MarvelBlog News for September 29th, 2024
The Thunderbolts are go! Also, Agatha All Along is off to what seems like a solid start, and Vision Quest may have cast some familiar names.
We’ll discuss all of it in this week’s MarvelBlog News.
Meet Bob
![The Sentry has glowing hands](https://marvelblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/sentryglowinghands.webp)
Image: Marvel
After years of speculation, we finally have footage of the long-promised antiheroes film in the MCU. Take a look at Thunderbolts*:
There’s plenty of cause for excitement in this trailer, but I’ll start with what I like best about it.
![](https://marvelblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/avengers-hawkeye-1024x576.jpeg)
Source: Marvel Studios
When Marvel’s The Avengers debuted in theaters, the film made an interesting decision.
Rather than spend the entire film defending why Hawkeye should be an Avenger, the story leaned into that fact.
![Hawkeye](https://marvelblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Hawkeye-Movie.jpg)
Photo: Marvel
Loki used his Infinity Stone-empowered scepter to turn Hawkeye against his friends.
In the process, the arrow-flinging ally proved how formidable he was, a characteristic Tony Stark identified.
![Original Avengers](https://marvelblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Screenshot-2024-08-13-at-17-26-37-avengers_battle_of_new_york.jpg-WEBP-Image-1920-×-1291-pixels-—-Scaled-43-1024x689.jpg)
Photo: Marvel
During the climactic Battle of New York, the now-proven Hawkeye became someone Stark trusted to choose targets and pick strategies.
This Thunderbolts* trailer adopts the same approach with one of its characters, The Winter Soldier.
![](https://marvelblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/falcon_winter_soldier_episode_1_bucky_barnes_1616138037585-1024x512.jpg)
Photo: Disney / Marvel Studios
Toward the end of the clip, several of the antiheroes are riding together in an armored vehicle, only for someone to wreck it.
At this point, the delightful line of dialogue occurs, “Is that Bucky?” And that’s how the Thunderbolts* presumably find their leader.
After all, who would work better as a guide for the corrupted than the Marvel character who has lived through the same thing?
Those are the ideas in play in the Thunderbolts* trailer, and I’m really only scratching the surface.
What about Bob?
![Thunderbolts*](https://marvelblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Thunderbolts-team-first-look-MCU-1024x577.jpeg)
Photo: Marvel
Marvel hides the real story of Thunderbolts* in plain sight in the trailer.
When the various antiheroes discover that they’re all hoarded together in an obvious trap, they meet someone.
![The Sentry in flight](https://marvelblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/thesentryinflight-1024x512.webp)
Image: Marvel
This dude appears to live there, and his name is Bob. If you’ve been reading MarvelBlog for a while, you know who he is.
Yes, that’s The Sentry (and The Void), one of the most powerful beings in the Marvel universe.
![The Sentry fights Iron Man](https://marvelblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/sentry3-666x1024.jpg)
Credit: Marvel
Marvel retconned him into existence in 2000 and then moved him to the background due to how OP he is.
At this point, comic creators really only remember him when they need to show how powerful a different villain of the month is.
![No, The Sentry's costume colors haven't changed](https://marvelblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/sentryflappinghair.jpg)
Image: Marvel
That character generally finds a way to either defeat The Sentry or use his powers against him.
As proof, here’s the most recent Wikipedia entry about the character:
![Thunderbolts cast reveal](https://marvelblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/thunderboltsd23-1024x680.jpg)
Image: Marvel Studios
“During the “King in Black” storyline, Sentry returns in his golden appearance and has been called by the Avengers to help fight Knull.
He attempts to fly Knull into space, as he had done to Carnage, only for Knull to break free and tear Sentry in half instead, absorbing the Void emerging from Sentry’s body, into his own.”
![](https://marvelblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/thunderbolts-2-1024x554.jpeg)
Source: Marvel Studios
I hate when that happens. Anyway, the point here is that The Sentry is going to be an absolutely terrifying addition to the MCU.
With the publication of this trailer, the character has officially arrived.
![](https://marvelblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/thunderbolts-marvel-top-1024x576-1.jpg)
Photo: The Cinema Spot
These seemingly superpowered foes and sometimes allies of The Avengers think they’ve witnessed power in previous battles.
They’re about to learn that Bob works on an entirely different level.
The Two Subplots of Thunderbolts*
![Red Guardian Outfit](https://marvelblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Red-Guardian-Outfit.jpg)
Photo: Marvel
Based on this trailer, we can already recognize two subplots that will drive the action.
The first is that the relationship between David Harbour’s Red Guardian and Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova will prove integral to the plot.
![David Harbour as Red Guardian](https://marvelblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/David-Harbour-as-Red-Guardian-1024x427.jpeg)
Photo: Marvel
Currently, Pugh is the prodigal daughter who left Russia after she realized the evils of The Red Room.
Meanwhile, Red Guardian, the so-called Captain America of Russia, is apparently living in the United States for some reason.
Red Guardian was one of the most popular new characters in 2021’s Black Widow, while Belova stole the show in the Hawkeye standalone series.
So, those are the anchor pieces in the story, although the other running theme is a bit underplayed here.
![Black Widow Post-Credits scene with Yelena](https://marvelblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/black-widow-post-credits-yelena-belova.jpg)
Photo: Marvel
In the Thunderbolts comic, the story always centers on the desire for redemption and rehabilitation.
Some of the antiheroes care about this notion more than others, and it’s a fun game anticipating who will be like that in the film.
![](https://marvelblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Valentina_Allegra_de_Fontaine_-26_Yelena_Belova-1024x424.jpg)
Source: Marvel Studios
And that brings us to the other antihero, Valentina Allegra de Fontaine.
As played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus, the Contessa is a calculating woman who always has an angle.
![(L-R): Olivia Walker (Gabrielle Byndloss), Valentina Allegra DeFontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfuss) and John Walker (Wyatt Russell) in Marvel Studios' THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER](https://marvelblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/falcon-val.jpeg)
Photo: Chuck Zlotnick/Marvel Studios
![Julia in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier](https://marvelblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Julia-in-The-Falcon-and-the-Winter-Soldier-1024x680.png)
Photo: Marvel Studios
Apparently, she’s the one who has either brought the Thunderbolts together…or tried to end them…or both.
That mystery and the explanation for the asterisk in Thunderbolts* drive the plot.
![Who Are the Thunderbolts Cover](https://marvelblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Who-Are-the-Thunderbolts-Cover.jpg)
Photo: Marvel Comics
While I don’t have viewer numbers yet, the reception to the trailer has been overwhelmingly positive. I mean startlingly so.
Marvel appears to have another hit on its hands when Thunderbolts* debuts on May 2nd, 2025.
![Thunderbolts by Zub](https://marvelblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Thunderbolts-by-Zub.jpg)
Photo: Marvel Comics
For now, the internet is aflame with speculation about what’s going to happen…and based on what I know, I’m confident you’re gonna love it!
Marvel Miscellany
![How Agatha Got Her Groove Back in Agatha All Along](https://marvelblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Agatha_2-18.jpg)
Image: Marvel
This week has been light on stories but heavy on rumors. Since I prefer facts, let’s talk about what we know.
Disney+ just revealed that Agatha All Along’s first episode earned 9.3 million views.
![Agatha really rocks that hat in Agatha All Along](https://marvelblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Agatha_2-1.jpg)
Image: Marvel
That announcement is a bit odd in that the series released two episodes on Wednesday, September 18th.
Disney made no mention of how the second episode did, which is a curious choice.
![Agatha forgot something in Agatha All Along](https://marvelblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Agatha_1-27.jpg)
Image: Marvel
I discussed the matter at length on MickeyBlog, and a Yahoo! writer had similar questions.
The total is less than Loki season 2’s premiere, which was to be expected. Sequels generally outperform pilot episodes.
![Agatha's car lacks some important parts in Agatha All Along](https://marvelblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Agatha_2-3.jpg)
Image: Marvel
However, The Acolyte, a Star Wars show that bombed, did better as well.
On the bright side, the first two episodes of X-Men ’97 managed four million views in combination.
![Agatha All Along is Based on the Danish Series Wandavisdysen](https://marvelblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Agatha_1-8.jpg)
Image: Marvel
So, Agatha All Along is clearly doing quite well, just not as well as some of the other premiere releases on Disney+.
Since the first three episodes are excellent, I’m optimistic that the show will sustain its audience, but The Acolyte didn’t. So, who knows? Stay tuned!
Marvel Miscellany Part II
![White Vision](https://marvelblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Screenshot-2024-09-09-at-09-51-15-What-do-you-think-happened-to-White-Vision-Where-do-you-think-his-story-will-lead-r_marvelstudios.jpg)
Photo: Marvel
The other story this week involves Vision Quest. Cinemablend reports that Jarvis will appear on the show.
Note that I said Jarvis, not J.A.R.V.I.S. If the story is accurate, the human character rather than the virtual assistant plays a role.
![White Vision](https://marvelblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Screenshot-2024-08-23-at-15-59-23-WandaVision-What-Exactly-Happened-to-the-White-Vision-TheWrap.jpg)
Photo: Mavel
Since that character lived at the same time as Peggy Carter, he’d be as old as she was in Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
Presumably, his scenes will occur in the past, although Marvel may have a different plan here, which is possible since they like the actor.
![WandaVision](https://marvelblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/wanda-vision.jpeg)
Source: Marvel Studios
Speaking of which, Kelly Condon will physically appear in Vision Quest.
The Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul actress has voiced F.R.I.D.A.Y. in previous Marvel films. It’s the virtual assistant that replaced J.A.R.V.I.S.
![Agent Carter and Jarvis](https://marvelblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Agent-Carter-and-Jarvis.jpg)
Photo: Amazon
However, now F.R.I.D.A.Y. will take physical form, which hasn’t happened in the MCU thus far.
As a caveat, the article adds: “We still have a while until Vision is available on Disney+, and no word on whether or not these rumors are true.”
![](https://marvelblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/James-DArcy-as-Jarvis-and-Dominic-Cooper-as-Howard-Stark-on-Agent-Carter.jpg)
Photo: Marvel
So, this isn’t certain to happen, but it’s a fascinating idea.
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Featured image: Marvel