Bucky Barnes faces a brutal battle in Thunderbolts as a new enemy rises

However, the version aired on live TV was just a teaser—fans who checked online got to see the full-length trailer, which revealed even more about the film’s central conflict.

A major threat is causing chaos worldwide, and as Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) states in a tense government hearing, "The Avengers are not coming." With Earth’s mightiest heroes out of the picture, Val pulls together her own team of misfits, including Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan), John Walker/U.S. Agent (Wyatt Russell), Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian (David Harbour), Ava Starr/Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), and Antonia Dreykov/Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko). Their mission? To take down a powerful new enemy.

A mystery villain—who is it?

While the trailer keeps the antagonist’s identity under wraps, several clues point to one name: Sentry. Fans get brief glimpses of the character, shown only from the back or at obscured angles, but one key detail stands out—his voice. The shadowy figure taunting the Thunderbolts sounds unmistakably like actor Lewis Pullman, whose character is listed simply as “Bob” in official materials.

This has fueled speculation that "Bob" is actually Robert Reynolds, the alter ego of Sentry, one of Marvel’s most powerful (and unstable) superhumans. The trailer even includes shots of the villain wearing a cape, a signature part of Sentry’s comic book design.

"You thought you were gonna be some great saviors?" the mysterious figure says before effortlessly grabbing Bucky Barnes by his vibranium arm and ripping it off. "You can't even save yourselves."

If this is indeed Sentry, it could mean serious trouble for the Thunderbolts. In the comics, Reynolds possesses the power of a million exploding suns but also harbors a dark alter ego known as the Void, making him a near-unstoppable force.

What’s Val’s plan?

Julia Louis-Dreyfus has previously teased that Thunderbolts will reveal Valentina’s full agenda, promising twists and turns along the way. "You're going to see her entire plan unfold," she told Entertainment Weekly. "It has a lot of mystery to it and there are some twists and turns that you don't see coming, which are the best kind. There's a lot of suspense, which is very groovy."

With an unpredictable lineup of antiheroes and a villain who may be far beyond their capabilities, Thunderbolts is shaping up to be one of Marvel’s most intriguing projects yet.

The film is set to hit theaters on May 2.