Deadpool & Wolverine restored a great deal of faith in the MCU last summer, only for Captain America: Brave New World to set Marvel Studios back a step thanks to middling reviews and a so-so box office haul.
Can Thunderbolts* turn things around? Excitement surrounding the movie is building, and the first reactions have been glowing. To further build hype, fan screenings took place across the U.S. last night. As a result, spoilers are now impossible to miss on social media.
For those of you eager to learn more about what's to come, though, we have details on Thunderbolts*'s mid-credits scene and more intel about what to expect from the second stinger.
Despite claims on X about Doctor Doom kidnapping The Sentry and The Leader warning a figure in a green hood with a foreign accent about a Gamma War, the mid-credits scene is played for laughs.
It features Red Guardian attempting to convince a woman in the cereal aisle at the grocery store to buy a box of Wheaties with the team on it (this appears to be the payoff to a running gag). However, while she takes the box, she sets it down at the end of the aisle and hurries away.
The post-credits scene is a must-watch, though, as the heroes are in their new HQ - 14 months later - discussing the fact Sam Wilson is suing them for calling themselves "The Avengers." Red Guardian comes up with some new monikers, explaining the movie's asterisk, in the process (one suggestion is "New Avengerz," with a z).
Bob dismisses the notion of becoming The Sentry again for fear of unleashing The Void, and with that, they see a ship has entered their atmosphere: it's the Fantastic Four, something that's confirmed by the "4" logo on the side and the team's MCU theme!
Does that spoil The Fantastic Four: First Steps? Well, we knew they were heading to Earth-616 in Avengers: Doomsday, and we'd imagine the upcoming reboot will explain how and why that happens.
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.