The unseen concept art for Marvel’s Thunderbolts* featuring Florence Pugh‘s Yelena Belova, Lewis Pullman’s Sentry, Sebastian Stan‘s Bucky Barnes, and Hannah John-Kamen‘s Ghost has been shared by a concept artist.
On Instagram, Wesley Burt, the concept artist who worked on Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, Loki, and more MCU projects, shared the new Thunderbolts concept art.
Burt shared Pugh’s Yelena Belova art and wrote, “Thunderbolts was such a fun opportunity to work on some of my favorite types of characters, Yelena especially, and I also loved getting to play with designs that are outside the box of superhero suits. This was super early, with only the knowledge that we’d catch up with her in the story while she’s on the job working freelance for Val, so I pictured her on a hit in Florence.”
“Bob Sentry exploration for Thunderbolts, later updated after Lewis Pullman was cast. I wanted to dig into his psyche a bit, even though it was just costume exploration—the Void closing in on him, the former addict backstory, etc.”
“Bucky is one of my favorite characters. I’d argue he’s even more of an ‘old soul’ than Steve. I wanted to bring some of that into my early look ideas for him in Thunderbolts—a guy who spent his formative years in the 1930s and early ’40s. What clothing choices might he make in the modern world?
I also wanted to show him reclaiming the idea and look of the Winter Soldier, but making it his this time. A heroic Winter Soldier look, bringing back the silver arm and a Howling Commandos patch, while also knowing he’d have some sort of motorcycle scene and might need a helmet/mask combo. (There were lots more of those not seen here.)”
“Ghost was another super fun character to work on with some early designs for Thunderbolts. I really love looking to some of the great comic and animated series designs for direct inspiration and reference, but I also wanted to give her a more signature weapon and fighting style. That would have been this staff that flips out into a bladed scythe, making her a true Angel of Death character.”
The film is directed by 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 Mel.
“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 now streaming on Disney+.
