The ending of Thunderbolts* has already been spoiled by Marvel over a month ahead of its release, rendering a big selling point of the movie invalid. The story of Thunderbolts* will not be experienced by audiences until May 2025, yet Marvel Studios has already revealed a major element of the film. This has come in the form of a tease for another upcoming Marvel movie, one that is not set to release until a year after Thunderbolts*.
As far as the Marvel movies of 2025 are concerned, Thunderbolts* is a big one. The film is the first true team-up story since Eternals in 2021, and the first to feature major characters who have been present in both the Infinity Saga and the Multiverse Saga. Due to the set-up of the movie that is emulated by its tagline – “Be careful who you ᴀssemble” – Thunderbolts* has a unique selling point over another 2025 team-up story like The Fantastic Four: First Steps. However, this selling point has been tarnished by Marvel due to outright spoilers being confirmed for Thunderbolts* weeks before its theatrical release.
Thunderbolts* Was Supposed To Be A Chance To Kill Anyone
Most Of The Film’s Heroes Are Expendable
Firstly, it is worth exploring what exactly the aforementioned selling point of Thunderbolts* is: its ability to kill most, if not all, of its characters. The roster announced for Thunderbolts* contains heroes that could be described as expendable in the MCU. Beyond Bucky Barnes and Yelena Belova, none of the other characters on the Thunderbolts line-up can be described as integral to other MCU stories, characters, or ongoing plot points. A character like Ghost, for example, has not been seen in the MCU since 2018, truly proving her expendability as part of Thunderbolts* cast.
Then there are the likes of Red Guardian, Taskmaster, and John Walker who have only appeared in one MCU story each. All of these characters could easily be killed in the film, especially considering the fact that Thunderbolts* incredibly powerful villain could easily overpower them. Moreover, some of these characters have interpersonal connections, be it Yelena and Red Guardian or Bucky and John Walker. Any of these characters dying could not only capitalize on the high stakes of the film’s characters being expendable but also provoke a strong emotional reaction from audiences.
Avengers: Doomsday’s Official Cast Announcement Spoils Who Survives Thunderbolts*
A Surprise Announcement Robs Thunderbolts* Of Its Narrative Stakes
In March 2025, over a month before Thunderbolts* is released in theaters, Marvel Studios removed the aforementioned selling point from the film. This came in the form of a surprise Marvel Studios announcement that pertained to Avengers: Doomsday. The announcement was a mᴀssive livestream in which chairs bearing the names of the MCU cast members set to appear in Avengers: Doomsday were periodically revealed. Although this announcement was very exciting, it somewhat ruined the ending of Thunderbolts* by revealing that many of its characters are, apparently, not all that expendable.
As the various chairs were slowly revealed, several cast members set to appear in Thunderbolts* were also confirmed for the cast of Avengers: Doomsday. The first of these were Sebastian Stan and Florence Pugh, who, I admit, were always the most likely to live on after Thunderbolts*. That said, David Harbour, Wyatt Russell, and Hannah John-Kamen were also confirmed for Avengers: Doomsday, removing any possibility that they will meet their, well, doom, in Thunderbolts*. While it is cool to know that Thunderbolts* will tie into Avengers: Doomsday, these announcements unfortunately rob the former of any real stakes.
What this means is that every main member of the Thunderbolts will survive the movie. The only cast member not confirmed for Avengers: Doomsday was Olga Kurylenko, who plays Taskmaster. Taskmaster has long been theorized to be a casualty in the film anyway, but Marvel has now removed any possibility of anyone else following suit.
Even Thunderbolts* Villain Survives
To Fight Another Day In Avengers: Doomsday
To add insult to injury, the casting live stream for Avengers: Doomsday confirmed that another major part of Thunderbolts* will survive to appear in the former. One of the chairs showcased on the live stream belonged to Lewis Pullman, the actor who is playing the mysterious Bob in Thunderbolts*. As most have already guessed, though, Bob will actually be Robert Reynolds, aka Sentry, an incredibly powerful hero with an equally powerful dark alter ego named The Void.
The Void will almost certainly be Thunderbolts* main villain, yet Marvel has confirmed he will not be defeated in the movie. Evidently, Sentry/The Void will live on and play a part in the fight against Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday. If the reveal that Bucky, Yelena, Alexei, and John Walker was not enough, the reveal that even Thunderbolts* villain will survive the movie has surely put the final nail in the coffin of the film preserving its ability to kill anyone.
