One reason it might not have opened as big as other movies is the fact that Ryan Coogler’s Sinners has become a runaway success for Warner Bros. Despite losing its premium screens, the movie only dipped a mere 27% to $33 million this weekend and has a $179 million domestic total. A $250-300 million total is well within reach for this R-rated action/horror hybrid, with it certainly one of the year’s success stories. Another movie that likely got a bite taken out of it by Sinners is The Accountant 2, which fell a hefty 60% in week two to $9.8 million and a $41 million domestic total. It’s running quite a bit behind what the original did nine years ago, leaving a third film in doubt – unless it’s done specifically for streaming.

A Minecraft Movie also continued to be a huge hit, grossing $13 million for a total just under $400 million. Until Dawn fell 54% to $3.65 million and a $14.5 million total. The Rami Malek thriller, The Amateur, started wrapping up its run with $1.8 million in sixth place, with a not bad $36.9 million total, while King of Kings added another $1.3 million to it’s $57.3 million total, making it Angel Studios’ second biggest film even after Sound of Freedom. A24’s Warfare also began wrapping up its tour of duty with $1.25 million and a $24 million total, which isn’t bad considering the thrifty $20 million budget, while the Telugu-language Hit: The Third Case came in ninth with $1.1 million and a $2.2 million total.

The Nicolas Cage thriller, The Surfer, had a modest semi-wide opening, grossing $725 thousand at just over 1000 screens. Still, that’s way better than the troubled Alec Baldwin western, Rust, which managed to open on 115 screens but only grossed $25,000. According to Deadline, that’s only about $217 a screen. Ouch.

Next weekend should once again be dominated by Thunderbolts and Sinners, with Joe Carnahan’s Shadow Force not expected to pull in a massive audience. The next potential blockbuster is Final Destination: Bloodlines, which opens on May 16th. 

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So, what exactly is happening? Is it superhero fatigue? Maybe, as the Marvel grosses have been steadily declining since Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania (excepting outliers like Guardians of the Galaxy 3 and Deadpool & Wolverine). The A-minus CinemaScore is solid, so it might have less of a drop-off than expected next week. However, it looks like Ryan Coogler’s smash hit, Sinners, is taking a big bite out of the box office, with it making a stronger than expected $33 million in its third weekend, which is only a 28% decline, despite losing all its premium screens. Perhaps as a concession to how well it’s doing (and audience demand), Sinners will be returning to large format screens in two weeks, for a limited re-release before Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning nabs them.

Sinners also seems to be taking a bite out of The Accountant 2’s grosses, with the film likely to fall a disappointing 60% this weekend to just under $10 million, with a $41 million total. There’s no way this one will gross as much as the original made, although it could still be a moneymaker for Amazon/MGM once it hits streaming. 

We’ll be back tomorrow with a full box office roundup!

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“Just wow!!! Dinner and a show with the Old Avengers,” Downey Jr. wrote in the captain. “So cool, fresh, and deep. Big congrats.“

The photo may also give fans some insight into Downey Jr.’s appearance in the film, as he’s rocking some close-cut hair and no beard. Of course, that doesn’t necessarily mean anything, as the character of Doctor Doom is almost always depicted wearing a mask.

In addition to Downey Jr., the actors in the group shot include Chris Hemsworth, Channing Tatum, Simu Liu, Paul Rudd, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Vanessa Kirby, Winston Duke, and Anthony Mackie. All these actors are included in the officially announced cast for Avengers: Doomsday, which will also feature Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes, Letitia Wright as Shuri, Wyatt Russell as John Walker, Tenoch Huerta Mejía as Namor, Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, Kelsey Grammer as Hank McCoy, Lewis Pullman as Bob, Danny Ramirez as Joaquin Torres, Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm, David Harbour as Red Guardian, Hannah John-Kamen as Ghost, Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Patrick Stewart as Charles Xavier, Ian McKellen as Erik Lehnsherr, Alan Cumming as Kurt Wagner, Rebecca Romijn as Raven Darkhölme, James Marsden as Scott Summers, and Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards.

More names are expected to follow, and a recent rumour may have shed some light on who they could be.

Thunderbolts* seems to have some decent buzz around it, with our own Chris Bumbray saying it was a “significant step-up” from Captain America: Brave New World, but he cautioned that “it’s not the game-changer some of the breathless early junket reviews suggest.” However, Bumbray did enjoy the movie, saying he “had a better time with Thunderbolts than any other Marvel movie (outside Deadpool & Wolverine) in recent memory.” You can check out the rest of his review right here, and don’t forget to let us know what you thought of the film as well!

Avengers: Doomsday will hit theaters on May 1, 2026, and will be followed by Avengers: Secret Wars on May 7, 2027.

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According to early reactions and reviews, Thunderbolts* has an MCU Phase One vibe, bringing the ever-expanding franchise back to simpler times when the MCU focused more on character than spectacle and big-budget sorcery. Thunderbolts* is projected to draw between $70-$75 million domestically and another $90-$100 million internationally. The newest superhero film is getting positive feedback, with a critics’ aggregate rating of 88% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 95% audience score.

Our editor-in-chief, Chris Bumbray, enjoyed Thunderbolts*, saying it’s a “significant step-up” from Captain America: Brave New World. However, he cautioned that it’s not the “game-changer” that some of the early reactions suggested. “With Marvel movies, the first wave of reviews almost always fall prey to too much hype,” Bumbray wrote. “Even still, I had a better time with Thunderbolts than any other Marvel movie (outside of Deadpool & Wolverine), in recent memory (I’d wager Guardians 3 was the last great one). Granted, the bar hasn’t been too high recently, but this is very decent and hopefully moves the franchise back in the right direction, where we actually can start investing in new characters and having favourites again.” You can read Chris’ complete review HERE.

Thunderbolts* is playing in theaters now, with Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), Red Guardian (David Harbour), John Walker (Wyatt Russell), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), and Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko) forced to unite on a dangerous mission. Lewis Pullman plays Bob, a superpowered individual also known as The Sentry. Julia Louis-Dreyfus also returns as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, who seems to be pulling the strings behind the scenes.

While you know what Chris and the people contributing to Rotten Tomatoes think about Thunderbolts*, we want your opinion of the movie. Is it a return to form for Marvel? Does the film excite you about The Fantastic Four: First Steps and the rest of the MCU roadmap? Who was your favorite character in Thunderbolts*? Let us know in the comments section below. Additionally, if you want to post spoilers, be cool and give folks a heads-up before you drop any knowledge bombs. Thanks!

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PLOT: After being betrayed by their boss, Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), Yelena (Florence Pugh), U.S Agent (Wyatt Russell), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen) and Red Guardian (David Harbour), with some help from Bucky (Sebastian Stan) team up to take on a new threat.

REVIEW: The big marketing gimmick behind Thunderbolts has been that this is unique as far as Marvel movies go. Sporting a (presumably) thriftier budget than usual, and dialling the pyrotechnics and heroics way down, this seems to be an attempt to make a smaller, contained kind of Marvel movie which doesn’t need to make $800 million to be considered a success. Whether or not audiences, who have become accustomed to the “everything but the kitchen sink” approach, will go for this new vibe is a different question, but kudos to the studio for at least trying something a little different. 

Indeed, this is a smaller Marvel movie than expected, with it more like the first wave of MCU movies we received in the wake of the original Iron Man. It spends a lot of time on characterization, and doesn’t even really have a traditional villain, with it taking a surprisingly cerebral turn in the movie’s climax, which I found pretty refreshing. Yet, as different as these parts of the movie are, and as pleasantly as they surprised me, you still have to plow through a lot of typical exposition which ties the film into the greater franchise as a whole. In fact, with virtually the entire cast already announced for Avengers: Doomsday, this feels like a bit of a prelude to bigger things, and less a movie that succeeds by its own merits. So basically, it feeling like an old-school Marvel movie is both a blessing and a curse, and it’s not as over the top as more recent movies, but, like Iron Man 2, Thor, and a few of the other OG movies, it feels like just a big tease for bigger things to come.

Even still, Thunderbolts gets a lot of mileage out of the cast, led by Florence Pugh as the increasingly fed-up Yelena, grieving her sister’s death, and looking for a bigger purpose in life beyond being a mercenary. She’s also haunted by past misdeeds, which makes her fit right into this crew of anti-heroes. While Sebastian Stan’s return as Winter Soldier is being hyped, and he certainly is cool when he re-enters the fray, Wyatt Russell as the disgraced U.S. Agent makes an even bigger impression, with him initially standoff-ish with the rest of the team, before the extent of his own disgrace is revealed. His redemption arc is one of the better aspects of the movie, with him, Pugh, and Lewis Pullman as Bob, a hapless but dangerous victim of Valentina’s experiments, the movie’s heart.

By contrast, David Harbour’s return as Red Guardian is largely played for laughs, which is needed as much of the movie is about processing trauma. The simplicity of his character gives the movie a bit of needed levity. Of the crew, Hanna John Kamen’s Ghost gets relatively little to do, although she makes a welcome return, while Olga Kurylenko barely registers as Taskmaster, having little more than a walk-on. 

While the trailers make Thunderbolts seem action-packed, I was surprised at how modest the carnage is this time, with the IMAX-enhanced action scenes not much more dynamic than anything you’d see on Disney Plus. Director Jake Schreier, who comes from the indie world, gives the movie a bit of quirkiness (at least as much as Marvel will allow), even having a score by Everything Everywhere All At Once’s Son Lux. However, the promos saying this would be like an A24-style Marvel pic are a bit laughable, as even if they mix up the formula A BIT, it’s still a Marvel movie through and through, not that there’s anything wrong with that, mind you. 

Overall, Thunderbolts is a significant step-up from the disappointing Captain America: Brave New World, although it’s not the game-changer some of the breathless early junket reviews suggest. With Marvel movies, the first wave of reviews almost always fall prey to too much hype. Even still, I had a better time with Thunderbolts than any other Marvel movie (outside of Deadpool & Wolverine), in recent memory (I’d wager Guardians 3 was the last great one). Granted, the bar hasn’t been too high recently, but this is very decent and hopefully moves the franchise back in the right direction, where we actually can start investing in new characters and having favourites again.

Thunderbolts

GOOD

7

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This places its early debut just under Captain America: Brave New World, which had a Thursday night earning of $12 million. However, it did earn more than titles like Shang-Chi and the Legend of Ten Rings, which took in $8.8 million, and Eternals, which brought in $9.5 million. Thunderbolts* will also have the benefit of premium theaters, which include IMAX, Dolby, ScreenX, 4DX and the like.

For our weekend box office predictions, Thunderbolts* doesn’t seem likely to open much higher than $75 million. That’s a solid number, but it’s far from the usual boffo opening the MCU used to take for granted. There’s been a bit of fatigue setting in to the franchise, which is getting an all-or-nothing revitalization next year with Avengers: Doomsday, but so far 2025 has been off to a mild start for the studio. While Captain America: Brave New World opened to $88 million, many believe the movie, which crawled to a $200 million domestic gross, was a disappointment. Thus, a $75 million opening for Thunderbolts will be considered modest, although there is a chance it could make more than expected, given the decent early buzz.

Our own Chris Bumbray enjoyed Thunderbolts*, finding it a “significant step-up” from Captain America: Brave New World. However, he cautioned that it’s not the “game-changer” that some of the early reactions suggested. “With Marvel movies, the first wave of reviews almost always fall prey to too much hype,” Bumbray wrote. “Even still, I had a better time with Thunderbolts than any other Marvel movie (outside of Deadpool & Wolverine), in recent memory (I’d wager Guardians 3 was the last great one). Granted, the bar hasn’t been too high recently, but this is very decent and hopefully moves the franchise back in the right direction, where we actually can start investing in new characters and having favourites again.” You can check out the rest of his review right here.

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However, Thunderbolts doesn’t seem likely to open much higher than $75 million. That’s a solid number, but it’s far from the usual boffo opening the MCU used to take for granted. There’s been a bit of fatigue setting in to the franchise, which is getting an all-or-nothing revitalization next year with Avengers: Doomsday, but so far 2025 has been off to a mild start for the studio. While Captain America: Brave New World opened to $88 million, many believe the movie, which crawled to a $200 million domestic gross, was a disappointment. Thus, a $75 million opening for Thunderbolts will be considered modest, although there is a chance it could make more than expected, given the decent early buzz.

Sinners will have no trouble holding on to second place, although given the release of Thunderbolts, it will lose all its premium format screens. It should make about $25 million, although who knows – it could go higher given how resilient this has been at the box office. The battle for third place will be fought between The Accountant 2 and A Minecraft Movie. The latter might be able to edge out Ben Affleck’s well-received sequel with a $14 million weekend, while The Accountant 2 should make about $12 million. Finally, Until Dawn should be in fifth place with about $4 million.

Here are our predictions:

1. Thunderbolts: $75 million
2. Sinners: $25 million
3. A Minecraft Movie:  $14 million
4. The Accountant 2: $12 million
5. Until Dawn: $4 million 

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Thunderbolts* is projected to draw between $70-$75 million domestically and another $90-$100 million internationally. The film follows Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), Red Guardian (David Harbour), John Walker (Wyatt Russell), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), and Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko) as they are forced to unite on a dangerous mission. Lewis Pullman plays Bob, a superpowered individual also known as The Sentry. Julia Louis-Dreyfus also returns as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, who seems to be pulling the strings behind the scenes.

Although an opening of $175 million is pretty damn good, it’s not exactly reaching the levels of Marvel’s glory days. The franchise has been struggling lately, with only Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and Deadpool & Wolverine standing out as clear box office successes in Phase Five. Still, the future looks brighter, with The Fantastic Four: First Steps generating real excitement and the Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars teasing that they may recapture some of that Infinity War/Endgame magic.

Our own Chris Bumbray enjoyed Thunderbolts*, finding it a “significant step-up” from Captain America: Brave New World. However, he cautioned that it’s not the “game-changer” that some of the early reactions suggested. “With Marvel movies, the first wave of reviews almost always fall prey to too much hype,” Bumbray wrote. “Even still, I had a better time with Thunderbolts than any other Marvel movie (outside of Deadpool & Wolverine), in recent memory (I’d wager Guardians 3 was the last great one). Granted, the bar hasn’t been too high recently, but this is very decent and hopefully moves the franchise back in the right direction, where we actually can start investing in new characters and having favourites again.” You can check out the rest of his review right here.

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Now that Thunderbolts* is on the promo circuit ahead of its May 2nd release, a lot of the core cast members are being grilled by the press about anything having to do with Doomsday, in which they’ll appear alongside the Avengers, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, the Wakandans, and more to defeat the titular villain. So has Marvel spoken specifically to them about revealing spoilers? Of course! As Wyatt Russell – who plays John Walker in Thunderbolts* – joked, “Media training for Doomsday is they just hold a knife to your neck and said, ‘You say anything, and it’s over.’”

David Harbour – who plays Red Guardian in Thunderbolts* – also said that the Marvel push to avoid spoilers is no joke. “It’s the most terrifying stunt imaginable, doing a bunch of interviews where they go, ‘So we hear you’re in Doomsday?’ and he’s just like harnessed up.” On the flip side, director Jake Schreier is a bit more left out, although his lack of direct involvement in Avengers: Doomsday might be the reason he has avoided getting the talk about spoilers. “You know what’s funny is that I feel like I never got taken into the back room and really given the talking to. I think maybe they know it’s out in the world now and you just learn not to reveal anything.”

With Avengers: Doomsday starting production this week, Marvel fans are going to have to be in overdrive to avoid spoilers. But realistically, there’s only going to be so much we can do, as certainly something will slip between now and the May 1st, 2026 release. And considering how much is at stake and that there’s already a mix of excitement and skepticism behind it, we’ll be on high alert like perhaps never before.

Are you able to avoid spoilers for any Marvel movies or do you just accept it as part of the fandom now?

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The upcoming Marvel Studios film Thunderbolts* is going to feature multiple actors from various previous Marvel films and TV shows reprising their roles. It’s got Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes, David Harbour as Red Guardian, Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, Wyatt Russell as US Agent, Hannah John-Kamen as Ghost, and Olga Kurylenko as Taskmaster – and you can see those characters in action in the clips that have been unveiled to promote the film’s May 2nd theatrical release! Embedded above, we have three clips in one: a fight scene; a scene that shows our heroes interacting with Valentina Allegra de Fontaine; and a scene that shows Florence Pugh stepping off the second-tallest building in the world. At the bottom of this article, you can see the previously shared “convoy chase” scene.

Thunderbolts* involves “the rag-tag team forming an unlikely alliance of skilled individuals, each with something to prove. They refuse to let their pasts define them, so they take the opportunity to save the day seriously and crack a few skulls along the way.” It will feature the titular team locking horns with the Superman-like character Sentry, played by Lewis Pullman, whose unpredictable actions could destroy city blocks, alongside any hope of the Thunderbolts saving the day.

Jake Schreier (Paper Towns) directed Thunderbolts* from a screenplay credited to Eric Pearson and Joanna Calo, with a story by Pearson. Schreier directed many of the episodes of Beef, and admitted to Empire that Thunderbolts* does have “a certain amount of that Beef tone in it, that does feel different. There’s an emotional darkness that we brought to this that is resonant, but doesn’t come at the expense of comedy.“ Beef was an A24 production, and Pugh recently described this film as “this quite badass indie, A24-feeling assassin movie with Marvel superheroes.“

The first reactions to Thunderbolts* recently dropped online and were very positive and promising. Clocking in at 127 minutes, the film has been rated PG-13 for strong violence, language thematic elements, and some suggestive and drug references. As mentioned, it will be reaching theatres next Friday. Will you be watching it? Check out the clips, then let us know by leaving a comment below.

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The first reactions to the London premiere of Thunderbolts* have emerged. With a surprisingly emotional story at its heart, most are calling it a return to form for Marvel and have heralded Florence Pugh (Yelena) as the picture’s MVP.

Matt Neglia writes that Thunderbolts* is “different from other MCU films that have come before it, and that freshness couldn’t have arrived at a more opportune time, when the franchise is in need of new blood and direction. It’s some of Marvel’s darkest material to date, dealing with the emotional wreckage of broken individuals grappling with their past choices and finding camaraderie amidst the emptiness of their lives. This may be a team-up film, but it very much belongs to Florence Pugh, who carries much of the dramatic weight of the movie on her back, while Lewis Pullman delivers a complex performance as a sympathetic character at war with himself. It may not be the flashiest, funniest, or strongest Marvel film, but its rough edges and imperfections somehow all feel fitting for this anti-hero team of misfits.“

Amon Warmann calls the films a “visually daring, emotionally resonant superhero film that pushes mental health to the forefront. Florence Pugh brings the heart, David Harbour is consistently funny, & Lewis Pullman might be the stealth MVP. Best MCU film in a long while!“

According to The Hollywood Handle, Thunderbolts* is “one of Marvel’s most enjoyable films in a while. It feels different than most of the studio’s projects. Its bold, funny, filled with great action and an unexpected emotional punch. Florence Pugh is the star that shines the brightest. There’s a lot to love here. Make sure you stay for the credits…“

“Shocked how good THUNDERBOLTS* is,” wrote Brandon Norwood. “Putting emphasis on the character work and practical action makes this feel like the old Marvel that has us for a decade plus. Wish we’d gotten this sooner. Helps that this dysfunctional team has chemistry too.“

Big Gold Belt Media praised the film as “raw, hilarious, and deeply human. It’s a bold dive into trauma, healing, and redemption. Proof that even the so-called defective losers and disposable delinquents can rise above their past and become the heroes no one expected. It’s gritty, emotional, and unlike anything #Marvel has done before — a must-see story that hits where it hurts and heals where it matters.“

Emily Murray was particularly blown away by the film, saying it’s “easily one of the best MCU movies in a long time (and maybe one of my new personal faves). Has so much spark, charisma, and tells a genuinely emotional story you connect with. A tear was shed. Florence Pugh in particular superb, just walks away with it.“

Mia Pflüger says the film “introduces a new era for Marvel, the most humane film filled with allowing their anti hero being flawed, broken and regretful. Sebastian Stan has an absolute scene stealing moment, yet Florence Pugh shows she is the true lead of the new generation and team.“

These types of first reactions are typically overly positive, but I’ve got my fingers crossed that Thunderbolts* will live up to the hype. It would be nice if Marvel could bring Phase 5 to a close with a winner.

Thunderbolts* follows Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), Red Guardian (David Harbour), John Walker (Wyatt Russell), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), and Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko) as they are forced to unite on a dangerous mission. Lewis Pullman plays Bob, a superpowered individual also known as The Sentry. Julia Louis-Dreyfus also returns as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, who seems to be pulling the strings behind the scenes.

Thunderbolts* will hit theaters on May 2nd.

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Marvel had a rough year in 2023. Many of its properties underperformed, and they lost their big villain due to Jonathan Majors being fired. Looking forward to their upcoming slate, comic fans have been excited about some of the studio’s projects over the next few years. Will these films help Marvel regain control? The upcoming Thunderbolts (or Thunderbolts*, as we’re told to write it, asterisk and all) film has been one that fanboys have been hoping to see since the MCU started. With some recent news about the property coming up, it seems like the right time to break down what we know about the production.

Who Are The Thunderbolts?

The team first appeared in Marvel Comics in 1997 in an issue of The Incredible Hulk. They seemed to be a new group of superheroes that had arrived on the scene and gained acclaim very quickly. The reader was informed that the group was actually a group of supervillains led by Baron Zemo. They were posing as new heroes to gain the trust of other hero teams and S.H.I.E.L.D. to gain access to all their secrets. This would allow them to sell them to the highest bidder. Eventually, some team members felt they should try to become heroes, and the group would fall apart. As for the name of the team, it was said to be inspired by a Thomas Randolph poem: “Justice, like lightning, ever should appear to few men’s ruin, but to all men’s fear.” The idea was, “Our hope is that we can be that lightning — that justice.”

Other versions of the team would appear throughout the years, but the version that the MCU seems to be leaning toward was a government-funded strike team. It would be filled with reformed supervillains looking to reduce their imprisonment sentence or redeem themselves for their past crimes. This is comparable to DC’s Suicide Squad. In the past, it has been led by characters such as Norman Osborne, Black Widow, and Hawkeye, and they’ve had run-ins with Captain Marvel.

MCU Team Members

For the MCU version of the team, we have seen Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ character, Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, appearing in multiple projects to recruit team members. She first appeared in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier to ask disgraced Captain America replacement John Walker to join her team. We would then see her show up in a post-credits scene in Black Widow to put Yelena Belova on Hawkeye’s trail, saying he was responsible for her sister’s death. Then, in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, she is revealed as the new head of the CIA. This puts her in the perfect position to run the team in the future.

Louis-Dreyfus told Entertainment Weekly, “This movie’s a real opportunity for me to really explore the Val character. You really get to know what she’s made of, and even a lot of her backstory. She’s in it to win it. You’re going to see her entire plan unfold. It has a lot of mystery to it and there’s some twists and turns that you don’t see coming, which are the best kind. There’s a lot of suspense, which is very groovy.” She added that her character is “about four steps ahead all the time, or at least she thinks she is until she’s not. All of these characters have worked for her under certain circumstances, so she would fancy herself as a bit of a puppet master, and she’s very power-hungry. She’s a user of anti-heroes. She definitely sees herself as the leader, the organizer of this group, but I’m not sure they see her as such. Her intentions aren’t necessarily pure. You’ve got hero, you’ve got anti-hero, you have villain…is there such a thing as an anti-villain?“

So, who will we see on the team? As mentioned, John Walker (Wyatt Russell) and Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) have already been recruited to the team. Some other familiar faces will be joining them. Red Guardian (David Harbour) and Task Master (Olga Kurylenko) from the Black Widow film will be showing up alongside Yelena. I’m sure she has some issues with her fake father that she would like to work out. Then, Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen) from Ant-Man and the Wasp will be joining the group. With her phasing abilities, it should add some fun to the team. In a team leader role, we may see Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), The Winter Soldier, returning from Captain America: The First Avenger, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Ant-Man, Captain America: Civil War, Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Bucky recently made a cameo in Captain America: Brave New World, where it was revealed that he was running for Congress. Apparently he won the election, because a Thunderbolts* image is said to show him in Congressman mode:

The team dynamics should be interesting. The talk is that the Thunderbolts will be brought together to take on the powerful character The Sentry.

Director Jake Schreier told SFX magazine that the team was put together by “looking through the MCU and not just finding bad guys who could be good but characters that exist more on that morally grey plane or who were potentially destined for something else but then something went awry. Or maybe they’re just misunderstood, someone like John Walker, where he was literally Captain America. Maybe there is something that is worth caring about. I think all of them have kind of lost touch with that idea. At first through sheer necessity, because of the situation that they’re thrown into together, but then later more out of inspiration, as a group could they become something bigger than each of themselves could be on their own?” Schreier also revealed that at one point he had pitched the idea of including Man-Thing on the team, but “it all worked out for the best” that Man-Thing appeared in the Werewolf by Night Disney+ special instead of Thunderbolts*.

Who Is The Sentry?

Back in 2000, then publisher for Marvel Joe Quesada announced that they had discovered a long-lost Marvel character that the company had completely forgotten about. He pre-dated Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four. Stan Lee was interviewed and said he remembered the character being created by a couple of writers, but they never did anything with the character. Marvel said they were bringing him back into their current continuity and pushed him almost as Marvel’s version of Superman. He could fly, had super strength, and had a giant S on his belt. When his first miniseries concluded, fans discovered the whole thing had been a lie. Part of the character’s story was that this hero had disappeared, and no one in Marvel continuity remembered him. This whole thing had been a marketing ploy to introduce this new character.

On the surface, he seemed like a wholesome character like Superman, but it was revealed he was mentally unstable and threatened to destroy the entire Marvel Universe. The story was well received, and the character was believed to have a short shelf life. However, he was brought back for numerous Avengers storylines and became a compelling character in Marvel comics.

In the upcoming film, Steven Yeun was cast as the character. He had been very vocal about how excited he was to play the character and has been a fan of the MCU since it started. When the strikes happened over the summer of 2023, it was revealed that film production would have to be pushed back until they were over. Once those ended, it was put back on the schedule, which now caused issues with Yeun’s schedule. He had to drop out but hopes to return as another character at some point in the MCU. The role has been recast, with Lewis Pullman being linked with the part. He has showed up in the marketing materials as a character referred to as Bob – which makes sense, because Sentry’s name is Robert Reynolds.

With Sentry comes an entity called The Void. As Marvel Fandom explains, “The Void is the dark and destructive entity that bonded to Robert Reynolds when he became the Sentry, and acts as a counterforce and embodiment of his negative aspects. It is more of a force than a person but can take any shape it chooses. When talking to and teasing Sentry, it normally uses human form. It is capable of destroying the Earth, if not the entire universe. Robert fights a constant inner battle to keep the Void at bay as it comes into being every time he uses his powers and is his eternal nemesis, born in his own psyche.”

Images of a tie-in Funko POP! may give an idea of what the Sentry character is going to look like in the film:

So does this Marvel Legends toy from Hasbro:

The Bear breakout star Ayo Edebiri also had to leave her role due to scheduling conflicts. Geraldine Viswanathan of Drive Away Dolls will now be taking her place in the unidentified role, which is said to be the “right hand woman” to Valentina Allegra de Fontaine.

Rumored Plot

Industry scooper Daniel Richtman hears this is the plot synopsis: “Yelena, US Agent, Ghost, and Taskmaster are sent by Val to kill someone in a vault. They realize they’ve been set up and were meant to die on this mission. So they team up against their boss to take her down.” The teaser trailer seems to match that description, with Bob / Sentry / The Void being the character in the vault.

By the way, if you’re wondering if Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, previously played by William Hurt, has anything to do with this team, that doesn’t seem to be the case, despite his nickname matching the team’s name. Harrison Ford played Ross in Captain America: Brave New World, but if he makes an appearance in Thunderbolts, we don’t know about it yet. That said, Thunderbolt Ross (in Red Hulk form) has led a version of the team in the comics, so he could have a future with the Thunderbolts…

Whatever is going on in this movie, David Harbour has hinted that it will have a major impact on the MCU. He told ComicBook.com, “There is a bomb drop thing we add to the universe, which will be very exciting for the movie to do at the end of this particular phase that we’re ending. … Our characters are going to interact with something that we don’t really understand, and it fundamentally changes the course of the way things expand.“

Trailers

A trailer for Thunderbolts was shown at the 2024 San Diego Comic-Con, and we have a description of what appeared on the screen: “The Thunderbolts trailer opens with Yelena coming to find Red Guardian, who is a mess and thinks she works for DoorDash. She recruits him – and like everyone else on the team, they drift without purpose. You can tell Yelena is still a killer. The trailer moves to her at odds with the U.S. Agent and the others, but they unite to find out who is trying to kill them. Scored by The Pixies “Where is My Mind,” the Comic-Con crowd is going nuts. “The are bad guys and worse guys.” It appears as if Julia Louis Dreyfus’s Valentina Allegra de Fontaine is the villain.”

The trailer includes a moment where Yelena is shown jumping off a tall building, and as it turns out, that was the second tallest building in the world and Florence Pugh apparently performed the stunt herself.

The teaser trailer has made its way online, along with a poster:

An extended trailer was unveiled at the first-ever edition of D23 in Brazil:

Then came the Super Bowl trailer and another poster:

Another promo focused on the threat the Thunderbolts will be coming together to face: a character who’s described as being Earth’s newest, mightiest hero, “stronger than all of the Avengers rolled into one.” But then this character (Sentry) goes rogue and shows that he’s not very heroic at all. You can watch the promo in the X embed below:

Here’s what was referred to as the final trailer:

Here’s a clip that shows Florence Pugh stepping off the second-tallest building in the world:

Pugh has explained why she demanded to do that stunt herself: “I got on all the emails. It was in the script, and then slowly as we got closer and closer to shooting, they said they don’t think it’s going to happen because it’s a crazy insurance ordeal and obviously we’re not going to throw [me] off the second tallest building in the world. I was like what the f*ck? Of course we are! We have to do that. I was being a sassy Karen emailing Kevin [Feige] and saying it’s going to do wonders for the press tour. We have to do this! We’re going to have three women break three different Guinness World Records and we’ll do this and this. I had to keep on pushing and then they’re like, ‘Okay, if you want to fall off the second tallest building, we’ll figure it out for you.’ I don’t mind heights. I quite like them and enjoy them, but that was a whole different ballgame and insane. The mental control I had to do that day was its own super power.“

You can see more about the stunt in this featurette:

And now, here are some character posters:

There was also a promo that hyped the A24 pedigree of the cast and crew:

This goes along with a comment that Pugh recently made to Empire, where she described the film as “this quite badass indie, A24-feeling assassin movie with Marvel superheroes.“

As mentioned, Jake Schreier (Paper Towns) directed Thunderbolts*, and he was working from a screenplay that was crafted by Eric Pearson (Black Widow) and Lee Sung Jin (Beef). Schreier directed many of the episodes of Beef, and admitted to Empire that Thunderbolts* does have “a certain amount of that Beef tone in it, that does feel different. There’s an emotional darkness that we brought to this that is resonant, but doesn’t come at the expense of comedy.“

When Can We See It?

Well, we will be waiting a while before we get to see the team in action. The film has been shooting (in IMAX format) throughout 2024 – and in late June, David Harbour (who has been working on the final season of Stranger Things simultaneously) took to social media to confirm that his work on Thunderbolts has wrapped:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by David Harbour (@dkharbour)

The official release date has been set for May 2, 2025. The film has a running time of 127 minutes and has been rated PG-13 for strong violence, language, thematic elements, and some suggestive and drug references.

Industry scooper Jeff Sneider of The InSneider has heard that “Thunderbolts* is actually pretty good and that Disney just has no idea how to sell it.” Here’s a potential SPOILER: He has also heard that the asterisk is in the title because this “Thunderbolts” team ends up being the new Avengers. (Along with, presumably, Anthony Mackie’s Captain America and Danny Ramirez’s Falcon, since there was talk of reviving the Avengers in Captain America: Brave New World.) Whatever this team is or isn’t called, it has already been confirmed that Pugh, Stan, Harbour, Russell, John-Kamen, and Pullman are all coming back for Avengers: Doomsday.

Are you excited for Thunderbolts? What do you think of the direction of the MCU? Let us know in the comments.

The post Everything We Know About Thunderbolts* appeared first on JoBlo.

The official runtime of Marvel’s Thunderbolts* has been unveiled, with the next installment in the MCU clocking in at 127 minutes.

Considering Marvel has been pulling back on their runtimes as of late, it’s not too surprising that Thunderbolts* is just over two hours. That’s definitely a lot more comforting than hearing it would reach the two and a half hours that comic book movies long felt was necessary. This runtime is actually right around the franchise’s average.

Knowing now that Thunderbolts* is around that two hour mark, the focus can now be put on the actual quality. Marvel has been hitting us hard with trailers, featurettes and posters as of late, but there’s still a bit of a divide between moviegoers. On one side, yeah, Thunderbolts* looks like a lot of fun, the sort that would get butts in seats and be another fringe property fans could get behind (not unlike Guardians of the Galaxy); on the other, we still yearn for the days when there were two MCU movies per year at max. But by and large the studio has been awfully comfortable at around three releases, with 2025 hitting that number through Brave New World, this and July’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps. We could debate “superhero fatigue” if we wanted, but we need to have something to truly look forward to.

So, will Thunderbolts* be that something? Right now it’s tracking a $70 million opening weekend, which would put it around Eternals and Shang-Chi territory. We’ll see how moviegoers take it to once it opens on May 2nd.

As per Marvel, Thunderbolts* “assembles an unconventional team of antiheroes — Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), Red Guardian (David Harbour), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko), and John Walker (Wyatt Russell). After finding themselves ensnared in a death trap set by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), 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?”

How do you think Thunderbolts* looks? Will you be checking it out on opening weekend?

The post Thunderbolts* runtime revealed; next MCU movie just over 2 hours appeared first on JoBlo.

The release of Thunderbolts* is nearly upon us, and Marvel Studios has dropped the final trailer, which you can check out above! The film is tracking an estimated $70 million domestic opening weekend, which would put it under Captain America: Brave New World‘s $88 million opening. However, part of me believes that Thunderbolts* might have more legs at the box office. It looks like it could have potential.

Thunderbolts* follows Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), Red Guardian (David Harbour), John Walker (Wyatt Russell), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), and Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko) as they are forced to unite on a dangerous mission. Lewis Pullman plays Bob, a superpower individual also known as The Sentry. Julia Louis-Dreyfus also returns as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, who seems to be pulling the strings behind the scenes.

I do quite enjoy the depiction of the Void’s power, splatting people into shadows on the ground.

A recent Thunderbolts* clip featured Yelena leaping from the top of the Merdeka 118 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, a stunt Pugh insisted on performing. “I got on all the emails. It was in the script, and then slowly as we got closer and closer to shooting, they said they don’t think it’s going to happen because it’s a crazy insurance ordeal and obviously we’re not going to throw [me] off the second tallest building in the world,” Pugh said. “I was like what the f*ck? Of course we are! We have to do that.“

Pugh continued, “I was being a sassy Karen emailing Kevin [Feige] and saying it’s going to do wonders for the press tour. We have to do this! We’re going to have three women break three different Guinness World Records and we’ll do this and this. I had to keep on pushing and then they’re like, ‘Okay, if you want to fall off the second tallest building, we’ll figure it out for you.’ I don’t mind heights. I quite like them and enjoy them, but that was a whole different ballgame and insane. The mental control I had to do that day was its own super power.“

What did you think of the final trailer for Thunderbolts*? Will you be watching when it hits theaters on May 2nd?

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The Charlize Theron action film The Old Guard was a hit for the Netflix streaming service when it was released in 2020, but the sequel The Old Guard 2 has had an unexpectedly bumpy ride while making its way out into the world. Based on a graphic novel series created by Greg Rucka and Leandro Fernández, The Old Guard was scripted by Rucka and directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood. The film introduced viewers to a covert group of tight-knit mercenaries with a mysterious inability to die who have fought to protect the mortal world for centuries. When the team is recruited to take on an emergency mission and their extraordinary abilities are suddenly exposed, it’s up to Andy and Nile, the newest soldier to join their ranks, to help the group eliminate the threat of those who seek to replicate and monetize their power by any means necessary. The Old Guard 2 will be heading for screens on July 2 on Netflix and the Charlize Theron film just received its rating from the MPA. The Old Guard 2 will be Rated R “for sequences of graphic violence, and some language.”

Meanwhile, the MPA has also issued a rating for another big-budget action sci-fi — the upcoming Marvel Studios film Thunderbolts*. Thunderbolts* has received a rating of PG-13 “for strong violence, language thematic elements, and some suggestive and drug references.”

This entry into the MCU has an Avengers-esque hook with various characters from previous entries uniting for a team-up. However, the characters featured are more anti-heroes with lesser popularity than the original core group of Avengers characters. So, it remains to be seen how this combination will fare. One interesting aspect of this film is that it’s being helmed by Jake Schreier, who is known for the A24-produced Netflix show Beef and 2012’s Robot & Frank.

Florence Pugh, who dipped her toe in Marvel films with Black Widow, said that Thunderbolts* has a plucky attitude to it. “It ended up becoming this quite badass indie, A24-feeling assassin movie with Marvel superheroes,” Pugh told Empire. Schreier also said that the studio encouraged him to add “something different” to this movie. He stated, “There’s a certain amount of that Beef tone in it, that does feel different. There’s an emotional darkness that we brought to this that is resonant but doesn’t come at the expense of comedy.”

The post Old Guard 2 and Thunderbolts* receive their ratings from the MPA appeared first on JoBlo.

Should Florence Pugh star in whatever the next Mission: Impossible movie is? I ask because she’s giving Tom Cruise a run for his money by jumping off the second-tallest building in the world in a clip for Marvel’s upcoming antihero action romp Thunderbolts*. Speaking with Fandango, Pugh said she bombarded Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige about not using a stunt double for the scene in Thunderbolts* when Yelena leaps into action from the top of the Merdeka 118 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The building is an intimidating 2,722 feet tall, and Pugh loves heights. Insurance woes be damned because she wanted that thrill for herself.

“I got on all the emails. It was in the script, and then slowly as we got closer and closer to shooting, they said they don’t think it’s going to happen because it’s a crazy insurance ordeal and obviously we’re not going to throw [me] off the second tallest building in the world,” Pugh said during an interview with Fandango. “I was like what the f*ck? Of course we are! We have to do that.”

Continuing to explain how she convinced Feige to take a leap of faith, Pugh added, “I was being a sassy Karen emailing Kevin [Feige] and saying it’s going to do wonders for the press tour. We have to do this! We’re going to have three women break three different Guinness World Records and we’ll do this and this. I had to keep on pushing and then they’re like, ‘Okay, if you want to fall off the second tallest building, we’ll figure it out for you.’ I don’t mind heights. I quite like them and enjoy them, but that was a whole different ballgame and insane. The mental control I had to do that day was its own super power.”

Extreme action fans could recall the lead-up to Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, when clips of Tom Cruise scaling the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, went viral. As impressive as that remains, something special about Pugh casually and majestically falling from the Merdeka 118 blows my mind. Unlike Pugh, I’m not too fond of heights. I can handle them, but I’d never jump from the side of a building or plane.

Thunderbolts* is the next Marvel outing, with Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), Red Guardian (David Harbour), John Walker (Wyatt Russell), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), and Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko) forced to unite on a dangerous mission. Lewis Pullman plays Bob, a superpower individual also known as The Sentry. Julia Louis-Dreyfus also returns as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, who seems to be pulling the strings behind the scenes.

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A Minecraft Movie scored big bucks at the box office to the surprise of analysts who underestimated the property. The crazy reactions from fans with references and easter eggs, like the chicken jockey, skyrocketed the Jack Black/Jason Momoa film up to a bigger opening than Greta Gerwig’s successful Barbie. A Minecraft Movie earned a whopping $163 million in the U.S. and Canada. The Warner Bros. movie will be followed by another studio film, Sinners, a Michael B. Jordan collaboration with Ryan Coogler, which has been proven to be very profitable in the past, but can it match up to A Minecraft Movie? What was once very reliable was the juggernaut studio of Marvel. However, the past few years have been dodgy for the brand, with the exception of Deadpool & Wolverine, which captured former glory. However, Marvel Studios has Thunderbolts* also on the way, which will further test the current appeal of the company. The Hollywood Reporter is saying that analysts aren’t predicting a Minecraft-type opening, but they are tracking the film’s opening in the $63 million to $77 million range, with the target number perhaps zeroing in at $70 million.

This entry into the MCU has an Avengers-esque hook with various characters from previous entries uniting for a team-up. However, the characters featured are more anti-heroes with lesser popularity than the original core group of Avengers characters. So, it remains to be seen how this combination will fare. One interesting aspect of this film is that it’s being helmed by Jake Schreier, who is known for the A24-produced Netflix show Beef and 2012’s Robot & Frank.

Florence Pugh, who dipped her toe in Marvel films with Black Widow, said that Thunderbolts* has a plucky attitude to it. “It ended up becoming this quite badass indie, A24-feeling assassin movie with Marvel superheroes,” Pugh told Empire. Schreier also said that the studio encouraged him to add “something different” to this movie. He stated, “There’s a certain amount of that Beef tone in it, that does feel different. There’s an emotional darkness that we brought to this that is resonant but doesn’t come at the expense of comedy.”

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With only a few weeks until Marvel’s Thunderbolts* is released in theaters, people wanting to skip the ticket booth crowd can take care of business online with today’s pre-order launch. Today’s ticket pre-sales for Thunderbolts* come courtesy of Fandango, and we’ve got details about bonus packages coming to select theaters.

In addition to putting tickets up for pre-sale, Fandango is releasing a “Careful Who You Assemble Pack” for theaters. For just $39.99, you’ll get a ticket to Marvel’s Thunderbolts*, an Exclusive Limited-Edition stamped 12″ x16″ poster, along with one limited collectible coin, which will either be an Exclusive Commemorative Collector’s Coin or a super-rare Limited-Edition Numbered Gold Variant Coin. These packs are limited to one run, meaning there’s only one chance to claim one for yourself.

Thunderbolts* is the next Marvel outing, with Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), Red Guardian (David Harbour), John Walker (Wyatt Russell), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), and Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko) forced to unite on a dangerous mission. Lewis Pullman plays Bob, a superpower individual also known as The Sentry. Julia Louis-Dreyfus also returns as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, who seems to be pulling the strings behind the scenes.

As we’ve noted before, we know little about Thunderbolts* beyond the fact that the film involves “the rag-tag team forming an unlikely alliance of skilled individuals, each with something to prove. They refuse to let their pasts define them, so they take the opportunity to save the day seriously and crack a few skulls along the way.” It will feature the titular team locking horns with the Superman-like character Sentry, played by Lewis Pullman, whose unpredictable actions could destroy city blocks, alongside any hope of the Thunderbolts saving the day.

Jake Schreier (Paper Towns) directed Thunderbolts* from a screenplay that has been worked on by Eric Pearson (Black Widow) and Lee Sung Jin (Beef). Schreier directed many of the episodes of Beef, and admitted to Empire that Thunderbolts* does have “a certain amount of that Beef tone in it, that does feel different. There’s an emotional darkness that we brought to this that is resonant, but doesn’t come at the expense of comedy.“ Beef was an A24 production, and Pugh recently described this film as “this quite badass indie, A24-feeling assassin movie with Marvel superheroes”

Will you pre-order Thunderbolts* tickets? Let us know in the comments section below.

The post Early tickets to see Marvel’s Thunderbolts* are on sale alongside a “Careful Who You Assemble Pack” to celebrate the launch appeared first on JoBlo.

The upcoming Marvel Studios film Thunderbolts* is going to feature multiple actors from various previous Marvel films and TV shows reprising their roles. It’s got Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes, David Harbour as Red Guardian, Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, Wyatt Russell as US Agent, Hannah John-Kamen as Ghost, and Olga Kurylenko as Taskmaster – and we’re going to have the chance to see these characters (back) in action very soon, as the film is set to reach theatres on May 2nd. Yesterday, we shared some oddball character posters and some new footage was unveiled at CinemaCon – and Marvel also released a short “making of” featurette that gives a look behind the scenes, with a special focus on the sequence that required Pugh to drop off the Merdeka 118, the second-tallest building in the world. You can watch the featurette at the bottom of this article.

As we’ve noted before, we know little about Thunderbolts* beyond the fact that the film involves “the rag-tag team forming an unlikely alliance of skilled individuals, each with something to prove. They refuse to let their pasts define them, so they take the opportunity to save the day seriously and crack a few skulls along the way.” It will feature the titular team locking horns with the Superman-like character Sentry, played by Lewis Pullman, whose unpredictable actions could destroy city blocks, alongside any hope of the Thunderbolts saving the day.

Jake Schreier (Paper Towns) directed Thunderbolts* from a screenplay that has been worked on by Eric Pearson (Black Widow) and Lee Sung Jin (Beef). Schreier directed many of the episodes of Beef, and admitted to Empire that Thunderbolts* does have “a certain amount of that Beef tone in it, that does feel different. There’s an emotional darkness that we brought to this that is resonant, but doesn’t come at the expense of comedy.“ Beef was an A24 production, and Pugh recently described this film as “this quite badass indie, A24-feeling assassin movie with Marvel superheroes.“

Industry scooper Jeff Sneider of The InSneider has heard that “Thunderbolts* is actually pretty good and that Disney just has no idea how to sell it.” The AMC theatre chain has gotten in on the marketing action by revealing their “popcorn vessel,” designed to look like Red Guardian’s limousine.

Are you looking forward to Thunderbolts*? Take a look at the making of featurette, then let us know by leaving a comment below.

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As you might expect, Marvel Studios played a big part in Disney’s presentation at CinemaCon.

Thunderbolts* is the next Marvel outing, with Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), Red Guardian (David Harbour), John Walker (Wyatt Russell), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), and Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko) forced to unite on a dangerous mission. Lewis Pullman plays Bob, a superpower individual also known as The Sentry. Julia Louis-Dreyfus also returns as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, who seems to be pulling the strings behind the scenes.

The Thunderbolts* portion of Marvel’s panel at CinemaCon got off to an awkward start. Well, kind of. The film’s stars executed a funny bit where they arrived at the panel late, with Wyatt Russell looking particularly disheveled. Russell pretended to be drunk and told the crowd he lost $37K at a nearby casino. Meanwhile, Florence Pugh “accidentally” called David Harbour “Day-Barr.”

Marvel played an extended clip for the crowd, starting with Bucky and Red Guardian bonding over shared jail time. Meanwhile, Yelena and the U.S. Agent commiserate over how neither lived up to the position they were given (him Captain America, her Black Widow). They then fight their way into Valentina’s stronghold, but she seems to expect them. We find out Bucky lost his job as a congressman, while Valentina calls Walker Varsity Captain America and David Harbour Santa. Then, it cuts to a new trailer. It looks like a lot of action, but maybe too much comedy. Like every action scene or suspenseful moment has jokes and one-liners. I don’t know if that will work for the entire movie, but it might just be the trailer.

Thunderbolts* will hit theaters on May 2nd.

Next up is The Fantastic Four: First Steps, the highly anticipated introduction of Marvel’s first family to the MCU. I’ve got high hopes for this one. It stars Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards, Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm, Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm, Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm, Ralph Ineson as Galactus, and Julia Garner as Silver Surfer. The film will hit theaters on July 25th.

Marvel brought an extended look at Fantastic Four: First Steps to the stage. The footage includes many scenes of Marvel’s first family in retro-futuristic worlds where they’re celebrities. The CinemaCon crowd got a first look at Julia Garner’s Silver Surfer, Shalla-Bal. She warns the Fantastic Four that their planet is doomed, and they’ve been marked for death. They have no choice but to go on the defense. The world starts to lose faith. Meanwhile, the FF fights a public battle to convince the population that they can protect them. There are also clues that Susan is pregnant. If this is the case, we could get Franklin Richards and, later, his sister, Valeria, down the road. Their introduction could lead to the forming of the Future Foundation! Let’s f***ing go!

Avengers: Doomsday is currently filming, with one hell of an ensemble cast. Take a deep breath. Here we go. The officially announced cast includes Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm, Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson, Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes, Letitia Wright as Shuri, Paul Rudd as Scott Lang, Wyatt Russell as John Walker, Tenoch Huerta Mejía as Namor, Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm, Simi Liu as Shang-Chi, Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, Kelsey Grammer as Hank McCoy, Lewis Pullman as Bob, Danny Ramirez as Joaquin Torres, Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm, David Harbour as Red Guardian, Winston Duke as M’Baku, Hannah John-Kamen as Ghost, Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Patrick Stewart as Charles Xavier, Ian McKellen as Erik Lehnsherr, Alan Cumming as Kurt Wagner, Rebecca Romijn as Raven Darkhölme, James Marsden as Scott Summers, Channing Tatum as Remy LeBeau, Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards, and Robert Downey Jr. as Victor von Doom. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg, as more names will be coming.

Avengers: Doomsday will hit theaters on May 1, 2026, followed by Avengers: Secret Wars on May 7, 2027.

The post New looks at The Fantastic Four and Thunderbolts bring thrilling action, laughs, and Julia Garner’s Silver Surfer to CinemaCon appeared first on JoBlo.

The upcoming Marvel Studios film Thunderbolts* is going to feature multiple actors from various previous Marvel films and TV shows reprising their roles. It’s got Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes, David Harbour as Red Guardian, Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, Wyatt Russell as US Agent, Hannah John-Kamen as Ghost, and Olga Kurylenko as Taskmaster – and most of those characters have just gotten their own poster! Keep scrolling to check out the newly unveiled Thunderbolts* character posters.

As we’ve noted before, we know little about Thunderbolts* beyond the fact that the film involves “the rag-tag team forming an unlikely alliance of skilled individuals, each with something to prove. They refuse to let their pasts define them, so they take the opportunity to save the day seriously and crack a few skulls along the way.” It will feature the titular team locking horns with the Superman-like character Sentry, played by Lewis Pullman, whose unpredictable actions could destroy city blocks, alongside any hope of the Thunderbolts saving the day.

Jake Schreier (Paper Towns) directed Thunderbolts* from a screenplay that has been worked on by Eric Pearson (Black Widow) and Lee Sung Jin (Beef). Schreier directed many of the episodes of Beef, and admitted to Empire that Thunderbolts* does have “a certain amount of that Beef tone in it, that does feel different. There’s an emotional darkness that we brought to this that is resonant, but doesn’t come at the expense of comedy.“ Beef was an A24 production, and Pugh recently described this film as “this quite badass indie, A24-feeling assassin movie with Marvel superheroes.“

It’s kind of surprising that Thunderbolts* has managed to remain as mysterious as it is, even though its May 2nd theatrical release date is right around the corner. Industry scooper Jeff Sneider of The InSneider has heard that “Thunderbolts* is actually pretty good and that Disney just has no idea how to sell it.” This has previously been evident in the promo that focused on the cast and crew’s A24 pedigree, and now it’s evident in the character posters, which compare members of the Thunderbolts to all sorts of other bolts. Here they are, along with a short promo:

What do you think of the Thunderbolts* character posters? Are you looking forward to this movie? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

The post Marvel’s Thunderbolts* unveils a batch of character posters appeared first on JoBlo.