Thunderbolts* is coming to theaters in 2025 as part of the upcoming Marvel movie schedule – and this is what we know so far.
When it comes to superhero teams in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there are plenty. Obviously, we have the Avengers, the Guardians of the Galaxy, or even the Fantastic Four – the latter of which is set to get a new film adaptation in 2025 and just finished filming.
But now, Marvel is spicing things up a bit and introducing the first ever antihero team into the MCU with its upcoming Marvel movies, and those are the Thunderbolts*. But what is the film about? Here is what we know.
What Is The Thunderbolts Release Date?
As of July 2024, Thunderbolts* has a release of May 2, 2025, so it will be released as part of the 2025 movie release schedule. Originally, Thunderbolts* was set to come out in 2024 as part of Phase 5 of the MCU, but Disney (who owns Marvel) announced in June 2023 that several of their titles have been pushed back, including Thunderbolts*.
With 2025 now less than a month away, it won’t be long before we get to see all these characters once again.
Check Out The First Thunderbolts* Trailer
Guys, it’s happening, because we finally got a trailer! Released in October 2024, we get our first look at the antiheroes that we’ll follow in Thunderbolts*, along with some hilarious one-liners. Who knew that all I needed to make 2024 great was to hear a dishwasher joke about Bucky’s metal arm?
The Thunderbolts* Cast
If you were wondering exactly who is going to star in Thunderbolts*, look no further than right here. This is who you can see in the lineup of antiheroes for Thunderbolts*.
Florence Pugh Yelena Belova
Florence Pugh originally played Yelena in Black Widow, and also had a recurring guest role in Hawkeye.
Sebastian Stan as the Winter Soldier
Sebastian Stan last played the Winter Soldier – a.k.a. Bucky Barnes – in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier in 2021.
David Harbour as the Red Guardian
David Harbour played the Red Guardian in Black Widow alongside Florence Pugh.
Olga Kurylenko as Taskmaster
Olga Kurylenko also appeared for the first time in Black Widow, alongside Pugh and Harbour, as the main villain, Taskmaster.
Wyatt Russell as US Agent
Wyatt Russell made waves as US Agent in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier cast, as it was debut in the role.
Hanna John Kamen as Ghost
Ghost first appeared in Ant-Man and the Wasp, and this will be her first time coming back to the MCU since her 2014 appearance.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Valentina Allegra
Also included in the line-up is the wonderful Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, who we saw in both The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Black Widow.
Harrison Ford as General Ross
Confirmed by The Hollywood Reporter, it was announced that Harrison Ford has signed on for both Captain America 4 and Thunderbolts* to play General Ross, as the actor from before, William Hurt, sadly passed away. Ford will first appear as Ross in the upcoming Captain America: Brave New World, which is releasing in February 2025.
Geraldine Viswanathan
Originally, Ayo Edebiri was set to have a role in Thunderbolts*, but dropped out due to scheduling conflicts, according to Deadline in January 2024, but she has since been replaced by Geraldine Viswanathan. The actress is primarily known for her role on Miracle Workers.
Lewis Pullman
In a similar situation, Lewis Pullman has also stepped up to replace Steven Yeun, who also dropped out of Thunderbolts* due to scheduling conflicts, according to Deadline. He’s appeared in Top Gun: Maverick, Outer Range and more.
Talk about a stacked cast – and one I can’t wait to see kill it.
What Thunderbolts* Will Be About
If you’re like me and you’re wondering what the heck Thunderbolts* could be about, then this section is for you. Here are the few details we’ve scored:
Thunderbolts* Will Follow An Antihero Team As They Take On Assignments
While there is a trailer for Thunderbolts*, not much is still known about the full plot of the film. But, what we do know from Marvel is that Thunderbolts* is about the antihero team being given assignments by the government, and it’s their job to fulfill them.
Is it pretty vague? Yeah, but what can you really expect from the studio that somehow tried to keep the reveal that all three versions of Spider-Man would reunite in the fan-favorite, Spider-Man: No Way Home? They really try to keep their plots on the down-low. The trailer at least shows the characters in their full get-up and fighting but we don’t have an idea of who they are fighting just yet.
The Film Will Not Be As “Straightforward” As Other Marvel Movies
Wyatt Russell (US Agent) has talked about the upcoming movie, and in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter in November 2023, he said that the film is different and not as “straightforward” as other Marvel movies:
The story that I think they’ve come up with is really interesting — I know parts of the story and how the story works, I can’t talk about it. But it’s not a straightforward Marvel movie as you’ve seen in the past. I think that it’s gonna be a lot of fun but I think it will be something that hopefully Marvel fans will look at and go, ‘Oh OK, this is a little different, let’s go hard at it.’ And as far as how we are approaching it, it’s time to go to work a little bit, it’s time to make a good Marvel movie, so let’s do that and work hard at it and don’t take things for granted.
It is interesting to hear, especially since David Harbour told CinemaBlend in an interview in December 2024 that he’s already seen some of the film and is hyping it up, saying that it’s “impressive:”
Marvel is excited by its expansion, to a certain degree. And also, I think they're doing a bit of a course correction around getting too big, in a way, with the Disney+ stuff. I'm very excited for you guys to see Thunderbolts*. Because, I'm impressed with the direction they took that. And it's surprising. It's a real movie. I mean, whether you like it or not, who knows? But… I saw a cut of it, and it's very impressive.
I mean, I’m just excited to see any kind of update on this story so this makes me even more eager for May 2025.
Bucky Will Have An “Emotional Journey”
Bucky has to be one of those characters that has truly been around since the beginning of the MCU, and has been through probably some of the most trauma out of everyone. And it seems like Thunderbolts* is going to expand on his story a bit more. In an interview with Empire Magazine (via ScreenRant) in November 2024, the director commented that while there are plenty of jokes in the film, you stay for Bucky’s “emotional journey” throughout it:
Come for the dishwasher jokes, stay for the deep emotional journey.
As a die-hard Bucky stan, I’m here for it.
The Movie Is Directed By Jake Schreier
Jake Schreier is the director of Thunderbolts*.
While Schreier has never worked on any Marvel projects before, he’s done plenty of work in the industry, and has directed films such as Paper Towns and Robot & Frank, with plenty of work in television, too – such as Beef, the critically acclaimed television show on Netflix, and other shows as well like Minx, The Premise, Kidding and more.
Thunderbolts* may be a few months away now, but at the very least, we’ll have time to theorize and see what happens now, as other Marvel movies and shows come out beforehand. I’m eager to hear more about this team as time goes on.
