It's been quite some time since we've seen a proper Marvel team-up movie. Following Endgame, we've had a couple of dysfunctional galactic families in Eternals and Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3. However, nothing has come close to an Avengers-level event—a clash of egos and a group brought together to achieve something greater than themselves. But the first trailer for Thunderbolts* (yes, the asterisk is apparently mandatory) has arrived, hinting at an Avengers-style gathering. Instead of a group of brightly colored do-gooders, this team consists of depressed antiheroes with murky pasts, each desperately seeking a second chance.
The extended teaser offers a lot to unpack. Notably, the first half positions this as somewhat of a Yelena Belova movie, with Florence Pugh's Black Widow-adjacent character taking center stage. This makes sense, given that her father-figure Alexei (David Harbour's Red Guardian) is also part of the Thunderbolts team. When she's pulled into a dangerous mission, it seems she's not the only one who's been set up. Enter Wyatt Russell's super-soldier John Walker, Black Widow villain Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko), Hannah John-Kamen's Ant-Man And The Wasp antagonist Ghost, and Lewis Pullman's newcomer 'Bob' (aka Sentry), forming a ragtag group of desperados. And that's before considering Sebastian Stan's Bucky Barnes, who—yes—was seen washing his metal arm in the dishwasher. Let's hope he uses Fairy Platinum for that.
The teaser is compelling and promises plenty of grounded action. This film arrives shortly after Captain America: Brave New World, hopefully delivering a one-two punch of fast-paced political thrillers to kick off Marvel's year. Additionally, we see the return of Julia Louis Dreyfus' meddling Val and a brief glimpse of Geraldine Viswanathan's incoming assistant Mel. And was that Loki's sceptre in a glass case? Given that this is a three-and-a-half-minute teaser, there's relatively little plot revealed—the focus is primarily on introducing the team members. Check them out in poster form here.
Thunderbolts* (seriously, what's with the asterisk?) is directed by Jake Schreier and hits cinemas on 2 May, just a couple of months after Captain America: Brave New World debuts in mid-February. While we wait, we're off to listen to the Pixies' 'Where Is My Mind?' on repeat.
