We’re entering Phase Six of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and things have significantly slowed down from the early days of The Avengers, making every movie a must-see event. It seems like for every good film, a lackluster one is always right around the corner. Will this one be one of those, or will it renew some confidence in the MCU? Find out in our Thunderbolts* Review!
| Release Date | May 2, 2025 |
| Genre | Super-Hero |
| Studio | Marvel Studios |
| Director | Jake Shreier |
| Cast | Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, David Harbour, Wyatt Russell |
| Rating | PG-13 |
Yelena
Thunderbolts begins with Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) just going through the motions. Mission after mission feels the same, and she’s shown a lack of purpose and motivation for what she’s doing. She goes on one last mission for Valentina Alegra De Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus). This leads to her being double-crossed, prompting her to team up with a group of misfits who have also been betrayed, her father figure, and Bob. This leads to an unlikely group of superheroes fighting for their very survival.
Team of Misfits
There’s something special about a gang of misfits. You instantly want to root for them to succeed and to overcome obstacles. It was one of the reasons The Mighty Ducks is such a memorable franchise, amongst many other examples throughout the history of cinema. This is what makes Thunderbolts such a fun movie. You have a band of characters that are down on their luck and are forced to unite under a common goal. It’s even better when these characters have very distinct personalities and trauma and are forced to get along. That’s what we have in Thunderbolts*.
In addition to the aforementioned Yelena Belova, the team features John Walker (Wyatt Russell) from Falcon and the Winter Soldier. He has a cocky attitude, but softens as the movie goes along. Eva Starr, aka Ghost (Hannah-John Kamen), makes her way over from Ant-Man and the Wasp, playing a dry, loner character who was only trying to finish a job. Then we have David Harbour, who provides some comic relief as Red Guardian. Sebastian Stan also returns as a Congressman who joins the team mid-way through. It’s a great cast, and I thoroughly enjoyed watching them interact. I’m thankful for that, as the movie has a lot more exposition than most Marvel movies, yet it never felt dull.
A Bit Uneven
While it is nice to see all these characters interact, I do feel some are utilized unevenly. Ghost, in particular, doesn’t really have much exposition in the movie and feels a bit like an afterthought. Red Guardian, on the other hand, feels like he gets a lot of screen time. He has such a big personality that I didn’t hate it at all, but I can see some people tiring of him by the third act. Winter Soldier also feels a bit underutilized, being saddled with the Congressman role for the better part of the movie before bringing out the superhero inside. It felt more like a Yelena movie than it probably should have, but that speaks to how strong Florence Pugh’s performance is.
Facing Your Demons
Bob (Lewis Pullman) is the most interesting character in Thunderbolts in my eyes. In the movie’s first act, we see Bob as a relatively unknown character with minimal backstory. It’s his journey into becoming The Sentry that becomes the fascinating part. It’s not a typical superhero story; it’s a story about isolation and mental health. There’s a scene where Bob is tasked with taking down the Thunderbolts, but he struggles because he doesn’t want to hurt them, since they pose no threat to him. Bob is constantly fighting the darkness until it completely takes over, manifesting as literal darkness that engulfs everything. This leads everyone engulfed in darkness to confront their most significant traumas. The Thunderbolts must overcome them and reunite with Bob to conquer the darkness together. It’s deep for a Marvel movie and one of the best stories they’ve told in quite some time.
Final Thoughts
Thunderbolts is a good Marvel movie after a recent sea of mediocre releases. If you’re a fan of fast-paced action movies like Daredevil and Wolverine, you might be a bit disappointed with this one. The film takes its time revisiting earlier events and providing more backstory on some characters, which significantly pads its runtime. I enjoyed diving deeper into these characters and the film’s unique, darker tone a lot. If you’re on the fence, I would definitely give it a chance. It was refreshing for me, and I can’t wait to see what the Thunderbolts get up to next.
