10 Easter eggs and references in the Thunderbolts* trailer, explored

Marvel has a busy release slate this year, with Captain America: Brave New World coming in a few days, followed by Thunderbolts* in May. We got to see another trailer of the latter recently, which gave us a fair look at what's in store for us.

It now has an updated brief that tells us Valentina (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) has put the antiheroes in a deadly trap where the team consisting of Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan), Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Red Guardian (David Harbour), and more needs to work together.

Interestingly, the watercooler topic surrounding it remains the title itself, accompanied by an asterisk. But that's a different topic. The flavor of the month remains the Easter eggs the new Thunderbolts* trailer presents, so that is what we will see now.

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Easter eggs and references from the Thunderbolt* trailer

1. The Void is here (no, not that metaphysical junkyard)

We finally know who the Thunderbolts are up against: The Void. That guy is basically Marvel's answer to DC's Superman. Yes, that looks like Professor Snape from that angle.

2. There's a Peter Pan cross-reference that many will miss

Yes, we got our villain for the movie, but have you noticed how Marvel presented him as if he were a shadow? Well, he is actually one evil shadow of Sentry, much like Peter Pan's Shadow.

3. The Avengers (minus Avengers) tower is back

We see a glimpse of the Avengers Tower, which looks like it is getting a slight revamp. There's no Avengers logo on it. So, it remains to be seen what other logo ends up on the top. Rumors are it's now a breeding ground for Val's shadow organization, O.X.E.

4. Val is trying to create (or kill) a Dark Avengers team

In the Thunderbolts* trailer, we can see Valentina putting her statement in front of officials. By the looks of it, she is trying to convince that the Avengers don't exist and the world needs new (anti)heroes to keep the evil at bay. That's ironic.

5. Wait, why Valentina looks like Tulsi Gabbard?

There's one real-life reference in Thunderbolts* in this assembly scene where Valentina is donning a white coat with the front of her hair dyed white. If someone is to look for Tulsi Gabbard, a former US representative, on the internet, fans will notice that both women share sort of a similar look.

6. Yelena tried to pull The Dark Knight here

Ask true cinema lovers about their favorite scenes, and the skyhook sequence from The Dark Knight is likely to appear on their list. Yelena appears to be doing the same. Only we don't know if she's pulling that skyhook thing in Thunderbolts*.

7. The Angel of Death

If we go by the comics, Void has been associated with the Angel of Death. This Thunderbolt* scene is a reference to Dark Avengers #13, where a similar entity takes over a city. But that happens during 1600 BCE in the comic issue.

8. Bucky's Thunderbolts

While Valentina is pulling the strings in Thunderbolts*, Bucky has captured all the future members of the team early in the trailer. This is a reference to Winter Soldier's Thunderbolts from comic books, though the members were different.

9. Spider-Man's not the only one who blocked Winter Soldier's punch

That's the second time somebody surprised Bucky when he attacked. Last time, it was Spider-Man, though he was excited to see that metal arm as he asked,

"You have a metal arm? Dude, that is so awesome."

This time it's the Void in Thunderbolts*, though he doesn't seem excited like Parker.

10. The whole movie is basically one big easter egg

Many might know this, but James Gunn expressed his interest in directing the film. But then he ended up making The Suicide Squad (2021), which essentially employs the same theme at its core. A group of (not really) remarkable people to fight the battles that usually are impossible to fight.

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Also Read: Who is The Void from Thunderbolts*? Comic book origin and speculated MCU storyline, explored