(Updated 02/13/2025)
We love a good redemption story. Seeing good characters go bad is always fun, but we love to see bad characters turn things around. In comic books especially, where new stories have to be told every month and it is impossible to constantly invent new characters, good guys go bad and bad guys go good all the time.
Enter Marvel's THUNDERBOLTS*. In comics, the antihero team was originally introduced in the late 1990s. It has gone through various permutations ever since. Sometimes the Thunderbolts are villains using heroic cover; sometimes they're simply assassins; sometimes they are bad guys who accept dangerous missions as a push toward redemption. (And, yes, the asterisk at the end of the title is officially part of the movie's name, for reasons that will presumably become clear eventually.)
On the big screen, THUNDERBOLTS* unites the Winter Soldier, Black Widow, and a host of other characters who have appeared in Marvel movies. Here’s everything we know about Marvel's THUNDERBOLTS*.
Thunderbolts* Opens the 2025 Summer Movie Season
Marvel Studios will release THUNDERBOLTS* in movie theaters on May 2, 2025.
Watch the New Thunderbolts* Trailer
While the first THUNDERBOLTS* teaser trailer put the spotlight squarely on Florence Pugh and her character Yelena Bolova, this new trailer gives attention to the entire team. The only aspect of the story this trailer really dances around is the identity of the villain.
What Characters Are in Thunderbolts*?
When this movie was formally announced, we made a few guesses about the team: Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), John Walker (Wyatt Russell), Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko), and Ghost (Hannah-John Kamen), with Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) as the team's organizer and maybe one of the villains. Turns out that we were pretty close! All those characters are in the lineup.
The official lineup for Marvel's THUNDERBOLTS* is as follows:
Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova/Black Widow II
Sebastian Stan as the Winter Soldier
David Harbour as Red Guardian
Wyatt Russell as John Walker/USAgent
Hannah John-Kamen as Ghost
Olga Kurylenko as Taskmaster
and Julia Louis-Dreyfuss as Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine.
This all makes a lot of sense. Several have been Thunderbolts in comics, and all are strong characters who have a lot of room to grow in the MCU. Winter Soldier is a bit of a surprise, so we're eager to see what drives him towards the team.
Additionally, Harrison Ford may appear as President Thaddeus Ross, the character he takes over beginning with CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD. (Read more about CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD here.) Which means that Red Hulk might also be in THUNDERBOLTS. Lewis Pullman plays Bob, a role that might be Marvel's very powerful Sentry, a Superman-type character, and Geraldine Viswanathan plays the Contessa's assistant.
What's the Plot of Marvel's Thunderbolts*?
The story and plot in THUNDERBOLTS* is somewhat mysterious but the trailer sketches in a few big points. The team members have all done things that are… bad. Someone, probably Contessa, wants to eliminate all these operatives who know too much. They band together to stay alive.
Who Is the Thunderbolts* Villain?
While it seems pretty clear that the Contessa isn't exactly a friendly face, there's another villain in THUNDERBOLTS* as well. Because the trailer is keeping this person hidden we're not going to spoil the identity of the major antagonist in the movie.
A Sort-Of Sequel to Black Widow
If you looked at the THUNDERBOLTS* roster and thought of BLACK WIDOW, well, you're not off-base. Andy Park, who works as Marvel Studios' Director of Visual Development and created the concept art for the team lineup seen above, shared a cover he created for the "Art of Black Widow" book. In the caption, he also said, "Taskmaster, the Red Guardian, Yelena AND Valentina Allegra de Fontaine will be returning in the upcoming THUNDERBOLTS* film. It’s like these movies are connected or something! ;)"
And prior to editing the caption he explicitly referenced THUNDERBOLTS* as a BLACK WIDOW sequel. So that helps set up the path to this movie in a pretty direct way.
THUNDERBOLTS* opens on May 2.
All images courtesy of Marvel Studios.