On April 16, 2021, Marvel fans accidentally learned about the Thunderbolts. The squad was supposed to be hinted at in the post-credits series of Black Widow, but thanks to delays, the second-ever MCU Disney+ show, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, had to do the honors instead. In Episode 5, after John Walker is admonished for his actions as Captain America, he runs into the sleek and mysterious Contessa Valentina Allegro de Fontaine, who offers him the option of becoming not another Captain America, but a U.S. Agent.
It was the start of a more than three-year journey in anticipation of Val’s team of Thunderbolts, but we now have our first look at what happens when you collect a whole bunch of Marvel villains and anti-heroes in one room. And yes, the answer is as action-packed as you think. Check out the teaser trailer for Thunderbolts* below.
This is the same trailer that aired at Comic-Con and D23 in recent months, but it’s still exciting. “We're brought up with this belief that there are good guys and there are bad guys,” Valentina says. “But eventually, you come to realize that there are bad guys, and there are worse guys.” The Thunderbolts are the bad guys, assembled to fight off the worse guys. They’re seemingly led by Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) and feature a host of familiar faces from MCU past: Red Guardian (David Harbour), Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko) and John Walker (Wyatt Russell), the character where it all began.
But this trailer reveals an entirely new character: Sentry. The character is introduced in the most mellow way possible, with him just showing up randomly and introducing himself as “Bob,” but Sentry has the potential to become one of the most powerful — and complicated — Marvel heroes yet. Considering the role was reportedly recast from Steven Yeun to Lewis Pullman, it’s just comforting to see him on screen at all.
We also see that one of the biggest mysteries still lingering from the Infinity Era will be answered in Thunderbolts. One key shot shows the group of anti-heroes assembled on the top floor of Stark Tower — or at least, what used to be Stark Tower. Now, the building is under new management, and it’s likely whoever owns it holds a vested interest in the Thunderbolts themselves. Will that be Val? The Thunderbolts’ supposed namesake, President Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross? There could even be a completely new character or company behind it.
Thankfully, this is only the teaser trailer. All the reveals in this could be fleshed out before the movie even premieres. When the Thunderbolts are involved, expecting them to act like your typical superheroic team is a fool’s errand.
