Thunderbolts are here to save the MCU… Or are they? (trailer)
If there’s one thing the MCU has proven, it’s that we’ve definitely never seen enough super-soldiers, rogue CIA operatives, and enhanced assassins on screen, right? Enter Thunderbolts—the answer to the question no one was really asking: “What if we take the most questionable ‘heroes’ Marvel has ever cooked up and force them to play nice together?”
Yes, dear reader, the MCU’s answer to a chaotic family reunion is set to hit the big screen on May 2, 2025, with its final Phase Five film, Thunderbolts (asterisk included—more on that later). After multiple release dates that resembled more of a bingo card than a schedule (July 2024? December? No, wait, it’s July 2025… nope, May 2025!), Marvel’s merry band of antiheroes are finally gearing up to bicker, brood, and possibly save the day. Or at least make it through lunch without starting a fistfight.
A Group of Antiheroes Walk into a Mission…
In Thunderbolts, we have a collection of characters who—much like that dodgy spare key to your flat—might work when you really need them, but probably won’t. Led by the Winter Soldier himself, Bucky Barnes (played by Sebastian Stan), who’s apparently upgraded his role from “brainwashed assassin” to “babysitter for the morally grey,” this ragtag team includes a Russian super-soldier, a ghost who can phase through walls, a wannabe Captain America with questionable decision-making skills, and, of course, the Contessa herself, played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus—no doubt bringing the same comedic energy she uses to make government takeovers fun again.
David Harbour’s Alexei Shostakov (the Red Guardian) returns to continue his father-daughter therapy sessions with Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova. It’s like Black Widow 2.0 but with fewer family picnics and more awkward standoffs. And somewhere amidst all this, Olga Kurylenko’s Taskmaster is trying to mimic fighting styles while pondering whether she should have joined the Avengers instead.
And then there’s that looming asterisk in the film’s title, the mystery of which has Marvel fans in a frenzy. Is it an inside joke? A glitch in the Matrix? Or is Marvel just trolling us at this point? Feige, of course, is playing it cool, saying we’ll have to wait until after the film’s release to uncover the truth. Until then, we can only speculate: does the asterisk denote the number of films left in the MCU before Kevin Feige finally takes a holiday? Or is it a subtle nod to how this film’s plot might leave us all scratching our heads?
Filming Under the Alias “Oops All Berries”
One thing’s for sure—Marvel never does anything by halves. The film’s working title was, wait for it, “Oops All Berries”—a deep-cut reference to a variation of the Cap’n Crunch cereal. Is this a metaphor for the film’s tone? A collection of colourful, sugary bites of action mixed with occasional bitterness? Only time (and perhaps a large box of cereal) will tell.
Real Stunts and Less CGI?
In a move that seems almost revolutionary in today’s CGI-saturated era, Thunderbolts is reportedly focusing on “the human story” (because nothing says human like a phasing super-spy and a guy with a metal arm) and relying on real stunts instead of CGI for most of the action sequences. Julia Louis-Dreyfus has hinted at Marvel “going back to its roots” with this film. Does this mean we can expect car chases that don’t involve spaceships, and actual punch-ups instead of battles between pixels? We’re cautiously optimistic. Or maybe Marvel’s stunt budget just couldn’t keep up with their CGI bills.
Countdown to Chaos
As we inch closer to the May 2025 release, one thing is certain: Thunderbolts will either be the underdog team-up we didn’t know we needed, or it’ll make us appreciate the Avengers all the more. But for now, all we can do is sit back, rewatch the trailer (and rewatch Stranger Things—because apparently David Harbour had time to shoot both), and speculate wildly about what that little asterisk actually means.
May 2025, here we come. With popcorn in hand and fingers crossed. After all, if the MCU has taught us anything, it’s that the true superpower is patience.
