Marvel releases Thunderbolts trailer starring Florence Pugh; fans ask“Is that Bucky?”, call cast the ‘Dark Avengers’

The first teaser trailer of Marvel's widely anticipated Thunderbolts just dropped, starring Florence Pugh. The movie marks the return of her character Yelena Belova, first seen in Black Widow (2021) alongside a rag-tag bunch of misfits including John Walker played by Wyatt Russell, Ghost played by Hannah John-Kamen and Taskmaster played by Olga Kurylenko. The film also stars David Harbour and Sebastian Stan, with executive producers including Louis D’Esposito, Brian Chapek, Jason Tamez, and Scarlett Johansson.

The premise follows a group of morally ambiguous characters as they face unprecedented threats from a greater villain. Directed by Jake Schreier and produced by Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige, the film is set to hit theatres on May 2, 2025. 

Fandom reviews were mostly positive

Like most Marvel movies, Thunderbolts already has a fandom waiting eagerly for the movie's release. “Now this is how you make a Marvel production!!! 👏” said one. “This film is basically “Underrated Actors: The Movie” genuinely looks so good,” said another fan referring to the spotlight on villainous characters. Many fans were also excited about the fact that the film was set on Earth, instead of Marvel's usual obsession with the multiverse. “Gotta say I’m actually surprised how good this looks. It’s refreshing to see a Marvel movie where they’re more low profile and not doing planet/multiverse ending scenarios for the first time in a long time,” said a happy fan.

Excited about Bucky's reappearance 

While the overall impression of the movie was mostly positive, many reactions were related to Bucky's appearance. The definition of a heartthrob antagonist, Bucky has been spotted in a series of multiverse roles, appearing alongside Falcon in the mini-series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. 

“Bucky went from helping a short friend get into the 2nd World War to this, I love it," said a fan. “All I want is for the winter soldier music to hit when Bucky starts blowing things up,” said another. “I’m seeing this movie solely for my boy Bucky! He’s one of the most underrated actors in this MCU and definitely the most underrated character PERIOD. Been following this guy since 2011,” was another fan's sentiment. Others guess that this would be the birth of the ‘Dark Avengers’ — a group of villains who fight against worse villains, drawing comparisons to DC's Suicide Squad. “Calling it now: There will be an ending reveal of them being called “The Dark Avengers”,” said one. 

Some fans were disappointed 

But like always, there were a few offsetting negative remarks. Marvel has been going through a dry patch over the past few years, with allegedly unnecessary movies that tend to focus on uninteresting characters and exaggerated issues. One voiced this sentiment saying, “I long for the days when Marvel movies didn’t feel like they hired someone from Comedy Central and then gave him unlimited access to changing and “tweaking” the script.”

Overall, the hype surrounding the movie has been mostly positive. Fans are excited to experience a Marvel movie that's set in the real world without aliens or magic, but it is preemptive to predict the plot based only on the first teaser. Are you excited about this anti-hero film?