We’ve known a few things about Marvel’s Thunderbolts—yes, with the asterisk—for a while now. We know that the filming is done and it is in post-production. Most notably, the cast and characters have been revealed, as many have already appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, we hadn’t seen this new team together until now.
During Marvel’s big panel in Hall H tonight, the studio unveiled the first footage from the film, hinting at the formation of this unlikely superteam. The footage shown aligns well with the leaked plot of the film a month ago.
The footage begins with crickets chirping in a wooded area with a few small homes. Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) knocks on a door, which turns out to be Alexei’s (David Harbour) place. Initially thinking it’s DoorDash, Alexei quickly starts tidying up when he realizes it’s Yelena.
She greets him with “Hi Dad,” and he fumbles with excuses for the mess, lying about being busy. Yelena asks if he’s been doing well and feeling fulfilled, to which he lies and says yes.
Yelena reveals that she feels something is wrong with her—she’s drifting and aimless. As she speaks, the footage shows Bucky (Sebastian Stan) walking into a courtroom and John Walker (Wyatt Russell) reading an article titled “Fall of a Hero.” Yelena continues, explaining that she’s been throwing herself into her work to feel better. The scene cuts to her taking down a bunch of guys in a hallway.
The Pixies’ “Where Is My Mind” starts playing as Yelena works her way to a secret lair filled with computers and papers. John Walker is already there, shooting at her. Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen) is also present, along with a few other characters.
A big fight ensues. Lewis Pullman’s character then stumbles out in a hospital gown. Yelena asks who sent him, and he replies, “You were all sent?” Suddenly, all the doors slam shut, and red lights with a one-minute countdown turn on—it’s a trap.
Yelena explains that all these characters have done bad things like robbing the government and contract killings. Walker responds, “So?” to which Yelena says, “Someone wants us gone.”
A montage follows: Allegra (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) walks into a party with Marvel relics like Loki’s scepter. Pullman’s character walks out of a room to find soldiers with guns. Yelena jumps off a building. The words “CAREFUL WHO YOU ASSEMBLE” flash on the screen.
The footage shows the group in an elevator, then entering Allegra’s office. “There are good guys, and you’re bad guys,” she says. The montage ends with Allegra saying, “But there are worse guys.”
After the Thunderbolts title (emphasis on the asterisk), we see a red limousine driving in the desert. The group is inside, with Alexei driving. “This has the makings of a team that can rise to glory,” he says. “That can be the heroes on the Wheaties box.” Yelena interrupts, “I find it’s best if you ignore him.” Alexei adds, “With a little kiddie toy.”
Thunderbolts Cast
The cast roll call includes Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes, Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, Hannah John-Kamen as Ava Starr/Ghost, Wyatt Russell as John Walker/U.S. Agent, Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, David Harbour as Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian, Olga Kurylenko as Antonia Dreykov/Taskmaster, Lewis Pullman as the Sentry, and Harrison Ford as Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross.
Directed by Jake Schreier, this action-packed film is set to hit theaters on May 5, 2025.