Sebastian Stan Rallies Fans For A Sequel To The Avengers' Box Office Underdog
Thunderbolts* may have stumbled at the box office, but Sebastian Stan is already eyeing a sequel, doubling down on his One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest comparison at Tokyo Comic-Con.
Sebastian Stan is already talking sequel. At Tokyo Comic-Con, the Bucky Barnes alum made his pitch for Thunderbolts* 2, even though the first one stumbled in theaters before finding new life at home. He also teased that Avengers: Doomsday is not here to play nice.
Stan wants another round of Thunderbolts*
Stan told fans he loved making Thunderbolts* with what he called a very funny, very talented crew. He singled out David Harbour, Wyatt Russell, and Florence Pugh, and reminded everyone he once likened the movie’s vibe to One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. That’s a pretty bold comp for a Marvel team-up, but he clearly stands by it.
"We had a lot of fun. It was a great group of people, and everybody was very funny. David Harbour and Wyatt Russell, and Florence Pugh, who is really very talented. It was just a good time. If you guys liked the movie, help us make another one. We could film it here!"
So yes, he’s openly lobbying for a sequel and even joked about shooting it in Tokyo. The subtext: if the fan support shows up, Marvel might actually go for it.
Avengers: Doomsday sounds like it will hurt
On the same stage, Stan tried not to spoil anything about Avengers: Doomsday but still managed to raise the blood pressure in the room. He hinted the movie has real emotional stakes and suggested not everyone makes it out alive. He also admitted he does not know who survives, which is either true or top-tier Marvel secrecy. What he did gush about without hesitation: Robert Downey Jr. returning to the MCU as Doctor Doom. In his words, Downey is one of the greatest and he is definitely going to have something in store for everybody.
Worth remembering: Doomsday leads straight into Avengers: Secret Wars. In the comics, Secret Wars means universes crashing together, massive casualties, and a whole lot of existential cleanup. If Marvel mirrors even a slice of that, brace yourself. Stan’s comments only pour gas on that fire.
Thunderbolts* underperformed in theaters, then popped on streaming
Here’s why Stan might be confident about a second go. Thunderbolts* opened in May 2025 and made about $382 million worldwide on a reported $180 million budget. On paper, that’s basically break-even territory — not exactly peak Marvel numbers and not the profit Disney usually expects. Then the tide turned.
When the movie hit digital in July 2025, it jumped to No. 1 on both Amazon and iTunes, per FlixPatrol tallies cited by ComicBook. The bigger win came in August: one day after landing on Disney+, it was the most-watched movie on the service in the U.S. and the third-most-streamed title worldwide, according to ComicBookMovie. In other words, box office meh, streaming yes please.
- Release: May 2025
- Director: Jake Schreier
- Cast: Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Wyatt Russell, Lewis Pullman, David Harbour
- Budget/Gross: ~$180M budget / ~$382M worldwide
- Rotten Tomatoes: 88%
- Runtime: 2h 6m
- Streaming milestones: No. 1 on Amazon and iTunes in July 2025; most-watched movie on Disney+ in the U.S. and third-most-streamed title worldwide within a day of its August drop
So yeah, given that trajectory, Stan asking fans to help will not hurt. If you want Thunderbolts* 2, show up for the first one — which, conveniently, is streaming on Disney+ right now.