, fans have two suggestions: The Dark Avengers or The New Avengers. The former would befit this team of not-so-morally upstanding individuals. However, the latter appears more likely, especially in light of de Fontaine claiming that the world needs a new Avengers team in Thunderbolts‘ official trailer. We’ll see if either of those theories is correct soon.
What Marvel movies and shows do I need to watch before Thunderbolts?
I’ve already hinted at the MCU movies and TV shows that you’ll need to stream on Disney+, aka one of the world’s best streaming services before this film arrives.
Nevertheless, here’s a quick round-up of what you’ll want to stream before Thunderbolts* arrives (NB: you can read more about each one in my Marvel movies in order guide, too):
- Ant-Man and the Wasp – introduction of Ava Starr/Ghost
- Falcon and the Winter Soldier – introduction of John Walker/US Agent
- Black Widow – introductions of Yelena Belova, Red Guardian, and Taskmaster
- Hawkeye – progression of Belova’s MCU journey
- Black Panther: Wakanda Forever – more details on Valentina Allegra de Fontaine’s history and CIA role
- Captain America: Brave New World – details on Barnes’ campaign to become a Congressman
How will Thunderbolts impact the Marvel Cinematic Universe?
Having seen Thunderbolts*, I know how it’ll effect the MCU moving forward. Buuuut I’m not a monster, so I won’t spoil anything here.
One thing we do know, however, is that the vast majority of them will appear in Avengers: Doomsday and/or Avengers: Secret Wars.
These movies, which are currently set to be released in theaters in May 2026 and May 2027, should bring down the curtain on the Marvel Multiverse Saga. And, following a five-hour Marvel livestream that revealed the initial 27-strong cast for Avengers: Doomsday, we already know that Belova, Barnes, Red Guardian, US Agent, Ghost, and Reynolds will feature in the first of these two in these Marvel Phase 6 flicks.
As for whether Thunderbolts will set up any story threads for Avengers 5 and Avengers 6, I don’t think that’s likely. The Fantastic Four: First Steps is the next MCU film that’ll land in theaters before Doomsday, though, so it’s possible that Thunderbolts* may drop a tease or two that sets up events for The Fantastic Four‘s MCU debut and/or gives us a glimpse at what’s to come in Doomsday. We’ll (or, rather, you’ll) find out soon enough.
For more Marvel coverage, read my guides on the best Marvel movies, Spider-Man 4, and Daredevil: Born Again season 2.