Type: movie
Overview: After finding themselves ensnared in a death trap, seven disillusioned castoffs must embark on a dangerous mission that will force them to confront the darkest corners of their pasts.
Language: en
Genres: Action Adventure
In the 2025 movie Thunderbolts, the only character who dies is Taskmaster (Antonia Dreykov), portrayed by Olga Kurylenko. Her death happens early in the film during a mission organized by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine to clean up evidence of her crimes. Taskmaster, alongside Yelena Belova, John Walker, and Ghost, is sent to infiltrate an O.X.E. Group vault. However, before the team fully realizes they've been manipulated, Ghost shoots Taskmaster point-blank in the head, killing her instantly.
Taskmaster's death is notable for its suddenness and shock value, deliberately used by the director to set an unpredictable tone for the film. Despite Taskmaster's significant role in the comics and her presence in the prior MCU film Black Widow, she only features briefly in Thunderbolts and is not technically part of the Thunderbolts team before her death.
No other major characters die in the movie. Even characters who endure transformation or possession, such as Bob (Sentry/Void), survive by the film's end. Taskmaster's death is also seen as somewhat tragic, clashing with her portrayal in Black Widow, where she was spared and presented as a victim deserving a second chance.
The ending of the 2025 movie Thunderbolts shows the team overcoming their internal and external struggles by confronting the destructive alter ego Void within Bob. They manage to stop the darkness engulfing New York City, freeing its citizens and transforming themselves in the process. Ultimately, the team is publicly revealed by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine as the New Avengers and take up base in the old Avengers Tower, now renamed the Watchtower.
In a detailed narrative fashion, the ending unfolds as follows:
The Thunderbolts find themselves caught in a complex web of betrayal and manipulation. After intense confrontations, de Fontaine’s agents pursue them, seeking to eliminate the team and cover up her crimes. The team is apprehended by Congressman Bucky Barnes, who wants their testimony in impeachment proceedings. However, upon discovering Bob was subjected to de Fontaine’s secret experiments, Barnes joins forces with the Thunderbolts in a plan to infiltrate the Watchtower, formerly Avengers Tower.
Inside the Watchtower, it is revealed that de Fontaine has convinced Bob to side with her. Bob, empowered by his altered state, overpowers the Thunderbolts but decides to let them retreat, as he no longer perceives them as a threat. However, Bob's god-like delusions spiral out of control, and he turns against de Fontaine. She then uses a failsafe kill switch to incapacitate Bob, unintentionally triggering the emergence of the Void—Bob's dark, destructive alter ego that embodies his depression and insecurities.
The Void casts a supernatural darkness over New York City, trapping citizens in alternate pocket dimensions. To stop this, Yelena enters the darkness to reach Bob’s consciousness. Inside this surreal mental landscape, she confronts her own haunted past as a Black Widow and eventually finds Bob hiding in a recreated memory of his childhood bedroom—where he had concealed himself from his abusive father.
The rest of the Thunderbolts join Yelena inside Bob’s mind. Together, they travel to the memory of Bob’s initial experimentation in Malaysia, where he had voluntarily undergone the procedure in hopes of improving his life after a period of drug addiction. The team confronts the Void itself but is overwhelmed. As the Void threatens to consume Bob completely, the Thunderbolts reaffirm their belief in him, showing solidarity that empowers Bob to regain control over his fractured psyche.
With Bob overcoming the Void, light returns to New York City, and the trapped victims are freed. The team emerges not only victorious but transformed by their shared ordeal.
In the final scenes, Valentina Allegra de Fontaine publicly announces the group as the New Avengers, signaling a shift in their identities and missions. The former Thunderbolts take up residence in the old Avengers Tower, now rebranded as the Watchtower, embarking on a new chapter as heroes in the eyes of the public.
This detailed ending demonstrates the journey of flawed antiheroes wrestling with darkness both within and without, eventually finding strength in unity and redemption. The transformation from Thunderbolts to New Avengers marks a thematic evolution from covert operatives to recognized protectors.
Yes, the Marvel movie Thunderbolts (2025) has two post-credits scenes:
The mid-credits scene is a short, humorous moment featuring Red Guardian in a supermarket cereal aisle. He spots Wheaties boxes with the New Avengers on the cover, emphasizing the team's new public identity after the movie’s events.
The post-credits scene is the more significant and longer one. Directed by the Russo Brothers, it acts as a setup for future MCU projects. It takes place 14 months after the events of Thunderbolts and shows the full team, including Yelena, Bucky Barnes, and Red Guardian. This scene hints at upcoming storylines and connects to the larger MCU, including teasing the upcoming Fantastic Four and Avengers-related content.
In summary, the post-credits content both provides a lighthearted moment to close the movie and a substantial teaser for the MCU’s future, signaling new directions and character developments.
The 2025 film Thunderbolts opens in Malaysia with Yelena Belova, a skilled operative, stealthily destroying a secret laboratory on orders from CIA director Valentina Allegra de Fontaine. This laboratory was involved in the O.X.E. Group's "Sentry" superhuman project, a shadowy program shrouded in controversy. De Fontaine is under threat of impeachment due to her connection with O.X.E. and concocts a plan that involves sending Yelena, along with John Walker, Ava Starr, and Taskmaster, to a covert O.X.E. facility under the false pretense of a mission.
As they arrive, tension mounts palpably; the operatives soon realize they have been duped and set up for death. In a brutal confrontation, Ava kills Taskmaster, but the situation escalates when they inadvertently free a mysterious man named Bob from suspended animation. Awareness dawns that de Fontaine intended to burn them all alive, erasing any evidence of her malfeasance. Despite this, the group narrowly escapes the deadly trap.
De Fontaine reacts swiftly upon learning the group survived, and that Bob, believed dead in the Sentry trials, is also alive. At the facility, Bob creates a diversion by drawing enemy fire—he is shot multiple times yet remains unscathed. He then ascends uncontrollably into the sky before collapsing and crashing back at the compound. There, he is captured and transferred to the old Avengers Tower in New York, now rebranded as the "Watchtower." De Fontaine plans to unveil Bob to the press as a super-powered protector, hoping this spectacle will quash the impeachment threats.
Meanwhile, Alexei Shostakov, while working as a chauffeur, uncovers de Fontaine’s plot and rescues Yelena, Walker, and Ava. Inspired by Yelena’s childhood soccer team, he dubs the group the "Thunderbolts," marking the formation of an uneasy alliance.
The narrative intensifies as de Fontaine’s agents relentlessly pursue the Thunderbolts. Congressman Bucky Barnes eventually apprehends them, intending to compel their testimony in impeachment proceedings. Learning that Bob was once a subject of de Fontaine's clandestine experiments, Barnes joins forces with the group, and they infiltrate the Watchtower in New York.
The Thunderbolts discover that de Fontaine has manipulated Bob to her side. Under her command, Bob overpowers the team with ease but unexpectedly lets them retreat, dismissing them as no longer threats. The undercurrent of Bob’s psyche is revealed to be fractured; he gradually succumbs to a god-like delusion of superiority. Turning against de Fontaine herself triggers a failsafe kill switch activated by her assistant Mel, incapacitating Bob. This catastrophic event unleashes the Void, a dark, destructive alter ego born from Bob’s depression and insecurities — a supernatural force that begins engulfing New York City in impenetrable darkness, imprisoning its inhabitants in isolated pocket dimensions.
Yelena undertakes the daunting journey into this darkness, venturing into Bob's subconscious to reach his true self. She confronts her own tormented past as a Black Widow, navigating a haunting inner landscape where Bob hides, symbolized by a recreation of his childhood bedroom—a place of refuge from his father's abuse. The rest of the Thunderbolts join her within this mental realm. Together, they travel back further to the memory of Bob's initial experimentation in Malaysia, where he had willingly volunteered for the procedure in a desperate attempt to overcome his aimless drug addiction.
In these poignant flashbacks, the Thunderbolts confront the Void, but are rapidly overwhelmed. As the darkness threatens to completely consume Bob, the team’s unwavering solidarity shines through. They reaffirm their belief in him, their combined faith empowering Bob to wrest control from the Void. Light floods back into New York City, breaking the supernatural darkness and releasing the captive citizens from their nightmare.
Through this intense odyssey, viewers witness a harrowing story of broken individuals forced into camaraderie, battling not only external enemies but internal demons. Bob's arc is a tragic and redemptive journey from a fragmented, drug-addled subject to someone restored by friendship and hope, while Yelena grapples with her own existential void. The film closes on a note of fragile hope, underscoring themes of resilience, belonging, and the power of human connection against overwhelming darkness.
The movie Thunderbolts (2025) is rated PG-13 for strong violence, language, thematic elements, and some suggestive and drug references, which indicates it is not fully family friendly, especially for younger or sensitive children.
Violence: The film contains many violent scenes, including intense fight sequences with hand-to-hand combat and some mild blood. Some violence is shown through flashbacks depicting psychological trauma and abuse, including shootings (sometimes off-camera but implied), physical punishment, and scenes of family abuse. For example, one recurring flashback shows a child being shot off-camera, which may be heavy or disturbing to children.
Language: The movie has strong profanity and obscenities comparable to other Marvel movies like Guardians of the Galaxy.
Thematic elements: Themes include psychological wounds from past trauma, abusive family dynamics, and loss. These may be heavy for kids or viewers sensitive to such subjects.
Suggestive and drug references: Some mild suggestive content and drug references occur but no explicit sexual content or nudity is present.
Thunderbolts contains intense action violence, some disturbing flashback scenes involving childhood trauma and abuse, strong language, and mature themes. It is generally appropriate for teenagers familiar with Marvel movies, but younger children or sensitive viewers might find some scenes upsetting or inappropriate, so parental discretion is advised.
No explicit plot spoilers have been revealed here.