Popverse's top stories of the day

• Marvel has an unpublished Star-Lord story by Star Wars' Thrawn creator Timothy Zahn. The author isn’t sure it will ever be released.
• Rings of Power just reached one of Lord of the Rings' most consequential battles... with huge diferences from how J.R.R. Tolkien wrote it
• The Grinch returns! Dr. Seuss's holiday hater turns vacation villain in new kids graphic novel

The MCU is looking for a new hero to look to, but it looks like what they’re getting is a bunch of second-rate villains and anti-heroes in the new trailer for Thunderbolts*. The trailer is heavy on action and light on plot – even going so far as to not even show us the villain at play. What it does do is show us what is going to be the most important part of this semi-hero team-up film.

The Thunderbolts* trailer opens up with a reunion between David Harbour’s Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian and Florence Pugh’s Yelena. It is a fun scene that reminds us of the best bits of the Black Widow movie. Yelena continues to be the central figure throughout the trailer. Even when she’s fighting the likes of John Walker, Ghost, and Winter Soldier, Yelena feels like the central figure in this trailer that focuses on a group of bad people who come together to fight an even worse one. Bucky Barnes, the Marvel character who has featured in more of the MCU than anyone else in the movie, is mostly absent from the footage shown.

Who is the villain of Thunderbolts*? The trailer doesn’t give that away, thankfully. In fact, it seems to understand that the villain of this movie isn’t what is going to get people to go see it. Just like Starro in The Suicide Squad, whoever is fighting the Thunderbolts* won’t be as important as making sure we enjoy watching these characters together. The group dynamics is what is important here and the trailer puts that front and center.

Thunderbolts* is due out May 2, 2025.

Popverse has assembled everything you need to know about the Marvel Cinematic Universe, from our MCU watch order to a guide to upcoming Marvel movies and TV shows. Plus, we've taken the time to rank the entire MCU and compile the biggest outstanding questions from Marvel's connected films. Enjoy.