Thunderbolts ending explained: How the MCU’s antiheroes survive the ultimate trap

MCU's Thunderbolts* centers on a group of disregarded antiheroes put together by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, featuring Bucky Barnes, U.S. Agent, and Yelena Belova. Valentina orders the team to go to an abandoned facility to destroy evidence of her illegal research, thereby avoiding investigation and impeachment. The film was released theatrically on May 2, 2025.

Directed by Jack Schreier, the film stars Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier, David Harbour as Red Guardian, Hannah John-Kamen as Ghost, Wyatt Russell as U.S. Agent, and Olga Kurylenko as Taskmaster. Julia Louis-Dreyfus returns as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, with Lewis Pullman joining as Bob/Sentry.

During the conclusion of Thunderbolts, the team discovers that Valentina tricked them into killing each other to hide her crimes. Ghost, guilt-ridden after Taskmaster’s death, switches sides. Yelena helps Bob (Sentry) control his powers, preventing disaster. Val escapes, leaving the surviving Thunderbolts united but cautious, setting up darker MCU conflicts.

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Thunderbolts ending explained: Val’s betrayal and the team’s dark future

Thunderbolts (Image via Prime Video)

The Thunderbolts face their deadliest mission by the end of the movie, literally entering The Void, a psychic world created by Sentry's despair and ego that pulls its damaged identity, the Void, into the reality of New York. Rather than a flashy spectacle, salvation comes through empathy: Yelena and the others literally embrace Bob, showing that healing trauma can start with a simple gesture of human connection.

The movie delivers a strong and unique resolution, grounded in empathy, rather than the typical superhero spectacle of fists and explosives. Despite Sentry's great power, the team recognizes that he is just a man drowning in his trauma. Ultimately, this small yet profoundly human act of connection proves to be a lifesaver.

This moment showcases the film’s central thesis: true strength lies not in brute force, but in vulnerability and compassion. They start Bob on a path to recovery that no amount of battling could ever achieve by showing him that he is not alone and that his trauma does not define him. The ending conveys a silent message that a second chance at life begins with a small act of humanity rather than a final blow.

A still from the film (Image via Prime Video)

Later, when the city is rebuilt, things take a turn for the worse, as is typical with the MCU. When the team goes to confront Valentina Allegra de Fontaine for her lies, they enter her public press conference, where she takes credit and changes their name to 'The New Avengers'. This is also confirmed in the closing credits, where the 'Thunderbolts*' logo visually transforms into 'The New Avengers' logo.

As Yelena Belova subtly informs Valentina, "We own you now," implying that the team is no longer under her authority, the team's new status remains a puzzle. Later, the credits begin, opening with a mid-credits joke in which Red Guardian makes an appearance on a box of Wheaties, only to be disregarded or overlooked by a customer in the aisle.

Fourteen months later, a post-credit scene shows the newly formed "New Avengers" at their headquarters, dealing with a "space crisis." As they argue about names and legalities, a distress signal flashes: a spacecraft with the number 4 on it rips past their monitor, setting up Avengers: Doomsday and sending a powerful message: the MCU’s next crossover just went intergalactic.

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Thunderbolts* is now streaming on Disney+. Stay tuned for more updates.