As well as bringing back MCU favorites like Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), Yolena Belova (Florence Pugh), and Red Guardian (David Harbour), and introducing an incredibly powerful new character to the franchise, Sentry (Lewis Pullman), Thunderbolts* is also redeeming one of the MCU’s worst villains. Hannah John-Kamen is returning as Ghost, after her lukewarm debut in Ant-Man and the Wasp. Ghost was another in a long line of Marvel’s underwhelming villain problems (which plagued the franchise during its early days). But Ghost is back, and is far different in Thunderbolts* than her first outing.

Speaking to The Manila Times, John-Kamen explained how Ghost will be vastly different in Thunderbolts*. In Ant-Man and the Wasp, Ghost attempted to steal Hank Pym’s research, as her fading body needed quantum energy to survive. John-Kamen explained that Ghost has overcome the issue in Thunderbolts*, and is looking for a new purpose. The actress said:

“The last time you saw her, she was volcanic. She was flickering to death and she was in pain. Now she has control of that. With that, there’s a calm, and there’s a decisiveness, and there’s a powerful breath and beat in that. So yes, you’ll see a different Ghost.”

The trailers for Thunderbolts* have revealed the titular team will collide when they’re sent on a fake mission, as someone powerful is trying to kill them. Ghost’s personal motivations for joining the team have yet to be revealed. However, each character appears to be looking for some redemption from their shady past. Providing she survives the film, it is likely that Ghost no longer wants to be perceived as evil, and will become a powerful member of the Dark Avengers.

‘Thunderbolts*’ Is Redeeming Lots of Bad Marvel Villains

It’s not just Ghost that’s getting a second chance in Thunderbolts*. While all the characters are bad, a few of them also appeared in bad projects. Olga Kurylenko is reprising her role as Taskmaster from Black Widow. Taskmaster is one of the most popular villains from Marvel Comics, with the ability to quickly study and mimic any superhero’s fighting style. Fans felt deflated when Taskmaster was reduced to a mute puppet of the Black Widow program in the prequel, and cannot wait to see the character again on screen.

Related Sebastian Stan Just Pitched the Best MCU Prequel Movie Ideas Sebastian Stan wants to take Bucky Barnes back in time to his first encounter with two major MCU characters.

Thunderbolts* will also give John Walker (Wyatt Russell) another chance to shine in the MCU. Walker first appeared in the divisive Disney+ series Falcon and the Winter Soldier as the new Captain America. However, after several failed missions, he ended up being the Captain America your mom would order from Temu. At the end of the show, Walker meets with Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), teasing his return in Thunderbolts*.

Directed by Jake Schreier, Thunderbolts* is currently slated for release in theaters on May 2, 2026. The film’s villain was supposed to be a mystery. Lewis Pullman is playing “Bob” in the film, whose powers haven’t been revealed in any of the trailers. However, David Harbour recently let it slip that Bob is in fact Sentry, Marvel’s mentally unstable version of Superman. Eagle-eyes fans already knew that, of course.

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