- Thunderbolts* trailer is out now
- Thunderbolts* will follow Captain America: Brave New World
- Slated to be the final film in phase 5 of the MCU
Last year was a quiet year for the MCU, but it is roaring back in 2025 and one of the most anticipated movies is Thunderbolts* where a new team is assembled.
In 2024, the only MCU movie was Deadpool & Wolverine. It was a huge success – second biggest grossing movie of 2024 – and helped to reinvigorate interest in the series.
Now, there are several MCU movies on the slate for 2025. First up is Captain America: Brave New World, which is out in February. This is the debut of Sam Wilson’s version of Captain America.
Following this is Thunderbolts*, the first appearance of the popular team from the Marvel comics. Here is everything we know about Thunderbolts*.
Is there a trailer?
Yes, we got a good look at the Thunderbolts* trailer during the Super Bowl 2025.
It showed the assembly of another super hero super group – no, not that one. This one is decidedly more angsty than the Avengers. However, as they’re tasked with facing a new foe, it looks like they’ll learn what it means to be a hero along the way.
Watch it above.
What is the plot
Officially we have been given very little in terms of hints about the plot of Thuderbolts*. Marvel’s official synopsis is one sentence: “A group of antiheroes [who] goes on missions for the government.”
Thunderbolts* focuses on a loose team brought together to do the US government’s dirty work. Presumably action and misadventure will follow.
Which characters have we seen before
There are several Thunderbolts* characters that have appeared in previous MCU movies.
Probably the best known is Bucky Barnes – aka The Winter Soldier. The sort-of leader of the Thunderbolts, Bucky started out as Steve Rogers/Captain America’s best friend. He too is an enhanced super-soldier – complete with cybernetic arm – and has cropped up in numerous MCU films both as an antagonist, when he had been brainwashed into being an assassin, and hero, once the brainwashing effects had been removed.
Others have had thus far relatively minor roles in the MCU. For instance, Red Guardian/Alexei Shostakov, a Russian version of a super-soldier, was introduced in 2021’s Black Widow.
Another character introduced in Black Widow was Taskmaster/Antonia Dreykov. She can mimic opponents’ fighting styles. She was freed from the Red Room by Black Widow.
Meanwhile, Ghost/Ava Starr, another part of the Thunderbolts* team, first appeared in 2018’s Ant-Man and the Wasp. As her name suggests, she can phase through objects.
John Walker/US Agent however, will be familiar to those who have followed the MCU TV series – he appeared in The Falcon and The Winter Solider (2021).
Who is starring in Thunderbolts*
There is a stellar cast lined up for Thunderbolts. Some of the bigger names on the cast list include:
- Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova – another former member of the Red Room.
- Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes
- Hannah John-Kamen as Ava Starr/Ghost
- Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine – a CIA director. Older readers (or those that watch classic comedy on streaming services) may remember Louis-Dreyfus from her role in Seinfeld
- David Harbour as Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian. He is best known for playing Jim Hopper in Stranger Things
- Wyatt Russell as John Walker/US Agent
- Olga Kurylenko as Antonia Dreykov/Taskmaster. Kurylenko is probably best known for playing Camille Montes in Quantum of Solace
Is Harrison Ford in Thunderbolts*?
Currently, hasn’t been confirmed if Harrison Ford will be in Thunderbolts*. There have been rumors that Ford will appear as Thaddeus ‘Thunderbolt’ Ross – the character will be in Captain America: Brave New World, which comes out in February.
Given the team is named after Ross, it could be assumed that he – and/or his alter-ego The Red Hulk – would turn up at some point. However, as Collider reported, Marvel head honcho Kevin Feige said the character was not in the movie.
But, given there is a long history of misdirection ahead of Marvel movies hitting cinemas – think Andrew Garfield denying he was in Spider-Man: No Way Home – that might not be gospel.
When is Thunderbolts* in theaters?
Whether Ross is in Thunderbolts* will probably only be answered when the film arrives in theaters, which is set for May 2.
