Just when we thought the Marvel Cinematic Universe couldn’t get any bigger, the superhero studio has added yet another expansion to the story of Black Widow with their latest film, Thunderbolts.
In case your feeds haven’t already been bombarded by hilarious junket clips of Florence Pugh, the new flick is kind of a big deal, and with a team of the franchise’s biggest antagonists joining forces, some fans are already spruiking the film as the newest Avengers.
While die-hard Marvel fans are still counting down the days until the latest instalment of the OG superhero franchise, the Thunderbolts cast did reveal what was behind the sneaky asterisk in the film’s title (spoiler – it *is* actually Avengers related).
Want to know what all the fuss is about? Scroll down for everything you need to know about Thunderbolts.
What is Thunderbolts about?
Without spoiling the whole story, Thunderbolts follows a team of some of Marvel’s biggest antiheroes, Yelena Belova, Red Guardian, Ghost, Taskmaster, and John Walker, as they embark on a covert mission orchestrated by CIA Director Valentina Allegra de Fontaine.
Despite being led to believe a different mission objective, the team quickly find themselves trapped in a deadly setup, quickly realising that they were set to be eliminated to cover up evidence of Valentia’s illegal activities.
As they try to clear their names and survive, the Thunderbolts confront Valentina’s forces and uncover her plan to use Bob, who has been transformed into a powerful and unstable superhuman called Sentry.
When Sentry’s dark alter ego, the Void, emerges, the team must enter the shadow realm, face their traumas, and unite to help Bob regain control and stop the Void’s destruction.
Who is the cast of Thunderbolts?
Good news, Marvel fans! Thunderbolts marks the return of many fan favourites and a handful of new faces.
Florence Pugh returns as Black Widow’s sister and resident badass Yelena Belova, alongside Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes, Stranger Things star David Harbour as Red Guardian, Wyatt Russell as U.S. Agent John Walker, Hannah John-Kamen as Ghost, and Olga Kurylenko as Taskmaster.
Seinfeld legend Julia Louis-Dreyfus also stars as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, adding a dose of political intrigue and humour to the mix.
Is Thunderbolts the new Avengers?
Warning: Spoilers ahead!
Since the film was released with the cinematic title Thunderbolts*, fans have been speculating over what or who the mystery asterisk could be connoting.
If you’ve seen the film, you’ll know that during the post-credits scene, a titlecard appears telling viewers that “The New Avengers will return” shortly after Valentina declares the group undergo a rebrand. Now that more fans have seen the film, the cast unveiled that the film will now be rebranded to *New Avengers, with screening information and promotional material being updated globally.
Does this mean that the OG Avengers are no longer? Probably not, especially since the fan-favourites have already signed on to return for a *mega* Avengers comeback in 2026.
Where to watch Thunderbolts
Thunderbolts may have only just hit cinemas, but in exciting news, it has been confirmed that the film will soon be available to stream through Disney+.
Stream Thunderbolts on Disney+ from $15.99/month. Subscribe here.
