Based on what we know about the team in the comics, fans had made a lot of assumptions about Marvel Studios' Thunderbolts* when the movie was first announced, and the teasers we've seen seemed to confirm at least some of the theories were on the level.
However, director Jake Schreier has now indicated that there's a lot more to this film than meets the eye, and that even the basic premise might not be completely accurate.
"I've seen a lot of synopses out there that just say, as though it's a fact, that it's a team assembled by Valentina to go do bad things," the filmmaker tells Empire in their latest issue. "I understand why that would be the assumption, but that is not the story."
Schreier also confirmed that Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) will be the main focus (which was really kind of obvious from the trailer, anyway).
"She's front and center. Yelena is in a certain place at the beginning of the film, and how she finds her way out of that place, and who she finds herself out of that place with, is at the heart of the story."
“It’s exciting to think of movies like Ronin or Reservoir Dogs, where you have a group of people that has no reason to trust each other," he added. "Could they even learn to work together? What sort of conflicts would arise?”
Check out a new still featuring Yelena being embarrassed by Red Guardian (David Harbour) below.
We're still not sure what the addition of that asterisk to the title signifies, but a recent rumor claimed to shed a little more light on the mystery. It could be considered a spoiler, so click here if you want to know more.
Marvel Studios and a crew of indie veterans who sold out present Thunderbolts*, 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. Marvel Studios’
Thunderbolts* opens in U.S. theaters on May 2, 2025.