By Sam Wilson has made a significant moral impact in Captain America: Brave New World, yet fans are already theorizing about what lies ahead as they enter the Thunderbolts later this year. The upcoming film features Florence Pugh, David Harbour, Wyatt Russell, and Sebastian Stan, who will join forces in a motley crew of heroes to combat Valentina Allegra De Fontaine, portrayed by Julia Louis-Dreyfus. This collaboration leads one fan to speculate about the latest teaser, in which Pugh’s Yelena tells Valentina to take a hike.
A fan on Reddit theorized that the group of super soldiers, who are all shocked to encounter each other at an undisclosed testing facility, are participating in a test run for the timid and unassuming Lewis Pullman’s Bob (who is effectively The Sentry). Val hopes to recruit The Sentry as an alternative for the Avengers, while Yelena and the others seemingly walk into a trap. Ultimately, they manage to escape and come together to confront the woman who wronged them all.
“What Val fails to anticipate is that the team actually finds a way to collaborate and escapes, taking Sentry/Bob with them, unaware of his significance, leading to the chaos of the film where Sentry, now freed, transforms into Void,” the fan speculates. “The Thunderbolts feel a sense of responsibility for releasing Sentry, prompting Bucky to approach them for assistance in defeating him, thus proving Val wrong about this team’s potential.”
Another fan supported this argument, stating, “Yeah, I think you’re really onto something. It seems like an accidental red herring where everyone believes the Thunderbolts are a team assembled by Val, but the actual trailers don’t suggest that at all. Most of them work for Val but aren’t a cohesive team. Sentry is actually the replacement for the Avengers that Val has in mind.”
This theory indeed provides a Dirty Dozen, do-or-die atmosphere to the narrative unfolding so far. You’ll likely see how they manage themselves when Thunderbolts hits theaters on May 2, 2025. Get the full scoop on the titular team with our article here.