Thunderbolts* sees a new and unique team try to save the world, bringing the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Phase Five to a dramatic close. The upcoming superhero blockbuster spotlights the eponymous team of antiheroes and former villains as they embark on a do-or-die mission to achieve redemption.
Via Marvel Studios on X (formerly Twitter), the latest Thunderbolts* preview sees de facto leader Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) and the titular collective trying to adjust to their new superhero responsibilities while ruing their past misdeeds. Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova, said to be the focal point of Thunderbolts*, reminds her team that «everyone here has done bad things, you can’t escape the past,» while Bucky charges the group to «do something about it now or live with it forever.»
The Thunderbolts sees Bucky and Yelena team up with Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian (David Harbour), Ava Starr/Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), John Walker/U.S. Agent (Wyatt Russell) and Antonia Dreykov/Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko). The group gets caught in a deadly trap by CIA director Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), forced to go on a dangerous mission to attain redemption and save the Earth in the absence of the Avengers. Director Jake Schreier played up the trust issues within the group, recently admitting he was inspired by the events of Toy Story 3 when crafting the character dynamics for his movie.
Thunderbolts* also sees the titular team in action come face-to-face with the Golden Guardian with a dark twist, Sentry/The Void (Lewis Pullman), who has been hyped as being stronger than the Avengers. First appearing as the mysterious Bob in a stray jacket during earlier Thunderbolts* trailers, the Sentry seemingly has a big say in the events occurring throughout the movie. However, Sentry’s dark alter-ego, The Void, threatens to wreak havoc and questions the Thunderbolts’ capabilities for protecting Earth.
With a runtime of 2 hours and 6 minutes, Thunderbolts* is projected for a solid opening weekend at the box office, though its domestic take is expected to be less than its MCU predecessor, Captain America: Brave New World. The early reception of Thunderbolts* from test screenings has reportedly been positive.
The Thunderbolts Will Return in Avengers: Doomsday
Fans can expect to see more of the Thunderbolts in the MCU as most of the cast have been confirmed for Avengers: Doomsday. The only major cast members who weren’t named in the recent Doomsday cast reveal were Kurylenko and Louis-Dreyfus, furthering speculation about their fates in Thunderbolts*. However, Marvel president Kevin Feige recently teased that more names will be announced for the anticipated Avengers sequel.
Thunderbolts* opens in theaters on May 2.
