After a relatively quiet 2024, Marvel Studios is back in a big way in 2025 with a full slate of films and shows. While its first film, Captain America: Brave New World, is set to release later this week, Marvel didn’t waste the big stage opportunity of the Super Bowl to promote its next blockbuster film, Thunderbolts*.
The latest trailer is the best look at the team yet, including some very foreboding scenes of a mysterious flying figure, whom we know is likely Sentry (Lewis Pullman). To this point, audiences have seen very little of the super powered character with a serious dark side. Even here, we don’t get to see much, but the driving theme of the trailer is to set up a future reveal.
The Thunderbolts* team that we know now, which includes Yelena Belova, Bucky Barnes, Red Guardian, Ghost, Taskmaster and John Walker, is made up primarily of fairly strong and skilled anti-heroes, but the group lacks real power. Sentry will undoubtedly fill that void, but it remains to be seen how the Marvel Cinematic Universe version of the character will be depicted.
What’s clear from the trailer is that this team is meant to act as the antithesis of the Avengers, in a similar way that the Suicide Squad is compared to the Justice League in DC Comics. Given the respective histories of these characters, and the fact that many of them are quite beloved by fans (especially Bucky and Yelena), the angle of the film is perfect. The humorous tone, perfectly captured by the Wheaties themed poster, is one that is sure to be a hit with audiences.
Thunderbolts* is directed by Jake Schreier, best known for directing Netflix’s hit series Beef. Schreier reunites with Beef writer Lee Sung Jin, who is one of the writers for the film. Marvel Studios giving a unique film like this to this specific creative team says a lot about their vision for Thunderbolts*.
Check out the trailer and new images. Thunderbolts* premieres May 2, 2025 in theaters.
About Thunderbolts*:
In “Thunderbolts*,” Marvel Studios assembles an unconventional team of antiheroes — Yelena Belova, Bucky Barnes, Red Guardian, Ghost, Taskmaster and John Walker. After finding themselves ensnared in a death trap set by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, these disillusioned castoffs must embark on a dangerous mission that will force them to confront the darkest corners of their pasts. Will this dysfunctional group tear themselves apart, or find redemption and unite as something much more before it’s too late?
Returning to their Marvel Cinematic Universe roles are Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, David Harbour, Wyatt Russell, Olga Kurylenko, Hannah John-Kamen and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. The cast also includes newcomers to the MCU—Lewis Pullman, Geraldine Viswanathan, Chris Bauer and Wendell Edward Pierce.
Jake Schreier directs “Thunderbolts*”with Kevin Feige producing. Louis D’Esposito, Brian Chapek and Jason Tamez serve as executive producers.
Marvel Studios’ “Thunderbolts*” opens in U.S. theaters on May 2, 2025.Â
Ron is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of POC Culture. Â He is a big believer in the power and impact of pop culture and the importance of representation in media.
