The new Thunderbolts* trailer from Marvel Studios breaks a record that has stood for the MCU’s entire 16-year history.
Thunderbolts* is expected to push the MCU’s timeline further than ever, centering on a team of darker heroes, antiheroes, and former villains. It will also mark an important place in the Multiverse Saga as the final movie in Phase 5.
Marvel kicked off Thunderbolts*’ press tour with a trailer at San Diego Comic-Con, giving attendees their first look at the team in action on their yet-to-be-disclosed mission. While Marvel trailers vary in length, this one and its successor both came with extensive teases for the MCU's 36th theatrical outing.
Thunderbolts* Trailer Breaks 16-Year-Old MCU Record
The second official trailer for Thunderbolts*, which was released during Marvel Studios' panel at D23 Brazil 2024, broke a record that has stood for the MCU's entire 16-year history.
The first Thunderbolts* trailer (released in September) came with a runtime of 3 minutes and 24 seconds while the more recent trailer clocked in at 3 minutes and 45 seconds. With a combined runtime of 7 minutes, and 9 seconds, this is the first MCU movie whose first two trailers have a combined runtime of over seven minutes.
It also marks the second time any MCU movie has had two trailers which were both over three minutes long — the first being 2021's Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Why Are The Thunderbolts* Trailers So Long?
One important aspect of Thunderbolts* to remember is that this is the first titular team Marvel has introduced since Eternals in 2021. While Eternals brought about a dozen new characters into the MCU for the first time, Thunderbolts* will utilize veteran characters who mostly have never teamed up before.
Additionally, Thunderbolts* has several new characters to introduce, including Lewis Pullman's Bob/Sentry. The team-up will need plenty of time to provide the information needed on newcomers like him while catching viewers back up on what's happened across the old characters' histories.
This team is also made up of characters who have not been seen in some time in the MCU. The most recent to make an appearance was Julia Louis-Dreyfus' Val in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, but the rest of the cast has not been seen on screen since the early days of Phase 4.
Thanks to Yelena Belova and Red Guardian's appearances, Thunderbolts* serves in some ways as a sequel to Black Widow along with a few other MCU entries. With all that in mind, seeing trailers this long is not too much of a shock as viewers dive back into this ground-level world in the next few months.
Thunderbolts* is due in theaters on May 2, 2025.
