Where are the heroes? The curious case of Spider-Man and Daredevil’s absence in ‘Thunderbolts’

The upcoming Thunderbolts film is gearing up to unleash chaos in a city that’s practically built on superhero DNA—New York. From cosmic invasions to multiversal meltdowns, the Big Apple has seen it all, usually with a cape or a cowl swooping in to save the day. So naturally, fans are asking: where are the city’s homegrown champions, Spider-Man and Daredevil, when Manhattan begins to fall under the ominous grip of The Void?

The Void rises… but where are the finest heroes?

The trailer teases pandemonium—an eerie, creeping darkness swallowing city blocks, distorting reality itself. But while anti-heroes and rogue agents rise to answer the call, the web-slinger and the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen are nowhere to be seen. Not even a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo. And for Marvel fans, silence is rarely just silence—it’s a puzzle begging to be solved.

One particularly chilling theory suggests that this isn’t just an absence... it’s an erasure. The Void’s shadow appears to be more than just aesthetic menace—it moves like a predator, quick and silent, consuming everything in its path. Could it be that Peter Parker and Matt Murdock, stationed in Queens and Hell’s Kitchen respectively, were among the first to vanish? Even with Daredevil’s razor-sharp senses and Spider-Man’s acrobatics, the trailer hints that escape might not be an option when the darkness comes calling.

Then again, Marvel does love a classic diversion. The MCU often explains away missing heroes with the age-old "they're handling something else” rationale. Perhaps Daredevil is knee-deep in the legal and literal chaos of Born Again, fighting a war too personal to abandon. Maybe Spider-Man, still picking up the pieces post-No Way Home, is caught in a web of his own making—another enemy, another corner of the city, another secret he’s sworn to protect. In a city this sprawling, even Spider-Man can’t be everywhere at once.

Of course, there's always the wildcard theory: Marvel is holding its cards close. Could a third-act reveal bring a surprise team-up? A last-minute save? A blink-and-you-cheer cameo that sends theaters into a frenzy? It wouldn’t be the first time Marvel kept a secret just long enough to break the internet.

For now, their absence remains one of the Thunderbolts’ most intriguing mysteries. Whether it’s strategic storytelling, timeline juggling, or a narrative sleight of hand, one thing’s for sure—when Spider-Man and Daredevil are missing from a fight this big, you can bet there’s more going on than meets the eye.