Decoding Thunderbolts Teaser Trailer and the Mysterious Asterisk

Just a gentle reminder: Marvel and DC Comics are separate verses, you know that, right? And yes, this year has brought so much vigor to both that we cannot wait for our favorite heroes to break the screens one after the other. 

After the skyrocketing hype of the Superman trailer and the release of Captain America, the next big thing is Thunderbolts*. Thunderbolts* teaser trailer has stirred some conversation due to its mysterious asterisk. 

Breakdown of Thunderbolts teaser trailer

It is clearly an amalgamation of misfit anti-heroes- no big shot is here to rescue a damsel in distress. Sorry to burst your bubble, but yes, that’s true. 

They are forced to work together by the American government and that is where the real fun begins. They are assigned a perilous mission by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine along with a chance of redemption if they work together. Here is the latest trailer of Thunderbolts*:

The trailer unveils little about the plot but gives a clear glimpse of what’s in store for us. The fun and intensity of the story are explicit while still keeping the intrigue factor high for the viewers. 

YouTube comments section showed fans loved the way the trailer brought a difference by crediting not only the director but also the entire crew. Some of the top hits were cited in the trailer, clearly aimed to ignite the hype. 

The feature is directed by Jake Schreier, scribed by Eric Pearson, Lee Sung Jin, and Joanna Calo, and produced by Kevin Feige. 

Insights from Florence Pugh and the director

As per AV Club, Florence Pugh, the Midsommar star, told Empire that Thunderbolts* is “absolute cinema” and has a “badass indie” feel with a tint of “A24 feeling assassin movie”, all filled with Marvel superheroes. 

Pugh reprises her role as Widow-trained assassin Yelena Belova, also seen in Black Widow and Hawkeye. She is considered an indie queen and therefore, likes to focus her skills on strong non-IP projects. 

In the same interview, the director disclosed that Marvel wanted him to make “something different”. As he was also the director of most of the episodes of Beef, he stayed true to a “certain amount of Beef tone” in this movie as well.

However, there is “emotional darkness” which seemed inevitably coming from a superhero-powered film demonstrating an intersection with the feel of assassins.  

What is the significance of the asterisk? The secret of Thunderbolts* asterisk revealed 

Fans have been trying to figure out what the asterisk means in Thunderbolts* name. The poster solved the mystery. 

A new poster is shared online showing all the characters of Thunderbolts* in each of the bars of the asterisk with a tagline, “Not Super. Not Heroes. Not Giving Up.”

The bottom of the poster has another clever piece of information. It says, “The Avengers are not available.” 

Despite these three Marvel movies releasing this year, Thunderbolts* is not in the domain of “Earth’s Heroes” like Captain America or Fantastic Four; the other two movies in the release pipeline. 

The poster does clarify the fact that the Avengers are not here to save the day this time; rather the imperfect six soldiers will take charge now.

Feige explicated that the asterisk would start making better sense once the film is released. It is there for a special reason. We’ll all be up for it!

Cast of Thunderbolts*

The cast ensemble includes former villains and anti-heroes:

• Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova
• Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes
• David Harbour as Alexei Shostakov (Red Guardian)
• Wyatt Russell as John Walker (U.S. Agent)
• Olga Kurylenko as Antonia Dreykov (Taskmaster)
• Lewis Pullman as Bob (Sentry)
• Geraldine Viswanathan as Mel
• Hannah John-Kamen as Ava Starr (Ghost)
• Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine
• Chris Bauer (to be announced)
• Wendell Edward Pierce as a political figure (to be announced)
• Laurence Fishburne (to be announced)
• Rachel Weisz (to be announced)
• Harrison Ford (to be announced)

The movie has some serious stunts, without CGI

According to Deadline, Sebastian Stan, Thunderbolts* star, revealed that he was excited to work with Florence Pugh, David Harbour, Wyatt Russell, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus as they are all unique and funny in their own way. He knew they would bring together the much-needed energy into the film.

He further explained that Marvel wanted the flick to be as real as possible. For that, 

“We did actual real stunts, like when you’re watching a truck blow up, it’s a truck blown up. It’s not CGI.”

He confessed that the audience of today has become smarter and if the movie is about anti-heroes, it would not show perfection in their action. It should be more real and that is why Marvel knew they had to bring the essence by doing things “practically”. 

Unlike Hulk, Iron Man, Thor, or Doctor Strange who needed special effects to bring their powers to life, Thunderbolts* characters are real-life spies and soldiers who need real action, even if they are ‘misfits’. 

Director told Thunderbolts* takes inspiration from Toy Story 3

In another interview with Empire, Schreier told that the film did not specifically originate with a genre- it was merely a concept. How?

He explained, “I had Toy Story 3 in there. It wasn’t focused on a genre as much as dynamics among characters…Can they get out of the trash together?”

He was of the view that Thunderbolts* is about the characters who have gone through plenty of bad stuff individually. Mental health and loneliness are some of the struggles they are still engaged in. So the darkness is predestined. 

Still, there’s hope. In the chaos, the characters are expected to find a friend, as was seen in Toy Story. 

Something about Sentry’s suit

The primary antagonist, Bob aka Sentry’s suit is revealed. Screen Rant dissected that blue and gold costume is almost the same as comics. There’s an ‘S’ in his belt causing an unintentional comparison with Superman. But Marvel wanted to impose his comic book-accurate look with this suit. 

When is Thunderbolts* releasing?

Thunderbolts* is the final movie in Marvel’s Phase 5 and is slated to release on May 2, 2025, in theatres worldwide. 

Have you seen the Thunderbolts* teaser trailer? Which character are you most excited about?