Thunderbolts, one of the upcoming films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, will not only introduce a new group of heroes to the franchise, it will also explore the lives of each of them, including the past that unitesDavid Harbour’sAlexei Shostakov aka Red Guardian and Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova. The star ofStranger Thingsand the protagonist ofMidsommarjoined the MCU in 2021, appearing alongside Scarlett Johansson inBlack Widow, a prequel that delved into the origins of the character played by Scarlett Johansson. And while it also showed a lot of Yelena and Alexei’s lives, there is still much more to reveal about the dark past that the two of them share.
On the BoxLunch Holiday Gala red carpet,ScreenRantspoke with Harbour about his upcoming return to the franchise, and the actor teased that the film will dig deep into both characters' pasts and their time together in the Midwest:
“So they have a lot of unexplored history. There’s a lot of details that the director, Jake, has gone into the great care of what their life was like in the Midwest when they were doing all that spy stuff. And then, a lot of that comes up in really fun, interesting, beautiful ways, which, like in the Black Widow movie came up with that song, American Pie. And there’s just a lot of complexity between me and Florence’s character, which I love.
And also they’re two people that… she can’t stand, but she needs some because she’s incomplete in a certain way that he may be able to help her with. I think that’s always so beautiful. Because I feel like our relationships are always so… Sometimes we don’t get to choose the people that complete us. The people that we really need. I think that they exemplify that in their own way. It will be fun to bring that to life in the movie.”
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Who Else Stars in Thunderbolts?
David Harbour and Florence Pugh are just two of the stars whowill make up this new teamof heroes, antiheroes, and villains led by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus. TheArrested DevelopmentandVeepstar first appeared inThe Falcon and the Winter Soldier, where she began recruiting members for theThunderboltsgroup.
The first character she had contact with was John Walker aka U.S. Agent, played by Wyatt Russell, who in his attempt to do good and continue Captain America’s legacy, spectacularly failed and ended up making fatal mistakes. Now, he wants to make up for that. Another who will seek redemption within this new team is Bucky Barnes aka Winter Soldier. Sebastian Stan has been part of the MCU sinceCaptain America: The First Avenger, and his role has been increasingly important as the MCU has raged on.
Joining herBlack Widowco-stars will be Olga Kurylenko, again playing Taskmaster, who was freed by Natasha Romanoff in the film. Hannah John-Kamen will also return after her debut inAnt-Man and the Wasp, once again playing Ava Starr aka Ghost.
Hollywood icon andIndiana Jonesstar Harrison Ford, who will take over from the late William Hurt as Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross in the MCU’sCaptain America: Brave New World, will also star inThunderbolts, alongside Steven Yeun, who isexpected to play Sentry.
Thunderboltsis set to be released on July 25, 2025, as part of Phase Six of the MCU.
