Full Plot Breakdown of Marvel’s Thunderbolts* and and Post-Credits Scenes Explained

(Note: This article contains major spoilers for Marvel’s Thunderbolts*.)

Following the London premiere of Marvel’s Thunderbolts*, the full plot details and post-credits have been leaked online. The film will be introducing the “New Avengers.”

The film begins with Yelena Belova on a mission to destroy a lab connected to Valentina. After completing her mission, she visits Alexei (Red Guardian) and confides in him that she’s sinking into a deep depression and doesn’t know what to do with her life. Meanwhile, Valentina is on trial by the U.S. government, which is trying to expose her illegal human experimentation activities.

Bucky is now a U.S. congressman and is secretly investigating Valentina. Yelena is given one final mission by Valentina, which sends her to a secret base to eliminate a target—Ava Starr (Ghost). When Yelena arrives, she encounters two other assassins: Taskmaster and John Walker (U.S. Agent), who were also sent by Valentina. It’s revealed she planned to have them all killed to cover up her crimes.

Congress is working to impeach Valentina for corruption, and Bucky is aiding in the investigation. Ghost kills Taskmaster early on with a headshot. It becomes clear that the entire team was sent to be eliminated by Valentina. Everyone who touches Bob (Sentry) experiences dark visions of their past due to the Void that lives inside him. Valentina manipulates Bob to bring him to her side. Bucky and the Thunderbolts unite to stop Valentina. In a surreal moment, the team enters the Void to help save Bob. When they confront Valentina, she tricks them by introducing them at a press conference as the New Avengers—and, surprisingly, they accept the title.

Thunderbolts* Post-Credit Scenes:

Scene 1:

Red Guardian poses next to a cereal box featuring the “New Avengers.”

Scene 2 (14 months later):

Sam Wilson is suing the team over the use of the “Avengers” name. Yelena mentions strange space anomalies, and the team is alerted about an incoming object—revealed to be the Fantastic Four’s rocket entering Earth 616’s atmosphere.

Directed by Jake Schreier and stars Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier, Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, Wyatt Russell as John Walker/U.S. Agent, Olga Kurylenko as Antonia Dreykov/Taskmaster, David Harbour as Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian, Hannah John-Kamen as Ava Starr/Ghost, Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, Lewis Pullman as Sentry, and Geraldine Viswanathan as Erin. Laurence Fishburne and Rachel Weisz are confirmed to reprise their roles as scientist Bill Foster and spy Melina Vostakov.

Here’s the synopsis for Thunderbolts*:

“In Thunderbolts*, Marvel Studios assembles an unconventional team of antiheroes — Yelena Belova, Bucky Barnes, Red Guardian, Ghost, Taskmaster, and John Walker. After finding themselves ensnared in a death trap — set by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine — these disillusioned castoffs must embark on a dangerous mission that will force them to confront the darkest corners of their pasts. Will this dysfunctional group tear themselves apart — or find redemption and unite as something much more — before it’s too late?”

Thunderbolts* is set to hit theaters across the United States in IMAX, RealD 3D, ScreenX, Dolby Cinema, 4DX, Cinemark XD, and other premium formats worldwide on May 2, 2025.