Thunderbolts* arrives in theaters imminently so now is the perfect time to catch up on the stars’ best projects beyond the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The upcoming movie will introduce a new team of anti-heroes, almost entirely comprised of established MCU characters. Following the lukewarm critical and fan reception of Captain America: Brave New World, the long-running comic book franchise is in need of revitalization, and Thunderbolts* promises a unique standalone story marked by street-level action and intriguing character dynamics. The cast of the MCU’s next movie features several prominent Hollywood stars in addition to a few relative newcomers in the realm of mainstream films and TV shows.
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The following Thunderbolts* stars have appeared in tons of great movies and TV shows outside of the MCU. Fans should add them to their watchlist now before Thunderbolts* hits theaters.
Florence Pugh
In Thunderbolts*, Florence Pugh will make her third MCU appearance as former Red Room assassin and adopted sister of Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow, Yelena Belova. Pugh’s distinguished acting career began with smaller, yet worthwhile, films such as 2016’s Lady MacBeth and 2018’s King Lear, before her breakout role in 2019’s Fighting with My Family. The same year, Pugh delivered her Oscar-nominated performance as Amy March in Greta Gerwig’s Little Women, which propelled her to the stardom she owns today.
Following her MCU debut in 2021’s Black Widow, Pugh has successfully navigated her role as a recurring character in a major franchise by taking on both minor and lead roles in a myriad of other projects from big-budget blockbusters like Oppenheimer, Dune: Part Two, and Don’t Worry Darling to underrated gems such as The Wonder, A Good Person, and We Live in Time.
It’s hard to pinpoint a working actor under 30 years of age with a filmography as impressive as Pugh’s. Out of countless exceptional character portrayals, Pugh’s lead performance in 2019’s Midsommar remains her defining role. Ari Aster’s stunning horror film follows Dani, who, after witnessing her sister’s murder-suicide of their parents, travels with her boyfriend and several friends to the Swedish countryside, where they find themselves in the clutches of a sinister cult. Midsommar is deeply unnerving and shockingly brutal as it peels back the layers of the cult’s wholesome exterior to reveal something sadistic beyond imagination. Pugh’s mesmerizing interpretation of Dani’s transformation captures the character’s traumatic past, paranoia, and eventual acceptance of her fate over the course of the movie.
Midsommar isn’t currently available on any major streaming service, but the film can be rented or purchased across various VOD platforms.
Sebastian Stan
A seasoned veteran of the MCU, Sebastian Stan is set to return as Bucky Barnes in Thunderbolts*. Outside of comic book movies, the actor has featured in a variety of genres. His earlier notable credits include 11 episodes of Gossip Girl from 2007 to 2010 and the 2010 thriller Black Swan before first appearing in the MCU in 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger. Surprisingly, Stan’s most renowned performances have come in some of his most recent projects. Furthermore, the actor has shown a knack for portraying real-life individuals. Stan earned his first Emmy nomination for playing Tommy Lee in Hulu’s 2022 miniseries Pam & Tommy and secured his first Oscar nomination for his role as a young Donald Trump in 2024’s The Apprentice.
But Stan’s greatest tour-de-force came in 2024’s A Different Man. Stan stars as Edward Lemuel, an aspiring actor with neurofibromatosis who undergoes a new medical procedure to change his facial appearance. Edward’s experience with his new face is totally unlike what he expects, prompting a fascinating journey of self-reflection. Stan delivers a nuanced performance as the film’s lead character. Edward’s crisis following his surgery paints an intricate portrait of identity, and Stan’s emotional depth in the role elevates the movie. A Different Man is hilarious, introspective, and clever from start to finish, cementing it as a must-watch for fans of Stan.
A Different Man is available to stream on Max.
David Harbour
Thunderbolts* will bring back David Harbour’s Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian in the MCU for the first time since his introduction in Black Widow. Soon after making his blockbuster debut as Gregg Beam in the 2008 James Bond movie Quantum of Solace, Harbour appeared in great titles like the 1950s relationship drama Revolutionary Road and the political thriller State of Play. The actor’s portrayal of Frank Masters in 2014’s The Equalizer ranks among his standout roles and his performance as the fictional nuclear physicist Reed Akley in the TV series Manhattan remains his most underrated.
Without a doubt, Harbour is at his best in Stranger Things in the role of Jim Hopper. The popular Netflix series revolves around a group of young friends who witness a series of supernatural events in 1980s Indiana, uncovering a vast web of extraterrestrial threats and government secrets. Across Stranger Things‘ four released seasons, Harbour excellently plays Hopper, the chief of police in Hawkins, Indiana, as well as the adopted father of Millie Bobby Brown’s Eleven. Fans are eagerly awaiting the fifth and final season of Stranger Things, and the show remains one of the most thrilling projects on TV. Intriguing plot threads, heartwarming character dynamics, and plenty of narrative twists make Stranger Things a fantastic piece of storytelling.
Stranger Things is available to stream on Netflix.
Hannah John-Kamen
Hannah John-Kamen will return as Ava Starr/Ghost in Thunderbolts*, marking her second MCU appearance after playing a pivotal role in 2018’s Ant-Man and the Wasp. John-Kamen’s versatility is evidenced by her small roles in British TV series like Misfits, Whitechapel, and Happy Valley, as well as franchise movies like 2015’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens and 2018’s Tomb Raider. The actress also made a brief appearance as the character Ornela in Game of Thrones Season 6.
Right before her MCU debut, John-Kamen featured in arguably her biggest role at the time in Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One. Based on the book of the same name, the movie chronicles an enthralling competition set in a virtual reality. After the creator of the world known as OASIS dies, numerous factions embark on a hunt to find his Easter egg, which grants them ownership of the entire reality. John-Kamen plays F’Nale Zandor, the leader of the antagonistic group called the Sixers, made up of an evil corporation’s employees. Ready Player One is a wild ride through its nearly two-and-a-half-hour run time. Fast-paced and action-packed, the film offers thrills and surprises at every turn, and it’s easily John-Kamen’s best project.
Ready Player One is available to rent or purchase across various VOD platforms.
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Wyatt Russell
2021’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier introduced Wyatt Russell’s John Walker on Disney+, and the character will finally appear on the big screen in Thunderbolts*. Outside of the MCU, Russell’s career is defined by roles such as Zook in the comedy 22 Jump Street, Cpl. Lewis Ford in the World War II zombie film Overlord, and Dan Lafferty in the limited series Under the Banner of Heaven. Russell has also played the younger version of his dad Kurt Russell’s character in Apple TV+’s Monarch: Legacy of Monsters.
The actor’s best project to date remains the 2017 dark comedy Ingrid Goes West. Director Matt Spicer’s film follows a mentally unstable woman who moved to Los Angeles to stalk her favorite social media star. Featuring alongside fellow MCU actors Elizabeth Olsen, Aubrey Plaza, and Pom Klementieff, Russell plays Ezra, the husband of the celebrity Plaza’s Ingrid Thorburn obsesses over. Ingrid Goes West is a wildly entertaining ride of a movie, boasting some outstanding acting performances. Funny and rife with smart commentary about fame and fandom culture, the film deftly weaves a sense of tragedy amid its humorous elements. Fans of Russell and Ingrid Goes West‘s other MCU stars will enjoy this superb satire.
Ingrid Goes West is currently available to stream on Tubi.
Olga Kurylenko
After her first on-screen depiction in Black Widow, Olga Kurylenko’s Antonia Dreykov/Taskmaster will return in Thunderbolts*. Among the actress’s most notable projects Oblivion, in which Kurylenko portrayed the wife of Tom Cruise’s lead character in the 2013 sci-fi epic. Kurylenko also took on a prominent role in the 2017 political satire The Death of Stalin and the Netflix miniseries Treason, appearing alongside fellow Marvel star Charlie Cox.
Overall, Kurylenko’s greatest role stands as the “Bond girl” Camille Montes in Quantum of Solace. The 2008 installment, starring Daniel Craig as James Bond, follows the iconic MI6 agent as he teams up with Camille, a fellow secret agent in Bolivia, to stop the villainous organization Quantum from monopolizing the country’s water supply. Like every James Bond movie, old and new, Quantum of Solace is packed with action and breathtaking fight scenes. Craig and Kurylenko prove a great match for their roles and exhibit impressive chemistry when on screen together. Long before her entrance in the MCU, Kurylenko showed off her action star ability and Quantum of Solace — a perfect movie to watch before Thunderbolts* comes out.
Quantum of Solace is available to rent or purchase across various VOD platforms.
Lewis Pullman
Lewis Pullman is making his MCU debut as Robert Reynolds/Sentry in Thunderbolts*. Prior to 2025, the actor made a name for himself as hotel manager Miles Miller in the 2018 crime thriller Bad Times at the El Royale. Later, he appeared as Lt. Bob Floyd in the 2022 hit movie Top Gun: Maverick. In the realm of TV, he is well known for playing Rhett Abbott, the son of Josh Brolin’s rancher Royal Abbott in Prime Video’s neo-Western series Outer Range.
Pullman’s most distinguished project to date is also a TV show. The 2023 Apple TV+ limited series Lessons in Chemistry is a fantastic adaptation of Bonnie Garmus’s 2022 novel of the same name, and it features Pullman in a key role. Lessons in Chemistry tells the story of chemist Elizabeth Zott, portrayed by MCU star Brie Larson on screen. In the 1960s, Elizabeth loses her job as a lab tech and she embarks on an unlikely journey as the host of a cooking TV show that underscores the science behind culinary arts. Pullman plays Calvin Evans, a fellow chemist whom Elizabeth meets and falls in love with.
Lessons in Chemistry is poignant, funny, and heartwarming across its eight episodes with career-best performances from Larson and Pullman. The series is far more than a quirky cooking story, as its emotionally deep narrative touches on the characters’ traumas and triumphs in the past and present while highlighting the time period’s extreme sexism and racism. Those looking for an introduction to Pullman before Thunderbolts* should watch Lessons in Chemistry before anything else.
Lessons in Chemistry is available to stream on Apple TV+.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Julia Louis-Dreyfus’s third MCU appearance as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine will come in Thunderbolts*. A legend of the comedy genre, the actress was at the top of her game as the star of HBO’s political satire series Veep, in which Louis-Dreyfus played a U.S. vice president whose spell as the nation’s second-in-command is far from what she expected. Elsewhere, Louis-Dreyfus headlined The New Adventures of Old Christine, a sitcom about the life of a divorced mother, and starred in the 2013 romantic comedy Enough Said.
Seinfeld has long been deemed Louis-Dreyfus’s most iconic project. From 1990 to 1998, the actress played the character Elaine Benes as a main cast member alongside Jerry Seinfeld as himself, Jason Alexander as George Costanza, and Michael Richards as Cosmo Kramer. The sitcom follows the aforementioned group of friends in their often bizarre daily lives in New York City. Seinfeld is widely considered one of the greatest shows of all time for good reason. Silly, yet strikingly intelligent, humor defines Seinfeld‘s style, and its charming core of personalities helped the series earn its status as a timeless classic. Louis-Dreyfus delivered a standout performance that propelled her to future roles in comedy and other genres. Even more than two decades later, Seinfeld remains the best title on Louis-Dreyfus’ resume.
All seasons of Seinfeld are available to stream on Netflix.
Thunderbolts* opens in theaters on May 2nd.
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