Thunderbolts* – Review

Almost every Marvel movie in the last five years has been an explosive, action-packed outing filled with big-name heroes, with a foundation of universe-ending consequences but as fans realise, few of the latest out of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) have resonated with audiences. What the franchise needs is something different yet relevant, and the Thunderbolts* have delivered, with a bunch of misfits and miscreants that have no plan, no ambition and no chance of survival.

Furthering this depressing set of circumstances is the fact that each of the key characters of this anti-hero group – Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh, Oppenheimer), Bucky Barnes aka The Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan, A Different Man), Alexei Shostakov aka Red Guardian (David Harbour, Stranger Things), Ava Starr aka Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen, Killjoys), Antonia Dreykov aka Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko, Extraction 2) and John Walker aka U.S. Agent (Wyatt Russell, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters) – are basically killers and criminals, honourable and loyal notwithstanding, and let’s face it, few would be able to recall where some of these secondary characters appeared before in the MCU, and what they did then.

Still, when the world is short of a few heroes, you take what you can and there is leader to this ragtag group of characters who can’t fly. It’s both Yelena and Pugh who take centrestage in this character-spectacle that pauses to study the underlying mental-health conditions befalling these characters, of loneliness, lack of purpose and disappointment, even as it acts as a self-reflection of the MCU in its entirety – of aimlessness and doing things just to while the time away. There is a void that needs to be filled. It’s easy to see how Thunderbolts* serves as the much-needed medication to an ailing MCU, and the lack of purpose that Yelena feels at the start of the movie, when she nonchalantly jumps off the Merdeka 118 building in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in a black-ops mission for the highly manipulative Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Seinfeld), the Director of the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency), is also a link to the audience, who understand the lack of direction that has befallen a once-great franchise.

Embracing her purpose after visiting her father Alexi, Yelena aims for something to improve her situation, only to discover that her final mission for de Fontaine crosses paths with the other villains, who gather to help each other upon the discovery of Bob (Lewis Pullman, Top Gun: Maverick). And in leading this team of characters, she somehow connects with all of them, from the fallen soldier Walker, the selfish assassin Ava, and is also able to reconnect with her estranged father, whom she faults for not contacting her, only to be told that he felt that she wouldn’t want to be associated with the disgraced Russian super-soldier. 

While Harbour delivers the same boisterous ridiculousness from 2021’s Black Widow, Alexi also takes the time to establish a stronger relationship with his daughter, and in doing so identifies the purpose that his life currently lacks. Offering humour and heart, it’s hard to believe that in the absence of the first Captain America, Russia’s first super soldier has become the heartbeat of this superpowered group.

And while Bucky continues with his silent treatment towards the others, his almost Terminator-like introduction as the Winter Soldier here reminds us why he’s so dependable – Bucky has no intention of seeking fame or glory. This is a guy who recognises talent, knows what to do to get the best results, and how best to remain in the shadows, until he’s told to step into the spotlight.

Rather than focusing on the action, politics and the larger state of the MCU after the events of Captain America: Brave New World, director Jake Schreier (Paper Towns, Beef) leans into the mental state of some of these characters, delivered with strength and intensity from Pugh, Harbour and Pullman, who embrace their faults and fears and acknowledge their dependency. 

Yes, this is a superhero film and there is some fighting here and there, but this is also a redemption for these groups of once-villains, as they struggle to seek salvation and the anxieties caused by their former activities. 

And even as the Thunderbolts exist as a team, the movie title exists with an accompanying * because there is a plan in place, and these guys are not the Avengers nor do they aim to be – they are an all-new and all-different group of characters who have inadvertently come together to save New York, and de Fontaine wants to milk this every way she can.

If there is one fault, it’s that the introduction of Pullman’s Bob doesn’t quite match that from the comics, and readers might understand the nerd rage that might potentially unfold. Still, this is the first that audiences are introduced to the live-action version of a character that clearly fills a void, and with the set-up of an appearance in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday, it’s great to see Pullman do the character justice, by focusing on the character’s well-known mental anguish, while also displaying an almost earnest innocence generated by the character’s amnesia. 

But as Schreier explained in an interview with Geek Culture, this movie isn’t about adhering to known canon but is building for the future of the MCU. By turning a group of misfits into potential heroes, he has successfully met the challenge of making audiences not only care about a group of secondary heroes, but also redirect the meandering course of the MCU, and point it towards a greater purpose. 

And if you want to know what that is, be prepared to stay for the post-credits scene – one that actually sets up the future, and offers more than just a trick to make you stay in your seat.

HSALS

Hsals needs more space in his house, and more money in his bank account to pay for all the toys, collectibles and other geek related items that companies are churning out. Free-time? Girlfriend? Who’s got time for those?