Marvel Studios has done a pretty good job of keeping a lid on the upcoming Thunderbolts* movie, right down to that mysterious asterisk that was added to the title just before filming began. We've been able to piece a few things together via leaks and cast interviews, but for the most part, the project remains shrouded in secrecy.
Now, some new story details have found their way online. There's nothing too revealing here - and there's a decent chance this much, at least, will be highlighted in the first trailer - but if you'd rather know as little as possible, here's your spoiler warning.
According to Daniel Richtman, the movie will begin with Yelena Belova, US Agent, Ghost and Taskmaster being sent by Contessa Valentina Allegra De Fontaine to take out an unknown target "in a vault." We don't know who this character is, but the crew soon realize that they were sent there to die, and decide to team-up to bring Val down.
How Sentry, Red Guardian and The Winter Soldier factor in remains to be seen, but perhaps one of them is the person the others are sent to eliminate? We'd also bet on Val enlisting Sentry to protect her against reprisals at some point.
Olga Kurylenko - who will reprise her Black Widow role as Taskmaster - was asked about that asterisk during a recent interview with Screen Rant, and while she chose her words carefully, the actress did confirm that the project has undergone some changes since it was first announced.
"Well, they changed a couple of things. [Laughs] That's all I can say, but that also doesn't say anything, because obviously every movie is different, and in every movie, things change. But yeah, it will be different, we'll see. There's nothing I can say."
Still not much to go on, obviously, but we'd say Thunderbolts* turning out to be a completely different movie - maybe even Dark Avengers - is the most likely explanation.
Though other characters might well be added, the Thunderbolts roster currently consists of Red Guardian (David Harbour), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Bucky Barnes/The Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan), John Walker/U.S. Agent (Wyatt Russell), and Taskmaster (Kurylenko).
Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julie Louis Dreyfus) will put the team together, and rumor has it that she may also be partially responsible for Sentry's creation.
As for Sentry, Lewis Pullman (Salem's Lot, Top Gun Maverick) recently joined the cast as the powerful, unstable character, replacing The Walking Dead alum Steven Yeun in the role.
There were rumors that Harrison Ford's Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross would be involved, but that's yet to be confirmed. Black Widow's Melina Vostokoff (Rachel Weisz) and Bill Foster (Laurence Fishburne) from Ant-Man and the Wasp are also rumored to appear.
Thunderbolts* is currently set to be released in theaters on May 2, 2025.