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The MCU’s own Suicide Squad assembles in the Thunderbolts’ latest trailer

A group of antiheroes stand in an elevator.
Marvel Studios

The bad guys take center stage in the first teaser trailer for Marvel Studios’ Thunderbolts*.

“Everyone here has done bad things,” Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova/Black Widow says as she comes to blows with several of Marvel’s antiheroes. This includes John Walker/U.S. Agent (Wyatt Russell), Ava Starr/Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), Antonia Dreykov/Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko), and a mysterious character named Bob (Lewis Pullman), who is believed to be Sentry. These five, along with Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian (David Harbour) and Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), are forced to team up by the American government and work on a dangerous mission.

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The mastermind behind this is Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), the director of the CIA. “There are bad guys, and there are worse guys. And nothing else,” de Fontaine tells the group when they gather before her.

Marvel Studios’ Thunderbolts* | Teaser Trailer | Only In Theaters May 2025

Based on the comic series by Kurt Busiek and Mark Bagley, Thunderbolts* is directed by Jake Schreier and written by Eric Pearson, Lee Sung Jin, and Joanna Calo. Schreier, Lee, and Calo collaborated on Netflix’s Emmy-winning series Beef. Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige is the producer on Thunderbolts*.

Thunderbolts* will be the first movie in the MCU since Deadpool & Wolverine, which was released in July and opened to an R-rated-movie record of $211 million at the domestic box office.

Experience Marvel Studios’ #Thunderbolts* only in theaters May 2025. pic.twitter.com/kLJ3Ttb9Z3

— Marvel Studios (@MarvelStudios) September 23, 2024

Thunderbolts* is the first of four scheduled MCU movies in 2025. The first, Captain America: Brave New World, opens on February 14, 2025. The third film, The Fantastic Four: First Steps, comes out later in the summer on July 25, 2025. Finally, Blade, the long-awaited solo movie starring Mahershala Ali in the titular role, releases on November 7, 2025.

Thunderbolts* is scheduled for a theatrical release on May 2, 2025.

Dan Girolamo
Dan is a passionate and multitalented content creator with experience in pop culture, entertainment, and sports. Throughout…
Florence Pugh says Thunderbolts* feels like a ‘badass indie, A24’ style movie
A group of antiheroes stand in an elevator.

Four years after first debuting as Yelena Belova in Black Widow, Florence Pugh is set to make her return in Thunderbolts*. In a recent interview with the rest of the film's cast and creative team, Pugh told Empire how different the movie feels than most Marvel fare.

“It ended up becoming this quite badass indie, A24-feeling assassin movie with Marvel superheroes,” she said.

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Thunderbolts* draws comparisons to ‘A24-feeling assassin movie’ and Toy Story 3
A group of superheroes walk in unison toward camera.

Thunderbolts* will be the next movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The eclectic group of misfits is forced to team up on a dangerous mission that will result in glory or death. One of the Thunderbolts is Yelena Belova, played by Florence Pugh. Unlike the Avengers, the Thunderbolts have been passed over by society. They are not heroes like Captain America and Thor. Even the film's director, Jake Schreier, is an indie filmmaker, not an experienced blockbuster director.

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The Avengers are not coming in the latest Thunderbolts* trailer
A group of male and female superheros look up and stare in "Thunderbolts*."

Marvel's unlikeliest heroes reluctantly band together in the trailer for Thunderbolts*, which debuted during Super Bowl LIX.

"Let's talk facts. The Avengers are not coming," Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) declares in the trailer. One of the driving forces behind trying to keep the American people safe is Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan). With a big threat looming, Bucky assembles a team of antiheroes, including Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Red Guardian (David Harbour), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko), and John Walker (Wyatt Russell). Despite their differences, Red Guardian believes "this team can be the heroes on the Wheaties box with the little kiddy toy."

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