Occasionally, marketing for coming attractions misses the mark. Movie studios may either promote the wrong aspect or focus too much on one particular star. That problem, however, is nonexistent in the Thunderbolts’ case.
Marvel Studios creatively launched its promotion of The Thunderbolts at CinemaCon 2025 with an interesting setup. David Harbour, who is best known for his role as Hopper on Stranger Things, drove the Red Guardian’s burgundy-red limousine into the venue with the cast in tow. They sat in the luxury vehicle expecting a pleasant trip, although the ride was anything but elegant.
As Harbour drove up to the stadium, he ran roughly over several speedbumps, causing his passengers to bounce up and down uncomfortably. Harbour tried to apologize to them in his signature Russian accent, manifesting his inner Alexei. However, given that they’re kind of beat up by that point, it’s hard to accept Harbour’s apology.
What’s hilarious about the segment is that Harbour becomes completely invested in the bit. No one would blame him if he acted less enthusiastic, but he appears all in, driver costume and all. He delivers every quip with the same level of gusto as the next, never stepping out of character. That’s why he’s so great for promotions.
Harbour’s personality makes him perfectly suited for marketing, and should be reason enough for movie studios to feature him more often. Marvel Studios, in particular, could benefit from having a captivating star like Harbour promote lesser-known properties like The Thunderbolts. While the film will be entertaining, in the grand scheme, the characters won’t have much impact on the main narrative or Sacred Timeline. The only exception is Sentry (Lewis Pullman) given the extent of his abilities.
Mind you, Harbour has showcased his talents in quick segments before. The Hellboy star has appeared in various advertising materials since 2018. Although he’s been acting since 1999, Harbour didn’t appear in primetime ads until 2018—which coincidentally was a few years after working on Stranger Things.
Harbour’s most replayed ads are probably his appearances in Tide detergent commercials. The subject matter may sound underwhelming, but it’s hilarious when an actor with a serious face gets to play a character in contrast to their usual archetype.
The Tide TV spots went over well for another reason. Several commercials during the 2018 Super Bowl featured Harbour pretending to promote new products, except they all wound up being additional buildups for Tide. Again, the audience response can be attributed to the actor’s on-screen presence. Harbour knows how to engage with his audience, even while selling fictitious products. This reinforces the idea that other studios should utilize the Stranger Things star in future advertisments.
Additionally, it would behoove Marvel to begin writing scripts for Avengers: Doomsday. Harbour is set to reprise his role as Red Guardian for the upcoming Avengers flick, which is enough reason to employ the actor more often. And after Harbour demonstrated his driving skills at CinemaCon, he’s clearly qualified to film TV spots while on the move.
The Thunderbolts opens in theaters on May 2, 2025.
