Sebastian Stan may be a household name in no small part due to his role as Bucky Barnes in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, but he almost was connected to a very different captain — Captain James T. Kirk. During a recent appearance on Happy Sad Confused, the Marvel star revealed that was “very close” to playing the iconic Star Trek role — and even did a William Shatner photoshoot to help his case by proving how much he looked like the character. The role ultimately went to Chris Pine.

“There were a couple of things I didn’t get that I really desperately wanted,” Stan said. “But Captain Kirk for J.J. Abrams, that was one of the first I got very close to. I remember I was really, really close, and I remember I had a screen test with [Abrams] at Paramount and my manager had me do a separate photo shoot where I would try and replicate all these William Shatner pictures just to send to him, see how much I looked like him, but I didn’t get it.”

Stan also revealed that he screen tested for the role of Hal Jordan in 2011’s Green Lantern, though upon seeing who else was there testing for the role — including Ryan Reynolds, who ultimately landed it — Stan said he knew it wouldn’t be one he’d book. Stan didn’t have to wait long to land the role that would make him a household name, however. He was cast as Bucky Barnes in 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger and has played Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier across numerous Marvel Cinematic Universe films and projects since, including Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and will reprise the role again for Thunderbolts* which is set to open in theaters on May 2, 2025.

Sebastian Stan Reveals the DC Villain He’d Like To Play

Even though Stan is coming back to Marvel for Thunderbolts*, it sounds like he’s not entirely opposed to going up for a DC role again in the future — he knows which villain he’d like to take on. Earlier this month, Stan said he’s “always had a soft spot” for The Riddler.

“I don’t know if Batman’s for me, but never say never,” Stan said. “I don’t know. There’s so many characters — I told you, I always had a soft spot for that Riddler, but that one’s been done.”

Sebastian Stan Returns as Bucky Barnes in Thunderbolts*

While the idea of Stan playing Captain Kirk and being part of the Star Trek franchise makes for an interesting idea — and we’d definitely love to see what the reality where that version of the franchise exists looks like — it’s hard to imagine anyone else as Bucky Barnes. It’s a character that he’s made his own over the years and it’s one that fans are eager to see again when Thunderbolts* arrives — roughly four years after we last saw him in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. And it isn’t just fans who have missed Stan in the MCU. Stan himself said he was glad to be back at work on Thunderbolts* when filming resumed earlier this year.

“I’m excited. I’m going to go back basically in a month or so. I’ve missed it. It’s a great cast,” Stan said at the time. “The batting average is so high that it’s difficult to always land everything right away. It’s always been a great experience. With this one in particular, I think there’s a lot of good things.”

Thunderbolts* is set to open in theaters on May 2, 2025.

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Marvel’s Thunderbolts* has been getting a lot of comparisons to DC’s Suicide Squad movies – and not without good reason. Both films center around the idea of some less-than-heroic operatives being duped and/or coerced into carrying out a high-stakes mission by some shady government handler. In Thunderbolts*, Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Valentina Allegra de Fontaine is the Marvel Cinematic Universe equivalent of Viola Davis’ Amanda Waller, and looking over the roster of characters featured in the film, it’s easy to assume that Valentina considers the Thunderbolts to be as expendable as Task Force X is to Waller. 

DC took two swings at doing Suicide Squad movies, with David Ayer’s Suicide Squad (2016) and James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad (2021). Both films achieved moderate success, but neither version was the kind of universally loved box office win that Marvel Studios and Disney are hoping Thunderbolts* will be. 

Fair or not, Thunderbolts* will be getting compared to Suicide Squad before, during, and after its theatrical run. So what can Marvel Studios learn from the good, bad, and ugly experiences of DC’s Suicide Squad movies? 

1. Get to It Already – Both versions of DC’s Suicide Squad films take their sweet time even getting to the task at hand. Ayer’s film is infamous for the redundancies of its introduction and re-introduction of the principal characters; Gunn’s film had a very purposeful fake-out, with an entire team of faux protagonists slaughtered in the opening act. 

Marvel has a distinct advantage with Thunderbolts*: All of the characters on the team have already appeared in previous MCU projects. Although there will be a need to have some kind of re-introduction to the various characters (as a movie must), director Jake Schreier doesn’t have to waste much time bringing everyone together and getting them on a mission. 

2. Let. Them. Fight. – Due to the nature of Suicide Squad’s premise, there’s always a missed opportunity to see the various superpowered characters on the team going at it. There were scuffles, sure (like Peacemaker killing Rick Flag Jr.), but it took the footage of just one trailer for Thunderbolts* to showcase how very cool it is to see  Yelena/Black Widow II (Florence Pugh), John Walker/US Agent (Wyatt Russell), Ava Starr/Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), and Antonia Dreykov/Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko) all fighting one another while utilizing their respective powers and skill sets. With Marvel’s Superman, The Sentry (Lewis Pullman) also in the mix, the Thunderbolts’ in-fighting could be as epic as any comic book movie bass battle against some CGI monsters. 

3. Take Heavy Losses – The beauty of Thunderbolts* is that its roster of characters is either experienced MCU fan favorites (Sebastian Stan’s Bucky, Pugh’s Yelena), or characters that fans wanted brought back, expanded on, or redeemed in some way (Red Guardian, Ghost, Taskmaster). 

However, neither of those types is essential to the future of the MCU franchise after Thunderbolts*; Stan and Pugh could understandably be exhausted by their time in the franchise, having seen their respective careers open up to more opportunities. US Agent (Russell), Ghost (John-Kamen), Taskmaster (Kurylenko), and Red Guardian (David Harbour) are all characters that are arguably lucky to even be getting roles in this Thunderbolts* film – they are far from guaranteed to have larger arcs in the franchise, afterward. 

That’s all to say: everyone in Thunderbolts* is expendable. Yet, some of those losses (Bucky and Yelena in particular) would be hard gut punches to the fans. Both of DC’s Suicide Squad arguably had characters fans were assured wouldn’t die (Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn) or characters no one cared about seeing go (El Diablo, Killer Croc, Slipknot, Captain Boomerang, Polka-Dot Man, etc.).  If Marvel truly wants to distinguish Thunderbolts* from Suicide Squad, then having major characters on the team actually die would be a great way to it. 

Marvel’s Thunderbolts* has a release date of May 2, 2025. 

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Marvel’s Thunderbolts* trailer has Marvel Cinematic Universe fans buzzing – and yet one of the biggest trending topics about the movie is its title. Eyebrows were raised when Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige presented the official Thunderbolts* title logo with an asterisk at the end. Feige teased that the asterisk was very much intentional and that by the end of Thunderbolts* fans would understand all too well why it was necessary. 

Naturally, MCU fans have been dropping all kinds of theories about why Thunderbolts* is titled Thunderbolts*. Now that the trailer has dropped, there are two leading theories about why Thunderbolts* is playing with its title in this way. 

Why Marvel’s Thunderbolts Has an Asterisk in Its Title

It’s A SUICIDE SQUAD – There’s a lot of speculation that Thunderbolts* is actually Marvel Studios’ version of DC’s Suicide Squad. There’s precedent for it in the comics: Wilson Fisk/Kingpin once formed his own Thunderbolts squad and sent them on a high-risk mission to help defeat Knull, the symbiote god; from the look of the trailer, and past rumors, that could certainly be the case for this Thunderbolts* movie. 

The trailer footage seemed to make it clear that characters like Yelena/Black Widow II (Florence Pugh), John Walker/US Agent (Wyatt Russell), Ava Starr/Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), and Antonia Dreykov/Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko) are all lured to a facility that looks like a Saw-style death trap, and houses “Bob” (Lewis Pullman) who is also the mentally-broken superman known as The Sentry. Add other MCU espionage agents like Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian (David Harbour) and Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan), and Thunderbolts* seems like it could turn out to be a major “cleaning” operation, where some of the MCU’s biggest spies and assassins all get clipped in one fell swoop, after carrying out some game-changing high-risk mission (like freeing The Sentry). 

By the time the movie is over, the Thunderbolts “team” may be down to just one or two survivors (if that). It would be a bold and shocking twist for an MCU film – the kind the franchise could use right about now. 

These Are The NEW AVENGERS – The other big theory is that Thunderbolts* is titled with an asterisk because “Thunderbolts” isn’t the actual title of the film! Based on Marvel Comics lore, many fans think that Marvel Studios will finally introduce the MCU version of “Dark Avengers.” 

After the comic book version of “Secret Invasion” took place, Norman Osborn exploited public distrust of heroes to rebrand his team of Thunderbolts as Avengers. Osborn used Starktech armor to become “Iron Patriot,” while villains took on hero mantles, like Bullseye becoming “Hawkeye” or Mac Gargan’s Venom posing as Spider-Man. These ‘Dark Avengers’ operated in the public eye, until the heroes were eventually able to rally and oust the villains from controlling the levers of society.

There’s speculation that the story of Thunderbolts* will turn out to be a twisted sort of recruitment test and team-bonding exercise. Even if some members of the team don’t survive, the ones who do will presumably be tapped to be part of a not-so-heroic Avengers team. While no one really expects Marvel Studios to ever use the title “Dark Avengers,” there is another way they can go… 

 It could turn out that the word “Thunderbolts” never appears in the actual film – that the movie will start without revealing any title card, and at the very end, we’ll see a title that reads “The Avengers,” “New Avengers,” or “Secret Avengers” in a major twist reveal. Maybe it will be a single-word flip, and Avengers* will become the final punchline of this title game. 

Marvel’s Thunderbolts* has a release date of May 2, 2025. 

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What if I told you there’s a way that Marvel’s Thunderbolts* movie can connect the worlds of Sony’s Spider-Man Universe and Netflix’s street-level heroes, also known as the DefendersVerse. Marvel Studios has had plenty of success with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with other studios trying to replicate what works. After being in limbo, the list of Marvel heroes on Netflix – Daredevil and Punisher, for example – are being officially integrated into the MCU. Sony Pictures continues to build on its Spider-Man adjacent universe with Venom: The Last Dance, and even Deadpool is a part of the MCU following Deadpool & Wolverine. There is a lot riding on Thunderbolts*, but one thing it has the potential to do is connect all three of these worlds.

Thunderbolts* features a ragtag team of anti-heroes headlined by Yelena Belova and Winter Soldier. Numerous iterations of the Thunderbolts in the comics have operated outside the lines, hardly ever being considered traditional heroes like the Avengers. For example, their roots involve the villainous Baron Zemo gathering a group of bad guys and dressing them up as heroes. One era of Thunderbolts comics may have been overlooked by the general public, but it lays the groundwork for how characters from Thunderbolts*, Venom, and Deadpool could all work together on the big screen.

Red Hulk’s Thunderbolts, explained

Back in 2012, Marvel Comics debuted a new publishing initatived titled Marvel NOW! that saw all of its titles starting over with new #1 issues and creative teams. One of those titles was Thunderbolts by Daniel Way and Steve Dillon. Instead of being led by Baron Zemo or Norman Osborn, this Thunderbolts team was brought together by Red Hulk to function as a black ops team in a similar manner as X-Force. Red Hulk pulled out his gamma-radiated rolodex to recruit some heavy-hitters to the Thunderbolts: Deadpool, Punisher, Elektra, and Agent Venom (Flash Thompson).

Deadpool was a veteran of working on different X-Force teams, so he was an easy addition to the Thunderbolts. Venom may be seen as a full-fledged hero right now, but even when Flash Thompson was Agent Venom, the missions he underwent would leave you questioning if you really wanted to root for him. As for Punisher and Elektra, they definitely fell under the “morally grey” category. Under Red Hulk’s leadership, the Thunderbolts hit hard and left bodies in their wake, including Hulk nemesis Leader. Samuel Sterns would eventually join the team as Red Leader, with Ghost Rider also coming onboard before the team disbanded.

Since the Thunderbolts were led by Red Hulk, they took on his crimson color scheme. Deadpool and Elektra already wore red, but Agent Venom and Punisher switched out their white for red, making for a stylish upgrade if we do say so ourselves. As you can imagine, there was some tremendous friction on the Thunderbolts, mostly caused by Red Hulk’s machinations. While a romantic relationship formed between Punisher and Elektra, Punisher ultimately turned on the team when he quit and then was the subject of an assassination attempt that he thought was orchestrated by Red Hulk.

Future Thunderbolts* teams can include Deadpool, Venom, Punisher, and Elektra

If Thunderbolts* is a success, it’s not outside the realm of possibility to see Marvel Studios greenlighting a sequel. Though we may need an answer as to what the asterik in Thunderbolts* stands for first. In any case, we can cross our fingers and hope there’s a way for the superhero universes from Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures to crossover in a legitimate way. This means Tom Holland’s Spider-Man to appear in a movie next to Tom Hardy’s Venom, or for Venom to run into Anthony Mackie’s Captain America. If these types of meetings eventually take place, then we’re one step closer to Red Hulk’s Thunderbolts moving from the comics to the big and small screens.

Just imagine if we got a Thunderbolts movie starring Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool, Harrison Ford as Red Hulk, Elodie Yung reprising her Daredevil role as Elektra, and Jon Bernthal’s Punisher? A movie sporting this type of A-list talent could help audiences forget about the Avengers. Plus, it doesn’t hurt to have other franchises to help grow the MCU, just like the breakout hit that was the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise. 

Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures, the ball is in your court.

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One of the most powerful characters in the Marvel Universe will soon be introduced into the MCU courtesy of Thunderbolts*, but he might look a bit…unassuming at first glance. Those who have watched the premiere trailer for Thunderbolts will likely recall meeting a man named Bob, and he quickly makes an impression due to how out of place he is in the chaotic proceedings. What lies behind that facade however is someone torn between two parts of himself fighting for control, and both The Sentry and The Void are true forces of nature. We’re diving into the truth about Bob and who he really is, and no, it’s not that he has six fingers (because he actually only has five after all).

Who Is Bob Really?

Bob is actually a man named Robert Reynolds, and Reynolds would gain his powers through an experimental Super-Solider Serum (which was part of Project Sentry). The positives of this event led to Reynolds becoming The Sentry and gaining superhuman abilities that were tied to solar radiation. Reynolds gained superhuman strength, speed, intelligence, enhanced senses, energy projection, flight, and invulnerability, and in a pinch, he’s been described as having the power of a million exploding suns.

Sounds great right? Well, it is…but there was also a severe downside to all that power. Before gaining those powers, Reynolds suffered from schizophrenia, and so when he gained these powerful abilities his subconscious developed two personalities that would balance each other, and that included a dark persona called The Void. When The Void takes over, he has access to the same powers, though he also has the ability to assume different forms and infect people’s minds.

These two sides of Reynolds aren’t aware of each other for a long time, and so try and eliminate the other without realizing they are one and the same. At various times along the way, they would be made aware of each other or made to forget the other existed, and at times Reynolds would be the one lost in that mix as well, but almost always at some point The Sentry would re-emerge and that would be followed by The Void returning as well.

A Million Exploding Suns

Sentry has had some big successes, like when he flew Carnage to space and ripped him in half (though he did actually survive that because, you know, he’s Carnage). He’s also taken a direct hit from a Nuke and walked away just fine, and he was one of the few people to actually go toe to toe with The Hulk (during World War Hulk no less) and fight him to a draw.

Unfortunately, he’s had his share of losses as well, though not in the traditional sense. He won the battle against Ares, ripping the God of War in half, but he was possessed by The Void at the time and on the wrong side. The same goes for when he killed Loki as The Void, who was aiding The Avengers at the time.

So, all that to say, “Bob” is pretty powerful, even if he doesn’t yet realize it. This will likely be a combination of different Sentry stories, but the main approach is the same. Bob doesn’t realize he houses both The Sentry and The Void, or perhaps he doesn’t yet and we see the creation of his new powered form during the movie. He will get there eventually regardless, and when he does, the MCU better prepare for chaos.

Are you excited for Thunderbolts? You can talk all things comics and Marvel with me on Threads and Twitter @mattaguilarcb!

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The first trailer for Marvel’s Thunderbolts* arrived this week, offering our first official look at the team along with the new costumes that some characters are getting. One member of the Thunderbolts team that has gotten major upgrade for the new MCU movie is Olga Kurylenko’s Antonia Dreykov, aka Taskmaster, last seen in the MCU in the Black Widow movie. Though Marvel Studios largely has a great track record with bringing the Marvel Comics characters to life, there was some notable outcry after the MCU version of Taskmaster was revealed in the 2021 feature. With her appearance in Thunderbolts* now being prominently advertised, is Marvel making a pivot with their version of Taskmaster?

Why was Taskmaster controversial in Black Widow?

Ahead of the premiere of the Black Widow solo movie, fan-favorite Marvel villain Taskmaster was confirmed as one of the antagonists. In the pages of Marvel Comics, Taskmaster is a mercenary with a snarky personality and the ability to mimic any kind of fighting style or move he observes. He ranges from formidable to funny, with his trademark skull mask a main signifier and his mood capable of shifting from hilarious to ruthless from panel to panel.

In the Black Widow film, this was partially brought to life. The live-action Taskmaster maintains the “photographic reflexes” of the character, with some MCU liberties, but also has major ties to Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow’s larger storyline. As a result of the changes to the character’s origin, where she’s tied into the larger mythos of the Red Room and the operatives therein, the version of Taskmaster present in the movie has almost no dialogue, and nearly no personality at all. Taskmaster’s place in Black Widow makes sense for that film, and even making the character a woman feels like a change that doesn’t alter their core, but in terms of adapting Taskmaster into live-action, this version was met with confusion by Marvel fans.

Seeing Taskmaster’s powers handled well in live-action was one thing, but the fact that the character is deliberately made into a near-silent automaton with no charisma or identity was like Marvel not utilizing their potential. Within in the context of Black Widow, this is a fundamental component of Natasha and her family’s personal journeys, realizing what they were forged into by the Red Room and how they can break out of it; but it begs the question: why use Taskmaster within this role if it meant the character would have to be fundamentally altered?

Upon release, the MCU Taskmaster was compared unfavorably by some Marvel fans to the original version of Deadpool that Ryan Reynolds played in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Others noted that it was similar to the way that The Mandarin was handled in Iron Man 3 (though that twist on the character was baked into the story, and the subversion it brought to the screen made it all worth it). Granted, we know how the response to THAT change went, and how Marvel Studios very quickly did an about-face and pivoted to something more in line with what fans wanted. Could the same thing be on the horizon with Taskmaster?

How Thunderbolts* could fix Taskmaster

Marvel fans may recall that at the end of Black Widow, Taskmaster, like all the other former soldiers of the Red Room, was set free from their brainwashing techniques. Since that movie took place after the events of Captain America: Civil War and years before Avengers: Infinity War, there’s a major gap of time between when the MCU’s Taskmaster was last seen on screen and when Thunderbolts* takes place in the timelines. As a result, Taskmaster has seemingly been wandering about the world and has perhaps grown off screen to reflect what fans are expecting for them. We know they’ve already got a whole new outfit, so that’s progress.

In addition though, everyone on this Thunderbolts team has a bit of a mean streak to them, so if Taskmaster returns and has nothing to say (literally) that will make them stand apart, and not in a good way. This isn’t to say that Taskmaster should arrive on the scene in Thunderbolts* talking a mile a minute with a Deadpool-like sensibility for comedy, but a character that has become free of her father’s influence and whose entire powerset is observing and copying other characters… probably has something to say about her teammates and their moves. The MCU Taskmaster seemingly thrives in the darker corners of the MCU’s espionage web. Let’s hope they really make that work in Thunderbolts* .

MCU’s Thunderbolts team explained

There are two major things of note about this entire team of characters on the Thunderbolts. First, they’re all wayward characters that don’t really have a place in the larger MCU machinations. That’s not only true from an external, meta perspective about the franchise as a whole, but where they all were left after their previous appearances. Red Guardian, US Agent, Yelena, Bucky, Ghost, and Taskmaster were all kind of abandoned, not because they were uninteresting or not useful, but because their place wasn’t clear. Taskmaster certainly fits this bill, and is in keeping with the original idea of the Thunderbolts, where supervillains were posing as heroes. 

Second, they’re all enhanced soldiers, either via a serum or some other means that have made them more like weapons than people. It’s clear that this element of the characters will be a driving force behind why they’re all brought together and will likely play into the fact that The Sentry, aka “Bob,” is also present in the film, but how that will all tie together remains to be seen. Considering Taskmaster’s own powerset, it makes sense that they be the character to unveil the connection, revealing to everyone else that the reason they’ve been brought together is actually a relatively simple one. Maybe, in Thunderbolts*, Taskmaster will get the chance to show the team, and the world, who they really are.

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Marvel’s Thunderbolts* has had a secret hanging around it for a long time, okay two secrets if you count the asterisk. The scuttlebutt about the movie has long pointed to the arrival of Marvel’s The Sentry in the film, a role that was originally for Steven Yeun before he departed the film. Now Marvel has enlisted Top Gun: Maverick and Salem’s Lot star Lewis Pullman for the part, which they continue to just reference as “Bob” in the marketing materials. Fans know that at some point Bob’s real place in the MCU will be revealed and he’s going to become The Sentry, and Pullman himself has a tease for that too.

Speaking with ComicBook in an interview for the upcoming Salem’s Lot, we asked the actor about the teaser trailer for Thunderbolts* that just dropped this week and whether his character “Bob” may get to ditch the scrubs that have defined him so far in the marketing. Maybe trading it for an outfit with a cape? Pullman’s answer is one that shouldn’t fully surprise Marvel fans.

“I love the trailer and yesterday was the first time I saw it really, because when I first saw I was at Comic-Con and I couldn’t really crane my neck like that, but, I think it’s great,” Pullman said. “I will say he does make his way out of those scrubs. He gets to change, and I hope he…I don’t know, it wasn’t camera, but I hope he washes them. But he does get to relieve himself of those scrubs, which, you know, is nice.”

It’s worth noting that The Sentry getting his own costume seems like a forgone conclusion for the Thunderbolts* movie. His place in the film also makes sense when considering the makeup of the team too. Because The Sentry’s powers were derived from a version of the Super Soldier Serum, albeit one that gave him the “power of a million exploding suns,” so, a little different. More importantly to the core of The Sentry though is that he has two personas, the super heroic side with the golden costume and the flowing cape, and The Void, his dark side, an evil entity that lives within him which he must vigilantly battle. 

Pullman at least admitting that Bob will be getting an upgrade in the wardrobe department is at least progress from the secret keeping that he maintained as recently as this summer. Early this year he expertly dodged a question about if he was even playing the cult Marvel hero, telling Happy Sad Confused when confronted with a picture of The Sentry’s outfit: “What a beautiful costume. Look at those locks, my God.” 

Thunderbolts* is described as an irreverent team-up featuring depressed assassin Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) alongside the MCU’s least anticipated band of misfits. The film also returns to the screen Marvel Cinematic Universe characters Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), Red Guardian (David Harbour), John Walker (Wyatt Russell), Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen) and Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), in addition to some exciting new faces.

Jake Schreier directs Thunderbolts* with Kevin Feige producing. Louis D’Esposito, Brian Chapek, Jason Tamez and Scarlett Johansson serve as executive producers.

Thunderbolts* will be released exclusively in theaters on May 2, 2025.

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The marketing campaign for Marvel’s Thunderbolts* began this week, with a new trailer and poster providing the first official look at the upcoming live-action film. The project will unite a number of fan-favorite characters from across the Marvel Cinematic Universe in a new high-octane adventure — but one minute detail has eclipsed a lot of the attention surrounding that. In recent days, fans have speculated that the Thunderbolts* poster is enhanced with artificial intelligence, after noticing that new character Bob (Lewis Pullman) appears to have a sixth finger. In a recent interview with Collider, Pullman addressed the bizarre controversy, and ultimately blamed it on a bizarre case of cropping.

“I’ve heard about the six-finger thing,” Pullman revealed. “But if you look closely, there’s actually no mistakes going on. I actually spent some time because I was like, ‘Did they give me a sixth finger?’ But they didn’t. It’s just cropped at the right point where it looks like there’s an extra tip happening or something. But that’s about it. I love that.”

Who Is Bob in Marvel’s Thunderbolts*?

While not confirmed by Marvel Studios, it has been heavily speculated that Pullman’s Bob is really Robert “Bob” Reynolds, also known as the superhero Sentry. Pullman has played coy about the possibility of him playing that superheroic role, but has expressed excitement about joining the franchise in any capacity. 

“You know, I think the MCU is always something that I’ve watched and felt like is a beautiful world that is kind of untouchable,” Pullman explained in May of this year. “I think there is something about joining that world which is similar to joining television in that whenever somebody joins in, you want it to be as a character you can live in for a long time and an aspect of the world you want to be in.”

What Is Marvel’s Thunderbolts* About?

Thunderbolts* is described as an irreverent team-up featuring depressed assassin Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) alongside the MCU’s least anticipated band of misfits. The film also returns to the screen Marvel Cinematic Universe characters Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), Red Guardian (David Harbour), John Walker (Wyatt Russell), Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen) and Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), in addition to some exciting new faces.

Jake Schreier directs Thunderbolts* with Kevin Feige producing. Louis D’Esposito, Brian Chapek, Jason Tamez and Scarlett Johansson serve as executive producers.

Thunderbolts* will be released exclusively in theaters on May 2, 2025.

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One of the more interesting talking points to come out of the Thunderbolts* teaser trailer is Bucky Barnes and his Vibranium arm. Instead of teaming back up with Sam Wilson in Captain America: Brave New World, Bucky finds himself stuck with the outcasts of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Thunderbolts*. Bucky’s taking a blast from the past with the return of his long hair and his car-attacking weapon from Captain America: The Winter Soldier, but it’s his metal arm that’s got everyone talking. The trailer for Thunderbolts* shows Bucky pulling his Vibranium arm out of the dishwasher, which isn’t something you normally see every day. But the arm also raises an MCU plot hole.

Wakanda gifted Bucky Barnes a Vibranium replacement for the metal arm he lost in his battle with Iron Man in Civil War. After escaping their fight with Iron Man, Captain America and Winter Soldier fled to Wakanda, where Bucky was placed under sedation while Black Panther’s scientists worked to remove his Hydra brainwashing. Once Thanos started invading Earth, Winter Soldier was back in action and packing a Vibranium arm to defend the planet. He’s had the arm ever since then, but it has made another appearance in the MCU without Bucky, and that’s in the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special.

How Bucky’s arm showed up in Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special

Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special helped bridge the gap between Avengers: Endgame and Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol 3, all while taking the Guardians on a holiday-filled adventure. At the end of the Disney+ streaming movie the Guardians exchange gifts, with Nebula delivering a special gift to Rocket Racoon. When Rocket opens the elongated box, he finds Bucky’s Vibranium arm inside.

Rocket’s obsession with Bucky’s arm dates back to Avengers: Infinity War, when Earth’s Mightiest Heroes are fighting Thanos’ Black Order army in Wakanda. When all hope appears to be lost, Thor emerges on the battlefield with his new ax Stormbreaker, along with Rocket and Groot. Once the fighting picks back up, the Winter Soldier and Rocket are shooting their guns side-by-side, with Winter Soldier at one point picking up Rocket and spinning in a circle. Once Bucky drops Rocket, the furry Guardian asks Bucky how much it would cost to turn over the Vibranium arm. Bucky storms off without answering, with Rocket muttering, “Oh, I’m gonna get that arm.” 

The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special made that statement true, but it was never revealed how Nebula got the arm. Guardians director James Gunn gave some tongue-in-cheek responses to fans when they asked that same question, but she somehow got it and it also somehow wound back up with Bucky just in time for Thunderbolts*.

If we were to speculate, perhaps Nebula just borrowed Bucky’s arm, and Rocket Raccoon gave it back to Bucky once he was done admiring it. Or Wakanda had several arms made and Nebula just got her hands on one. Unfortunately, the real answer is probably closer to this being one of those unsolved mysteries/Easter eggs that will forever go unanswered in the MCU. It’s not that big a deal in the grand scheme of things, and it shouldn’t interrupt your viewing enjoyment of Thunderbolts*. But that doesn’t mean fans don’t have questions about the plot hole.

Thunderbolts* opens in theaters on May 2, 2025.

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Thunderbolts* has a brand-new poster and fans think it was created by AI. Monday morning brought a surprise drop for the Thunderbolts* trailer. But, after the fans got over how cool the entire thing looked, attention shifted towards “Bob”‘s hand in the new poster. An initial posting of the image showed off Lewis Pullman’s character with six fingers instead of five. This of course sent the Marvel Studios investigators into overdrive trying to analyze the image and see if it could have been AI generated. A lot of the Internet seems to have landed on the theory that it was just a photoshop mistake as there are other irregularities present in the poster composition. (For example, limbs on other characters being in strange groupings that don’t make a ton of sense. But, not in that obvious AI way where something is a dead giveaway.)

Upon further inspection on Twitter, people think that “Bob”‘s sixth finger is actually just the fifth digit clipped by some strange layout choices. Other commenters chimed-in with observations about US Agent, Red Guardian and Ghost’s arms all crossing at strange intersections. Clearly there was some assembling here and maybe someone forgot to label all the layers when they were cleaning it up? A strange case to be sure. But, there’s also a possibility that people aren’t really talking about. What if “Bob” really does have a sixth finger? 

Marvel trailers are notorious for switching up elements from the final movie. The other main fan discussion online about the Thunderbolts* trailer is that Yelena Belova could be on this mission inside of Avengers Tower. Why would all of these anti-heroes or outright villains be turned loose inside the former home of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes? Could the asset they’ve been charged with eliminating be Pullman’s frankly unassuming “Bob”? Why is this man, dressed like a medical patient mind you, just milling around what one would assume is a classified area. Also, what the heck were those things hanging from the ceiling. Maybe it was just a slight spoiler rather than a case of AI gone wild. May of 2025 will bring more answers.

For Now, Lewis Pullman Is “Bob.”

While a debate over finger-based minutiae continues over on Reddit and other social media platforms, Lewis Pullman’s actual debut as Bob flies under the radar in slightly spectacular fashion. A lot has been made about the casting for the character that a lot of Internet-hardened Marvel fans think is The Sentry. First, it was Steven Yeun tabbed to bring a “mystery character” to life. And, once scheduling conflicts arose, Pullman parked his Top Gun: Maverick jet and climbed aboard Thunderbolts*. As everyone tries to get the actor to talk about his place in Marvel Studios’ upcoming misfits crossover, “Bob” is staying out of the limelight.

But, Pullman knows he’s going to be asked about the movie at some point. He joined Josh Horowitz on the Happy Sad Confused podcast to tease a little bit about Thunderbolts*. The star still wasn’t giving anything away. But, he did show some admiration for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He knows that this whole operation is absolutely massive and there’s certain things that probably should stay close to the vest. (Those Marvel snipers are out there after all, and they’re probably paying extra attention to him at this point.)

“You know, I think the MCU is always something that I’ve watched and felt like is a beautiful world that is kind of untouchable,” Pullman told the host. “I think there is something about joining that world which is similar to joining television in that whenever somebody joins in, you want it to be as a character you can live in for a long time and an aspect of the world you want to be in.”

Later in the conversation, Horowitz would try his luck again. But, even when confronted with a literal picture of Sentry from the comics, Pullman wasn’t about to have Kevin Feige calling his phone so early in this process. “What a beautiful costume. Look at those locks, my God,” the star smirked. He would also switch gears by talking about how he would want the ability to shapeshift if a “real-life” superpower was on the table. Horowitz just ended up joking about a “confirmation” that Sentry would have those abilities in the movie.

“I haven’t looked into Sentry,” Pullman demured. “First time I’ve heard this name. The Sentry sounds like a snakey, shapeshifter kind of vibe, if you read the comics.”

What do you think is going on with Sentry’s sixth finger? Check out all the pop culture discussion over at @ComicBook!

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Fans have spotted an Easter egg for the first Avengers movie in the teaser trailer for Thunderbolts*. The newest team to make its Marvel Cinematic Universe debut is filled with outcasts and castoffs, with the Thunderbolts seemingly being assembled by Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine. With characters such as Yelena Belova, Winter Soldier, and Red Guardian as part of the Thunderbolts, Marvel fans should stay on their toes because who knows what will happen. But since Thunderbolts* does take place in the MCU, that means there are connections to previous movies and shows. And Thunderbolts* has connections to both Loki and Marvel’s The Avengers.

Around the 2:20 minute mark in the Thunderbolts* teaser trailer, we can see Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) attending a Battle of New York exhibit. Of course, the Battle of New York is where the Avengers assembled for the very first time to combat Loki and the Chitauri invasion. Fans even got to see the Battle of New York through fresh eyes during the time heist in Avengers: Endgame. So back to the exhibit…. up front in a display case by the stairs is Loki’s scepter, which he used to mind control Hawkeye and Erik Selvig. Avengers: Age of Ultron would later reveal that inside the scepter was the Mind Stone, which Vision would ultimately take possession of before Thanos ripped it out of his skull in Avengers: Infinity War.

The MCU journey of Loki’s scepter

Similar to the comics, Loki is responsible for the formation of the Avengers. In his quest for power, Loki turns to Thanos, who gifts the God of Mischief the scepter holding the Mind Stone. Loki uses the scepter to take control of Hawkeye and Erik Selvig’s minds, twisting them to his will. The Chitauri invasion is repelled by the Avengers, with Thor taking Loki back to Asgard to stand trial.

The next time we see Loki’s scepter is in Avengers: Age of Ultron, where Baron von Strucker and Hydra used it to perform experiments on Wanda and Pietro Maximoff, granting them their superhuman abilities. Though as we learned in WandaVision, Wanda always had her powers, and the scepter only jumpstarted them. Once the Avengers defeated Strucker, Tony Stark and Bruce Banner used the scepter to complete the Ultron Program. The scepter was taken by Ultron to finish his programming as well, opening it up to reveal the Mind Stone inside it.

It would appear that the Loki scepter has found a new home inside an exhibit dedicated to the Battle of New York. Since it looks like Valentina is the new mystery owner of Avengers Tower, she may also be the owner of Loki’s scepter and is the one throwing the exhibit to show off her new toys.

Thunderbolts* arrives in theaters on May 2, 2025.

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To paraphrase Fight Club: “In Project Thunderbolts*, we have no names.” But rather than Robert “Bob” Paulson, his name is Robert “Bob” Reynolds. “I’m Bob,” stammers Lewis Pullman’s Bob in the just-released trailer for Marvel Studios’ Thunderbolts*, where Black Widow (Florence Pugh), U.S. Agent (Wyatt Russell), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), and Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko) draw their weapons on the disheveled, patient gown-clad Bob deep within an underground vault. 

The trailer is set to the Pixies song “Where is My Mind” which, not coincidentally, also features in Fight Club, David Fincher’s 1999 cult classic about a seemingly unassuming man (Edward Norton) whose mental illness manifests as a split personality: his dark and violent alter-ego, Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt). If glimpses of an “S”-shaped belt buckle and an “S” symbol didn’t tip you off, these are all references to The Sentry, Bob’s solar-powered superhero persona in the comics.

Are you ready for the secret of… The Sentry? You asked for it, loyal readers! Introducing the greatest hero of them all — The Golden Guardian of Good!

Introduced in the pages of 2000’s Sentry #1 by writer Paul Jenkins and artist Jae Lee, Bob Reynolds was the greatest Marvel hero you’d never heard of. A Jack Kirby-inspired Silver Age comic book-within-a-comic, titled Startling Stories featuring The Sentry, revealed the Sentry’s origins as high school freshman “Robby” Reynolds. After drinking a vial of an enigmatic professor’s secret formula — an experimental chemical serum that granted him the “power of a million exploding suns” — Bob took the name Sentry, as it was his duty to “watch over the world.”

You want to remember, Sentry, but you can’t. Something happened… it was something very bad.

Only Bob Reynolds remembered his heroic exploits saving the world alongside the likes of the Fantastic Four and the Avengers, Spider-Man, the X-Men, and the Hulk. As the forgotten hero investigated what made everyone forget he ever existed, Bob warned of the return of his arch-nemesis: a dark entity known only as The Void.

Now is a time for vigilance.

After Bob triggered the memories of Reed Richards, the 2001 one-shot Sentry/The Void #1 revealed the truth about the Sentry: Bob Reynolds is the Void. By ingesting the Golden Sentry Serum, Bob’s mentally ill psyche created two personas — the golden boy superhero and his villainous alter-ego — and as the Void, Bob subconsciously killed a million people in an attack that destroyed half a city.

The Sentry. If we ever remember him… in the name of humanity, promise me you’ll do whatever you can to make us forget. 

To prevent the end of existence, Bob conspired with Reed and thesorcerer Doctor Strange to make everyone forget the Sentry existed using a mesmeric induction device to transmit a virus that effectively erased him from existence. As the antithesis of the Sentry, the Void vanished alongside Bob’s superhero alter-ego.

That’s Robert Reynolds. He went by the name of The Sentry. He’s, maybe, according to Reed Richards, the most powerful superhero on the planet Earth.

Bob resurfaced as a prisoner of The Raft, S.H.I.E.L.D.’s maximum security prison for supervillains, in New Avengers #1 by Brian Michael Bendis and David Finch. The Sentry’s return unleashed the Void, who fought the combined forces of the Avengers, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, the Inhumans, and S.H.I.E.L.D. until the mutant psychic Emma Frost was able to penetrate Bob’s psyche and reveal how the mutant named Mastermind used his psionic powers to effectively retcon Sentry’s existence in the public’s mind.

The 2005-2006 miniseries Sentry Vol. 2 eventually revealed that Bob Reynolds’ true personality is the malevolent Void, and that the Sentry is the manufactured persona. In Sentry #8, by Jenkins and artist John Romita Jr., Sentry’s secret origin was altered again with the revelation that the serum that gave him his powers was the creation of “Project Sentry,” an attempt to recreate the super-soldier serum that transformed Steve Rogers into Captain America. 

“Robby” Reynolds was really a diagnosed schizophrenic with generalized anxiety disorder and agoraphobia who stole the Professor’s vial of serum to get high. Becoming addicted to the power, Void told Sentry: “If it could turn a meek young freshman into both the greatest hero and the greatest threat the planet had ever known, it could do the same to everyone. That’s the big secret, Sentry: we’re nothing special. That serum would have worked on anybody.”

And this is how it goes for you: always the Sentry, ever the Void. So it will be until the end of time… you must remain vigilant, for you are humanity’s only hope.

After former Thunderbolts leader Norman Osborn assembled a H.A.M.M.E.R. squad of villains misappropriating the likenesses of Earth’s mightiest heroes, including Spider-Man (Scorpion), Hawkeye (Bullseye), Wolverine (Daken), and Ms. Marvel (Moonstone), the Sentry joined Osborn’s Avengers*: the Dark Avengers. When the Void returned during Osborn’s siege on new Asgard in the four-issue series Siege, the New Avengers battled the Void, who briefly reverted back to Bob upon defeat. The Void pleaded with the Avengers to kill him, so Thor summoned a bolt of lightning that killed Bob, and the thunder godlaid his remains in the heart of the Sun.

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“There are good guys, and you’re bad guys,” Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Valentina Allegra de Fontaine remarks in the new Thunderbolts* trailer. “But there are worse guys.” Before Marvel Studios assembles the anti-Avengers — a motley crew of anti-heroes and reformed villains that includes Black Widow Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan), John Walker/U.S. Agent (Wyatt Russell), Ava Starr/Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), AntoniaDreykov/Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko), Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian(David Harbour), and Bob Reynolds/Sentry (Lewis Pullman) — Marvel Comics is assembling the comics that inspired the movie*.

* New trade paperbacks set to release in 2025 include Thunderbolts: The Saga of Yelena Belova, which compiles the earliest appearances of the Red Room’s top assassin-spy in the Marvel Universe, and Thunderbolts: Winter Soldiers, collecting the complete 12-issue run of the Bucky Barnes-fronted Thunderbolts Vol. 3 by Jim Zub and Jon Malin.

Out March 4th, 2025, Thunderbolts: Winter Soldiers sees the non-lethal Thunderbolts squad led by Winter Soldier —Atlas, Moonstone, Mach-X, Fixer, Kobik, and Songbird — battle S.H.I.E.L.D., the Squadron Supreme, and the original Thunderbolts: Baron Zemo and the Masters of Evil, a group of supervillains who posed as superheroes in the absence of the Avengers.

Thunderbolts: The Saga of Yelena Belova, on sale March 11th, includes Natasha Romanoff/Natalia Romanova’s first self-titled solo series, 1999’s Marvel Knights: Black Widow limited series by Devin Grayson and J.G. Jones, which pit Black Widow against Black Widow when Natasha met Yelena for the first time during a mission to Rhapastan. Also included in the 376-page trade paperback is 2001’s Black Widow Vol. 2, co-starring both Black Widows, the 2020 one-shot comic Widowmakers: Red Guardian and Yelena Belova, the four-issue limited series Winter Guard (featuring White Widow, Red Guardian, and Russia’s premiere super-team), and the four-issue “I Am the Black Widow” arc from Kelly Thompson and Elena Casagrande’s 2020 Black Widow run.

Also slated for release in May is the Marvel Epic Collection Thunderbolts: Targeted for Death, which follows Hawkeye’s Thunderbolts during writer Kurt Busiek and artist Mark Bagley’s run on the ’90s first volume.

Thunderbolts: Winter Soldiers

The Winter Soldier leads a new team of Thunderbolts!

Outof the ashes of AVENGERS: STANDOFF, Bucky Barnes recruits a squad ofrenegades — but are they heroes or villains? Do even they know forsure?! They’re on a rampage across the Marvel Universe, hunting down anddestroying bizarre, mind-bending threats — all the while harboring oneof their own! And among their number is the serial manipulatorMoonstone! What could go wrong? How about a gut-wrenching battle forleadership, an alien threat and super-team showdowns with the All-NewInhumans and the Squadron Supreme?! As CIVIL WAR II rages, the WinterSoldier takes on Spider-Man! But Steve Rogers wants to know whereBucky’s loyalties lie. Plus: The Thunderbolts used to be the Masters ofEvil — and if Baron Zemo has his way, their villainous legacy will bereclaimed with the infinite power of a Cosmic Cube!

COLLECTING: Thunderbolts (2016) 1-12

Thunderbolts: The Saga of Yelena Belova

Yelena Belova’s journey from adversary to ally of the Black Widow!

NatashaRomanoff’s time as the Black Widow may be running out — because YelenaBelova is gunning for the mantle! Yelena is the first student in RedRoom history to exceed Natasha’s skills — and now she’s determined toeliminate her predecessor and claim the title for her own! It’s a war ofthe Widows that will rage from the Middle East’s deserts to New York’sUpper West Side! But Yelena’s path will soon place her square in thecrosshairs of her home country, alongside Alexei Shostakov, the RedGuardian! Together, they face a race across Russia…pursued by the WinterGuard! And Yelena finds her destiny as the White Widow, helping Natashaprotect San Francisco from a terrible threat!

COLLECTING: BlackWidow (1999) 1-3, Black Widow (2001) 1-3, Widowmakers: Red Guardian andYelena Belova (2020) 1, Winter Guard (2021) 1-4, Black Widow (2020) 7-10

Thunderbolts Epic Collection: Targeted for Death

Marvel’s villains turned heroes, the Thunderbolts, continue their quest for redemption!

Forthe good of his team, MACH-1 gave up his liberty to atone for his sins.Now he’s in prison, surrounded by the super villains who used to be hispeers — and who now want him dead! Meanwhile, the Thunderbolts have anew leader in Hawkeye, a new headquarters, a new ship and a new mission:to prove themselves heroes by taking down the biggest villains atlarge! But with Graviton next on their list, will Archangel join theteam? Citizen V returns, the T-Bolts have a rematch with the Hulk,Scourge targets Baron Zemo, and you won’t believe the identity of thenew Beetle! Clint Barton leads the T-Bolts into hell and back for afallen Avenger — but when he locks lips with Moonstone, there’s only oneword for it: uh-oh! Plus: Enter, Sandman!

COLLECTING: Thunderbolts (1997) 26-41, Thunderbolts Annual 2000, Avengers Annual 2000

Marvel’s Thunderbolts* hits theaters on May 2nd, 2025.

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Marvel’s Thunderbolts* teaser trailer has dropped and it reveals that Scarlett Johansson is making a return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in a very unexpected way. That’s because the cast and crew listings for Thunderbolts* have revealed that Johansson is part of the film… as an executive producer! That makes sense, as Johansson was an executive producer on Marvel’s Black Widow (2021) – one of several MCU projects being pulled together for this Thunderbolts* ensemble film and having Johansson back as EP on Thunderbolts* – which will continue the stories of Key Black Widow characters – tracks. 

As Variety shared in its synopsis for Thunderbolts*: 

Based on Kurt Busiek’s comic series of the same name, “Thunderbolts*” is directed by Jake Schreier, with Kevin Feige producing. Louis D’Esposito, Brian Chapek, Jason Tamez and Scarlett Johansson serve as executive producers. The screenplay is written by Eric Pearson (“Black Widow,” “Thor: Ragnarok,” “Transformers One,” “The Fantastic Four: First Steps”), “Beef” creator Lee Sung Jin and co-showrunner of “The Bear” Joanna Calo.

Back in 2021, news broke that Marvel President Kevin Feige and Scarlett Johansson were working together as producers on an MCU project: 

“We are already working with Scarlett on another non-Black Widow-related top-secret Marvel Studios project with her as a producer,” Feige said at the time. “Scarlett is one of the most talented, versatile and beloved actors of our time. It has truly been a pleasure to work with someone of her caliber. From those epic training sessions preparing for the hallway fight in Iron Man 2, to the around the world press tour in Avengers: Endgame to partnering with you as a producer on Black Widow, working with you Scarlett has truly been one of the most memorable and rewarding collaborations of my career.”

Johansson fielded questions about the project whenever she was doing press – including in 2023 when she confirmed that her MCU project “It is still happening. Yes. It is still happening, [but] not currently because nothing is happening right now [due to the WGA Strike]. We’re all sort of in this holding pattern… Right before the strike, we were in the middle of developing it, and now everything is at a simmer.”

Looking back now, it’s easy to fill in the gaps and surmise that Scarlett Johansson was making references to Thunderbolts*. The film started production in June 2023; the Writers’ Strike delayed it, and then the Actors’ Strike. Now, with the reveal that Johansson is getting an EP credit for Thunderbolts*, this may be one MCU mystery we can put to bed. There will be some fans who are upset that Johansson wasn’t 

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The just-released trailer for Marvel Studios’ Thunderbolts* featured a funny final moment — but some fans have noticed that in addition to being amusing on its face, that moment was a callback to one of the most popular movies in the whole of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In the final seconds of the trailer, Bucky Barnes is tailing a vehicle in which the rest of the Thunderbolts are riding. He fires a shot at them, and it totally destabilizes the entire rear end of the car.

That’s because he’s using the same gun he used to take out Nick Fury’s car in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. It’s not exactly an Easter egg — I mean, he’s just using gear that is established to be part of his canonical arsenal — but it’s certainly a cool thing to see back in action after a decade away.

Thunderbolts* brings together a batch of former Marvel antagonists, including Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko), Red Guardian (David Harbour) and U.S. Agent (Wyatt Russell). They’re gathered, seemingly, by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and the team up…doesn’t seem to be a smooth one, as evidenced by the cannon shot in question. 

The characters’ competing interests and loyalties repeatedly boil over in the teaser trailer, but it does seem like Val (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) is both the person who currently owns (or at least operates) Avengers Tower, and that she is putting together her own, darker version of The Avengers. Could that be what the Thunderbolts asterisk is about?

Depending on timing and cutting, it could be that the former villains are screwing each other over throughout, or just that all this fighting happens before the team actually comes together. It’s hard to guess what is more likely at this point.

It’s definitely smart to expect some kind of twist, though; the Thunderbolts brand is built largely on a single, spectacular twist from back in the first-ever Thunderbolts #1. After being introduced as a fairly generic superhero team made up of new and original characters, the Thunderbolts retired to their HQ in the last few pages and revealed themselves to be a group of existing villains who were running a long con.

“We are not the good guys,” Harbour said in a recent interview. “We are not capable. [We’re not] Captain America responsible. We don’t show up on time. Punctuality is not our strong suit.”

Thunderbolts* will arrive in theaters on May 2nd.

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One thing Marvel fans may be asking themselves after watching the first trailer for Thunderbolts* is, “Why is there an asterik at the end of the name?” It’s definitely an interesting question, especially because the asterik was added last year after Marvel Studios made some adjustments to its release calendar. Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige even confirmed the asterik was an official part of the Thunderbolts* title, though he didn’t elaborate on exactly what it means. Of course, that isn’t going to stop us from speculating, and there are some clues that point us to some adaptations from the comics that are tied to the Avengers.

Thunderbolts* features a diverse cast of characters, headlined by Florence Pugh (Yelena Belova), Sebastian Stan (Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier), David Harbour (Alexei / The Red Guardian), and Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine). As Yelena referenced in the trailer, every member of the Thunderbolts has a shady past. After the conclusion of Avengers: Endgame, there doesn’t appear to be an official team of Avengers operating in the MCU. This leaves a void that the Thunderbolts are perfectly suitable to fill. Valentina may also be the person who purchased Avengers Tower, which is another clue to the Thunderbolts* asterik. What if the Thunderbolts are meant to replace the Avengers, even taking on their name?

Are the Thunderbolts really the Dark Avengers?

Following the Secret Invasion event, which saw the alien Skrulls infiltrate and attack Earth, Marvel Comics transitioned to its “Dark Reign” publishing initiative, with Norman Osborn put in charge of the global peacekeeping entity known as S.H.I.E.L.D. Norman renamed S.H.I.E.L.D. into H.A.M.M.E.R. and dressed up some of Marvel’s most infamous villains as fan-favorite heroes, dubbing them the Dark Avengers. Norman gained this rise in prominence by helping to defeat the Skrulls during Secret Invasion. 

The Dark Avengers roster included Norman Osborn as Iron Patriot, Venom (Mac Gargan) as Spider-Man, Bullseye as Hawkeye, Noh-Varr as Captain Marvel, Moonstone as Ms. Marvel, and Logan’s son Daken as Wolverine. The whole point of the Dark Avengers is so Norman can gain the public’s trust and adulation, even though he’s widely known as the villainous Spider-Man nemesis the Green Goblin.

Something similar could be at play in Thunderbolts*. Ever since Julia Louis-Dreyfus made a surprise appearance in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, she seems to be making connections to individuals with the sole purpose of putting together a team. So far she’s recruited US Agent, and was a handler for Yelena Belova when she was sent to murder Clint Barton in Hawkeye. Is this all leading to the end-credits of Thunderbolts* revealing the title is merely a stand-in for Dark Avengers?

Or are the Thunderbots the Secret Avengers?

Another Avengers team the Thunderbolts could be stand-ins for are the Secret Avengers. Once the Avengers reassembled to take down Norman Osborn, the “Dark Reign” publishing initiative gave way to the “Heroic Age.” Steve Rogers took over Norman’s role as the person responsible for the United States’ security and law enforcement. Along with that came the reformation of the Avengers, but Steve also created a black ops team that worked in the shadows called the Secret Avengers.

Heroes like Black Widow, Beast, Moon Knight, Nova, and Sharon Carter make up the first Secret Avengers team, with several characters coming and going during its run. A version of the Secret Avengers have already operated in the MCU. When Captain America, Black Widow, and Falcon went rogue against the Sokovia Accords following Captain America: Civil War, they continued to fight the good fight and take down terrorists by working under the radar of the government. Fans quickly dubbed them the Secret Avengers, and the group was also adapted for the Avengers Assemble animated series. If the Thunderbolts were the Secret Avengers, they would come off as slightly more heroic than being the Dark Avengers.

The Thunderbolts asterik is a huge MCU mystery

Dark Avengers and Secret Avengers are only two of the theories floating around regarding the asterik in Thunderbolts*. David Harbour, who returns as Red Guardian in Thunderbolts*, recently teased what the film is about, while adding fuel to the fire with the asterik speculation.

“I mean, they retroactively put the asterisk [in],” Harbour said while speaking to ComicBook about his role as BoxLunch’s brand ambassador. “The asterisk was an idea that that someone had…..What can I say that’s not going to get me in trouble? …The asterisk is very cool. I understand why people might put an asterisk there. I’m excited for the viewers to see that as well. But I, again, I just can’t say anymore.”

The mystery behind the asterik should be revealed when Thunderbolts* arrives in theaters in May 2, 2025.

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For years, fans have wondered what happened to Avengers Tower — originally Stark Tower — once Tony Stark was gone and the Avengers were no longer using the place. What seemed at the time like a fairly lightweight bit of trivia quickly took on a life of its own when producer Kevin Feige started dodging the question, implying that there was something more to know. Recently, he said that the owner would soon be revealed — and that Marvel had always known the character’s identity and plans for the storied building. It now appears the revelation will come in Thunderbolts*, Marvel’s next team-up movie.

A number of shots in the Thunderbolts* teaser trailer appear to show the team at Avengers tower, particularly a shot toward the end of the trailer that appears to take place in a partially-dismantled version of Tony Stark’s skyline bar. You can see the trailer above, and a screenshot of the moment in question below.

One user on social media used geography to confirm it appears to be the same building, noting that Avengers Tower in the MCU takes the place of the real-world MetLife skyscraper in New York. The view here, Bejt on Twitter argued, appeared to be the same given how it is located relative to the United Nations building and Gotham Point.

The film brings together a batch of former Marvel antagonists, including Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko), Red Guardian (David Harbour) and U.S. Agent (Wyatt Russell). They’re gathered, seemingly, by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and the team up…doesn’t seem to be a smooth one. 

The characters’ competing interests and loyalties repeatedly boil over in the teaser trailer, but it does seem like Val is both the person who currently owns (or at least operates) Avengers Tower, and that she is putting together her own, darker version of The Avengers.

“We are not the good guys,” Harbour said in a recent interview. “We are not capable. [We’re not] Captain America responsible. We don’t show up on time. Punctuality is not our strong suit.”

The obvious comparison to draw with Thunderbolts* is to DC’s Suicide Squad — a group of captured villains who are working for good becuase they don’t have any choice. In Thunderbolts*, though, it appears that at least most of the characters enjoy some level of autonomy outside of the team, and that they feel drawn to heroism as a way of giving their lives meaning.

Thunderbolts* will arrive in theaters on May 2nd.

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Marvel Studios has released the first teaser trailer for Thunderbolts*. The upcoming movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe has a bunch of familiar faces, but the trailer makes it a point to let the viewer know that this is not the Avengers. Sure, they’ve got Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier on the team, and Black Widow’s sister, Yelena Belova, but there’s definitely a different vibe amongst the anti-heroes than what one would find with Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. This appears to be the same Thunderbolts trailer that was screened to fans at San Diego Comic-Con a few months ago, but now all fans can witness it for themselves.

The Thunderbolts trailer begins with Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) paying a visit to her Dad, Red Guardian (David Harbour). After cleaning up his dirty house, Yelena asks Alexei if he feels fulfilled. Both characters appear to be trying to find some purpose in the world, which is tough when all you’ve been is a contract killer. We then see the main cast start to interact with each other, as Yelena faces off with John Walker / US Agent (Wyatt Russell), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), and Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko). It’s not until they meet Lewis Pullman’s Bob (who is reportedly Sentry) that things take a turn for the worst.

You can check out the Thunderbolts* trailer in the video player above.

Bucky Barnes has a new look in Thunderbolts*

Out of all the Thunderbolts, Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier is the seasoned veteran as far as appearances in the Marvel Cinematic Universe goes. While we don’t know how he gets involved with this cast of misfits, what the first Thunderbolts* trailer reveals is that Winter Soldier is back to sporting a familiar look from his past.

Winter Soldier is back to wearing his hair long in Thunderbolts*. Following Avengers: Endgame, Bucky Barnes cut his hair short for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, but it appears his original look will be returning. This isn’t the only change the MCU is making to the Winter Soldier. Speaking to ComicBook at San Diego Comic-Con, Thunderbolts* stars Sebastian Stan and Wyatt Russell responded to questions based on the film footage shown to the Hall H crowd. When asked about Bucky using his dishwasher to clean his vibranium arm, Stan joked that its “efficient.”

“One has to at some point make sure that things do get clean, and so that’s a very efficient way of doing it fast,” Stan joked. “He uses a lot less water too, a lot less water in the dishwasher.”

Russell chimed in briefly after that, sharing something notable.

“He’s a congressman,” Russell responded.

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Thunderbolts* star Sebastian Stan compared his upcoming Marvel movie to a surprising classic film. Variety asked The Apprentice actor about what’s waiting for him in the MCU and he said Thunderbolts* was like One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. That 1975 movie stars Jack Nicholson in a psychological drama set in a mental health facility. He transfers there from a prison and inspires his fellow inmates to assert themselves in the face of mistreatment. Marvel Studios has been billing Thunderbolts* like a meeting of the island of misfit toys, so maybe that kind of camaraderie out of a stressful situation is what Stan is shooting for in these comments. Still, a lot of movie fans raised their eyebrows when the comments started making the rounds on social media.

Stan argued that Thunderbolts* “was kind of like One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest — a guy coming into this group that was chaotic and degenerate, and somehow finding a way to unite them.” Clearly, this new MCU team isn’t going to work together perfectly off of first blush. Honestly, most of them have never interacted in these movies before now anyway. With some of the larger rumors about the surprises in this film swirling, they’ll probably have to get their act together pretty quickly.

Thunderbolts Brings Back Some Fun Characters

When it comes to Marvel Studios’ 2025, Thunderbolts* is the title shrouded in the most mystery. San Diego Comic-Con brought some new looks at the team of MCU antiheroes. But, not everyone could make the pilgrimage to California to see that footage for themselves. Luckily, the cast did some interviews after the big Marvel Studios presentation. In fact, The Official Marvel Podcast caught up with a bunch of the main players from Thunderbolts* to ask what they’ve been up to since we all have seen them last. Let’s just say, it’s been a journey for all of these characters before they got thrown together.

When it comes to the sad state of affairs with various Thunderbolts*, David Harbour had jokes, “None of us are in a good place. I’m eating something disgusting out of a bowl. Gaining weight as you watch the film in real time.” Wyatt Russell chimed-in with some zingers of his own. It seems the US Agent has spent the last couple of years getting shot at more than the recommended amount. Harbour smirked, “We do see you scrolling through your phone, looking for bad press! Like Googling himself and saying, ‘If I don’t find the nasty comments, then I’m not finished.”  

Florence Pugh would also add, “To be able to come back again. But, show another side of what it is to be a human, going through life in the way that she does, that may not necessarily be the way that we would assume that they live, is beautiful for me.” “

What do you want to see from Thunderbolts*? Check out all the pop culture discussion at @ComicBook!

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Thunderbolts* star Sebastian Stan is sticking up for Marvel in the wake of some recent criticism of the brand. As he boards The Apprentice, he talked to Variety about being Bucky Barnes again and people taking shots at Marvel Studios. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier star says that it’s become sort of fashionable to blame the massive franchise for all of the movie industry’s woes. In some corners of the Internet, Marvel is just a stand-in for “big corporate movies” in popular conversation. But, for a guy who’s worked so closely with Kevin Feige and the rest of the studio, he doesn’t like them being such an easy target. During the 2020 theater shutdowns and the continuing recovery, a lot of movie houses have been grateful for big tentpole films getting people out to see these projects in theaters. Stan sees some real value in that role. 

“It’s become really convenient to pick on [Marvel films]. And that’s fine. Everyone’s got an opinion,” Stan argued. “But they’re a big part of what contributes to this business and allows us to have smaller movies as well.”

Stan continued, “This is an artery traveling through the system of this entire machinery that’s Hollywood. It feeds in so many more ways than people acknowledge. Sometimes I get protective of it because the intention is really fucking good. It’s just fucking hard to make a good movie over and over again.”

For the Winter Soldier actor, some of the missteps last year can be attributed to bad luck industry-wide. It’s 2024 now and you still get multiple handwringing articles a month lamenting the fact that movie-going hasn’t caught up to pre-2020 numbers yet. (A lot of this analysis ignores the pack of elephants in the room. There are so many reasons that viewership habits have changed in the last four years.) Still, Marvel Studios has the second-biggest release of 2024 in their back pocket with Deadpool & Wolverine. They’re hoping that some of that audience fervor from that project can carry over to 2025’s releases like Thunderbolts*, Captain America: Brave New World and The Fantastic Four: First Steps.

Thunderbolts* Is Still Shrouded In Secrecy

2025 is looking like another massive year for Marvel. Thunderbolts* might be the MCU title that fans know the least about. ComicBook asked David Harbour about all the fan theories surrounding Thunderbolts*. It feels like he is being very careful not to give anything away. But, he hopes the comics fans are pleased with some of the nods they’ve managed to get in there.

“I’ve started to move away from all of that because I feel like I just run into AI articles. I’m like, who wrote this? This isn’t even English. But, I think that it can get dangerous because I don’t want to hear what everyone’s opinion is about all kinds of stuff about me. But we are very comic book true, which I was pleased about,” Harbour shared. “I think there might be some speculation of what people understand about the comics as opposed to people that have actually read the comics. 

“I think there’s a lot of experts out there that get very annoyed at things. And if you go back and you actually look at it, you might see something different. I think that we’re very into that idea, and yet it is, of course, very surprising because, you know, I don’t think Red Guardian is in any of the Thunderbolts stuff,” he mused. “So they are adding things like they are adding and surprising you with things. But, you know, there’s a lot of stuff, a lot of stuff that we’ve done to make it comic accurate as well.”

“Making a movie, you can’t really look outside for critiques because everybody, everybody sees the poster and they have an opinion. You’re like, ‘just watch the two hour movie and if you still hate it. Great. Love it? Great,'” Harbour would add. “But, like, you’ve got to give us a chance. I think all the speculation in the world is like my fantasies about dying or what. I mean, it’s like you can fantasize about horrific things or whatever until you actually see the thing. I’m very proud of this movie, what we shot. I hear it’s playing well internally and I’m excited for people to see it. I think it’s going to really surprise people. I think people have seen from the trailer, from the shots. I think it’s a pretty cool direction of the MCU’s sort of making now. And I’m excited to be a part of that.”

Do you think Stan is right about Marvel? Check out all the pop culture discussion at @ComicBook!

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The Fantastic Four: First Steps is coming next year and some new comments from a Marvel Studios executive should make some fans really excited about the future of the franchise. Asad Ayaz is the chief brand officer for all of Disney now and he joined Fast Company to discuss their whirlwind 2024 projects. During this conversation, the executive looked ahead to 2025 and heralded an accessible slate featuring Captain America: Brave New World, Fantastic Four’s MCU debut and Thunderbolts*. Each one of these has a distinct flavor for the MCU. And, excitingly for some viewers, there’s very minimal preparation to get into the stories and connect with the characters.

“If you’ve seen our first trailer, it’s a very grounded political thriller. It couldn’t be more different [to Deadpool] in every way. When you see our work for Fantastic Four or Thunderbolts, they’re going to feel very unique,” Ayaz explained. “And while, yes, there is a connection between these characters in the same universe, it is creatively very unique, and feels like you could come into any one of these movies.”

Thunderbolts* is still shrouded in mystery and all we know about The Fantastic Four: First Steps is that it’s a period piece. (In fact, Marvel’s First Family could originate in another universe entirely.) So, the barrier to entry is very low. You could pretty easily imagine someone walking into Thunderbolts* because Florence Pugh is doing cool stunts and they like David Harbour from Stranger Things. The same might be true for a Fantastic Four viewer as they might remember the 2000s movies and be intrigued by the retro vibes from a trailer. There’s also the goodwill from Deadpool & Wolverine in a lot of Marvel fans’ minds as well.

Marvel Studios Pulls Back & Reloading After 2023

In the year leading up to 2020, Marvel Studios had marching orders to produce a bunch of content to help Disney+ launch. While a lot of fans enjoyed having a new MCU show to obsess over every other month. Some viewers felt like it was too much too fast. (Although a lot of that pushback can be understood as a reaction to other outside factors that are not as easy to get online and marshall anger at.) So, now, the studio has pulled back a bit. There are less movies coming out and less shows. (But, there are still a bunch of excellent animated programs on the horizon.) ComicBook’s Phase Zero asked Marvel TV executive Brad Winderbaum about the much-ballyhooed pivot. He says that the extra time is already paying dividends.

“I mean, frankly, in all honesty, there was a mandate to kind of create as much as we could for Disney+ as quickly as we could,” Winderbaum told us during the Phase Zero podcast. “And then there was a shift. And all of a sudden, we have to start spreading our release dates out. So, that really accounts for a lot of the delays. 

“Now, we’re using that time. We’re not sitting idle. So, it’s like it stays in the oven. You can bake certain things a little more,” he added. “It’s actually, I think, ultimately, it’s only going to make things better. But, most of it is just frankly shrapnel from the business.” 

It’s a moment of frank honesty from someone entrenched in the MCU’s braintrust. But, it’s also a sign that they think the new approach is already doing good things for the brand. If you look at the recent releases, there hasn’t really been anything the audience vehemently disagreed with since Loki Season 2. X-Men ’97 drew universal acclaim, Echo surprised the fans who gave the series a chance, Deadpool & Wolverine proved to be absolutely massive at the box office in their only 2024 outing. So, there’s a lot of positive momentum behind the MCU right now. Agatha All Along just got rolling and should get a bump as Halloween stretches closer and closer.

Do you like that the movies are being billed as more standalone now? Did you want more connection? Check out all the pop culture discussion at @ComicBook!

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The Marvel Cinematic Universe is poised to get a major shake-up next year, with the release of the new ensemble movie Thunderbolts*. The film will see a number of returning MCU heroes and antiheroes join forces in a deadly new fight, including Black Widow fan-favorite Alexei Shostakov / Red Guardian (David Harbour). As fans wait for the project’s first trailer to be officially released, Marvel Studios has already courted a lot of speculation by adding an asterisk to Thunderbolts‘ title, without explaining exactly what it could mean. While speaking to ComicBook about his role as BoxLunch’s brand ambassador, Harbour teased the significance of Thunderbolts* asterisk, as well as what fans can expect from the film as a whole.

“I mean, they retroactively put the asterisk [in],” Harbour explained. “The asterisk was an idea that that someone had…..What can I say that’s not going to get me in trouble? …The asterisk is very cool. I understand why people might put an asterisk there. I’m excited for the viewers to see that as well. But I, again, I just can’t say anymore.”

When asked about the rumor mill surrounding Thunderbolts*, Harbour revealed that “I’ve started to move away from all of that because I feel like I just run into AI articles. I’m like, who wrote this? This isn’t even English. But but I think that the it can get dangerous because I don’t want to hear what everyone’s opinion is about all kinds of stuff about me. But we are very comic book true, which I was pleased about. I think there might be some speculation of what people understand about the comics as opposed to people that have actually read the comics. I think there’s a lot of experts out there that get very annoyed at things. And if you go back and you actually look at it, you might see something different. I think that we’re very into that idea, and yet it is, of course, very surprising because, you know, I don’t think Red Guardian is in any of the Thunderbolts stuff. So they are adding things like they are adding and surprising you with things. But, you know, there’s a lot of stuff, a lot of stuff that we’ve done to make it comic accurate as well.”

“Making a movie, you can’t really look outside for critiques because everybody, everybody sees the poster and they have an opinion,” Harbour continued. “You’re like, ‘just watch the two hour movie and if you still hate it. Great. Love it? Great.’ But, like, you’ve got to give us a chance. I think all the speculation in the world is like my fantasies about dying or what. I mean, it’s like you can fantasize about horrific things or whatever until you actually see the thing. I’m very proud of this movie, what we shot. I hear it’s playing well internally and I’m excited for people to see it. I think it’s going to really surprise people. I think people have seen from the trailer, from the shots. I think it’s a pretty cool direction of the MCU’s sort of making now. And I’m excited to be a part of that.”

What Is Marvel’s Thunderbolts* About?

Thunderbolts* is expected to be based on the Marvel Comics team of the same name, an alliance of antiheroes and villains who reluctantly work for the government. The cast of Thunderbolts includes Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier, David Harbour as Red Guardian, Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, Wyatt Russell as John Walker / U.S. Agent, Hannah John-Kamen as Ava Starr / Ghost, and Olgya Kurylenko as Taskmaster. New cast members will include Lewis Pullman as Bob, and Geraldine Viswanathan in a mystery role.

“Our characters are going to interact with something that we don’t really understand, and it fundamentally changes the course of the way things expand,” Harbour told ComicBook in a previous interview at San Diego Comic-Con. “That’s all I’m saying. Oh my God, I’m getting calls tomorrow.”

Thunderbolts* will be released exclusively in theaters on May 2, 2025.

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In October of last year, Stranger Things and Marvel star David Harbour was given a brand new title, the BoxLunch Giving Ambassador. Embracing both Harbour’s passion for food accessibility and ending hunger in America with his status as a major figure in pop culture, it was an easy partnership for the actor and BoxLunch. Since then Harbour has appeared in a marketing campaign for the brand and helped raise money for Feeding America at the annual BoxLunch Holiday Gala (where he personally donated $200,000).

ComicBook caught up with Harbour recently on a day he was volunteering at the Atlanta Community Food Bank, which distributes over 36 million pounds of fresh produce annually. Over the course of a few hours Harbour worked alongside other associates from the BoxLunch retail stores across Georgia, Florida and Alabama to volunteer at the center. Speaking with us in an exclusive interview, Harbour broke down what the past year of working with BoxLunch has been like for him, how it has changed his perspective on food insecurity, and how the larger issue of hunger in America can be addressed further.

ComicBook.com: It’s been about 10 months since you became the brand ambassador for BoxLunch. How has your perspective on that changed?

David Harbour: I mean, I’ve seen there’s been a huge increase in food insecurity in this country, and I kind of can’t believe it with inflation rising. Even this particular facility has increased its output like 60% or something in the past, I think it’s in the past year. So I think I’ve been kind of overwhelmed by the necessity of the work that these people do, and just the overwhelming amount of people in this country that are food insecure. I think that’s been the most profound learning (moment). You tend to think of America as a pretty well-off country compared to a lot of other countries in this world. Then you start to see numbers like this and the numbers are kind of incomprehensible at a certain point, but they do give an impression of… we’re not as well-off as I generally think we are and we need to do a lot of work to change that. That’s really been a big part of the journey is the amount of work that needs to get done.

CB: It’s easy to see those numbers on a sheet or hear someone say those numbers. Does coming to a facility like this really put it into perspective what those numbers are?

David Harbour: Yeah, because you can’t… As human beings I think we are such visualizers of space. So you come here and you see the enormity of the operation. You see volunteers just coming in for three-hour shifts. And, yeah, there’s just a lot of work to be done. I mean, I am also, not to be too dark about it because I am inspired by the amounts of people that are (here), this facility is so vast. People are showing up to volunteer here and then people do work here full-time. They are working on expanding their structure. So that’s very inspiring. But, yeah, it does help to see it in the flesh. It gives it a whole new dimension, no pun intended, but it becomes three-dimensional.

And I heard you  talking about it out there, but you’ve been in Atlanta for stuff for years now. I’m sure people down there immediately recognize you from any number of things. So what does it mean to you to see this community in action that you’ve been a part of for so long?

David Harbour: I really love it, and it’s nice to be on this side of it. The funny thing is Atlanta has a huge film industry now, and I know that when I drive to work, I drive through some pretty poor neighborhoods. Then I get to my very nice studio and treated very well and given nice catering and nice food and stuff. I do think every time I drive through these neighborhoods that we should be doing more. But we’re all hell-bent on making fun shows for people to watch and people to have catharsis. And again, I think that’s important, too. But it is something that I think about almost every day when I drive through these neighborhoods. So it’s nice to be able to come to a place like this to see that work being done and give me an idea of how we could do it even more locally, how my friends at the studio and my fellow castmates and stuff could make a bigger impact. Because I think it’s important not just to work in Atlanta but to live in Atlanta. And I think the film industry is trying to do that more and more. 

You sort of touched on it there, inspiring people with the things that you do. People here probably recognize you from Stranger Things or Marvel, but at what point in your career when you’re making this stuff did it sink in ‘Oh, it’s not just a job for me,’ it is impacting other people. It’s affecting the way that they look at the world.

David Harbour: Yeah. I’ve always been cognizant of that as an artist. Like ever since I was doing, I think I got my first professional job at a regional theater when I was 19 years old doing Taming of the Shrew up in Maine. And I got to say that, not to toot my own horn here, but my impulse has always been that we are a service industry and that we are vessels for something bigger than ourselves. The reason when I watch performers that I love, it’s all about making me feel understood and less alone and more comfortable with how weird it is to be alive, and I want to do that for other people. I’m not big into the exclusionary star thing where it’s like I exist outside in a world that is magnificent to look at my muscles and my fancy clothes. I have to occupy some of that world as a businessman but in general, my thrust has always been that the artist is the person that allows you to feel the things that maybe you can’t feel in your life or that feels too confusing, gives focus to them, allows you to see that we all struggle. I think in that way, I think it’s a noble profession. 

Do you think that has been sort of what has planted the seed for the fact that you’re kind of a character actor? You play these sort of roles? 

David Harbour: Yeah, for sure.

I think that’s a compliment to be a character actor.

David Harbour: I mean, me too, and in fact, it’s part of the reason…I think that the most interesting stories are not the ones that are cliche romantic stories of heroism, simple heroism or whatever. I think that people are complex. I live life and I feel all kinds of complexity and I know that when I go see a movie or a TV show that enters into that complexity, I feel understood. When I go see the opposite, when I feel like someone’s exclusionary, it’s like you shouldn’t be feeling these things. I get annoyed and feel bad about myself. So I want to give people food or a thing that they makes them healthy. I think that’s compassion, and I think that my way of doing that is to be as much of a weirdo as I think we all feel, if that makes any sense.

In season four of Stranger Things, you were kind of on your own. You weren’t really part of the larger ensemble. Was that tough for you to not be around the group that way? Maybe your work on season five made it a little easier?

It was a challenging season for a number of reasons. The biggest being COVID and just the ripples that that sent through our industry, because we are an industry of intimacy.  mean, we are close. We are about humanity. We’re about engagement and we had masks and face shields and we were just very afraid of each other. So that was really tough. I also had to do a lot of weird weight loss stuff, that was really tough. The being alone thing is it was kind of OK, because I had to.I mean, we’ve been together a long time, it’s like it’s like a family, sometimes you need a vacation. So I think that was in a way sort of fun, and I had guys like Tom (Wlaschiha) and it was it was a cool storyline.

So I enjoyed it. Getting back to the OG crew of this final season has been wild in a way because we have come so far and it is not the show that we started in season one.  I think that’s a wild experience for all of us. I mean, those kids were 11 years old when we started, 12 years old. Now they’re 20 and they’re shaving and they aren’t kids anymore. Finn (Wolfhard) just directed a movie. I think to have it all come back full circle…We just read we just did a read through of the last episode and the amount of crying… like the episode is very beautiful. But there’s also a deeper level of that, this was actually their childhood. They were 11 years old and grew up and fought this monster. And I’ve never seen so much heavy, heavy weeping from teenagers or young adults in my life.

It wasn’t like the Game of Thrones table read for the finale where people were like throwing their scripts across the table.

David Harbour: No, the interesting thing is…there was some cameras there, but we didn’t do it for the publicists or the Instagram people. There was something intimate about the way they structured it that I’m hoping that you don’t see very much of that, because there was something profound in the sense that we are a family. There is the deeper level, it is about us as individuals who’ve worked together for nine years since they were kids, and that really came through. There was a real deep kind of honesty and heartbreak and bittersweet quality to all of it.

Have you seen the prequel play? 

David Harbour: Yes, I did. 

What did you think of it? 

David Harbour: I mean, it was interesting. 

Did it do something differently with Jim that you were surprised by? 

David Harbour: He’s like 16, right? It’s a whole different thing. I mean, I don’t have any ownership of it. I’m sure it’s what Harrison (Ford) felt when they did Young Indiana Jones. It’s like, OK, this is a guy that you guys own or whatever. I was not consulted creatively. I was not asked anything about it. It’s just this is their interpretation. So, yeah, it was interesting. I’m very supportive of all those people involved, and the sweet kid who plays Jim Hopper. I gave him my hat that I wore in season one. I just wanted him to make it his own for him to have ownership of it. So that was a really nice moment. 

Now, when James Gunn took over DC, he said that, you know, it was going to be like the animation characters would be played by the same people in live action, would be played by the same people in games, we’ll see if that if it comes to that. But, you know, you voice Frankenstein in Creature Commandos. Do you know when you’re going to play him in live action or is that just like you’re waiting for that phone call?

David Harbour: I don’t know if I’m waiting for the phone call. I mean, I’m not like down by the phone, but no, there’s nothing specific yet or at least I haven’t heard anything specific…I think Frank (Grillo’s) already moved into Peacemaker. I have a feeling it probably will come up. The project’s really good. We’ll talk about it at New York Comic Con, but it’s like it’s it’s very special, very funny. I think you’ve probably seen the trailer. It’s really great. All those all those characters, Dr. Phosphorus and the Bride…I can’t imagine they wouldn’t want to do it live action, but we’ll have to see. That’s all in the mind of the wacky, brilliant James Gunn.

Are you dreading being under makeup to play that character? 

David Harbour: Yeah, because I wonder what it would be. I’m…yeah, I’m not thrilled about that. I think they might do…if they did it. I think they might do the CGI thing that they did with Taika in Thor: Ragnarok. I feel like there’s probably a universe of that nowadays. I feel like the practical stuff, although I love it, is really falling a bit by the wayside.

After that, Thunderbolts is coming up and you’re reprising that role in the MCU. Do you know why there is an asterisk in the title?

David Harbour: Yes. (Laughs)

When did you find out why there was an asterisk in the title? 

David Harbour: I mean, they retroactively put the asterisk (in). The asterisk was an idea that that someone had…..What can I say that’s not going to get me in trouble? …The asterisk is very cool. I understand why people might put an asterisk there (laughs) I’m excited for the viewers to see that as well. But I, again, I just can’t say anymore.

When you’re making a huge Marvel movie like that, and you’re part of an ensemble, are you guys at all aware of the rumor mill online about the movie or like the conversation or the theories that people are throwing out or you just totally focused on set?

David Harbour: Yeah, not really. I mean, I’ve started to move away from all of that because I feel like I just run into AI articles.
I’m like, who wrote this? This isn’t even English. But I think that it can get dangerous because I don’t want to hear what everyone’s opinion is about all kinds of stuff about me. But we are very comic book true, which I was pleased about. I think there might be some speculation of what people understand about the comics as opposed to people that have actually read the comics. I think there’s a lot of experts out there that get very annoyed at things. And if you go back and you actually look at it, you might see something different. I think that we’re very into that idea, and yet it is, of course, very surprising because, you know, I don’t think Red Guardian is in any of the Thunderbolts stuff. So they are adding things like they are adding and surprising you with things. But, you know, there’s a lot of stuff, a lot of stuff that we’ve done to make it comic accurate as well.

Making a movie, you can’t really look outside for critiques because everybody, everybody sees the poster and they have an opinion. You’re like, ‘just watch the two hour movie and if you still hate it. Great. Love it? Great.’ But, like, you’ve got to give us a chance. I think all the speculation in the world is like my fantasies about dying or what. I mean, it’s like you can fantasize about horrific things or whatever until you actually see the thing. I’m very proud of this movie, what we shot. I hear it’s playing well internally and I’m excited for people to see it. I think it’s going to really surprise people. I think people have seen from the trailer, from the shots. I think it’s a pretty cool direction of the MCU’s sort of making now. And I’m excited to be a part of that. 

Just to wrap it up, is there something that you really want to do that you haven’t gotten to do yet? Work with a certain director, play a certain character, be in a certain franchise? 

 I mean, there’s like a billion things that I’d like to do. In terms of your world of comicbook.com, I love working in that world and I want to continue to work in that world. Right now, I’ve done Stranger Things, Thunderbolts, Creature Commandos….and I’m looking for the next thing to be, for lack of a better word, a little more middle-aged man. Middle-aged man dealing with middle-aged man problems. That’s kind of the next thing on the agenda. But in terms of working with people, I mean, I can name a hundred. Not a hundred, I can name 15 directors that I would love to work with. And there’s so many interesting projects going on out there. I just love it all. I really approach it from, like, a little boy at a buffet attitude  I just love so much of it that I want to eat it all. 

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The Incredible Hulk star Tim Blake Nelson recently made headlines by revealing how he was “heartbroken when it seemed I wasn’t going to come back as The Leader, but now I’m glad it took 16 years because it’s made the character more interesting.” Years of tangled rights issues with The Hulk franchise kept Marvel Studios from launching the obvious sequel that would’ve brought Nelson’s Leader back for his big debut, stranding his character (and other Incredible Hulk supporting cast) in MCU limbo for years. Now, Tim Blake Nelson is finally making his return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the upcoming Captain America: Brave New World, where his character, Samuel Sterns, will be revealed as  “The Leader,” one of Marvel’s most nefarious mastermind villains. 

The climax of Incredible Hulk (2008) showed how a sample of Bruce Banner’s gamma-infused blood spilled on Sterns’ head beginning his transformation into a gamma-powered intellect. What Sterns has been up to since then is unknown – and none of the public marketing for Captain America: Brave New World (so far) has provided any insight as to what he looks like now, or what his master plan is for the MCU, and the various factions all vying for power. 

For his part, Nelson has already teased that “The Marvel team has come up with a really interesting explanation—revelation, I should say, as to what he’s been up to for 16 years and why.” Even without knowing the larger plans for The Leader’s MCU arc, it’s already clear that the villain will be putting a well-thought-out plan in motion during Captain America: Brave New World. But to what ultimate end? 

What The Leader’s Role In Captain America: Brave New World Could Mean For the MCU

The details about Captain America 4’s story that we know involve Captain America/Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) inadvertently helping to kick off a new arms race, when he recovers of the sample of the metal Adamantium from the body of the corpse of the Celestial that died mid-birth in Marvel’s Eternals. As Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross tries to cement his presidency on the foundation of worldly unity and prosperity, an unseen hand begins throwing things into chaos – and that hand most likely belongs to The Leader. 

So far, details of The Leader’s plan arguably include all of the following: 

• Brainwashing former super-soldier Isaiah Bradley (Carl Lumby) into committing an assassination attempt or some kind of disruptive act of terrorism against the government. 
• Injecting President Ross with the gamma-radiation serum that transforms him into Red Hulk. 
• Coordinating with or employing organizations like the Serpent Society to carry out the violent attacks and/or heists associated with his plan. 

That’s a lot of moving pieces – but what’s the end goal? 

What Is The Leader’s Master Plan for the MCU? 

Ever since Captain America 4 was announced, there has been fan speculation that the film will be another game-changing event like Captain America: The Winter Soldier with its reveal of Hydra’s infiltration, and SHIELD’s collapse. This time, however, it’s theorized that The Leader could be trying to formally usher in the era of the “supervillain,” by enhancing or upgrading a targeted list of individuals and/or organizations to help shift the balance of global power. Hence the title of the film. Theories go so far as The Leader creating new gamma and/or super-serum power-players; enhancing the technology of crooks and gangsters to create a new era of street-level supervillains; possibly unleashing some kind of general mutation wave that could ripple into the X-Men franchise’s pond. Given The Leader’s level of intellect, possibly all of the above. 

That’s about all we can glean from speculation at this point; answering what The Leader hopes to gain from this level of scheming and world-shifting is hard to know – especially in the context of an MCU “Multiverse Saga” storyline. There is some evidence that whatever happens in Brave New World leads directly into Thunderbolts; that film’s preview footage has hinted at the group having to pull off a mission at a facility that could be hiding an even greater game-changing superpower coming to the MCU. If that’s also part of The Leader’s larger plan, we could quickly start to see the villain taking up the role of a “big bad,” whose presence touches multiple movie and TV projects. 

Captain America: Brave New World Cast & Crew

Captain America: Brave New World will star Howard Mackie as Sam Wilson/Captain America, Danny Ramirez as Joaquin Torres/ alcon, Carl Lumbly as Isaiah Bradley, Tim Blake Nelson as Samuel Sterns/The Leader, Harrison Ford as General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, Liv Tyler as Betty Ross, and Shira Haas as Sabra. Xosha Roquemore, Rosa Salazar, and Giancarlo Esposito will play Seth Voelker/Sidewinder recently being added to the film in reshoots. Captain America: Brave New World is directed by Julius Onah (The Cloverfield Paradox, Luce), with a script from The Falcon and the Winter Soldier showrunner Malcolm Spellman, as well as Dalan Musson and Matthew Orton.

Captain America: Brave New World is currently scheduled to be released exclusively in theaters on February 14, 2025.

The post “Heartbroken” Incredible Hulk Star Finally Returns in Captain America: Brave New World: What That Could Mean for the MCU appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Marvel Studios has put forth a lot of renewed effort this year, trying to assure its fanbase (and Disney shareholders) that the Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise still has promising years ahead of it. Numerous reports broke alleging widespread trouble behind the scenes of the MCU after Avengers: Endgame, while fans and insiders both seemed to agree that the franchise had begun putting out too much quantity, at the high cost of quality. Then there have been real-life events like celebrity scandals (Jonathan Majors) and Hollywood politics (Actors and Writers strikes), which have forced Marvel to make big pivots with production timetables and the overarching story of the current MCU Multiverse Saga.

But now, big changes have been made. Disney CEO Bob Iger stepped back in; the entire content strategy for franchises like the MCU or Star Wars is changing back to ‘quality over quantity’. Marvel Studios has started to have major PR successes with its previews for upcoming 2025 projects like Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts*, or Daredevil: Born Again, but there still so many unanswered questions facing the franchise, moving forward. One of the biggest questions is, without a doubt: Can the MCU Multiverse Saga land this nose-diving plane? 

The End Is Nigh

Let’s take a look at how much runway we have left: 

Phase Five of the MCU will conclude next year, following the releases of Agatha All Along, Captain America: Brave New World, Daredevil: Born Again, Thunderbolts* and Ironheart (in that order). 

Phase Six of the MCU will end the Multiverse Saga, and is currently scheduled to run 2026-2027. Confirmed projects in that phase include Fantastic Four: First Steps and Blade (in 2025); Avengers: Doomsday and the Vision Quest Disney+ series (in 2026), and Avengers: Secret Wars in 2027. 

There is room in that schedule for other projects to be added, like the Wonder Man Disney+ series already in development, or any number of Marvel Special Presentation features. However, there’s not a lot of runway between now (Fall 2024 at the time of writing this) and the summer of 2027, when the Multiverse Saga will end. Given how many characters and storylines will have been introduced in MCU Phases 4 – 6, it feels nearly impossible that this Multiverse Saga can pull off a massive, well-earned climax like Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame did; or that the franchise can even find a way to make the Multiverse Saga feel like a tight, interconnected story like the Infinity Saga (mostly) was.

Why The Multiverse Saga Ending Will Be A FAIL

It’s hard to see how the Multiverse Saga can do little more than pull together many of the characters that were introduced in Phases 4 – 6, but that will (in many cases) be only the second (third, tops) time we see those characters operating in the MCU. We haven’t had multiple projects featuring Shang-Chi, Shuri/Black Panther II, or The Eternals; meanwhile, veteran franchises like Thor, Guardians of the Galaxy, Doctor Strange, Captain Marvel, and Spider-Man have seen massive status quo shifts that haven’t been addressed, while the Fantastic Four will be a very new set of characters and mythos in the MCU. 

Equally unsure are the relevance and importance of the Disney+ series and their characters. Tom Hiddleston’s Loki and Anthony Mackie’s Captain America are obvious sure bets for the climatic Secret Wars event – but Ms. Marvel, Moon Knight, Hawkeye, and Kate Bishop, She-Hulk, Peggy Carter or even Daredevil are far less certain to make an appearance. Even if they do, again, it will be only the second time dedicated fans see many of those characters onscreen – and it will be a first introduction for all those fans who only watch movies and skip the TV shows. 

…That’s not even counting Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom and the work needed to re-introduce the Multiverse Saga’s main antagonist and replace Jonathan Majors’ Kang. 

Can Marvel Studios bring the Multiverse Saga to an end by Summer 2027? Certainly. And frankly, the sooner the franchise moves past this quagmire of character variants and alternate timelines, the better. But the ending is most likely going to feel rushed and the larger interconnect story will likely still look riddled with plot holes, logical inconsistencies, and dangling plot threads for individual franchises that are not sufficiently answered – and a soft reboot into Phase 7 will look more like an escape hatch, rather than another hard-earned win. 

The next MCU release will be the Agatha All Along Disney+ series on September 19th. 

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Thunderbolts* made a brief appearance during Marvel’s 85th anniversary video release yesterday. The entire team was sitting in an elevator waiting for whatever’s on the other side of those doors to complete their mission. However, Sebastian Stan’s long hair is also back and Marvel fans are thrilled about it. Last time we saw Bucky, in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, His hair was cropped close as he was helping Sam Wilson adjust to the mantle of Captain America. It’s been a while though, and that means he’s back to the shaggy cut he had while catching Steve Rogers’ shield menacingly.

It’s pretty clear that Stan is thrilled to be back in the Marvel fold and has missed being around the MCU over the last few years. He hasn’t so much as made an appearance in a post-credits scene lately. But, that’s all poised to change when Thunderbolts* hits theaters next year. Stan told Variety that this re-entry is something that he’s been looking forward to for a while.

“I’m excited. I’m going to go back basically in a month or so. I’ve missed it. It’s a great cast,” Stan in a new profile from Variety. “The batting average is so high that it’s difficult to always land everything right away. It’s always been a great experience. With this one in particular, I think there’s a lot of good things.”

Why Is This Movie Called Thunderbolts*?

One of the big questions surrounding Thunderbolts* is: What’s with that asterisk? Well, we’ll get answers closer to the release date of this movie. At CinemaCon this year, MCU architect Kevin Feige couldn’t help teasing it. “Yes, you’ll notice the asterisk on Thunderbolts*,” Feige told he capacity crowd. “That is the official title of Thunderbolts* and we won’t talk more about that until after the movie comes out.” So, we’re obviously still waiting. A lot of the other Marvel releases surrounding it on the calendar provide some clues.

Back when the Phase 4, 5, and 6 slate were revealed at San Diego Comic-Con years ago, people theorized that Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts* will be linked. Well, the next Captain America trailer is out and there’s no direct links. But, there are some other hints. We know Cap 4 involved Tiamut the Celestial and something with the United States government. In addition, we can assume that the same authority sent Bucky and his team into whatever death trap they’re waiting for in that elevator. So, fans have basically accepted that Thunderbolts* might be a stealth Dark Avengers movie.

Did you miss Bucky? Catch all of our pop culture discussion at @ComicBook on social media!

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Marvel Studios has officially begun a comeback campaign with Deadpool & Wolverine’s success – but that’s just one step forward. The Marvel Cinematic Universe still has a lot to prove its upcoming TV and movie projects, which currently include the new Disney+ series Agatha All Along this fall, and a packed 2025 slate that includes pivotal releases like Daredevil: Born Again, Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts*, and Fantastic Four: First Steps. 

As more information and promotional material for the upcoming MCU slate continues to roll out, we’re getting exciting new details about what these new films and TV shows will be all about. 

See for yourself, below! 

Agatha All Along

Release Date: September 18, 2024

Synopsis: When a new series of tragedies strike the city of Westview, the infamous Agatha Harkness finds herself down and out of power when a suspicious goth teen helps break her free from a distorted spell. Her interest is piqued when he begs her to take him on the legendary Witches’ Road, a magical gauntlet of trials that, if survived, rewards a witch with what they’re missing. Together, Agatha and this mysterious teen pull together a desperate coven, and set off down, down, down The Road.

Wandavision writer Jac Schaeffer returns as showrunner for Agatha All Along, with Schaeffer, Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Brad Winderbaum and Mary Livanos serving as executive producers for the series, with Schaeffer, Rachel Goldberg, and Gandja Montiero all serving as directors for Agatha All Along. 

The cast of Agatha All Along features Kathryn Hahn returning as Agatha Harkness, leading a cast that includes Aubrey Plaza, Patti LuPone, Joe Locke, Sasheer Zamata, Ali Ahn, Maria Dizzia, Paul Adelstein, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, Okwui Okpokwasili and Debra Jo Rupp.

Agatha All Along will stream on Disney+. 

Captain America: Brave New World

Release Date: February 14, 2025 

Synopsis: Sam Wilson, who’s officially taken up the mantle of Captain America, finds himself in the middle of an international incident.

The cast of Captain America: Brave New World includes Danny Ramirez as Joaquin Torres / Falcon, Carl Lumbly as Isaiah Bradley, Tim Blake Nelson as Samuel Sterns / The Leader, Harrison Ford as General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, Liv Tyler as Betty Ross, Shira Haas as Sabra, and Giancarlo Esposito as Seth Voelker / Sidewinder. 

Captain America: Brave New World is directed by Julius Onah (The Cloverfield Paradox, Luce), with a script from The Falcon and the Winter Soldier showrunner Malcolm Spellman, as well as Dalan Musson and Matthew Orton.

Daredevil: Born Again

Release Date: March 2025

Synopsis: A reboot of the Daredevil Netflix series set within the MCU.

Charlie Cox returns as Matt Murdock / Daredevil and he’ll be joined by Vincent D’Onofrio (Wilson Fisk / Kingpin), Jon Bernthal (Frank Castle / Punisher), Wilson Bethel (Benjamin Poindexter / Bullseye), Deborah Ann Woll (Karen Page), Elden Henson (Foggy Nelson), Ayelet Zurer (Vanessa Fisk), Margarita Levieva, Michael Gandolfini, Genneya Walton, and Arty Froushan. 

Thunderbolts*

Release Dates: May 2, 2025

Synopsis: A Group of antiheroes goes on missions for the American government – so far, that’s the only official synopsis for Thunderbolts*, but teasers have hinted at the team going on a mission involving The Sentry (Lewis Pullman), one of Marvel’s most powerful (and dangerous) characters. 

Jake Schreier (Paper Towns, Beef) is directing Thunderbolts* from a script by Eric Pearson (Thor: Ragnarok, Black Widow), Lee Sung Jin (Beef), and Joanna Calo (Bojack Horseman). Harbour is joined in the film by Sebastian Stan (Bucky Barnes / The Winter Soldier), Hannah John-Kamen (Ava Starr / Ghost), Wyatt Russell (John Walker / US Agent), Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Valentina Allegra de Fontaine), Florence Pugh (Yelena Belova), Olga Kurylenko (Antonia Dreykov / Taskmaster), Lewis Pullman (Bob), Gerladine Viswanathan (Mel).

Fantastic Four: First Steps

Release Date: July 25, 2025

Synopsis: This MCU reboot of The Fantastic Four is set in an alternate timeline where the world has developed into a retro-futuristic vision. A family/team of scientists ends up getting transformed by cosmic forces and must use their powers and smarts to defend Earth against a world-consuming entity (Galactus). 

Fantastic Four: First Steps will star Pedro Pascal (The Last of Us) as Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic; Vanessa Kirby (The Crown) as Sue Storm/Invisible Woman; Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Bear) as Ben Grimm/The Thing; and Joseph Quinn (Stranger Things) as Johnny Storm/Human Torch. Julia Garner will appear in the film as Shalla-Bal/Silver Surfer, with Ralph Ineson as Galactus. Paul Walter Hauser, John Malkovich, and Natasha Lyonne will appear in as-yet-unannounced roles. Matt Shakman (WandaVision) will direct the movie.

Ironheart

Release Date: 2025 (TBD) 

Synopsis: In Ironheart, the teenage super-genius who created the most advanced suit of armor since Iron Man “returns from MIT to her hometown of Chicago and begins to unravel threads that bring danger and adventure right to her doorstep.”

Dominique Thorne reprises her role as Riri Williams, after first appearing in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Ironheart will also star  Anthony Ramos (Transformers: Rise of the Beasts) as Parker Robbins, a.k.a. the mystical misfit known as The Hood. Alden Ehrenreich (Solo: A Star Wars Story) will play Joe McGillicuddy, a (supposedly) new character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Ryan Coogler, director of Black Panther and Wakanda Forever, serves as executive producer on the series via his Proximity Media banner. Chinaka Hodge, a writer on TNT’s Snowpiercer and Netflix’s The Midnight Club, is Ironheart’s head writer and series creator. The show is based on the Marvel Comics character created by Brian Michael Bendis and Mike Deodato.

Avengers: Doomsday

Release Date: May 1, 2026

Synopsis: Avengers: Doomsday will be the beginning of the end for the Marvel Multiverse Saga, and will feature Robert Downey Jr.’s return, as the titular Doctor Doom. 

Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame directors Joe and Anthony Russo will also be returning to direct Doomsday, from a script by Michael Waldron (Loki) and Stephen McFeely (Endgame). No word yet on which MCU characters and actors will be featured in the film. 

Avengers: Secret Wars

Release Date: May 7, 2027

Synopsis: The culminating event of the MCU Multiverse Saga, based on the comic book storylines that saw different Marvel realties pulled together for a massive battle royale. 

No word yet on the cast of Avengers: Secret Wars. Like Avengers: Doomsday it will be directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, from a script by Michael Waldron (Loki) and Stephen McFeely (Endgame)

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Marvel Studios finally gave fans their first look at Daredevil: Born Again and Thunderbolts*. The True Believers are pleased with Marvel Studios’ big 85th Anniversary video this morning. Charlie Cox’s eyes are glowing red under that amazing red Daredevil mask. That red stare got a glowing review from @Ian_W_G, who said, “They made the eyes so much better!” Hopefully, we get to see more of Matt Murdock in action before Daredevil: Born Again swings onto Disney+ next year. Sabine Targaryen Solo speaks for all of us when they say, “Really hope the trailer is released soon.” We’ll have to wait a while for that. But, all the reports that have been circulating about the new Daredevil revival has had fans optimistic about the return to Hell’s Kitchen.

Thunderbolts* was not going to be left out of the party here either. The newest tease from the movie saw this motley team getting on an elevator together for their clandestine mission. Florence Pugh, David Harbor, Sebastian Stan, Wyatt Russell and Hannah John Kamen are all here to wrangle whatever unseen threat they’ve been tasked with containing. (A lot of Marvel fans think it’s The Sentry! What other reason does Lewis Pullman have to keep dodging questions about who he’s playing.) @Heromytop is just ecstatic to see the former Winter Soldier back out there. They wrote, “I fw this bucky look, it’s great.” The “Pugh Crew” is stoked to see Yelena right at the center of this team. @Jeremy_Verberg writes, “I am really excited to see Yelena again and I’m very curious to the chemistry of the team together.”

Daredevil and Thunderbolts Head Towards Mature Corner Of The MCU

For fans of Thunderbolts*, it feels like a long time since the movie was announced. A writers and actors strike delayed production and it’s finally coming in 2025. But, the Daredevil faithful have been rallying to save the show for years before that the Marvel team-up movie was announced. Daredevil: Born Again is poised to bring back so many classic elements of the Netflix show. One of those returning pieces? Jon Bernthal. It was a surreal experience for people at D23 when the Punisher actor strolled out onto that stage with Charlie Cox, Vincent D’onofrio and Deborah Ann-Woll. 

Marvel Entertainment asked him about what’s different with the return to Daredevil. He explained that some of the show’s nastier tendencies have been turned up this time around. So, if Echo had that parental advisory on the front, you can expect that warning to get a workout with Daredevil: Born Again. 

“I think if you’re a fan of the show that you saw before, you’re gonna be a fan of this. I think we’re just taking it a step further,” Bernthal said after Marvel Studio’s D23 presentation. “We’re all here, we’re all enormously happy to be with each other, we’re proud of what we did. If you’re a fan of [Marvel’s Daredevil], you’re gonna be enormously happy.”

Did you love the trailer? Catch all of our pop culture discussion at @ComicBook on social media!

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The Marvel Cinematic Universe is ready to move into a new era, and the Thunderbolts will be at the helm. Earlier this summer, San Diego Comic-Con leaned into the MCU as Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige laid out what’s on the horizon. From Ironheart to Daredevil, the universe is expanding, and we’ve just been given a first look at Thunderbolts ahead of its release.

As you can see below, Entertainment Weekly posted an exclusive sizzle reel hyping the next MCU projects. It is there we can spot the so-called Dark Avengers in all their glory. From Yelena Belova to Bucky Barnes and Ghost, everyone is here in this new teaser. The unlikely team is ready to tackle a darker side of the MCU, and you can bet the Red Guardian is ready for some action.

While this new reel marks out first footage of Thunderbolts, we have heard plenty about the movie before now. Speaking with Entertainment Weekly at San Diego Comic-Con, Florence Pugh (Yelena) told as it ties into the Red Guardian who’s played by David Harbour. The characters first came to life on screen in Black Widow, and their unconventional family bond tugged heartstrings across the globe. Thunderbolts will do the same, and Pugh said the two actors picked up where they left off with their characters.

What to Expect From Thunderbolts

“David and I, in the first movie, as much as we possibly could, squeezed as much as we could out of the time that we had together,” Pugh told the site. “Knowing that we were both coming back to do any version of a second movie, there was no way that we couldn’t jump into it further and go where these people are in the state of their lives right now.”

“Purely because of what [director] Jake [Schreier] wanted to make and the story that we were allowed to do, we were also, as characters that are hugely complex and very difficult to live alongside one another, able to go into a very bizarre but pure and human father-daughter relationship that I was so grateful to be able to do, especially with an actor like David.”

If you are eager to check out this coming era of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it will begin shortly. Thunderbolts promises to grace theaters come May 2, 2025. So if you wish to catch up on all things Marvel before this movie premieres, you can findthe entire MCU – movies and shows alike – streaming on Disney+.

What do you make of this first look at Thunderbolts? Give me a shout at @meganwpeters with your take! You can also let us know what you think over on Twitter and Instagram.

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Some of Marvel Studio’s upcoming projects are the focus of a new trailer celebrating Marvel’s 85th anniversary. For fans in attendance at San Diego Comic-Con and Disney’s D23, much of the footage from projects such as Thunderbolts*, Captain America: Brave New World, and Daredevil: Born Again won’t be new to them. However, if you weren’t at these fan events, then you’ll be pleased to get a better look at what Marvel Studios has lined up for 2025 and beyond. There’s renewed anticipation for Marvel’s upcoming slate, especially after the announcements of Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom and the retitled Avengers: Doomsday. Now, let’s take a look at what else is to come in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Footage from the Marvel video hosted by Entertainment Weekly features the first official looks at footage from Thunderbolts*, as well as Harrison Ford’s Red Hulk from Captain America: Brave New World. Also, Charlie Cox is back as the defender of Hell’s Kitchen in Daredevil: Born Again. Ironheart, the upcoming series for Disney+ that brings Dominique Thorne back as Riri Williams, can also be seen, along with the next Disney+ series Agatha All Along.

Thunderbolts* trailer description from SDCC

ComicBook’s Phase Zero podcast was in attendance at San Diego Comic-Con, and has your breakdown of the Thunderbolts* footage that was shown. You can read a description of the footage below:

Yelena knocks on Alexei’s door. He is slobbing it up on the couch and tries to spruce up the place and himself before opening the door but it’s still very, very messy. He claims to be taking steps with a lot of work and being fulfilled, clearly lying. He asks what brings her here. “There is something wrong with me,” she said. 

Bucky enters a courtroom. US Agent looks at news articles about himsel. Yelena has a hallway fight reminiscent of Black Widow’s in Iron Man 2. She investigates a room, finds charts, and gets shot at by US Agent. Ghost comes to her aid while another enemy helps US Agent. “Bob” enters the room wearing a hospital gown. The room locks down its doors. 

Yelena explains she is a contract killer and has surmised that someone wants all of them dead. The room turns into a furnace. At a part with Loki’s scepter in a glass case, Bucky is not happy to see Valentina. He puts on his Vibranium arm.

Music makes the whole movie feel a bit delirious. Dark color tones make the movie feel gritty. There is a scene in what might be Avengers Tower.

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The cast of Thunderbolts* is teasing where we meet their characters headed into the big Marvel crossover movie next year. The Official Marvel Podcast talked to the star-studded cast of this film. Florence Pugh, David Harbor, Sebastian Stan and Wyatt Russell checked in for a quick soundbyte. For Yelena Belova, fans are going to see a side of the Black Widow that they’ve never experienced before. She’s popped up multiple times since Avengers: Endgame and now we’ve got her as a focus character in Thunderbolts*. Red Guardian, U.S. Agent, and Bucky have all kind of fallen on hard times since the events of their previous projects and the boys say they’ve been going through it. Check out what all of them had to say about their next trip to the MCU right here.

Pugh said after the event, “To be able to come back again. But, show another side of what it is to be a human, going through life in the way that she does, that may not necessarily be the way that we would assume that they live, is beautiful for me.” 

David Harbour, Wyatt Russell and Sebastian Stan can commiserate with the Thunderbolts* crew not being in a good place. The Red Guardian actor said, “None of us are in a good place. I’m eating something disgusting out of a bowl. Gaining weight as you watch the film in real time.” Russell of course has to laugh at that before joking about getting shot at a lot. Harbour teases, “We do see you scrolling through your phone, looking for bad press! Like Googling himself and saying, ‘If I don’t find the nasty comments, then I’m not finished.”  

Prepare For The Thunderbolts*!

San Diego Comic-Con Brought a brand new look at Thunderbolts*. In that new footage, fans got the sense of this ragtag team and what is different about the approach to this Marvel movie. Red Guardian, in particular, has been a source of laughs in the past. Harbour said after the footage premiered that people should not be expecting the same old types of heroics from this new team. They’re a bit different. 

“We are not the good guys,” Harbour replied when asked how they compare with The Avengers. “We are not capable. [We’re not] Captain America responsible. We don’t show up on time. Punctuality is not our strong suit.”

“We’re a completely new species of hero, I would say,” Harbour would continue. “We don’t exist yet in the MCU. I think we’re a new evolution of something. I don’t know if it’s good or bad, but it’s unique.”

Are you excited for Thunderbolts*? Catch all of our pop culture discussion at @ComicBook on social media!

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We’re less than a year away from the debut of Thunderbolts*, a star-studded ensemble film filled with recognizable names from across the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This includes Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, a character whose machinations have personally impacted many of the team’s antiheroes. In a recent post on her social media, Dreyfus shared a behind-the-scenes look at Thunderbolts* desert set, joking that Marvel Studios really flew that cast and crew to Mars to bring its ambitious story to life.

“I am on the set of Thunderbolts* and I can’t show you too much,” Dreyfus says in the video. “Although, this is one of my looks. I can tell you a little bit, which is — this particular movie, Marvel really couldn’t afford green screen, so what happened was, they flew us all to Mars. Look at this. Check it out. Yeah, it’s Mars. Can you believe what I’m saying. Anyway, here we are. It’s incredible. Everyone’s working really hard. You can hear that I’m having trouble breathing, because obviously, there’s less oxygen. And I’m going to make this quick, because we might be running out, but I’m super psyched for this movie to come out, and for you to see it. I will admit, I’m not looking forward to the ride home, because it’s going to be like 300 days, but it’s worth it to be a part of a Marvel project. So anyway, I don’t have much oxygen left, so I just wanted to say hi and go Thunderbolts!”

What Is Marvel’s Thunderbolts* About?

Thunderbolts* is expected to be based on the Marvel Comics team of the same name, an alliance of antiheroes and villains who reluctantly work for the government. The cast of Thunderbolts includes Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier, David Harbour as Red Guardian, Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, Wyatt Russell as John Walker / U.S. Agent, Hannah John-Kamen as Ava Starr / Ghost, and Olgya Kurylenko as Taskmaster. New cast members will include Lewis Pullman as Bob, and Geraldine Viswanathan in a mystery role.

“Our characters are going to interact with something that we don’t really understand, and it fundamentally changes the course of the way things expand,” Harbour told ComicBook in a recent interview at San Diego Comic-Con. “That’s all I’m saying. Oh my God, I’m getting calls tomorrow.”

Thunderbolts* will be released exclusively in theaters on May 2, 2025.

The post Thunderbolts: Julia-Louis Dreyfus Shares Hilarious Behind-The-Scenes “Footage” of Marvel Movie appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Thunderbolts* is slated for next year and Florence Pugh heard the nice things that Sebastian Stan had to say about her. During this weekend’s San Diego Comic-Con Marvel presentation, the Winter Soldier actor said that his co-star was the most exciting part of the MCU’s big event movie. GamesRadar caught up with the Yelena Belova actress to ask her about what Stan said. She’s clearly touched by that bit of praise from someone who has been around the block with this franchise. Pugh has a ton of love for all of her Thunderbolts* teammates. Some of them she knew previously (like David Harbour) and others were being thrown together for the first time. All of that adoration on the Comic-Con stage made the Marvel star appreciate the ride a little bit more. Hopefully, fans are as excited when they get to see that trailer for Thunderbolts.

“I was very, very chuffed that he said that about me,” Pugh told the outlet. “Also, it’s so kind when people that you look up to and respect and love working with say wonderful things about you because it just makes you fill yourself with confidence and makes you feel that the thing you appreciate is also appreciating you and it’s a lovely feeling. And he’s been in the MCU for such a long time so to hear that from him is very special.”

Thunderbolts Feels Like A Black Widow Reunion

As we mentioned up top, David Harbour has worked with Florence Pugh on Black Widow previously. One of the most fun things about that previous MCU feature was the family dynamic at play between these people put together for a specific mission. Harbour and the rest of the Thunderbolts* cast joined Entertainment Weekly to teases the espionage and adventure coming in the later part of 2025. While they’re still keeping plenty of secrets about what this movie has going on, they can’t hide the camaraderie among the cast. So, you know when the chance presented itself, Harbour wasn’t going to miss the opportunity to give his fictional daughter her flowers. Check out what the Red Guardian actor had to say right here.

“They’re all wonderful, but I do have a favorite, and her name is Florence Pugh,” Harbour previously mentioned. “She is just electric to work with. There’s complexity in their relationship this time around, and we got to go to all these different levels. He’s a terrible narcissist who has a hard time showing up for other people, and she is very dedicated to killing people. It’s not a great start to a relationship.”

Do you think Yelena will be the best part of Thunderbolts*? Let us know in the comments down below!

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A cast member of Thunderbolts* will have a change to their look when the Marvel movie debuts next year. Thunderbolts* was one of three films featured by Marvel Studios during its Hall H panel at San Diego Comic-Con Saturday night. Director Jake Schreier and the Thunderbolts* cast were on hand at SDCC, and those in the audience got to see the first Thunderbolts* footage. This oddball team of heroes is headlined by Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova and Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier. Fans last saw Bucky in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, but he’ll return to a familiar look in Thunderbolts*.

A description of the Thunderbolts* footage screen at SDCC revealed that Winter Soldier will be back to wearing his hair long. Following Avengers: Endgame, Bucky Barnes cut his hair short for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, but it appears his original look will be returning. Right now we only have the description of the Thunderbolts* footage to go off of, and will have to wait until an official first look or trailer is released to know just how long Bucky’s hair will be.

Thunderbolts* SDCC footage revealed

ComicBook’s Phase Zero podcast was in attendance at San Diego Comic-Con, and has your breakdown of the Thunderbolts* footage that was shown:

Yelena knocks on Alexei’s door. He is slobbing it up on the couch and tries to spruce up the place and himself before opening the door but it’s still very, very messy. He claims to be taking steps with a lot of work and being fulfilled, clearly lying. He asks what brings her here. “There is something wrong with me,” she said. 

Bucky enters a courtroom. US Agent looks at news articles about himsel. Yelena has a hallway fight reminiscent of Black Widow’s in Iron Man 2. She investigates a room, finds charts, and gets shot at by US Agent. Ghost comes to her aid while another enemy helps US Agent. “Bob” enters the room wearing a hospital gown. The room locks down its doors. 

Yelena explains she is a contract killer and has surmised that someone wants all of them dead. The room turns into a furnace. At a part with Loki’s scepter in a glass case, Bucky is not happy to see Valentina. He puts on his Vibranium arm.

Music makes the whole movie feel a bit delirious. Dark color tones make the movie feel gritty. There is a scene in what might be Avengers Tower.

Jake Schreier (Paper Towns, Beef) is directing Thunderbolts* from a script by Eric Pearson (Thor: Ragnarok, Black Widow), Lee Sung Jin (Beef), and Joanna Calo (Bojack Horseman). 

Marvel Studios’ Thunderbolts* is dated for May 5, 2025. The upcoming Marvel Studios slate includes Captain America: Brave New World (February 14, 2025) and The Fantastic Four: First Steps (July 25, 2025).

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The ComicBook Nation crew gives a spoiler-free review of Deadpool & Wolverine, and then dips into all of the breaking news from San Diego Comic-Con so far! We also review Kite Man: Hell Yeah! And then talk Transformers, Joker 2, Absolute Power, and comics, along with a preview of this year’s Gen Con!

PLUS: Two Bonus Episodes – one LIVE from Comic-Con! ComicBook Nation host Kofi Outlaw teams with Phase Zero hosts Brandon Davis and Jenna Anderson, and ComicBook.com’s Chris Killian to break down the biggest reveals, wild happenings, and crazy behind-the-scenes stories from Thursday and Friday at San Diego Comic-Con! 

A second BONUS episode reunites ComicBook Nation hosts Kofi Outlaw, Janell Wheeler and Matt Aguilar summon their energy reserves to recap SDCC after the convention is done. Tune in for it all! 

Deadpool & Wolverine Review 

Phase Zero host Jenna Anderson said this in her 4.5. out of 5-star Deadpool & Wolverine Review: 

Amid the never-ending conversation around superhero fatigue, too many spoilers, and not enough effective storytelling, it feels rare to be truly surprised by a new superhero adaptation. Deadpool & Wolverine is such a pleasant surprise – both in its jaw-dropping elements and in the sentimental reason for those elements even existing – that it almost feels like a miracle. The movie’s handful of flaws are outweighed by its pure blockbuster storytelling and the gleeful rapport of its two protagonists. Through its no-holds-barred execution and the wildly entertaining performances of its ensemble cast, Deadpool & Wolverine serves as the most unlikely reminder of why we care about superhero movies in the first place.

Comic-Con Recap

ComicBook Nation is here to wrap up all the biggest news from Friday at San Diego Comic-Con! The Boys season 5 news and a Soldier Boy spin off! A new Lord of the Rings Rings of Power Season 2 Trailer! Huge anime updates for One Piece and much, much more!

 ComicBook Nation is bringing you ALL the big news, huge reveals, and major returns cough* Robert Downey Jr * cough from San Diego Comic-Con 2024!

Subscribe to ComicBook Nation!

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There are several additional ways you can subscribe and/or listen to ComicBook Nation, which are listed below. BE SURE TO SUBSCRIBE as we drop all sorts of BONUS MATERIAL on YouTube and/or audio platforms, in addition to our main shows!

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Have thoughts to share? Want us to cover something on the show? Let us know in the comments!

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Thunderbolts* found itself as one of the main attractions of San Diego Comic-Con over the week, serving as one of three films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe that revealed footage to the audiences in Hall H. The show’s entire ensemble was present in support of the film, including franchise newcomer Geraldine Viswanathan. The Blockers star was one of the last actors to join the film and her exact role still has yet to be revealed.

What has been unveiled, however, is that Viswanathan is playing a mysterious character named Mel. Naturally, it’s easy to draw the line from a simple “Mel” to Melissa Gold, the antihero better known as Songbird.

Who is Songbird?

Created by Mark Gruenwald and Ralph Macchio, Songbird was one of the founding members of the original Thunderbolts, turning face after a long career full of crime and villainy. Using supersonic powers to her advantage, Songbird is known for her striking white and black suit and hair that includes long, pink streaks.

Her origin is tied to both Roxxon and the Power Broker, two entities fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe are both very well aware of. At one point, she even served as the romantic interest of Baron Zemo, though it’s unlikely Daniel Brühl’s fan-favorite anti-hero will end up appearing in the film.

Jake Schreier (Paper Towns, Beef) is directing from a script by Eric Pearson (Thor: Ragnarok, Black Widow), Lee Sung Jin (Beef), and Joanna Calo (Bojack Horseman). Harbour is joined in the film by Sebastian Stan (Bucky Barnes / The Winter Soldier), Hannah John-Kamen (Ava Starr / Ghost), Wyatt Russell (John Walker / US Agent), Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Valentina Allegra de Fontaine), Florence Pugh (Yelena Belova), Olga Kurylenko (Antonia Dreykov / Taskmaster), Lewis Pullman (Bob), Gerladine Viswanathan (Mel).

Marvel Studios’ Thunderbolts* is dated for May 5, 2025. The upcoming Marvel Studios slate includes Deadpool & Wolverine (July 26), Captain America: Brave New World (February 14, 2025), The Fantastic Four (July 25, 2025), Blade (November 7, 2025), Avengers: Doomsday (May 1, 2026), and Avengers: Secret Wars (May 7, 2027).

The post Marvel Might Have Confirmed a Surprising Thunderbolts* Character appeared first on ComicBook.com.

The first footage of Marvel’s Thunderbolts* struck Comic-Con with a warning: “Careful who you assemble.” Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige introduced the sizzle during a star-studded San Diego Comic-Con 2024 panel, which assembled cast members Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, Wyatt Russell, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Hannah John-Kamen, Geraldine Viswanathan, Lewis Pullman, and David Harbour (clad in his new Red Guardian costume) to tease the Jake Schreier-directed final entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Phase Five.

“There are goodguys, and you’re bad guys,” Louis-Dreyfus’ Valentina Allegra de Fontaine said in the footage of the motley crew that includes characters from Black Widow, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Ant-Man and the Wasp, and the Captain America movies. “But there are worse guys.”

“We are not the good guys,” Harbour said in a post-panel interview when asked how the Thunderbolts compare to the MCU’s premiere superhero team, the Avengers. “We are not capable. [We’re not] Captain America responsible. We don’t show up on time. Punctuality is not our strong suit.”

Stan interjected to add “impulsivity,” with Russell using the word “reactivity.” While the footage showed Harbour’s Red Guardian telling his teammates they have “the making of a team that can rise to glory” as “the heroes on the Wheaties box,” the rule-bending ‘Bolts are not your standard issue superheroes.

“We’re a completely new species of hero, I would say,” Harbour added. “We don’t exist yet in the MCU. I think we’re a new evolution of something. I don’t know if it’s good or bad, but it’s unique.”

After Harbour ominously told ComicBook that Thunderbolts* includes a “bomb drop thing we add to the universe,” he attempted to elaborate without spoilers. “Robert Downey [Jr.] shows up in the middle of the movie. Oh, wait,” Harbour joked, referencing just-announced news that the former Iron Man actor is playing the MCU Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. 

“No, I’m kidding. How can I elaborate on it? I can’t elaborate,” Harbour said. “Literally, our characters are going to interact with something that we really don’t understand and fundamentally changes the course of the way things expand. And that’s all I’m saying. I’m getting calls tomorrow.”

Thunderbolts* assembles Yelena Belova/Black Widow (Pugh), Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier (Stan), John Walker/U.S. Agent (Russell), Ava Starr/Ghost (John-Kamen), Antonia Dreykov/Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko), Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian (Harbour), and Bob Reynolds/Sentry (Pullman) when the Marvel Studios movie hits theaters May 2nd, 2025.

The post SDCC 2024: Marvel’s Thunderbolts* Stars Tease the Anti-Avengers: “We’re Not the Good Guys” appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Thunderbolts* promises to be a game-changer for the Marvel Cinematic Universe but remains mum on how. Marvel Studios has been quietly building to this team up for years, with Julia Louis-Dreyfus’s Valentina Allegra de Fontaine popping up in projects like The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Black Widow, and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever to both recruit talent and make her power felt. Thus far, Val has scouted John Walker (Wyatt Russell) and Yelena Belva (Florence Pugh). It’s unclear as to what she is building a team for, but as Thunderbolts* ensemble member David Harbour previously teased, it’s going to be big.

“There is a bomb drop thing we add to the universe, which will be very exciting for the movie to do at the end of this particular phase that we’re ending,” Harbour teased in a previous interview with ComicBook.

David Harbour Expands on “Bomb Drop” Tease in Thunderbolts*

Something big is coming for the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s assembly of anti-heroes.

Speaking to ComicBook at San Diego Comic-Con, Thunderbolts* star David Harbour was asked to expand on his previous “bomb drop” tease within the events of his next MCU production.

“Our characters are going to interact with something that we don’t really understand, and it fundamentally changes the course of the way things expand,” Harbour said. “That’s all I’m saying. Oh my God, I’m getting calls tomorrow.”

While this could be anything, much of the mystery within Thunderbolts* seems to tie back into Lewis Pullman’s “Bob.” The Top Gun: Maverick star replaced Steven Yeun in the film, as Yeun was forced to drop out of the project due to a scheduling conflict. It had been reported that Yeun was going to play Sentry in Thunderbolts*, a character with the “power of one million exploding suns” that remains one of the most powerful characters in Marvel Comics. Sentry’s real name of Robert Reynolds also lines up with Pullman simply being referred to as Bob, as Bob is a nickname for Robert.

As for what course-changing role Sentry could play in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, his very presence is enough for the powers that be to call in the big guns. If Harbour is alluding to Sentry as the thing that the Thunderbolts “don’t really understand,” it’s possible that he is treated as a top-level threat from the jump.

Thunderbolts* hits theaters on May 2nd, 2025.

The post SDCC 2024: David Harbour Says Thunderbolts* “Fundamentally Changes” the Marvel Cinematic Universe appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Details surrounding Thunderbolts* remain close to the vest. The basic premise of the upcoming ensemble is that it is seemingly a conglomeration of the Avengers and DC’s Suicide Squad, as the government-mandated team is a cast of characters ranging from anti-heroes to full-blown villains. It is known that the on-screen squad will feature Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes, Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova, David Harbour’s Red Guardian, Wyatt Russell’s US Agent, Hannah-John Kamen’s Ghost, and Olga Kurylenko’s Taskmaster. These six characters all have varying levels of experience in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as Pugh’s Yelena has appeared in two total projects while Stan’s Bucky has a total of eight MCU appearances.

Introduced in Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), Bucky begins as a soldier serving the United States in World War II. His run in with Hydra leads to him becoming an ageless assassin named The Winter Soldier, carrying out covert missions for the quietly-resurrecting evil entity. After being absolved of his mind control in Captain America: Civil War (2016), Bucky heads to Wakanda to begin to heal and eventually acclimates himself back into the real world in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021). 

Bucky Barnes Joins Congress in Thunderbolts*

After his atoning efforts in his streaming series, Bucky Barnes is taking on a new government role.

Speaking to ComicBook at San Diego Comic-Con, Thunderbolts* stars Sebastian Stan and Wyatt Russell responded to questions based on the film footage shown to the Hall H crowd. When asked about Bucky using his dishwasher to clean his vibranium arm, Stan joked that its “efficient.”

“One has to at some point make sure that things do get clean, and so that’s a very efficient way of doing it fast,” Stan joked. “He uses a lot less water too, a lot less waterin the dishwasher.”

Russell chimed in briefly after that, sharing something notable.

“He’s a congressman,” Russell responded.

This reveals that Bucky will find himself with an official government role in Thunderbolts*. This position is an appropriate next step for the former Winter Soldier, as his new team’s namesake Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross (Harrison Ford) is confirmed to be the President of the United States come the events of Captain America: Brave New World. Having Bucky, the likely leader of this team, sitting on President Ross’s Congress would allow for an extra synergetic relationship between the two.

Thunderbolts* hits theaters on May 2nd, 2025.

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Alexei Shostakov (David Harbour) is getting some fancy new duds in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. During Marvel’s Hall H panel at San Diego Comic-Con Saturday night, the studio unveiled the first official look at Thunderbolts*. While not all too much was unveiled to those in attendance, Harbour surprised fans by walking in his new full Red Guardian garb.

Although the suit largely remains the same as the look he wore in Black Widow, it does have some changes, particularly the inclusion of some tan leather panels on his shoulder and sides. The new look also has a new chest plate of sorts, almost as if Red Guardian found a used catcher’s plate and painted it red to go with the suit.

Little is known about the film itself, other than speculation the eponymous group will come toe-to-toe with The Sentry, as played by Lewis Pullman. In a previous interview with ComicBook, Harbour compared the film’s story to the structure of what one might find with a Dungeons & Dragons campaign.

“I just made a joke about [how] it’s like Dungeons and Dragons, where you meet in a tavern and it’s like there’s a dwarf drinking a beer and then there’s like an elvish figure over there, we all come together and then there’s this ghost… it’s not gonna happen like that, I don’t think,” Harbour told us in a 2022 interview. “But I think that’s one of the mysteries of the movie is what is their relationship, and as you say, there is a lot of exciting things as you wrap up the next phase in terms of sort of what their part of the whole universe is in this random, chaotic way. So, you know, we can’t say too much at this point, but they’re an exciting introduction of this team together again, that’s going to be a lot of fun.”

Jake Schreier (Paper Towns, Beef) is directing from a script by Eric Pearson (Thor: Ragnarok, Black Widow), Lee Sung Jin (Beef), and Joanna Calo (Bojack Horseman). Harbour is joined in the film by Sebastian Stan (Bucky Barnes / The Winter Soldier), Hannah John-Kamen (Ava Starr / Ghost), Wyatt Russell (John Walker / US Agent), Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Valentina Allegra de Fontaine), Florence Pugh (Yelena Belova), Olga Kurylenko (Antonia Dreykov / Taskmaster), Lewis Pullman (Bob), Gerladine Viswanathan (Mel).

Marvel Studios’ Thunderbolts* is dated for May 5, 2025. The upcoming Marvel Studios slate includes Deadpool & Wolverine (July 26), Captain America: Brave New World (February 14, 2025), The Fantastic Four (July 25, 2025), Blade (November 7, 2025), Avengers: Doomsday (May 1, 2026), and Avengers: Secret Wars (May 7, 2027).

The post SDCC 2024: Thunderbolts* Gives Red Guardian New Costume appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Marvel’s Thunderbolts has confirmed its official title to be Thunderbolts*. A set video from star Florence Pugh first started the mystery of an asterisk being part of Thunderbolts* title, leaving fans initially bewildered by the strange format.

Kevin Feige previously insisted we would learn why the asterisk is there once the movie is offically out in theaters. During San Diego Comic-Con 2024, Feige reiterated that the events of Thunderbolts* will explain the asterisk in the title – once fans get to the end of the film. He DID make sure to make one clarification: These Thunderbolts will NOT be named after Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross (Harrison Ford) like some fans have been speculating, ever since it was announced that Ross would appear in the film. 

The current theory is that the “Thunderbolts” team might end up changing their name at the end of the film – an MCU adaptation of the infamous “Dark Avengers” storyline from the comics (or some other variation). Other theories speculate that the team will be sacrificial lambs, (a suicide squad, if you will) meant to free just one core character: The Sentry, one of Marvel’s most powerful heroes – and twisted villains. 

SDCC 2024 – Thunderbolts Footage Description 

Via ComicBook’s Phase Zero Host Brandon Davis from inside Hall H: 

Yelena knocks on Alexei’s door. He is slobbing it up on the couch and tries to spruce up the place and himself before opening the door but it’s still very, very messy. He claims to be taking steps with a lot of work and being fulfilled, clearly lying. He asks what brings her here. “There is something is wrong with me,” she said. 

Bucky enters a courtroom. US Agent looks at news articles about himsel. Yelena has a hallway fight reminiscent of Black Widow’s in Iron Man 2. She investigates a room, finds charts, and gets shot at by US Agent. Ghost comes to her aid while another enemy helps US Agent. “Bob” enters the room wearing a hospotial gown. The room locks down its doors. 

Yelena explains she is a contract killer and has surmised that someone wants all of them dead. The room turns into a furnace. At a part with Loki’s scepter in a glass case, Bucky is not happy to see Valetina. He puts on his Vibranium arm.

 Music makes the whole movie feel a bit delirious. Dark color tones make the movie feel gritty. There is a scene in what might be Avengers Tower.

Thunderbolts* Cast & Crew Info

Jake Schreier (Paper Towns, Beef) is directing Thunderbolts from a script by Eric Pearson (Thor: Ragnarok, Black Widow), Lee Sung Jin (Beef), and Joanna Calo (Bojack Horseman). 

“Yes, you’ll notice the asterisk on Thunderbolts*,” Feige explained at Cinema Con earlier this year. “That is the official title of Thunderbolts* and we won’t talk more about that until after the movie comes out.”

Marvel Studios’ Thunderbolts* is dated for May 5, 2025. The upcoming Marvel Studios slate includes Deadpool & Wolverine (July 26), Captain America: Brave New World (February 14, 2025), The Fantastic Four (July 25, 2025).

Stay tuned for more updates about the Marvel Cinematic Universe. 

The post Marvel’s Thunderbolts: New Footage Shown at SDCC, Mystery Title Addressed appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Marvel Studios’ Thunderbolts* went into production a while back, and the project has officially wrapped. The new Marvel Cinematic Universe movie features a star-studded line-up of franchise alums, including Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova/Black Widow, Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes/the Winter Soldier, Wyatt Russell as John Walker/U.S. Agent, Hannah John-Kamen as Ava Starr/Ghost, David Harbour as Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian, Olga Kurylenko as Taskmaster, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus as the Valentina Allegra de Fontaine. Yesterday, Harbour took to Instagram to share a new photo in honor of wrapping production.

“Wrapped. Loved making this. Love the ‘bolts. #thunderbolts* #redguardian,” the actor shared. You can check out the post below:

“I just made a joke about [how] it’s like Dungeons and Dragons, where you meet in a tavern and it’s like there’s a dwarf drinking a beer and then there’s like an elvish figure over there, we all come together and then there’s this ghost… it’s not gonna happen like that, I don’t think,” Harbour told ComicBook.com in a 2022 interview. “But I think that’s one of the mysteries of the movie is what is their relationship, and as you say, there is a lot of exciting things as you wrap up the next phase in terms of sort of what their part of the whole universe is in this random, chaotic way. So, you know, we can’t say too much at this point, but they’re an exciting introduction of this team together again, that’s going to be a lot of fun.”

Who Is Directing Thunderbolts*?

Jake Schreier (Paper Towns, Beef) is directing from a script by Eric Pearson (Thor: Ragnarok, Black Widow), Lee Sung Jin (Beef), and Joanna Calo (Bojack Horseman). 

The asterisk was first added to the title of Thunderbolts* in a set video from star Florence Pugh which was also shared by Marvel Studios. According to Kevin Feige, the reason for this interesting title change will be explained once the movie is offically out in theaters next year. The current theory is that the team might end up changing their name to Dark Avengers or some other variation.

“Yes, you’ll notice the asterisk on Thunderbolts*,” Feige explained at Cinema Con earlier this year. “That is the official title of Thunderbolts* and we won’t talk more about that until after the movie comes out.”

Marvel Studios’ Thunderbolts* is dated for May 5, 2025. The upcoming Marvel Studios slate includes Deadpool & Wolverine (July 26), Captain America: Brave New World (February 14, 2025), The Fantastic Four (July 25, 2025), Blade (November 7, 2025), Avengers 5 (nèe The Kang Dynasty, May 1, 2026), and Avengers: Secret Wars (May 7, 2027).

Stay tuned for more updates about the Marvel Cinematic Universe. 

The post Thunderbolts* Star David Harbour Celebrates Wrapping Project With Photo From Set appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus confirms that Thunderbolts* has wrapped filming. Marvel fans will soon meet a new super-team that’s less Avengers and more Suicide Squad next year. Instead of iconic heroes such as Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, or Hulk, Thunderbolts* features a team comprised primarily of super-soldiers. The character bringing the Thunderbolts together is Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus. She’s popped up in various Marvel projects over the years, but she should have a bigger role in Thunderbolts* as their version of Nick Fury. While we wait for Thunderbolts*‘ 2025 release, we have word that filming is now complete.

While speaking on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Julia Louis-Dreyfus stated that Marvel wrapped Thunderbolts* “last week, where I was shooting that for quite a while.” She also spoke about meeting Marvel executives Kevin Feige and Louis D’Esposito, who were big Seinfeld and Veep fans. While talking about those shows, the topic of Louis-Dreyfus joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe came up. She added that what she likes the most about Valentina Allegra de Fontaine is she’s mysterious, you don’t know if she’s good or bad, and how she’s a puppet master who is dropped into projects here and there, with Thunderbolts* being her biggest role yet.

Who stars in Thunderbolts*?

Thunderbolts* features an ensemble of returning MCU stars, including Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova/Black Widow, Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes/the Winter Soldier, Wyatt Russell as John Walker/U.S. Agent, Hannah John-Kamen as Ava Starr/Ghost, David Harbour as Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian, Olga Kurylenko as Taskmaster, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus as the Valentina Allegra de Fontaine.

Jake Schreier (Paper Towns, Beef) is directing from a script by Eric Pearson (Thor: Ragnarok, Black Widow), Lee Sung Jin (Beef), and Joanna Calo (Bojack Horseman). Producer Kevin Feige confirmed the official title as Thunderbolts* — complete with an asterisk — at CinemaCon this year. “We won’t talk more about that until after the movie comes out,” Feige said of the title change.

Marvel Studios’ Thunderbolts* is slated to arrive in theaters on May 5, 2025.

The post Thunderbolts*: Julia Louis-Dreyfus Confirms the Marvel Film Has Wrapped Filming appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Marvel Studios’ Thunderbolts* is currently in production and the upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe movie is set to feature many returning characters, including Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine. The Seinfeld and Veep alum first played the character in The Falcon and the Winter Solider before popping up in the post-credit scene of Black Widow and appearing again in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Louis-Dreyfus confirmed her role in Thunderbolts* last year, and she just revealed she has wrapped production on the project.

“Yes,” Louis-Dreyfus confirmed when asked by Variety if he had finished production on Thunderbolts*. “I don’t know if you’re familiar with the Marvel Universe, but when you join it, you sign your life away in an NDA. So, if I say anything to you right now, I will be executed by the universe,” she joked when asked if she has any stunts in the film.

“I actually can, I’m going to be in Thunderbolts,” Louis-Dreyfus said last year on the Jimmy Kimmel Show. “Yeah, good guys are doing bad or bad guys are doing good,” she explained before refuting the notion that her character is a strictly “bad guy.” “I think she straddles the line between good and bad. I think it’s a bit of both. I think it’s a little bit unclear. It’s really unclear to me.”

Who Stars in Thunderbolts*?

Thunderbolts* features an ensemble of returning MCU stars, including Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova/Black Widow, Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes/the Winter Soldier, Wyatt Russell as John Walker/U.S. Agent, Hannah John-Kamen as Ava Starr/Ghost, David Harbour as Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian, Olga Kurylenko as Taskmaster, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus as the Valentina Allegra de Fontaine.

Jake Schreier (Paper Towns, Beef) is directing from a script by Eric Pearson (Thor: Ragnarok, Black Widow), Lee Sung Jin (Beef), and Joanna Calo (Bojack Horseman). Producer Kevin Feige confirmed the official title as Thunderbolts* — complete with an asterisk — at CinemaCon this year. “We won’t talk more about that until after the movie comes out,” Feige said of the title change.

Marvel Studios’ Thunderbolts* is dated for May 5, 2025. The upcoming Marvel Studios slate includes Deadpool & Wolverine (July 26), Captain America: Brave New World (February 14, 2025), The Fantastic Four (July 25, 2025), Blade (November 7, 2025), Avengers 5 (nèe The Kang Dynasty, May 1, 2026), and Avengers: Secret Wars (May 7, 2027).

Stay tuned for more updates about the Marvel Cinematic Unvierse. 

The post Marvel’s Thunderbolts: Julia Louis-Dreyfus Shares Production Update appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Giancarlo Esposito is joining the MCU according to the actor himself, and new information paints a picture of who he could be playing in Captain America: Brave New World. Murphy’s Multiverse wrote that the Breaking Bad star is in the upcoming Marvel movie. Immediately, fans raced to try and figure out who he could be playing. While popular fancasts like Norman Osborne and Magneto still abound on social media, there’s a much lower key character that could be the likely pick. Giancarlo Esposito is probably playing the Black Widow villain Prophet, and that would make a lot of sense.

For those who are unaware, Prophet is the leader of an organization called Chaos in the Marvel Comics Universe. In essence, he’s a teleported who has access to information about the future. Chaos uses this advance knowledge of the future to fund causes and initiatives that help that chosen future come to pass. Prophet tries to help influence events that occur within the Marvel Universe to ensure that the mysterious entity feeding their organization information remains in power. This all tracks with what we know about the movie so far and that makes his inclusion both a surprise and logically consistent.

For more than a year now, we’ve known that Tim Blake Nelson’s The Leader would be a part of Captain America: Brave New World. In the comics, the Hulk villain is the head of The Intelligencia, a group of villains looking to dominate the world using their command of information and access to power. Those goals align almost perfectly with Prophet and that of Chaos. In fact, they’re an easy way to ensure that we end up right in that Multiversal War that’s been teased since the beginning frames of Loki Season 1. Think of how many shadowy forces are just laying silently in the larger MCU at the moment. It makes a lot of sense, but it isn’t confirmed yet!

Giancarlo Esposito Has Been Teasing An MCU Role

A lot of Giancarlo Esposito’s recent public appearances have been teasing a Marvel project. At the time, some fans believed this was a “Madame Web situation” where he singed on for a Sony Marvel movie instead of a mainline MCU project. As more information has come forward, it would seem that Marvel Studios really is his destination. Some of the specifics of his comments make way more sense after the Murphy’s Multiverse piece.

During Phoenix Fan Fusion, Esposito said, “The MCU has knocked on my door and it’s a role you won’t predict. It will be teased and there will be a series afterwards.” (Legion of Sand really helped all of us by snagging this moment on Twitter!) Clearly, Esposito’s tease of joining the MCU “sooner rather than later” at CCXP was no bluff either. 

Prophet would also fit into “a role you won’t predict” as well. (Even though that’s what we’re doing right now!) But, Captain America: Brave New World has one more massive factor that makes this casting very very likely. This week, Anthony Mackie’s Marvel movie is undergoing reshoots and that means the studio has even more tinkering to do with the finished product. 

Captain America: Brave New World Stealthily Places Pieces On The Board

The Multiverse Saga has continued to roll onward, but there have been a few bumps in the road. Maybe the chief among them was Jonathan Majors’ firing from Marvel Studios over domestic violence charges. Desptie the severity of the claims, a lot of fans couldn’t help but wonder what would become of Kang the Conqueror. While a loud section would see the MCU ditch the character entirely, that’s never quite made a ton of sense for a villain that can easily be retrofitted into another concept. (Does anyone think Secret Wars won’t feature Doctor Doom or The Beyonder at this point? They’ll get here.) 

Chaos as an organization paves the way for something like an evil Illuminati or The Masters of Evil to emerge. (In the comics this would be The Cabal, but who knows what it will be called. Illuminati would be this writer’s bet at the time of writing.) Using these far-reaching forces to draw Earth 616 into a multiverse standoff feels inevitable. Then our heroes, including Captain America might have to make a tough call to choose between their home or the lives of millions. 

Then, when Doom or whoever is revealed as the one who’s been feeding Esposito’s villain the information, you get a massive flush of excitement from the audience. (It also give Marvel a way to bring back a greatest hits team of villains for the Avengers to throttle in a movie.) Think of threads like The Power Broker’s mysterious business partner, Valentina Allegra de Fontaine’s actual boss, and the weird She-Hulk plot thread and lingering interest in Hulk DNA. All of them could be a big bad pulling the strings to weaken this Earth to preserve (or bring back) a Sacred Timeline. Still, you should bet we’ll get a formal announcement of some sort at San Diego Comic-Con in a few months.

Who do you think Esposito is playing? Catch all of our pop culture discussion at @ComicBook on social media!

The post Who Is Giancarlo Esposito in the MCU? appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Marvel Studios’ Thunderbolts* is currently in production and the upcoming MCU film will see the return of many fan-favorite actors in addition to some franchise newcomers. One such MCU newcomer is rumored to be Lewis Pullman, who was said to be the top choice to play Sentry in the film. It was teased earlier this year that the Top Gun: Maverick actor was likely taking over the role from Steven Yeun. However, he’s being tight-lipped about the upcoming project. During a recent appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Josh Horowitz asked Pullman about Sentry, but the actor dodged the question.

“You know, I think the MCU is always something that I’ve watched and felt like is a beautiful world that is kind of untouchable,” Pullman explained. “I think there is something about joining that world which is similar to joining television in that whenever somebody joins in, you want it to be as a character you can live in for a long time and an aspect of the world you want to be in.”

Horowitz continued trying to get more information out of Pullman and even showed him a photo of Sentry from the comics, which got a big laugh from Pullman. “What a beautiful costume. Look at those locks, my God,” he replied. Pullman attempted to change the subject by talking about what kind of superpower he’d want, choosing the ability to shapeshift. Horowitz jokingly took that as “confirmation” Sentry would have shapeshifting powers.

“I haven’t looked into Sentry,” Pullman replied. “First time I’ve heard this name. The Sentry sounds like a snakey, shapeshifter kind of vibe, if you read the comics.” 

Who Stars in Thunderbolts*?

Thunderbolts* features an ensemble of returning MCU stars, including Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova/Black Widow, Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes/the Winter Soldier, Wyatt Russell as John Walker/U.S. Agent, Hannah John-Kamen as Ava Starr/Ghost, David Harbour as Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian, Olga Kurylenko as Taskmaster, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus as the Valentina Allegra de Fontaine.

Jake Schreier (Paper Towns, Beef) is directing from a script by Eric Pearson (Thor: Ragnarok, Black Widow), Lee Sung Jin (Beef), and Joanna Calo (Bojack Horseman). Producer Kevin Feige confirmed the official title as Thunderbolts* — complete with an asterisk — at CinemaCon this year. “We won’t talk more about that until after the movie comes out,” Feige said of the title change.

Marvel Studios’ Thunderbolts* is dated for May 5, 2025. The upcoming Marvel Studios slate includes Deadpool & Wolverine (July 26), Captain America: Brave New World (February 14, 2025), The Fantastic Four (July 25, 2025), Blade (November 7, 2025), Avengers 5 (nèe The Kang Dynasty, May 1, 2026), and Avengers: Secret Wars (May 7, 2027).

The post Thunderbolts* Star Dodges Questions Confirming He’s Playing Sentry appeared first on ComicBook.com.

The ComicBook Nation crew reviews the new movie Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes and recaps Part 2 of the X-Men ’97 Finale! 

PLUS:  Geek News was THICCC this week with James Gunn revealing the first image of the Superman (2025) movie costume; the LIVE reactions to new Fantastic Four casting and Season 2 news for DC’s Peacemaker and Shogun! Also, Lord of the Rings is getting a Gollum movie, and Disney cuts back on MCU content. We break it all down! 

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes Review

Critic Spencer Perry’s Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes Review gives the film 4 out of 5 stars as a promising new chapter: 

It can already be daunting to join a franchise that has remained steadfast for almost sixty years, not to mention one that successfully rebooted itself in the 2010s to critical acclaim, but director Wes Ball has managed to stare down that mountain of intimidation with his cast and crew to deliver. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes proves that there is still life left in this franchise and that it can grow beyond the fan-favorite Andy Serkis trilogy while still drawing influence from its roots. Even with minor faults, it’s a grand time, and a worthy follow-up.

Rating: 4 out of 5

First Image from James Gunn’s Superman Revealed

See for yourself, and share your thoughts with us on Twitter @ComicBookNation! 

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A behind-the-scenes peek at Thunderbolts*? Olga Kurylenko is up to the task. The Ukrainian actress, who reprises her role from 2021’s Black Widow as the masked mimic Taskmaster, shared a new picture from the set of the Marvel Studios movie as production continues. In the photo posted to Instagram, Kurylenko teased her return to the MCU with an on-set shot of a chair inscribed with her character’s name, Antonia Dreykov, a master assassin and the once-brainwashed daughter of the Red Room’s General Dreykov (Ray Winstone).

 Filming has been underway since February, with Kurylenko’s Black Widow co-star Florence Pugh confirming the start of production with an unrevealing set tour video. Plot details are being kept locked away on The Raft, but Thunderbolts* assembles characters from Ant-Man and the Wasp, Black Widow, and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier as a motley crew of anti-heroes recruited by the U.S. government. 

Thunderbolts* features an ensemble that includes Pugh (Black Widow) as Yelena Belova/Black Widow, Sebastian Stan (Captain America: The Winter Soldier) as Bucky Barnes/the Winter Soldier, Wyatt Russell (The Falcon and the Winter Soldier) as John Walker/U.S. Agent, Hannah John-Kamen (Ant-Man and the Wasp) as Ava Starr/Ghost, David Harbour (Black Widow) as Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian, Kurylenko as Taskmaster, Julia Louis-Dreyfus as the Nick Fury-like Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, and MCU newcomer Lewis Pullman (Top Gun: Maverick) as Robert Reynolds/the Sentry.

Jake Schreier (Paper Towns, Beef) is directing from a script by Eric Pearson (Thor: Ragnarok, Black Widow) and Lee Sung Jin (Beef) and Joanna Calo (Bojack Horseman). Producer Kevin Feige confirmed the official title as Thunderbolts* — complete with asterisk — at CinemaCon earlier this month. “We won’t talk more about that until after the movie comes out,” Feige said of the title change.

Marvel Studios’ Thunderbolts* is dated for May 5, 2025, as part of the MCU Phase 5. The upcoming Marvel Studios slate includes Deadpool & Wolverine (July 26), Captain America: Brave New World (February 14, 2025), The Fantastic Four (July 25, 2025), Blade (November 7, 2025), Avengers 5 (nèe The Kang Dynasty, May 1, 2026), and Avengers: Secret Wars (May 7, 2027).

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We’re a little over a year out from the debut of Marvel’s Thunderbolts movie, the new ensemble film surrounding a number of Marvel Cinematic Universe antiheroes. Although production on Thunderbolts still ongoing, we got a major — and unexpected — update on it during this week’s CinemaCon presentation. As part of Walt Disney Studios’ presentation at the event, Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige unveiled a new title treatment for Thunderbolts, confirming that the film’s current title is actually Thunderbolts*. Feige teased that the asterisk will be narratively explained, saying “that is the official title of Thunderbolts* and we won’t talk more about that until after the movie comes out.”

This new detail has launched a flurry of speculation about the titular Thunderbolts team, and whether or not they might rebrand themselves into a different name. In particular, some have wondered if there’s a chance that Thunderbolts* could ultimately become a Dark Avengers movie.

Will Thunderbolts* Become a Dark Avengers Movie?

In the pages of Marvel Comics, the concept of the Dark Avengers originates during “Dark Reign”, as the main Avengers are disbanded by the government in the aftermath of “Secret Invasion.” In their absence, Norman Osborn attempts to use the Avengers name to hide his secret team of villains and antiheroes in plain sight, forming a team that can be disguised as alternate versions of established heroes. 

Granted, the potential transformation from the MCU’s Thunderbolts to the Dark Avengers probably wouldn’t happen in the same exact way, especially when nearly all of the team’s confirmed members are variations of a sword-and-gun civilian. Still, if the Avengers really are disassembled, as the new details surrounding Captain America: Brave New World seem to suggest, then it stands to reason that Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfuss) and President Ross (Harrison Ford) could use that power vacuum to help launch the team more officially. (The change from Thunderbolts* to Dark Avengers would also help sell the concept of the movie to general audiences, but that’s a whole separate conversation in and of itself.) 

What Is Thunderbolts* About?

Thunderbolts* is expected to be based on the Marvel Comics team of the same name, an alliance of antiheroes and villains who reluctantly work for the government. The cast of Thunderbolts includes Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier, David Harbour as Red Guardian, Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, Wyatt Russell as John Walker / U.S. Agent, Hannah John-Kamen as Ava Starr / Ghost, Olgya Kurylenko as Taskmaster, and Harrison Ford as Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross. New cast members will include Lewis Pullman as Robert Reynolds / Sentry, and Geraldine Viswanathan in a mystery role.

“I just made a joke about [how] it’s like Dungeons and Dragons, where you meet in a tavern and it’s like there’s a dwarf drinking a beer and then there’s like an elvish figure over there, we all come together and then there’s this ghost… it’s not gonna happen like that, I don’t think,” Harbour told ComicBook.com in a 2022 interview. “But I think that’s one of the mysteries of the movie is what is their relationship, and as you say, there is a lot of exciting things as you wrap up the next phase in terms of sort of what their part of the whole universe is in this random, chaotic way. So, you know, we can’t say too much at this point, but they’re an exciting introduction of this team together again, that’s going to be a lot of fun.”

What do you think of the Thunderbolts* title change? Do you think the film will become a Dark Avengers story? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

Thunderbolts* is set to be released exclusively in theaters on May 5, 2025.

The post Thunderbolts*: Could the Title Change Tease a Major Avengers Connection? appeared first on ComicBook.com.

In this episode, the ComicBook Nation Crew reviews the new Fallout series from Amazon Video as well as the new episode of X-Men ’97 and all the craziness from CinemaCon. That includes the new footage from Deadpool and Wolverine, Sonic 3, Inside Out 2, Gladiator 2, & Captain America: Brave New World! We also break down the big reveals (like that Transformers and GI Joe crossover) and even some comics with Ultimate X-Men, so get ready for a big show!

Civil War Review

Here’s what host Kofi Outlaw said in his Civil War (2024) review: 

With Civil War Garland takes on his most ambitious story yet, writing and directing a vision of what it would look like if America’s Culture War explodes into an all-out Civil War – and not in some distant dystopian future, but right here, and right now. 

By the end of the film, that sentiment persists, as we’re left to wonder if a nation so violently divided could ever be healed again – even with significant symbolic action or “victory,” on one side. More terrifying yet is the notion that all this horror and carnage is bubbling just below the surface of our current society, waiting to make this film all too real.

Civil War will not be an easy film to engage with, but it is an important one to consider.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Fallout TV Series Review

Here’s what ComicBook gaming editor Tanner Dedmon said in his Fallout TV series review: 

Even where the Fallout show slips on occasion with an unneeded kiss or a questionable encounter, time and time again, I kept marveling at how authentic the world felt. The original story told in Fallout is paramount to this trait since it lets us focus on the characters, world, and narrative rather than getting hung up on shot-for-shot remakes of key moments. Fallout is technically canon, according to Bethesda’s Todd Howard, so it’ll be under the microscope for nitpicking and “well actually” moments, but even when the show takes leaps to expand on the world, it always feels deserved.

Rating: 4.5/5

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