Marvel Studios brought a 5-minute Thunderbolts* sneak peek to CinemaCon yesterday afternoon, showcasing a huge action scene in Avengers Tower The Watchtower that sheds new light on how and why this team assembles.
It sounds like Valentina Allegra de Fontaine recruited each of the "Thunderbolts," and, for whatever reason, wanted them dead. That's likely because they were meant to free "Bob" and die before they could discover who and what he really is.
However, before the group can take them down, The Sentry makes his presence felt, and, well, we'd bet on things going wrong for the heroes from there (especially if The Void is unleashed).
Here's a description of the latest Thunderbolts* preview courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter:
"The footage opens in the city as Bucky Barnes and Red Guardian are driving a truck with Yelena, Ghost and John Walker seated in the back (and trading comments about Walker’s hat). Red Guardian tries to convince Bucky of how similar they are and how they could be co-leaders. Then they arrive at their destination and Red Guardian asks for the 'secret plan' only to find out very quickly that Bucky’s blueprints just call for them to drive straight into the building, crashing through the front door."
"They are greeted by a blaze of gunfire as an action sequence unfolds, until Louis-Dreyfus’s Valentina says over the loudspeakers that she left the door unlocked for them to come upstairs. Valentina dishes out a number of insults, calling John Walker a 'junior varsity Captain America,' telling Yelena that she looks awful and calling Red Guardian and 'old Santa.' 'You are all so adorable,' she continues. 'I send you down there to kill each other, but instead you make nice and form a team.'"
"Bucky goes to attack Valentina but she says, 'I’m not alone.' A villain then comes down the stairs as the Thunderbolts realize they have met a match."
While it's not mentioned in the trade's recap, several outlets have confirmed that the footage revealed Bucky lasts only half a term as a U.S. Congressman. Many fans had hoped he might be en route to becoming U.S. President; instead, it seems the life of a hero calls to him.
You can see the Thunderbolts* cast arriving at CinemaCon below. A new featurette for the movie can be found here.
In 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?
The cast of Thunderbolts* will be led by Florence Pugh as Yelena Boleva, Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes, David Harbour as Red Guardian, Wyatt Russell as U.S. Agent, Hannah John-Kamen as Ghost, Olga Kurylenko as Taskmaster, Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, and Lewis Pullman as "Bob."
Written by Eric Pearson, Lee Sung Jin, and Joanna Calo, and directed by Jake Schreier, Thunderbolts* is currently set to be released in theaters on May 2, 2025.