Similar to how the early stages of the Marvel Cinematic Universe turned B- and C-list heroes into the biggest stars in the world, the next chapter of the mega-franchise aims to team up side characters from passable movies and questionable TV shows. pick. up film with a lot of potential.
Marvel and Disney have released a new extended trailer for Lightning strikes* on Saturday, after a debut at Brazil’s upcoming D23 convention, and it feels a bit like old times with the chemistry and enthusiasm. Plus, we get a bit of color gradient that we haven’t seen in an MCU movie since… maybe ever? If Deadpool and Wolverine made every conceivable self-referential punchline you can think of to get Marvel through a bad year, next May’s tentpole could actually breathe new life into the ongoing saga.
Each character gets the spotlight in the new trailer, including Yelena Belova/White Widow (Florence Pugh), Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian, US Agent/John Walker (Wyatt Russell), Ghost/Ava Starr (Hannah John-Kamen), Taskmaster/ Antonia Dreykov (Olga Kurylenko) and Winter Soldier/Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan). Plus, there’s Bob (Lewis Pullman). Although it remains unclear whether he is friend or foe. Then there’s Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Valentina Allegra de Fontaine in the Nick Fury slot, who brings the zings and jabs.
The big shock is there, despite most of the crew being taken out Black widow And The Falcon and the Winter Soldierventures that remain a total blur for so many reasons, the cast delivers the report. And Stan has really evolved into the all-star badass of the MCU, huh? He goes full terminator in a clip from the film’s big desert chase. Pleasure!
Is it all just a well-cut trailer released at a time when a touch of old-school Marvel flavor goes a long way, or will director Jake Schreier (Robot and Frank) deliver the goods? We’ll know when Lightning strikes* will be released in theaters on May 2, 2025.