A depressed assassin, a disgraced super-soldier, and a group of the MCU's most volatile misfits are forced to team up under the direction of the calculating Valentina Allegra de Fontaine. Yelena Belova, Bucky Barnes, Red Guardian, and others are sent on a covert mission that appears to be a death sentence, only to realize they are facing a threat far more unstable than they are: a mysterious and powerful man named Bob.
Information |
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Language |
English |
Country |
United States |
Premiere date |
May 2, 2025 |
Running time |
TBD minutes |
Genre |
Action Adventure Sci-Fi |
Budget |
$200,000,000 |
Box Office |
TBD |
Crew |
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Directed by |
Jake Schreier |
Produced by |
Kevin Feige |
Written by |
Eric Pearson Lee Sung Jin Joanna Calo |
Music by |
TBD |
Cinematography |
Andrew Droz Palermo |
Edited by |
Harry Yoon Angela M. Catanzaro |
Production Co. |
Marvel Studios |
Distributed by |
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures |
Top Cast |
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Official Trailer |
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The Plot
The Cleaner and The Politician
Still grappling with a profound sense of loss and depression following the absence of her sister, Yelena Belova continues to operate as a high-level enforcer for Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, the chairwoman of O.X.E. seeking to reshape the global intelligence landscape. In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Belova successfully infiltrates an O.X.E. research facility. moving with lethal precision to eliminate all traces linking de Fontaine to the company's illicit and experimental "Sentry" project. Once the job is done and the loose ends are tied, she immediately requests her next assignment.
Meanwhile, back in the United States, the political heat rises. The U.S. Congress, spearheaded by the newly appointed Congressman Bucky Barnes, moves to impeach de Fontaine from her powerful position within the CIA. Facing intense scrutiny, de Fontaine steadfastly denies any involvement in O.X.E.'s attempts to artificially create superhumans. She insists that her sole objective is to safeguard a world that has been left bereft of the Avengers, painting her actions as necessary patriotism while secretly ordering her subordinates to purge any remaining evidence of her operations.
West Chesapeake Valley Thunderbolts
In Washington, D.C., Belova pays a visit to Alexei Shostakov. The former Red Guardian is now running a limousine business, though he openly pines for the glory days and wishes he were working for de Fontaine alongside Belova. Weighed down by her moral conflict, Belova contemplates severing ties with de Fontaine and asks Shostakov where the point of it all lies. When she questions if he feels fulfilled in his civilian life, Shostakov admits that his happiest days were spent serving as the Red Guardian, advising Belova to find purpose by following in her sister’s footsteps.
Before departing, Belova takes a moment of quiet reflection, gazing at an old photograph of herself smiling with her childhood soccer team, the "West Chesapeake Valley Thunderbolts." Seeking something more meaningful than clandestine assassinations, she contacts de Fontaine and requests a more public assignment before accepting her next mission.
The Vault Ambush
Belova travels to the O.X.E. Vault in Utah with orders to stop a rogue operative from stealing valuable assets. Upon breaching the facility, she discovers the rogue is Ghost (Ava Starr). The confrontation is quickly interrupted by the arrival of John Walker (U.S. Agent), whose own mission is to eliminate Belova. The chaos escalates further when Taskmaster intervenes, having been assigned to take out U.S. Agent. The skirmish turns deadly when Ghost kills Taskmaster. Amidst the violence, a disoriented and amnesiac man simply known as "Bob" attempts to flee the facility but fails to escape through the sealed doors.
Simultaneously, de Fontaine hosts a lavish event in honor of the first responders from the Battle of New York, using the gala as a shield against her political enemies. Unmoved by the spectacle, Bucky Barnes attempts to establish a backchannel contact with de Fontaine's assistant, Mel Gold, hoping to turn her into a collaborator for the impeachment proceedings.
Trapped in the Void
The operatives inside the Utah vault soon realize they have been set up; de Fontaine intended to trap them all inside and incinerate the facility to erase all evidence of her projects. As the incinerators roar to life, the group narrowly escapes the flames. During a mid-fall rescue, Belova touches Bob's hand and is instantly hit with a harrowing vision of her assassination of Anya for the Red Room. Elsewhere, in his limo, Shostakov receives intelligence regarding de Fontaine's plan to travel to the vault with a strike team to finish off Belova and the survivors.
Tensions rise among the survivors. Growing suspicious of the confused man in their midst, U.S. Agent confronts Bob about how he gained access to a secure vault. Belova steps in to diffuse the situation. Bob, struggling with overwhelming feelings of unworthiness, urges Belova to leave him behind to die. In a moment of vulnerability, she confides in him that she suppresses her own darkness in what he describes as a "void." As this unfolds, de Fontaine and Mel Gold identify "Bob" as Robert Reynolds, the sole surviving test subject of Project Sentry. The group manages to breach the surface, exiting the vault.
The Sentry Revealed
Outside the vault, Belova's plan unravels as de Fontaine's strike team closes in. During the ensuing clash with O.X.E. forces, Belova, U.S. Agent, and Reynolds don disguises and attempt to escape in a vehicle secured by Ghost. When a soldier questions them, Reynolds creates a diversion by leaping from the vehicle with a rifle. The O.X.E. soldiers open fire, and de Fontaine fails to call them off in time.
Reynolds survives the barrage, revealing his dormant power as he soars into the air. However, the exertion causes him to pass out, and he slams back into the ground, the impact sending the escape vehicle hurtling off a cliff. The group miraculously survives the crash. In the aftermath, Belova shares the classified Project Sentry documents she recovered from the vault with U.S. Agent and Ghost, exposing the truth of their creator.
The Winter Soldier Hunts
As the group plans to go underground to hide from de Fontaine, they are rescued by Red Guardian in his limo, who had rushed cross-country to save Belova. U.S. Agent sarcastically dubs their dysfunctional unit the "Thunderbolts" after Belova shares the story of her soccer team. Their escape is short-lived; the Winter Soldier, having tracked Mel Gold’s phone data, intercepts them. He disables their convoy and detains the Thunderbolts, intending to use their testimony to destroy de Fontaine legally.
Meanwhile, O.X.E. forces capture Reynolds and transport him to the Watchtower—formerly Avengers Tower—where de Fontaine begins an interrogation. When she touches his hand, she is assaulted by a vision of her father's death. Rattled by the psychic backlash, she exits and instructs Gold to develop a kill switch and prepare a media rollout for Reynolds. Gold voices deep concern over Reynolds' mental instability, but de Fontaine sees only a weapon. Learning of the existential threat Reynolds poses from Gold and the detained team, the Winter Soldier recruits the Thunderbolts to stop de Fontaine and save Reynolds.
Battle at the Watchtower
De Fontaine successfully manipulates Reynolds, twisting his confusion into a desire to be a hero, and dubs him "Sentry." The Thunderbolts arrive in New York City and assault the Watchtower to confront her. In response, she unveils Sentry to the public as "Earth's mightiest hero," planning for him to neutralize the group on live television, framing them as criminals to clear her own name. The Thunderbolts' attacks prove useless against Sentry's invulnerability, forcing them to retreat.
However, de Fontaine's control slips. As Sentry begins to believe in his own superiority, he refuses her orders to kill the team. When he turns on her, attacking de Fontaine, Mel Gold activates the kill switch. Sentry drops to the floor, lifeless. Moments later, the kill switch backfires catastrophically; Sentry reawakens not as a hero, but consumed by his darker half, the Void.
Into the Darkness
A distressed Belova notes the team's incompetence and the group fractures, departing in different directions. Red Guardian follows Belova, who vents her regrets and deteriorating mental health. Shostakov reminds her of her true role on the soccer team: not just to play, but to give others someone to rely on when they make mistakes. Belova finds comfort in his wisdom, but their reconciliation is interrupted as the Void begins to engulf New York City in obsidian shadows.
The other Thunderbolts return to the fray, focusing on rescuing civilians from the spreading carnage. Realizing that physical force cannot defeat the entity, Belova makes a fateful decision to willingly step into the Void.
The Nicest Room
Inside the Void, Belova is forced to confront her haunting childhood memories and her struggles with alcoholism. The rest of the team hesitates to follow until U.S. Agent recalls experiencing a similar illusion in the vault, realizing it is a psychic construct. They enter the darkness to support her. Belova finds herself within a mental projection of Reynolds' childhood bedroom—what the Void calls the "nicest room." She speaks to Reynolds about his childhood abuse, encouraging him to confront his pain just as she has.
To escape the entity's grip, Reynolds transports them to the "worst room," a manifestation of the O.X.E. research facility. There, the Void manifests as a dark reflection, taunting Reynolds and calling him worthless. Reynolds violently battles his darker self and allows it to consume him, but the Thunderbolts manage to reach him within the darkness, reassuring him of his worth. bolstered by their support, Reynolds fights back for control.
The New Avengers
Reynolds regains control, reversing the Void's effects on New York City and restoring the skyline, though he retains no memory of the event. The Thunderbolts, now united, approach de Fontaine to finally take her down. However, they are blindsided when they find themselves at a hastily organized press conference. Scrambling to save her career and avoid prison, de Fontaine spins the narrative, claiming the Thunderbolts were her "secret project" designed to protect the United States, publicly rebranding them as the "New Avengers."
Outmaneuvered but holding the cards, Belova whispers to de Fontaine that she now lies under their control. Reynolds is benched to prevent unleashing the Void again, while the rest of the "New Avengers" accept their new status. They go on to be featured on Wheaties cereal boxes, which Shostakov eagerly attempts to market to the public.
Epilogue
Fourteen months later, the team navigates their new reality amid an ongoing space crisis. The New Avengers debate a lawsuit filed by Sam Wilson regarding their unauthorized use of the "Avengers" trademark. Shostakov creates a workaround, proposing they change their name to the "New Avengerz." Their debate is cut short when the team receives a high-priority alert from space: an incoming extra-dimensional spacecraft bearing a distinct "4" insignia is approaching Earth.
