We've seen Earth's mightiest heroes team up in the Avengers movies, now it's time for the "bad guys" to have a turn. Thunderbolts*, one of three Marvel Cinematic Universe movies among the slate of 2025 new movies, features a group of familiar Marvel characters that are getting to step into the spotlight this time around.
In the comics, the Thunderbolts were a team of reformed supervillains working together who made their first appearance in 1997. For the movie adaptation, the MCU is dipping into their bag of former villains or questionable allies, headlined by Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova and Sebastian Stan's Bucky Barnes.
Who else is on the team? When is Thunderbolts* premiering? We've got the answers to those questions and more directly below.
Thunderbolts* release date
Thunderbolts* is now playing exclusively in movie theaters. Here's everything you need to know about how to watch Thunderbolts*.
Thunderbolts* cast
Movie fans have seen most of the main characters set to appear in Thunderbolts*, with Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova headlining things. Pugh made her Marvel debut in Black Widow, but has also popped up in Hawkeye. Pugh is one of the bigger movie stars around right now, having also starred in Dune: Part Two, Oppenheimer and We Live in Time.
Other Marvel vets getting a shot at being the hero in Thunderbolts* are David Harbour (Black Widow) as Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian; Hannah John-Kamen (Ant-Man and the Wasp) as Ava Starr/Ghost; Julia Louis Dreyfuss (The Falcon and the Winter Soldier) as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine; Wyatt Russell (The Falcon and the Winter Soldier) as John Walker/US Agent; Olga Kurylenko (Black Widow) as Antonia Dreykov/Taskmaster; and Sebastian Stan (Captain America: The Winter Soldier) as Bucky Barnes.
There are a couple of new additions to the MCU in Thunderbolts*, including Lewis Pullman (Lessons in Chemistry) as Robert Reynolds/Sentry and Geraldine Viswanathan (Drive-Away Dolls) in an unspecified role.
Thunderbolts* plot
Here is the official synopsis for Thunderbolts*:
"Marvel Studios assembles an unconventional team of antiheroes — Yelena Belova, Bucky Barnes, Red Guardian, Ghost, Taskmaster and John Walker. After finding themselves ensnared in a death trap set by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, these disillusioned castoffs must embark on a dangerous mission that will force them to confront the darkest corners of their pasts. Will this dysfunctional group tear themselves apart, or find redemption and unite as something much more before it’s too late?"
Thunderbolts* trailer
Watch the first trailer for Thunderbolts* right here, as the team is forced to assemble:
These team of misfits got a special preview on the Super Bowl stage with this special big game spot:
In the below trailer for Thunderbolts*, Marvel touts some of the other credits that its stars and crew (in all cases acclaimed movies) that have worked on to get some excitement going for those who maybe aren't Marvel ride or dies. Watch it right here:
Here's another trailer announcing that tickets for Thunderbolts* are now on sale:
Thunderbolts* reviews
Critics have weighed in on Thunderbolts, with the Marvel movie already "Certified Fresh" on Rotten Tomatoes. As of May 1, Thunderbolts has an 89% positive score, which as of now makes it the highest rated Marvel movie since Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Thunderbolts* director
Jake Schreier is the director for Thunderbolts*. He has mostly worked in TV in recent years, including directing multiple episodes for the Emmy-winning Netflix series Beef, Lodge 49 and others. On the movie side, he has directed two features: Robot & Frank (2012) and Paper Towns (2015).
