Thunderbolts*‘ “Absolute Cinema” trailer is great, but it reminds me of one excellent actor who left the project that I still want to see in the MCU. In a recent interview with Empire, Florence Pugh, who plays Yelena Belova, described Thunderbolts* as a “quite badᴀss indie, A24-feeling ᴀssᴀssin movie with Marvel superheroes.” Marvel embraced her comments, releasing a new Thunderbolts* trailer highlighting the project’s filmmakers and the indie darlings they’re ᴀssociated with. It’s a unique teaser from Marvel, which normally keeps the trailers focused on the characters and plot.

The trailer doesn’t share the specific names of these figures, but instead mentions their тιтle and a previous film they worked on. A few notable credits are the cinematographer of The Green Knight (Andrew Droz Palermo) and the composers of Everything Everywhere All At Once (Son Lux). It also shares some critically praised films featuring actors in Thunderbolts*, including A Different Man and Midsommar. Some of the mentioned films include an award-winning actor whose casting fell through due to scheduling difficulties, and I’m frustrated that he and Marvel couldn’t work it out.

Steven Yeun Was The Original Casting Choice For Sentry/The Void

The award-winning actor almost played the film’s powerful hero/villain.

In early 2023, reports revealed that Yeun had joined the cast of Marvel’s Thunderbolts*. Marvel never made his casting official, but the studio didn’t deny his involvement. In 2024, news broke that the actor dropped out of the project, and Yeun’s comments following his departure confirmed he was attached to the project. The Invincible actor left the film for multiple reasons, including scheduling conflicts and production delays due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes in 2023. Speaking with Variety, Yeun said he still wants to work with Marvel, but wasn’t sure what he would like to do:

“I think it’s too early to say that. I probably pissed off too many people leaving, so I’m just gonna say, ‘Thank you for having me.’ I have some ideas. But I heard if you put it out there, you’ll never get it, so I’ll keep it close to my chest.”

Since his casting was never confirmed, Marvel never shared what character he was playing. However, since most of the cast was already announced, many believed Yeun would have played Sentry/The Void. This ᴀssumption was only made clearer when Lewis Pullman took over his role, portraying Bob Reynolds a.k.a. Sentry. Marvel hasn’t confirmed The Void or Sentry either, but it would be surprising if the shadowy, powerful character in the trailer isn’t The Void.

The Thunderbolts* Trailer Makes Me Miss Steven Yeun After Highlighting Beef & Minari

Yeun received praise and awards for his performances in both projects.

The “Absolute Cinema” trailer references director Jake Schreier, writer Lee Sung Jin, and editor Harry Yoon. Jin is the showrunner behind Netflix’s Beef, which Schrierer directed six episodes of, and Yoon previously edited Minari. Jin won a Primetime Emmy Award for his work on Beef, which won the Emmy for Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series. Minari was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture. In addition to their excellent writing, directing, and editing, both projects received praise and accolades for their performances, including that of Steven Yeun’s own, as the actor starred in each.

Many will know Yeun from his breakout role as Glenn in The Walking ᴅᴇᴀᴅ, but Minari and Beef earned him accolades for his acting. He displayed impressive versatility in each project, and was rewarded for his performances. Steven Yeun received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for Minari, and won the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie for Beef. Marvel can always use more award-winning talent, and I hope Yeun joins the MCU in a later project after Thunderbolts* fell through.

Lewis Pullman Is Still An Excellent Choice For Sentry

Pullman has shown he can handle this complex role.

Playing Sentry/The Void is a challenging role, because the character has many complicated traits. Currently, Bob Reynolds appears to be a regular person with amnesia regarding his superhero life as Sentry. If this holds true, once he remembers his life as Sentry, he will become one of the most powerful characters in the MCU. However, the character has another alter-ego as The Void, the evil other half of Sentry’s idenтιтy. Lewis Pullman has a tough task with this role, since he has to play an average Joe, a mighty hero, and a violent, sadistic villain.

However, Pullman has displayed versatility throughout his career. He previously played another shy, nerdy character named Bob in Top Gun: Maverick. His other roles in films and television shows like Salem’s Lot, Lessons in Chemistry, and Outer Range prove he shouldn’t be typecast as an average character, and has the capacity to pull off the range that the Sentry role appears to require. He may not be as well-known as Yeun, but that doesn’t mean he’s a lesser actor, and I’m excited to see him bring Sentry/The Void to life in Thunderbolts*.

Upcoming MCU Movies

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  Thunderbolts*

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  May 2, 2025
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  The Fantastic Four: First Steps

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  July 25, 2025
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Avengers: Doomsday (2026)

  
  
  
  
  

  
  

  
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  MCU Spider-Man 4

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  July 24, 2026
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Avengers: Secret Wars

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  May 7, 2027
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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