Thunderbolts* is putting together a team of reformed supervillains, but don’t make assumptions about them — as we’ve learned from the first trailers, this is a funny, sweet bunch of outsiders who find an unexpected chosen family.
Sebastian Stan, who is reprising his role as Bucky Barnes and is leading the team, has teased the movie in a recent interview on Variety‘s Awards Circuit Podcast, saying: “It’s a weird group thrown together, and I think people are going to love it”.
The actor has compared the film to teen classic The Breakfast Club, describing it as a “misfit-driven story” with lots of humor and camaraderie. John Hughes’ 1985 movie follows five high school students forced to share Saturday detention together, where they discover that, despite their very different personalities, they have a lot more in common than they thought.
In a recent interview with Deadline, Stan explained a little bit more about that comparison between Thunderbolts* and The Breakfast Club: “It has its own vibe, and it’s funny, and it’s real.” He added that the film can’t be compared “to any previous Marvel movie” because of “the group of characters in this film and these actors”.
That group includes Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, David Harbour as Alexei Shostakov, Olga Kurylenko as Antonia Dreykov, Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, Wyatt Russell as John Walker, and more.
Stan leads the team as Bucky, a character he’s reprising for the first time since Disney Plus series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier in 2021, and for the first time on the big screen since Avengers: Endgame in 2019.
Before Thunderbolts* arrives in cinemas, though, the MCU will be back next month with Captain America: Brave New World, starring Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson (aka the new Captain America) and Harrison Ford as Red Hulk.
Asked about a potential appearance in the upcoming Captain America sequel, Sebastian Stan told Variety: “[Filming] Thunderbolts*, let me tell you, it was a much quieter year for me because I didn’t see Anthony Mackie. So, I’ll say that. Although I miss Anthony Mackie like daily, and it’s something I don’t like to admit.”
Thunderbolts* arrives on the big screen on May 2, 2025, as the final movie in Marvel Phase 5. In the meantime, check out our guide to all the other upcoming Marvel movies and shows still to come.