Official Trailer: ‘Thunderbolts’ (2025)

Video Credit: Walt Disney Pictures/Marvel Entertainment/YouTube

Plot Synopsis

Somewhere in Malaysia, the adopted sister of Natasha Romanaoff, Yelena Belova destroys a laboratory on the orders of Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, CIA director. This is accomplished to conceal her involvement with the O.X.E. Group's "Sentry" superhuman project, as she faces impeachment due to her work with the project.

‘Thunderbolts’ Film Clip: ‘I Don’t Have a Purpose’ | Video Credit: Walt Disney Pictures

de Fontaine then dispatches Yelena, Ava Starr, Taskmaster, and John walker to a secret O.X.E facility under the false pretensions of an official ‘mission’. Once there, the group is pitted against one another and Ava Starr kills Taskmaster before accidentally releasing Bob Reynolds, a mysterious man who emerges from a suspended animation pod. Once they figure out de Fontaine sent them to be destroyed while simultaneously destroying evidence of her misconduct, they escape from her trap.

Later, de Fontaine learns the group survived. She also learns about the reemergence of Bob, who was supposed to be dead sometime during the Sentry Trials. Upon arriving at the site, Bob creates a clever diversion by drawing enemy fire, allowing Yelena, John Walker, and Ava Starr to escape. Bob then loses control, ascends into the air, and crashes back into the compound, upon which he is transported to the Watchtower in New York City, which was formerly the Avengers Tower.

‘Thunderbolts’ Film Clip: ‘Who’s This Old Santa?’ | Video Credit: Walt Disney Pictures

de Fontaine, still actively attempting to avoid impeachment, plans a public relations event where she will present Bob to the public as a ‘super-powered guardian’, similar to the Avengers in order to drum up public support. Unbeknownst to her, however, Alexei Shostakov, a freelance chauffeur, overhears her scheme and manages to save Yelena, John Walker, and Ava Starr from her misgivings. Drawing inspiration from Yelena's youth soccer team, Shostakov names their group the Thunderbolts.

The agents of de Fontaine chases the Thunderbolts, but end up being apprehended by Bucky Barnes, who hopes to secure the Thunderbolts’ testimonies for the impeachment proceedings against Valentina Allegra de Fontaine. He eventually discovers that Bob was once a subject in one of De Fontaine's secret experiments. Upon learning this, Barnes joined the group on their mission to infiltrate the Watchtower. It is there, the Thunderbolts learned De Fontaine had persuaded Bob to become the Sentry, a new superhero intended to replace the Avengers.

The Sentry manages to defeat the Thunderbolts easily, so the team retreats, with the Sentry having developed a god-complex, now with their sights directly on de Fontaine. Mel, de Fontaine’s assistant, uses a kill switch to incapacitate The Sentry. This event then triggers the emergence of the Void, which is Bob’s alter-ego, which is made from his insecurities and anxieties. The Void then envelopes the entirety of New York City in a supernatural darkness, trapping all of its inhabitants in a pocket dimension of their worst memories.

‘Thunderbolts’ Film Clip: ‘Now What? | Video Credit: Walt Disney Pictures

Yelena believes the only way to defeat the Void is to enter it and rip apart Bob's consciousness. Inside, she confronts her past as a Black Widow and discovers Bob, now hiding in a replica of his childhood bedroom, a place where his father abused him. The other Thunderbolts arrive and they follow Bob’s memory of the first time he was experimented on in Malaysia. Bob, a drug addict, sought self-improvement and volunteered for the procedure.

The team attempts to confront the Void but are defeated. The Void attempts to take over Bob entirely, the Thunderbolt’s express their belief in him, offering their support. This convinces Bob he can take control, which vanquishes the Void and restores the city to normalcy.

With the Void defeated, the team attempts to apprehend de Fontaine but she enlists the aid of propaganda by staging a press conference in which she rebrands the Thunderbolts as the New Avengers. The team agrees, but Yelena threatens de Fontaine if she ever betrays them again.

In the post-credits scene, the Thunderbolts, or the New Avengers, now with Bob on the team, discuss Captain America’s lawsuit for trademark infringement and the ongoing issue happening in Outer Space. Suddenly, they receive a distress signal from a spacecraft emblazoned with a large ‘4’ emblem.