Marvel’s Thunderbolts* rumbles into Hall H with first footage

Thunderbolts*

There were other panels besides the big Robert Downey Jr. returning to the MCU reveal during this year’s San Diego Comic-Con. Marvel Studios gave fans an exciting first look at their upcoming film Thunderbolts*.

This new addition to the MCU brings together a unique team of characters, many of whom are returning from previous Marvel movies.

Thunderbolts* reunites Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova and David Harbour’s Red Guardian from Black Widow. They are joined by an ensemble cast including Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Wyatt Russell, Sebastian Stan, Hannah John-Kamen, and Olga Kurylenko. Newcomer Geraldine Viswanathan also joins the team, stepping in for Ayo Edebiri, who had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts caused by the Hollywood strikes.

For those unfamiliar, the Thunderbolts* are similar to DC’s Suicide Squad—a group of villains recruited to carry out dangerous missions for the government.

Ahead of the footage reveal, Harbour, Pugh, Russell, Stan, and Louis-Dreyfus appeared on the Hall H stage, with Harbour dressed in his Red Guardian costume. In a humorous moment, Harbour pretended to be annoyed that his co-stars hadn’t received his email about dressing up.

Harbour expressed his excitement about working with Pugh again, calling it one of the greatest experiences of his life. Pugh described the film as “wonderful, bizarre, and very brave.” Watch below:



The exclusive footage shown at Comic-Con, set to the Pixies’ Where Is My Mind, starts with Yelena arriving at an isolated house at night. Red Guardian, who lives there, scrambles to get ready and lets her in.

She’s there to recruit him for a mission. The scene then shifts to Yelena entering a facility that looks like The Raft from Captain America: Civil War. She is attacked by Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen) and U.S. Agent (Wyatt Russell) but is interrupted by a character named Bob, played by Lewis Pullman.

The footage reveals through a montage that the team members are being targeted for assassination, which forces them to work together. One highlight is Yelena engaging in a hallway fight, taking down several attackers before ruthlessly shooting them. The montage also provides glimpses of the rest of the main cast in action.

“Eventually you start to realize there are bad guys. And worse guys,” Yelena says in voiceover.

The film’s title features an asterisk—Thunderbolts*—but Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige teased, “You’ll have to see the movie” to understand its significance.

Originally scheduled for release this month, Thunderbolts* was delayed due to the strikes. Directed by Jake Schreier, the film is now set to hit theaters on July 25, 2025.


This article was brought to you free. The independent team who brought it to you is not. Please support Reel 360 News and Reel Chicago by donating here.


The Geek is a working screenwriter, director and screenwriting instructor.

Thunderbolts*

There were other panels besides the big Robert Downey Jr. returning to the MCU reveal during this year’s San Diego Comic-Con. Marvel Studios gave fans an exciting first look at their upcoming film Thunderbolts*.

This new addition to the MCU brings together a unique team of characters, many of whom are returning from previous Marvel movies.

Thunderbolts* reunites Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova and David Harbour’s Red Guardian from Black Widow. They are joined by an ensemble cast including Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Wyatt Russell, Sebastian Stan, Hannah John-Kamen, and Olga Kurylenko. Newcomer Geraldine Viswanathan also joins the team, stepping in for Ayo Edebiri, who had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts caused by the Hollywood strikes.

For those unfamiliar, the Thunderbolts* are similar to DC’s Suicide Squad—a group of villains recruited to carry out dangerous missions for the government.

Ahead of the footage reveal, Harbour, Pugh, Russell, Stan, and Louis-Dreyfus appeared on the Hall H stage, with Harbour dressed in his Red Guardian costume. In a humorous moment, Harbour pretended to be annoyed that his co-stars hadn’t received his email about dressing up.

Harbour expressed his excitement about working with Pugh again, calling it one of the greatest experiences of his life. Pugh described the film as “wonderful, bizarre, and very brave.” Watch below:



The exclusive footage shown at Comic-Con, set to the Pixies’ Where Is My Mind, starts with Yelena arriving at an isolated house at night. Red Guardian, who lives there, scrambles to get ready and lets her in.

She’s there to recruit him for a mission. The scene then shifts to Yelena entering a facility that looks like The Raft from Captain America: Civil War. She is attacked by Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen) and U.S. Agent (Wyatt Russell) but is interrupted by a character named Bob, played by Lewis Pullman.

The footage reveals through a montage that the team members are being targeted for assassination, which forces them to work together. One highlight is Yelena engaging in a hallway fight, taking down several attackers before ruthlessly shooting them. The montage also provides glimpses of the rest of the main cast in action.

“Eventually you start to realize there are bad guys. And worse guys,” Yelena says in voiceover.

The film’s title features an asterisk—Thunderbolts*—but Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige teased, “You’ll have to see the movie” to understand its significance.

Originally scheduled for release this month, Thunderbolts* was delayed due to the strikes. Directed by Jake Schreier, the film is now set to hit theaters on July 25, 2025.


This article was brought to you free. The independent team who brought it to you is not. Please support Reel 360 News and Reel Chicago by donating here.


The Geek is a working screenwriter, director and screenwriting instructor.