A leaked trailer has sparked intense speculation about the upcoming Marvel movie, Thunderbolts. Fans are particularly curious about the appearance of a star or asterisk in the movie’s title. Notably, Thunderbolts is the only Avengers-level movie slated for release after Phase Three. The film features a unique team, including Black Widow, three super soldiers, a top-level mercenary, and a character who can move through walls. However, they will face an antagonist so powerful that even Hulk and Thor would struggle against him. Interestingly, the story of Thunderbolts is connected to Captain America: Brave New World, making the early trailer leak even more surprising.
Thunderbolts is one of the major projects in Phase Five of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Characters from Black Widow and The Falcon and The Winter Soldier will converge in this film, which can be described as Marvel’s version of the Suicide Squad. The cast includes notable names like David Harbour, Hannah John-Kamen, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Sebastian Stan, Wyatt Russell, Olga Kurylenko, and Florence Pugh. The movie is set to release on May 2, 2025. Last month, Disney showcased the latest trailer at Comic-Con, but it has since leaked online, leading to low-quality screenshots circulating on the internet. If you’ve seen the trailer, you’ll know the quality is poor because it was a phone recording from Hall A’s presentation. While it might be tempting to wait for the official release, this isn’t the first time Marvel has dealt with such a leak. The Avengers: Infinity War trailer also leaked at SDCC, but when the official trailer was released, it was significantly different. Despite this, fans are praising the leaked Thunderbolts trailer, which bodes well for Marvel and Disney, especially in a climate where every Marvel release generates polarizing memes like “Marvel is dead” and “Marvel is back.” Something exciting is clearly brewing with this trailer.
In the trailer, we see Yelena Belova meeting her father, Red Guardian. David Harbour, who plays Red Guardian, described the movie as a story about Marvel’s villains and losers. This certainly applies to characters like Red Guardian and US Agent, but the real highlights will likely be Zemo and Bucky. Yelena is seen fighting with US Agent, and there’s a significant reveal—Sentry, or Robert Bob Reynolds, played by Louis Pullman. Sentry appears confused in the trailer, indicating that he might not fully understand the extent of his dangerous powers. Bucky sports a new hairstyle, Julia Louis-Dreyfus’s character is seen welcoming the Thunderbolts, and Bucky’s vibranium arm is amusingly placed in a dishwasher. The action sequences, including a knife-catching moment and Red Guardian’s scenes, are visually striking, though it’s clear that Red Guardian’s role will also provide some comic relief. However, the main focus is on Sentry, a character who has the potential to change the MCU forever. Despite his seemingly weak demeanor, Sentry possesses the power of “a million exploding suns.” In the trailer, we see him picking up part of his Sentry belt. Though his clothes appear damaged, bullets don’t harm him. The trailer also shows a serum, suggesting we will see Sentry’s origin story. Sentry’s mental health is a crucial aspect of his character—he suffers from schizophrenia, anxiety, and addiction, with little control over his immense powers. This makes the Thunderbolts movie particularly intriguing, as there is no one on the team who can match Sentry’s power. While Ghost might seem useful at the quantum level, it’s unlikely that the MCU’s Ghost will experience any significant changes in her abilities.
In the entire MCU, only a few characters, such as Thor, Hulk, Ikaris, and perhaps Red Hulk, could potentially handle Sentry. However, it’s doubtful that we’ll see Thor, Ikaris, or Hulk in this movie. Even if Hulk does make an appearance, he is far from his World Breaker form. Harrison Ford is part of the cast, and his character might have become Red Hulk in a previous movie, so he could play a role in managing the situation. The stakes are exceptionally high in Thunderbolts, and it will be fascinating to see how the team handles Sentry.
As for the star or asterisk in the title, it has been a source of much speculation. When Kevin Feige was asked about it, he mentioned that its significance wouldn’t be revealed until the movie’s release. This suggests that the Thunderbolts might adopt a new name by the end of the film, possibly the Dark Avengers if Sentry becomes part of the team. Alternatively, they could be called the New Avengers, given that the original Avengers are no longer assembling. The Thunderbolts were originally created by M.O.M. to introduce supervillains under a different name, and when these villains began to receive public praise, they continued their good deeds. Over time, the team’s members changed, but they mostly consisted of villains turned antiheroes. Yelena Belova was selected to lead the team starting with Thunderbolts issue 110, and after Norman Osborn became the director of SHIELD, he formed a new Thunderbolts team, with Elsa Moonstone as its leader. Similarly, in this movie, the team faces a mission involving a being with severe mental health issues.
The story of Captain America: Brave New World is connected to Thunderbolts. In the leaked trailer, Yelena is seen holding a serum, which appears to be a modified version of the Super Soldier Serum. For those unfamiliar, the Super Soldier Serum was given to Steve Rogers along with Vita Rays, transforming him into a Super Soldier. Bruce Banner received the Super Soldier Serum with Gamma Rays, turning him into the Hulk. Emil Blonsky was injected with the regular Super Soldier Serum, and a subsequent transfusion of Bruce Banner’s Gamma-irradiated blood turned him into the Abomination. Bucky Barnes became the Winter Soldier through the Super Soldier Serum, while Alexei Shostakov became the Red Guardian after receiving the serum. Isaiah Bradley was also made a Super Soldier, and traces extracted from his blood allowed for mass production of the serum without the need for a Rebirth Pod. Karli Morgenthau and John Walker became Super Soldiers by injecting themselves with the remaining serums, which were later destroyed by Zemo. However, in Captain America: Brave New World, we will see the return of these serums, leading to President Ross becoming Red Hulk. Further experimentation on the serum will result in the creation of the Golden Sentry Serum, granting Robert Bob Reynolds reality-warping powers. In the Brave New World trailer, President Ross is seen discussing cooperation with Captain America, though their differing views are evident. This conflict will likely lead Ross to form another team—the Thunderbolts. This is why President Ross also appears in Thunderbolts, and it explains why the movie’s trailer was shown much earlier than expected, revealing some elements of Brave New World. It’s similar to how the trailer for Spider-Man: Far From Home was released after Avengers: Endgame.
So, while the official Thunderbolts trailer is yet to be released, we can expect more details to emerge as its marketing campaign begins. Several Marvel Studios trailers were leaked at Comic-Con and D23, but official releases will follow once the marketing push starts in earnest.
