Thunderbolts guide: review, release date, cast, trailer, plot, and more about the Marvel movie

Thunderbolts* is now out in theaters as it marks the end Marvel Phase 5's big screen adventures. With a new Avengers movie looming on the horizon as well as the hugely anticipated Fantastic Four, it comes at an exciting time in the MCU as well. This is especially the case as we know that all of major players in Thunderbolts* will be coming back for Avengers: Doomsday.

So to get you up to speed on the new release, we've got a complete guide below to everything you need to know about it. This includes when it was released in theaters, who is in the cast, and what we thought about it in our review. And once you're up to speed, give our upcoming Marvel movies rundown a look too, for what else you can look forward to.

Thunderbolts* release date 

Thunderbolts* was released in the UK on May 1, 2025 and in the US on May 2, 2025. It's the last film of Marvel Phase 5, arriving before The Fantastic Four kicks off Marvel Phase 6. Jake Schreier directs.

Thunderbolts* review

While the first reactions to Thunderbolts* were overtly glowing, our Thunderbolts* review was slightly more measured. Reviewer Emily Garbutt gave the movie 3.5 stars, calling it "a refreshing offering from the MCU that takes plenty of big swings and only occasionally misses."

She went on to add: "The movie cares more about the characters and relationships on screen than the franchise at large, and that means we do too."

Thunderbolts* cast 

The Thunderbolts* cast features some major returning faces, and most of them are big-time stars. We have listed all the full and confirmed Thunderbolts* cast for you below:

• Florence Pugh – Yelena Belova
• Sebastian Stan – Bucky Barnes/The Winter Soldier
• David Harbour – Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian
• Wyatt Russell – John Walker/US Agent
• Hannah John-Kamen – Ava Starr/Ghost
• Olga Kurylenko – Antonia Dreykov/Taskmaster
• Lewis Pullman – Bob/Sentry
• Julia Louis-Dreyfus – Valentina Allegra de Fontaine
• Geraldine Viswanathan – Mel

Thunderbolts* trailer 

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There were several Thunderbolts* trailers released before the movie hit the big screen. One of the best was released at the 2025 Super Bowl (you can watch it above). In the clip, Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine tells a courtroom that the Avengers "aren't coming", so it's the Thunderbolts who will have to save the world. There's plenty of ass-kicking action, explosions, and car flips, which gives us an idea of what to expect from the upcoming movie.

Previously, we saw a Thunderbolts* special look trailer (which you can watch below) on November 9, 2024, released during Disney's D23 Brazil event. The teaser is on the longer side, running for over three minutes and 40 seconds, so buckle in if you plan on watching for yourself.

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If you aren't fussed about watching the clip above, though, here's our summary: it shows the team at first coming to blows and then ultimately teaming up together under Valentina's direction – along with newcomer Bob, who may or may not be Sentry. Bucky also seems to be keeping an eye on Valentina, and, at one point, he attacks the Thunderbolts*. Yelena, meanwhile, is searching for purpose. Oh and there is also a car chase featuring some jokes that lasts for about a minute as well.

Then, just a month before its release and following the Avengers casting news, Marvel released a new trailer giving us our best look yet at Sentry, check it out below.

Thunderbolts* plot 

The Thunderbolts* follows a group of misfits searching for purpose. It brings back several anti-heroes of Marvel's past alongside newcomer Lewis Pullman who plays Bob/Sentry. The group are brought together for Valentina to face against "worse guys" than them in the new team-up.

We won't get into more spoiler territory than that here, but if you want to deep dive into third act reveals, check out our guides to the Thunderbolts* ending explained, the meaning of the Thunderbolts* asterisk, and our break down of the Thunderbolts* post-credits scene.

That's a wrap on Thunderbolts*. For more, see our guides on watching the Marvel movies in order and the Marvel timeline.