The new Thunderbolts* trailer boosted the chances that multiple players from the Marvel Cinematic Universe movie could die in 2025. The most appealing aspect of Thunderbolts* is related to its roster of characters. The cast of Marvel’s Thunderbolts* includes many players from previous entries in the franchise, with MCU fan favorites like Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes and Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova playing key roles in the film. There are also a couple of newcomers, including Lewis Pullman’s Bob.

While Marvel Studios has not outright said it, footage from the second of the MCU’s 2025 movies makes it clear that Bob will turn out to be Sentry. The character is known for his immense power and dark side. Both of those were spotlighted in Thunderbolts*‘s Super Bowl trailer.

The footage showed the Void, Sentry’s dark side, killing New York citizens and fighting the rest of the Thunderbolts. With such a major threat to fight and more covert operations throughout the film, not all members will live when all is said and done. A Thunderbolts* report also teased that the MCU team was originally meant to die in early drafts of the script. Based on all of that, here are Thunderbolts*‘s main characters, ranked by least to most likely to die.

8

Yelena Belova

Played By Florence Pugh (Joined The MCU In 2021)

First up is Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova. While Thunderbolts*‘s story is set up to be quite dark and violent, likely spelling doom for multiple characters, Yelena should not be one of them. Pugh is one of the most prolific stars of her generation, and the MCU must want to hold on to her for as long as it can. There is also the fact that Yelena occupies an important position in the franchise, as she serves as the successor to Scarlet Johansson’s Black Widow.

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The Thunderbolts* trailers and interviews with the cast have made it clear that Pugh’s Yelena Belova will be front and center when the new team debuts. While Marvel could pretend that she dies, only to pull a surprise twist and reveal Yelena is okay — similar to Iron Man’s story in 2012’s The Avengers — downright killing the character is unlikely. With Thunderbolts* stars confirmed as part of the cast of next year’s Avengers: Doomsday, Yelena should live to see another day and perhaps formally become the new Black Widow in the Avengers movie.

7

U.S. Agent

Played By Wyatt Russell (Joined The MCU In 2021)

U.S. Agent has a bigger chance of dying when compared to Yelena Belova. After all, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier already established that he is not Steve Rogers’ successor as Captain America. That role is destined for Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson, who stars in Captain America: Brave New World. However, Wyatt Russell’s darker twist on one of the most beloved MCU heroes is still one of the characters who are most likely to stay alive by the end of the film. John Walker is a complex character with potential.

If the theory that the Thunderbolts will become the MCU’s Dark Avengers is true, then Walker acting as the team’s Captain America would be the perfect fit. The Thunderbolts* trailers, particularly the latest one, have shown how U.S. Agent and Yelena Belova seem to have a fun dynamic in the film, with lots of back and forth. That could serve as the foundation of a strong friendship if a franchise blooms. Walker will also be a father, and he is relatively safe in the trailers, so there is more to explore with him.

6

Valentina Allegra De Fontaine

Played By Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Joined The MCU In 2021)

Julia Louis-Dreyfus appeared as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine in multiple MCU projects during the Multiverse Saga. Just like Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury in the Infinity Saga ᴀssembled the Avengers throughout different movies, Valentina went around recruiting the Thunderbolts across TV shows and films. Valentina is more than just the leader of the dark anti-hero team. She was revealed as the Director of the CIA in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Adding to this, Thunderbolts*‘s trailers revealed she was the one who bought Avengers Tower.

Based on all that setup, it would make little sense to kill Valentina just as the Thunderbolts come together. After all, Nick Fury is still running around in the MCU several years after the Avengers first got together. Louis-Dreyfus promised that Thunderbolts* would make Valentina’s plans clear so future MCU movies could see how she follows up on them after the events of Thunderbolts*. That said, after the Thunderbolts come together, Valentina’s job with the team might be done, and either Sentry or another character could kill her after being angry at Valentina’s games and manipulation.

5

Sentry/The Void

Played By Lewis Pullman (Joins The MCU In 2025)

Sentry is a more complicated case. On the one hand, the character seems unkillable as things stand. The reason for that is due to how much more powerful Sentry is in comparison to the MCU’s Thunderbolts team. Lewis Pullman’s character is essentially Marvel’s Superman in terms of power. Fighting against him will be a few super-soldiers, a couple of excellent hand-to-hand fighters, and a character who can phase through objects. There simply does not appear to be enough firepower in the MCU’s Thunderbolts team to kill Sentry when he becomes the Void.

However, Sentry’s revealed dark turn in the latest Thunderbolts* trailer is a double-edged blade. While it showed his immense power by killing people as he turned them into shadows on the pavement, Marvel is known for a nasty habit with the MCU’s villains. More often than should happen, the franchise has killed promising villains in their debut projects. As Thunderbolts* features a team of violent characters, perhaps the Void could be killed when he reverts to Bob so that he does not turn bad again.

4

Bucky Barnes

Played By Sebastian Stan (Joined The MCU In 2011)

The first of the top four characters from Thunderbolts* with the most chances of dying is Bucky Barnes. Having started his MCU journey alongside Chris Evans’ Captain America in 2011, Sebastian Stan’s former Winter Soldier is one of the longest-running characters in the MCU. That has led to Bucky playing a prominent role in Thunderbolts*. The character will be the leader of the team, with the latest Thunderbolts* trailer revealing that he basically kidnaps the rest of the team and tells them they have to help him take down a major threat, which is the Void.

As one of the most beloved characters in the MCU, Bucky’s death would make for one of the franchise’s most impactful moments. Since he is the leader of the Thunderbolts, his death could be used to rally the team together and set up how much of a threat Sentry is as the Void. In the Thunderbolts* trailer, Sentry can be seen stopping Bucky’s metal arm and tearing it right off. As such, Bucky is no match for him in a direct fight.

3

Red Guardian

Played By David Harbour (Joined The MCU In 2021)

David Harbour’s role as Hopper in Stranger Things quickly led to the actor becoming part of many exciting projects. As Red Guardian in Black Widow, he delivered one of the most energetic and charismatic performances in the MCU as a whole. Thunderbolts*‘s trailers have done a great job of showing how Red Guardian will be the glue that holds the team together, with the character being thrilled to be back in action and now doing what he loves as part of a team that includes one of his daughters.

At 49, Harbour is the oldest star of the bunch — Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes is technically the oldest character — and that makes him a possible choice for a sacrifice throughout the film. As the most charismatic member of the team, Red Guardian’s death could be the final step for the Thunderbolts to feel like a family and defeat Sentry. The Void is also seen throwing Red Guardian through a window at the former Avengers Tower, which is quite the fall.

2

Ghost

Played By Hannah John-Kamen (Joined The MCU In 2018)

Thunderbolts* has to feature a couple of deaths to pay off the darker tone of the film and the idea that Valentina ᴀssembles a team of expendables to do her bidding. Ghost has been in the MCU for quite some time, but Marvel did not seem to have plans for her before Thunderbolts*‘s cast was announced. Without many larger MCU connections, Ghost appears as one of the easiest characters to kill off in the upcoming MCU movie to build up stakes and show that nobody is safe.

Hannah John-Kamen’s Ghost is also one of the members of the Thunderbolts with the least screen time in the movie’s trailers so far. While Ghost is present in multiple team sH๏τs, the character never really gets a moment to shine like others, such as Bucky and Red Guardian, have had. With the Ant-Man franchise likely over after Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania underperformed, Ghost’s days might be counted, with her returning to die in Thunderbolts*.

1

Taskmaster

Played By Olga Kurylenko (Joined The MCU In 2021)

Finally, Taskmaster is already as good as ᴅᴇᴀᴅ in Thunderbolts*. There is simply no way that the movie will end without at least one death in the team. The Thunderbolts are being sent on a risky mission against Marvel’s version of Superman, which the team possesses no clear way of how to stop. Added to that is the fact that Taskmaster is simply absent from many scenes from the Thunderbolts* trailers, with team moments notably not including the character. Taskmaster is only really present for one sequence.

The Thunderbolts* trailers revealed that the team comes together after each member is sent on a separate mission, and they all get locked in a room. Most, if not all, of the scenes featuring Taskmaster in the trailers for the MCU movie are from that sequence. There have not been any moments where Taskmaster is not in an action sequence fighting the team. As such, it seems like she will die early in the movie, setting up the stakes for Thunderbolts* from the start.

All Announced Upcoming MCU Movies

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  Captain America: Brave New World

  Release Date

  
  February 14, 2025
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Thunderbolts*

  Release Date

  
  May 2, 2025
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  The Fantastic Four: First Steps

  Release Date

  
  July 25, 2025
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Avengers: Doomsday (2026)

  
  
  
  
  

  
  

  
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  Spider-Man Homecoming 4

  Release Date

  
  July 24, 2026
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Avengers: Secret Wars

  Release Date

  
  May 7, 2027
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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