Marvel Studios’ upcoming antihero team-up Thunderbolts* has drawn many comparisons since its announcement, including Suicide Squad and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. However, Thunderbolts* star Sebastian Stan offered an unexpected parallel during Sunday’s Golden Globes ceremony, comparing the dysfunctional superhero ensemble to John Hughes’ beloved teen drama The Breakfast Club. While this might seem like an odd comparison at first glance, Stan’s explanation actually provides new insights into the dynamics we can expect from this unique addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
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Speaking with Entertainment Tonight on the Golden Globes red carpet, Stan elaborated on what makes Thunderbolts* stand apart from other Marvel team-ups. “I think this movie is very singular and will stand on its own,” Stan explained. “I know these are bold words, but there’s no other Marvel group that you can kind of compare us to, it’s its own thing. I like The Breakfast Club, that’s the best way of describing it. A pair of misfits that hopefully don’t kill each other.”
[RELATED: Thunderbolts Cast Teases Where We Meet Their Characters]
Stan’s comparison to the 1985 classic makes perfect sense when considering the Thunderbolts* lineup. Like The Breakfast Club‘s detention-bound teenagers, the MCU’s new superteam brings together a group of outcasts forced to work together despite their differences. The team includes Stan’s Winter Soldier, Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova, David Harbour’s Red Guardian, Wyatt Russell’s U.S. Agent, and other morally ambiguous characters who, much like Hughes’ memorable teens, must overcome their initial animosity to work together.
The comparison to The Breakfast Club suggests that Thunderbolts* will focus heavily on character dynamics and interpersonal conflict rather than just action setpieces. Just as The Breakfast Club‘s disparate teenagers found common ground and understanding, these antiheroes might discover unexpected connections despite their troubled histories. This character-driven approach could help Thunderbolts* stand out in Marvel Studios’ surprisingly crowded 2025 calendar.
What We Know About Thunderbolts*‘ Story
While we don’t know much of the Thunderbolts* story, the movie’s trailer revealed the team will come together after being lured to a mysterious facility. In addition to the villains and antiheroes from previous MCU projects, Thunderbolts* introduces Bob (Lewis Pullman), who appears to be the mentally broken superhero known as The Sentry, one of Marvel’s most powerful and unstable characters. The facility seems designed to contain him, though his exact role remains unclear.
Thunderbolts* also features Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), the manipulative CIA operative with a pattern of recruiting morally ambiguous people to do her dirty bidding. So far, Valentina’s agenda has remained a secret, even though the character has appeared in multiple projects, including Black Window and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. However, given that the Thunderbolts* trailer already revealed she had acquired the Avengers Tower for herself, the movie will probably shed some light on the character’s endgame.
Finally, Marvel Studios has been deliberately cryptic about the asterisk in the Thunderbolts* title, with Kevin Feige teasing that its meaning will become clear by the film’s end. Some fans think the asterisk means the Thunderbolts might become a different superteam, such as the Dark Avengers. Or maybe they will all be dead by the time the credits roll.
Thunderbolts* is scheduled to premiere in theaters on May 2, 2025, marking the final film of Phase Five of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
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Image Credit: Marvel Comics
