Cast, Release Date, Trailer, Story & Everything We Know

Marvel’s upcoming Thunderbolts* is quickly approaching, bringing the first MCU villain team-up movie to life. Way before the official announcement, the concept of a Thunderbolts movie drew heavy speculation from long-time Marvel readers and viewers for years. During the MCU’s Phase 4, audiences deduced one could be in the works thanks to Valentina Allegra de Fontaine’s sneaky recruitment activities throughout The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Black Widow. Sure enough, many Thunderbolts* cast members were confirmed at 2022’s D23 Expo, setting the stage for a big swing from Marvel Studios.

The Thunderbolts* team is drawn from preexisting characters in the MCU timeline, resulting in an unlikely team-up of antiheroes and villains that many had written off in universe. Bringing together this group of outcasts could prove to be the perfect move for the MCU, setting the stage for what’s to come in the future while also telling an affecting story about those who want to do better. It’s an exciting time to be an MCU fan, and the upcoming Thunderbolts* proves just that.

Thunderbolts* Latest News

A New Look At Sentry’s Costume

Thunderbolts* is the next MCU film to come out, and anticipation keeps growing, especially in terms of Sentry’s role in the film and how he will impact the overall MCU going forward. While full details about Sentry in the movie are still being kept under wraps, Sentry’s costume for Thunderbolts* has officially been revealed by Hasbro as a Marvel Legends action figure. It was revealed during Hasbro Pulse‘s 2025 Marvel Legends Fan Stream, and looks to be a faithful adaptation of his comics suit, albeit with a bit of MCU upgrading that most of its characters have gotten.

Thunderbolts* Movie Release Date

A Summer 2025 Slot

Thunderbolts* will be the second film for the MCU released in 2025, following Captain America: Brave New World. It is scheduled to be released on May 5, 2025, the perfect time slot to kick off the summer movie-going season, and a few months before The Fantastic Four: First Steps is set to touch down. Given its release date coming before Avengers: Doomsday, it’s likely that the events in Thunderbolts* could affect the story beats in that film.

A recent listing for Thunderbolts* by Regal seems to indicate that the film will have a runtime of two hours and six minutes, making it right in line with both Phase 2 and Phase 5’s averages. Of course, the runtime could just be a placeholder for the theater chain, as Marvel Studios has not yet confirmed what it actually is, but it is likely that the final runtime for Thunderbolts* will be in the same range, or a little bit longer.

Thunderbolts* Movie Cast

A Group Of Familiar Faces

The official cast of Thunderbolts* was announced at 2022’s D23 Expo, and is stacked with recognizable faces that leave little room for more surprise returns. The Thunderbolts* MCU lineup includes Contessa Val (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), who appears to be stepping into the role of Thunderbolts* leader. Joining her are Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Red Guardian (David Harbour), Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko), John Walker/U.S. Agent (Wyatt Russell), Ava/Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), and, of course, Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes.

Thunderbolts Members
Character	First Appearance
Yelena	Black Widow
Red Guardian	Black Widow
Bucky / The Winter Soldier	Captain America: The First Avenger
U.S. Agent	The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
Ghost	Ant-Man and the Wasp
Taskmaster	Black Widow
Bob (Sentry)	Thunderbolts*

Alongside the members of the Thunderbolts, Lewis Pullman will be playing Bob, otherwise known as Sentry. The character is one of the most powerful heroes in the Marvel Universe, but it looks like he will be the antagonist of the film that the newly formed team must take down, at least for part of the movie. It’s likely that he will eventually embrace his role as the hero, making him a significant part of the MCU as it heads towards Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars.

Thunderbolts* Movie Story

Coming Together For A Bigger Purpose

Custom image of Yelena pointing a gun with Red Guardian and Milena in background

At the moment, plot details for Thunderbolts* aren’t 100% certain, but trailers seem to suggest the team will be brought together to stop the emerging threat of Lewis Pullman’s Sentry before he likely becomes a hero in the MCU. With most of the characters already established, the movie can avoid any origin stories, save for Sentry. Also, most of the Thunderbolt members are already far more sympathetic than their comic book counterparts, suggesting the film will avoid depicting them as villains at first and simply make them anti-heroes, with their group dynamics looking to take center stage in the movie.

It’s also worth noting that various trailers feature a fight sequence between some of the heroes, seemingly before they become a group. The fact that the footage also shows the characters fighting underlines the idea that the team will very much be at odds at the start of Thunderbolts* – something in line with its roster, since it’s unlikely figures like Yelena and U.S. Agent would immediately see eye to eye from their first encounter.

Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova next to a blurred poster for Thunderbolts* (2025) with a white musical bar

What Song Is In The New Thunderbolts* Trailer (& What It Means)

The most recent trailer for Marvel’s Thunderbolts* features a popular song from the 1990s; what is it, and what does it mean for the MCU film?

It would not be a surprise to see the story of the Thunderbolts* movie set up in a Disney+ show or two, though nothing about that has been announced yet. Marvel Studios’ Director of Visual Department Andy Park also suggested the movie has strong ties to Black Widow. This isn’t a big surprise as the involvement of Yelena, Red Guardian, and Taskmaster makes it clear that a lot of those storylines will be carried over. It could mean that the movie also pays homage to one of the MCU’s original anti-heroes, Natasha Romanoff.

One aspect of Thunderbolts* that could have massive ramifications for the entire MCU is Valentina Allegra de Fontaine buying the Avengers tower. In an interview with Empire, director Jake Schreier addressed her acquisition of the property and what it could mean not only for Thunderbolts* but the MCU as a whole, with the promise of something taking a dark turn, stating:

“We know what that tower means. Who’s the person you would least like to own that tower, that means so much to so many people? Can you use that as a symbol of things taking a darker turn?”

Thunderbolts* Trailers

The Trailers Highlight The Team’s Dynamics

A lot of the marketing and various trailers for Thunderbolts* highlighted the interesting dynamics between the members of the team, indicating that audiences are in for an often funny, and a likely emotionally complex story. The whole point of a Thunderbolts* movie is to assemble a team of characters that many might have written off, both in universe and with fans, and the trailers for the film show why people should care about them. It’s exciting to see their stories continue in the MCU.

Marvel Studios was bold with their Thunderbolts* marketing, and the most notable example of that is a trailer that feels unlike anything the studio has released before when it comes to trailers. Following Florence Pugh’s comments about Thunderbolts* feeling like an A24 film, Marvel Studios released another trailer for the movie, which highlights the various crew members and their experience working with A24 in their careers.

It is one of the most fun trailers the studio has ever released for the MCU and even the title of it, “Absolute Cinema,” shows just how in on the joke it is, referencing the iconic Martin Scorsese meme and his comments regarding the MCU in general. As for the content of the trailer itself, it sets the tone for what to expect from Thunderbolts*, how well the character interactions look, and the impending threat of Sentry.

Who Are Marvel’s Thunderbolts? The MCU Team Explained

They’re Former Villains Doing Somewhat Heroic Things

A collage of the Thunderbolts team in the MCU

In the comics, the first Thunderbolts are a group of reformed villains. The original team was started by Baron Zemo after the Avengers were killed, aiming to replace the Avengers and gain the trust of the public in another world domination plan. This is why, even though Daniel Brühl’s Zemo is yet to be included in the movie’s cast, many still expect Baron Zemo in Thunderbolts*.

Unknown to the rest of the world, this new team of “reformed” villains, the Thunderbolts, were actually Zemo’s Masters of Evil in disguise. However, this version of the Thunderbolts actually start to enjoy being seen as heroes and doing good, so they end up overthrowing Zemo as their leader.

Throughout Marvel Comics’ history, the Thunderbolts’ lineup and leadership have changed significantly. The Thunderbolts name has been attached to multiple iterations, with various members leaving and joining the team. This includes Harrison Ford’s MCU character General “Thunderbolt” Ross, who led a version of the team as the Red Hulk. Across the many Thunderbolts lineups, one factor has remained consistent, however: the Thunderbolts are morally grayer than the Avengers.

Many casual viewers online have already noted the similarities. Both teams count villains in their lineup, after all. However, despite the on-paper idiosyncrasies between Thunderbolts and the Suicide Squad, they’re by no means the same. Marvel’s Thunderbolts will be very different from the Warner Bros/DC team it’s already drawn comparison to. Viewers unfamiliar with the Thunderbolts* comics are off the mark in dismissing this Marvel project as a simple Disney-fied Suicide Squad, and not just because Marvel’s antihero team doesn’t have explosive chips in their necks or an R rating.

Is Harrison Ford Playing Red Hulk In The MCU’s Thunderbolts*?

Red Hulk’s Story Could Continue

Harrison Ford blended with an image of Thunderbolt Ross

Harrison Ford replaced the beloved William Hurt as Marvel Studios’ “Thunderbolt” Ross, which means he could return as Red Hulk for Thunderbolts* following his role in Captain America: Brave New World. In the comics, Ross’ obsession with defeating the Hulk led him to team up with some of the most dangerous criminal minds in the Marvel Universe on multiple occasions, including during World War Hulk. Composed of Ross, MODOK, the Leader, and Doc Samson, this World War Hulk villain team called themselves Intelligencia.

With Abomination also reappearing in the MCU, it feels like Marvel Studios wants to explore the Hulk-side a bit more along with Red Hulk.

Like the more humorous and much sadder version of Intelligencia in She-Hulk, Ross and his allies used various techniques to siphon energy from the Hulk, which they used to transform Ross into Red Hulk. Later, after the Phoenix War, Ross led an iteration of the Thunderbolts composed of Venom, Punisher, Elektra, Ghost Rider, Mercy, the Leader, and Deadpool (who will be played by Ryan Reynolds in the MCU in Deadpool 3).

Since Captain America: Brave New World confirmed that Ross became the Red Hulk, his possible appearance in Thunderbolts* in this form would make a lot of sense. However, he was imprisoned at the Raft at the end of that film, and it’s unclear if he could even turn back into the Red Hulk again.

What Could The Asterisk Mean In Thunderbolts* Title?

Still A Mystery

Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes Leaning Against An Ambulance In The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Episode 6

After the new Thunderbolts* title was spotted on set with the strange asterisk, the new title was confirmed to be accurate but hasn’t been expanded upon. Kevin Feige himself chimed in on Thunderbolts*, clarifying that the asterisk is indeed intentional, but Marvel will not be clarifying the meaning until the movie is out. While not particularly descriptive, this did allay theories that the asterisk meant Thunderbolts was only a placeholder and the movie would get a new name entirely before release.

The dominant theory is that the asterisk will be a reference to an in-movie event. Given the team resembles some Avengers groups, one idea claims that the team will be mistaken for Marvel’s marquee team by civilians and will constantly have to correct people that they’re the Thunderbolts, not the Avengers.

Another idea is that the asterisk references footnotes and hidden conditions in marketing. It’s possible that being on the Thunderbolts comes with big risks and conditions which will come up in the film. Regardless, it doesn’t appear any specifics will be clarified until Thunderbolts* hits theaters in 2025.