Marvel's Thunderbolts: Cast, Release Date, Everything to Know

Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is coming to an end soon, and one of the most talked about titles of Phase 5 is none other than Thunderbolts. It'll be a while before the movie featuring a supervillain team-up hits theaters — as its release is scheduled for 2024 – but the anticipation has been high since Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige announced the film at Marvel's San Diego Comic-Con panel on July 23.

Phase 5 of the MCU will start with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and conclude with Thunderbolts. It will be directed by Paper Towns' Jake Schreier and written by Black Widow's Eric Pearson. The Suicide Squad-esque team-up will feature antiheroes assembling for nefarious purposes at first, but then they gradually become the good guys. At least that's what we assume will happen, because that's what the most famous comics incarnation of the Thunderbolts is known for.

Here's everything we know about Thunderbolts so far, including its star-studded cast and its release date.

Cast

At Disney's D23 Expo on Sept. 10, Marvel announced the lineup for Thunderbolts. Julia Louis-Dreyfus will play Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine. Her character has appeared in Black Widow and The Falcon and the Winter Solider, and was seen recruiting superpowered individuals for an as-yet-unnamed and undescribed organization. 

As many fans have predicted, Florence Pugh will star as Yelena Belova in the film. The Russian operative and adoptive sister of the late Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) first appeared in Black Widow, helping Romanoff take down the nefarious Red Room program. She will be joined by David Harbour who plays Red Guardian, the first Soviet-Russian super soldier. 

Sebastian Stan's Bucky Barnes will also be a part of the team. Bucky has been a key character in the Captain America films, and was a lead in The Falcon and the Winter Solider. Wyatt Russell will also be part of the fun and reprises his role as John Walker. Walker first appeared in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and temporarily held the Captain American moniker after Steve Rogers' (Chris Evans) retirement...until Walker was stripped of the title after he brutally publicly murdered a captured enemy. Cast out of the military and full of rage, Walker was easy pickings for de Fontaine, who recruited him for the group of superpowered rogues she was putting together. She gave him an all-black new suit and a new name — U.S. Agent.

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The Thunderbolts cast is rounded out by Hannah John-Kamen, who plays Ava Starr a.k.a. Ghost. Starr who tangled with Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) in Ant-Man and the Wasp, but she was in a lot of physical and emotional pain that was clouding her judgment. Olga Kurylenko joins the film as The Taskmaster.

Release Date

Thunderbolts releases in theaters on July 26, 2024.