Thunderbolts* fan screenings took place earlier this week (and are currently being held in Japan), meaning spoilers have found their way online much sooner than normal.
That's the cost of attempting to build early buzz, but it does seem to have paid off, given how much excitement currently surrounds the next Marvel Studios movie. Some of you will have already seen Thunderbolts*, while we've no doubt that many of you are keen to know what's on the way.
So, let's delve into the last Phase 5 movie's finale.
During the movie's conclusion, the Thunderbolts confront Valentina Allegra de Fontaine and find themselves forced to do battle with The Sentry's darker half, The Void (you can read more about that here).
The heroes enter the physical manifestation of The Void and help Bob escape the darkness within him. New York is saved, and the hapless Sentry is left pretty confused by the destruction he's surrounded by.
Val created The Sentry by experimenting on people like Bob, an ex-drug addict, and the team sets out to bring her to justice.
However, they're fooled into walking straight into a press conference where she immediately introduces them as the "New Avengers." Val tells the press that she was working on their formation in secret, saving her job and reputation in the process.
However, as Yelena Belova quietly points out to her, the team "owns" her now; that likely means the CIA Director will fund the group and allow them to work out of The Watchtower. In exchange, they'll keep her secret and serve as the MCU's New Avengers.
If this press conference sounds familiar, it's because it appears to have been inspired by two specific comic book moments from Brian Michael Bendis' New Avengers and Dark Avengers runs:
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.