With Thunderbolts* only a few weeks away, promotion for the movie has continued to ramp up. Tickets recently went on sale for the movie, and now new promotional videos are being released to get audiences excited to watch the film in theaters. At the center of the latest promo release (which can be viewed below) is Florence Pugh

, who plays Yelena Belova in the movie. The behind-the-scenes featurette showcases Pugh performing a practical stunt for the movie’s opening sequence, and just watching how it was made is enough to get your adrenaline pumping.
In the video, director Jake Schreier explains how he wanted to set the tone for the film with a bombastic opening sequence, leading to one of their most ambitious filming locations. It was at the Merdeka 118 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia where the stunt team would craft a rig to help Pugh safely jump from one of the tallest buildings in the world. Interestingly, the video also goes into how the health and safety team at Disney initially opposed the idea, but Pugh championed it the most, which played a big part in the stunt coming to fruition.

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Pugh also displayed some impressive stunt work in her Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) debut in 2021’s Black Widow and will now carry over what she learned from that production into Thunderbolts*. Moreover, we should expect more practical-driven action and stunts in the movie with other characters like Sebastian Stan’s Bucky, John Walker, and Red Guardian, who all have similar power sets. From what’s been shown of the film so far, it’s clear that Marvel Studios is trying to market the upcoming ensemble as something unlike any of their previous projects.
The Practical Stunts of ‘Thunderbolts*’ Could Address Recent MCU Criticisms

While the film’s apparent main villain, Sentry (played by Lewis Pullman), will lean more toward the fantastical action and fight scenes the MCU is known for, the opening stunt showcased in this promo video is a promising sign of Thunderbolts’ more grounded tone. Many of the criticisms of Multiverse Saga films like The Marvels and Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania have been about the special effects and unconvincing action sequences due to heavy reliance on CGI. Now, Thunderbolts* feels like a course correction, including practical stunts supplemented by CG work rather than completely relying on it.
The promo also showcased the explosion of a building, which was also done practically on-camera. An entire floor of a building is blown up, and Schreier’s excitement of starting production on Thunderbolts* with a bang can’t help but get fans excited about the upcoming film. Between this latest video and others like its A24-centric trailer, Thunderbolts* is trying its best to stand out and get people excited for MCU event films again, especially since Avengers: Doomsday is just around the corner.
Hopefully, Thunderbolts* will have a strong box office to help kick off the Summer 2025 blockbuster season, despite opening weekend projections suggesting it will fall short compared to previous MCU releases in that same timeframe. Incredibly positive test screenings have also indicated that the movie could perform well, and help change audience perception and even fatigue with the superhero genre.
Source: YouTube

Thunderbolts*

Release Date

May 2, 2025

Runtime

126 Minutes

Writers

Eric Pearson, Joanna Calo

Franchise(s)

Marvel Cinematic Universe