In Thunderbolts*, the line between hero and villain blurs — and Marvel’s most morally grey misfits step into the light... or what’s left of it. Touted as the MCU’s answer to an Avengers team draped in darker hues, Thunderbolts* is more than just a gathering of antiheroes — it’s a reckoning.

First unveiled in July 2022, Thunderbolts* emerged from the darker corners of the Marvel Universe with Beef's Jake Schreier in the director’s chair and Thor: Ragnarok and Black Widow scribe Eric Pearson originally penning the script — until the reins were handed to Beef's Lee Sung Jin, promising a sharper, edgier rewrite.

Then came D23. The curtains parted. Kevin Feige himself stood before the crowd and revealed a lineup of familiar faces — the kind who’d once stood on the edge of redemption, or perhaps never wanted it. Villains. Ex-operatives. Ghosts of past missions. It wasn’t just a cast reveal. It was a warning shot.

Sebastian Stan is James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes.

Once a brother in arms. Then a ghost. Now — something else entirely.

He first marched into the MCU in Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), not as a legend, but as Steve Rogers’ loyal friend, the brave, cocky heart of the Howling Commandos. But war has a cruel appetite. Bucky fell — or so we thought.

What rose in his place wasn’t a man. It was the Winter Soldier.
Mind-wiped. Reprogrammed. Turned into Hydra’s most silent, precise weapon.
But even broken minds remember who they are.

Through blood and frostbite, guilt and redemption, Bucky found his way back — piece by painful piece. Captain America: Civil War cracked the ice. Wakanda gave him peace. They called him the White Wolf, and for a moment, he could finally breathe again.

But Bucky Barnes never really got to rest.

The Man Behind the Shadow

Real Name: James "Bucky" Barnes
Aliases: The Winter Soldier, White Wolf
Abilities:
– Vibranium Arm
– Enhanced Strength, Speed, Agility, Stamina
– Regenerative Healing
– Reflexes that belong to a predator
– A past that never sleeps

MCU Appearance:

• Captain America: The First Avenger

• The Winter Soldier

• Civil War

• Infinity War

• Endgame

• The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

• Captain America: Brave New World

• Thunderbolts* (Upcoming)

Now, in Thunderbolts*, he’s back on the board — older, harder, still healing. But the man who once fought beside a symbol now walks among the shadows.

In the teaser, he’s tracking others like him — Yelena. Alexei. U.S. Agent. But is he leading them… or hunting them?

The hair’s longer again, falling like a curtain over a haunted face — a nod to the Winter Soldier days, sure. But he’s not that man anymore. Or at least, not just that man.

This isn’t Bucky’s redemption story anymore.
This is Bucky choosing who he wants to be — in a world that still doesn’t know what to do with men like him.

Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova.

Alias: Black Widow
Last Seen: Hawkeye

Florence Pugh burst into the MCU as Yelena Belova — not just a successor, but a soul cut from the same cloth as Natasha Romanoff. Raised in the Red Room, trained to kill, and molded into a weapon, Yelena's story began in the shadows of control but quickly lit up the screen with raw wit, brutal skill, and sisterly devotion.

After dismantling the Red Room and setting her fellow Widows free in Black Widow, Yelena emerged as a woman with purpose — but also grief. Her path crossed with Clint Barton in Hawkeye, manipulated into believing he was responsible for Natasha’s death. But truth won out. And so did heart.

Key Facts About Yelena

Real Name
Yelena Belova

Alter-Ego
Black Widow

Known Abilities
Master Martial Artist, Elite Assassin, Tactical Expert

MCU Appearances
Black Widow, Hawkeye

Yelena steps into Thunderbolts** as a leading force, engaging in kinetic, razor-sharp fights and rekindling her bond with Alexei. She collides with US Agent, Ghost, and Taskmaster as all of them slowly begin to understand — they’ve been summoned for something far bigger than themselves.

Sharp. Fast. Ferocious.
Yelena isn’t just filling Natasha’s shoes.
She’s kicking down doors in her own.

Wyatt Russell as John Walker.

Alias: U.S. Agent
Last Seen: The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

Wyatt Russell’s John Walker was built to carry the legacy of Captain America — but cracked under the pressure of its weight. Given the shield, the title, and the impossible expectation of living up to Steve Rogers, Walker spiraled into a darker mirror of the American ideal.

Fueled by the serum and consumed by rage, he crossed a line the world couldn’t ignore. But disgrace didn’t mean the end. Valentina saw something else — potential. In The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, she offered him a new path. A new name. A new mission.

Key Facts About U.S. Agent

Real Name
John Walker

Alter-Ego
U.S. Agent, Former Captain America

Known Abilities
Enhanced Strength, Durability, Speed, Reflexes; Trained Combatant

MCU Appearances
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

In *Thunderbolts***, Walker resurfaces, older and grittier. A beard hides the scars, and a child by his side hints at something lost or something left behind. His suit is worn, his purpose unclear — but his drive is still blazing.

He isn’t trying to be a hero anymore.
He’s trying to survive being who he’s become.

David Harbour is Alexei Shostakov.

Alias: Red Guardian
Last Seen: Black Widow

David Harbour brought big bruiser energy and broken-dad charm to Alexei Shostakov — Russia’s one and only super soldier. In his prime, Red Guardian was meant to rival Captain America. In reality, he ended up forgotten, out of shape, and locked away — until his daughters broke him out.

In Black Widow, Alexei was all faded pride and comedic bravado, but his love for Natasha and Yelena was real. A former hero. A former pawn. And a man desperate to matter again.

Key Facts About Red Guardian

Real Name
Alexei Shostakov

Alter-Ego
Red Guardian

Known Abilities
Super Soldier Physiology: Enhanced Strength, Durability, Agility, Stamina

MCU Appearances
Black Widow

In *Thunderbolts***, he’s heavier, hairier, and hiding in a cluttered home — the glory days even further behind him. Yelena’s arrival drags him back into the fire, and there’s no sign of Melina. Red Guardian is back in the fight, but this time, it’s personal.

Old soldier. New mess.
Still willing to throw a punch for the ones he calls family.

Hannah John-Kamen is Ava Starr.

Alias: Ghost
Last Seen: Ant-Man and the Wasp

Hannah John-Kamen delivered a tormented, otherworldly performance as Ava Starr — a living glitch caught between dimensions. After a childhood accident left her molecules in flux, Ava was turned into Ghost by SHIELD’s desperation and indifference. Her pain made her dangerous. Her desperation made her a threat.

In Ant-Man and the Wasp, she fought to survive. Nothing more. And then — she vanished.

Key Facts About Ghost

Real Name
Ava Starr

Alter-Ego
Ghost

Known Abilities
Quantum Instability; Intangibility, Invisibility, Enhanced Strength & Reflexes

MCU Appearances
Ant-Man and the Wasp

Now, Ghost returns in Thunderbolts** — streamlined, focused, and visibly more in control. Her suit hums with refined energy. Her presence is quieter but deadlier. Whatever happened between then and now, one thing’s clear: Ghost didn’t stop fighting.

A weapon made by science, a soul left unanchored.
Ghost is here to haunt the world that created her.

Olga Kurylenko as Antonia Dreykov, A.K.A. Taskmaster

Last Seen: Black Widow

Antonia Dreykov isn’t a name many shouted—because for most of her life, she wasn’t allowed to speak. First seen in Black Widow, she is the haunted shadow of General Dreykov’s cruelty, a daughter turned into a weapon, her free will overwritten by a neural chip. But that silence was shattered in the film’s climax, as she was finally freed from the Red Room’s grip.

Key Facts About Taskmaster

• Real Name
  Antonia Dreykov

• Alter-Ego
  Taskmaster

• Known Superpowers
  Enhanced Strength, Photographic Reflexes (can replicate opponents’ fighting styles with uncanny precision)

• MCU Appearances
  Black Widow

Now, in Thunderbolts, she returns—older, scarred, and possibly forging her own path for the first time. Her suit has changed, more tactical and personal, suggesting this isn’t Dreykov’s soldier anymore. The teaser shows her quiet, observant—still deadly. But is she a follower again… or a leader in disguise?

Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine

Last Seen: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine—“Just call me Val, but don’t”—was a whisper of disruption when she first emerged in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Her moves were subtle, manipulative, and threaded with authority. By Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, she wasn’t just pulling strings. She was holding the whole damn spool—as Director of the CIA.

Key Facts About Val

• Real Name
  Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine

• Alter-Ego
  Val

• Known Superpowers
  Expert Tactician

• MCU Appearances
  The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Black Widow, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

In Thunderbolts, she’s right where she wants to be: surrounded by chaos of her own design. The teaser places her near Loki’s scepter in a sleek gala, and later inside what looks like Avengers Tower—hinting her agency may have claimed it. But what’s her goal? A safeguard? Or something more sinister?

Lewis Pullman as Bob, A.K.A. Sentry

First Appearance: Thunderbolts

He’s quiet in the trailer. Ripped hospital gown. Hollow eyes. Bullet holes in his clothes—but not a scratch on his body. They call him “Bob”… but fans know. That’s Robert Reynolds. That’s the Sentry.

Key Facts About Bob

• Real Name
  Robert "Bob" Reynolds

• Alter-Ego
  Sentry

• Known Superpowers
  Superhuman Strength, Speed, Intelligence, Invulnerability, Flight, Enhanced Senses

• MCU Appearances
  Debuting in Thunderbolts

Rumors circled after Lewis Pullman replaced Steven Yeun, and at SDCC 2024, it all but confirmed: this is Sentry. The man with the power of a million exploding suns—and the mind of a fractured soul. His presence raises the stakes of Thunderbolts exponentially. Because Sentry doesn’t just bring light. He brings his shadow, too.

Harrison Ford as President Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross

Last Seen: Black Widow (portrayed by William Hurt)

He’s been many things—General, Secretary of State. And now, under the stern, stoic glare of Harrison Ford: President. Kevin Feige confirmed it—Ross now sits in the Oval Office in Captain America: Brave New World and will continue that legacy in Thunderbolts.

Key Facts About Thaddeus Ross

• Real Name
  Thaddeus E. "Thunderbolt" Ross

• Alter-Ego
  Red Hulk (potential future form)

• Known Superpowers
  None (Yet—though Red Hulk is confirmed for Brave New World)

• MCU Appearances
  The Incredible Hulk, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, Black Widow, Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts (Upcoming)

Ross’s vision has always been clear: power must be controlled. If the Avengers can’t be tamed, they must be replaced. Whether as President or as the raging Red Hulk, Ross is the man behind the curtain—and Thunderbolts might just be his attempt to replace gods with loyal weapons.

A scarred super-soldier, a weaponized widow, a ghost out of phase with the world, a mimic learning who she is, a golden god with a shattered mind, and a president who’s had enough of waiting on heroes to save the day. Pulled together by a woman who knows secrets the rest of the world hasn’t even dreamed of.

This isn’t the Avengers. This is the aftermath. The consequence.
A thunderstorm with names.

And as this volatile crew steps onto the board, the question echoes louder than any explosion:
Who really holds the leash—and who’s about to break it?