When is Marvel's Thunderbolts released? Cast, plot and latest news

And if the film wasn't already an interesting prospect for fans, curiosity was further piqued earlier in 2024 when an asterisk was added to the title, with Marvel chief Keven Feige explaining that this cryptic addition wouldn't be explained further "until after the movie comes out" next May.

More recently, at San Diego Comic Con, the first brief trailer was played for attendees – and although it's not yet available online for fans to see, we do know that it included glimpses of action scenes and the phrase "Careful who you assemble".

Meanwhile, it's also been revealed that the cast of the film will also be featuring in the next two Avengers films – subtitled Doomsday and Secret Wars respectively – so it looks like these characters are going to be major players in the MCU going forwards.

So, which actors are set to star in the movie and what can fans expect? Read on for everything you need to know about Thunderbolts.

In the meantime, if you are keen to catch up on every MCU entry so far, we have you covered with our Marvel movies in order guide.

Marvel's Thunderbolts release date

Thunderbolts is set to land in cinemas on Friday 2nd May 2025 after having its release date moved up slightly from Friday 25th July 2025.

It's a positive sign for the film, which has previously seen production delays related to the 2023 strikes.

Previous shifts in production meant that the project lost two major cast members, with Ayo Edebiri (The Bear) and Steven Yeun (The Walking Dead) exiting due to scheduling issues.

The film was originally confirmed in July 2022 for a 2024 release, but got pushed back due to the entertainment industry strikes in 2023.

It was then moved up in February 2024 when it swapped dates with Fantastic Four.

Marvel's Thunderbolts cast

The following cast members will appear in Marvel's Thunderbolts.

• Florence Pugh as Black Widow/Yelena Belova
• Sebastian Stan as Winter Soldier/James Buchanan 'Bucky' Barnes
• David Harbour as Red Guardian/Alexei Shostakov
• Olga Kurylenko as Taskmaster/Antonia Dreykov
• Hannah John-Kamen as Ghost/Ava Starr
• Wyatt Russell as US Agent/John Walker
• Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Valentina 'Val' Allegra de Fontaine
• Harrison Ford as Thaddeus 'Thunderbolt' Ross
• Geraldine Viswanathan as Mel
• Lewis Pullman as Bon/Sentry

A selection of characters from throughout the Marvel Cinematic Universe will return for Thunderbolts.

Pugh reprises her role as Yelena Belova after her appearances in Black Widow and Hawkeye, while Stan is back after featuring in the Captain America trilogy, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

Elsewhere, Black Widow stars David Harbour and Olga Kurylenko are also back, while Hannah John-Kamen returns as her Ant-Man and the Wasp antagonist Ghost.

Meanwhile, Wyatt Russell returns as the brutish John Walker after The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, which saw him recruited by the mysterious Val, played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who also recruited Belova in the post-credits scene of Black Widow.

In Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Val was revealed to be the new director of the CIA.

Meanwhile, following the death of actor William Hurt, Star Wars and Indiana Jones legend Harrison Ford has been cast as Thaddeus 'Thunderbolt' Ross.

Ford's first appearance as the character will occur in Captain America: New World Order.

One person who has not been confirmed to appear is Daniel Brühl as Baron Helmut Zemo, despite the character's ties to the Thunderbolts.

Speaking to RadioTimes.com on whether he will be making an MCU comeback, Brühl revealed: "Even if I could… I couldn't, you know?"

He added: "The only thing I can say – everybody knows – is I'm not dead!"

Maybe he could return after all...

Ayo Edebiri (The Bear) had joined the cast of Thunderbolts in an undisclosed role, but it was announced in January that she had quit the project due to scheduling issues, with Miracle Workers and Blockers star Geraldine Viswanathan set to take her place.

Edebiri isn’t the only star to leave the film. The Walking Dead's Steven Yeun was lined up to have a part significant to the MCU in the film, but dropped out due to scheduling conflicts as a result of the 2023 Hollywood strikes, with Top Gun: Maverick star Lewis Pullman set to replace Yeun in the role.

Speaking to Variety, Yeun explained his departure, saying: "I think, for me, time passing and things shifting kind of pulled me out of it... but Jake [Schreier], I know, is going to do an incredible job."

It is also expected that Rachel Weisz and Laurence Fishburne will return as Melina Vostokoff and Bill Foster, respectively. However, this has not yet been confirmed.

Is there a trailer for Marvel's Thunderbolts?

At present, there is no publicly available trailer for Thunderbolts – although some first-look footage was shown to lucky attendees at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2024.

We will be sure to update you as soon as a trailer is officially released.

What is the plot for Marvel's Thunderbolts?

The official synopsis for Marvel's Thunderbolts is described as: "A group of antiheroes [that] goes on missions for the government."

In Marvel Comics, Thunderbolts were originally a team of supervillains disguised as heroes while the Avengers weren't around, but in reality were the Masters of Evil, led by Baron Helmut Zemo.

However, this time around it appears this team has been organised by CIA director Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, who has already recruited Yelena Belova and John Walker to work for her.

Considering that Thaddeus Ross is a politician, he is probably in league with Val, which is made more likely by their more extreme approach to issues in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

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