Why are MCU Thunderbolts* trailers so long? Details explored

The two trailers that have been released for Marvel Studios' anti-hero ensemble, Thunderbolts* have been received positively by fans and audiences in general. Hardcore Marvel fans have been clamoring for a cinematic adaptation of this team with anti-heroes and supervillains for at least a decade. Marvel Studios finally relented and gave fans what they wanted after the Infinity Saga.

One of the noticeable aspects of the movie is the runtime of the trailers that were released. Both the trailers were over three minutes long, making it a first for the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general.

One of the probable reasons behind the long trailers is Thunderbolts* the first MCU team-up since 2021's Eternals. Plus, it features characters like Ghost, Taskmaster, and U.S. Agent, who have not been seen in a while.

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Runtime of Thunderbolts* trailers explored

As said earlier, there are two Thunderbolts* trailers. They were released on 23rd September and 10th November 2024. The teaser trailer released in September is 3 minutes and 24 seconds long. Conversely, the trailer made available on D23 Brazil in November is 3 minutes and 40 seconds long. So, the combined length of the two Thunderbolts* trailers is nearly 7 minutes and 9 seconds long.

This makes Thunderbolts* special because its trailers are long. However, the longer runtimes of Thunderbolts* trailers are understandable because of the long list of characters.

In addition to Red Guardian, Yelena Belova, U.S. Agent, Ghost, Taskmaster, and Bucky, Thunderbolts* also features the exciting debut of Sentry. If you don't know, Sentry is almost as powerful as Superman. But he has a dark secret too.

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The Thunderbolts* team explained

Thunderbolts* is based on the anti-hero and sometimes even supervillain team of the same name from the Marvel Comics. They appeared for the first time in the pages of The Incredible Hulk #449 in 1997. Conceptually, they are similar to the Task Force X or Suicide Squad from DC comics.

The summer 2025 release stars Florence Pugh, Wyatt Russell, Sebastian Stan, David Harbour, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Lewis Pullman, and many more. One of the exciting characters that people are excited to see is Bob Reynolds, i.e., the superhero Sentry. The titular team is made up of characters that were mostly antagonists (except for the Red Guardian) previously in a Marvel production.

The synopsis of this movie reads:

"Marvel Studios and a crew of indie veterans who sold out present Thunderbolts*, an irreverent team-up featuring depressed assassin Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) alongside the MCU’s least anticipated band of misfits."

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Discussions about Thunderbolts* coming on the big screen

As said in the introduction, those who read comics have been hoping for an adaptation of Thunderbolts for at least a decade. A 2014 James Gunn interview only made the fans hope more for an adaptation of this supervillain team.

Back in 2014, in an interview with Screen Rant, Gunn expressed an interest in adapting the team. But he also added that it depended on the performance of the then-releasing first Guardians of the Galaxy. He was quoted saying:

"Thunderbolts? I will tell you, one time I was saying to Kevin [Feige], we were sitting on set together on one of the days he visited and I said, 'You know, I really want to make Thunderbolts,' and he said, 'James, if Guardians does well you'll be able to do whatever you want so we'll see what happens."

While Gunn never got a chance to direct Thunderbolts*, he did get a chance to direct the critically acclaimed The Suicide Squad in 2021, which was a loose follow-up to the 2016 movie.

Thunderbolts* is directed by Jake Schreier, the director of Paper Towns and Robot & Frank.

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Thunderbolts* will be theatrically released across the world on 2nd May 2025. This is the second MCU movie that's releasing in 2025, as the first one is Captain America: Brave New World.