In a sea of bad Marvel movies, Disney drops Thunderbolts* into the waves. To the relief of fans, it makes a splash.

Although many fans were skeptical, Thunderbolts* releases to positive reviews, and a financially successful opening weekend. Here is a (mostly) spoiler free review and look into the newest installment in the Marvel series. 

The New Avengers. Image credit: GeekTyrant. 

Although Captain America: Brave New World seemed to start Disney off on the wrong track for 2025, Marvel picks up the pieces and reforges their reputation. Coming in hot right at the start of May, a month that will sport many more highly anticipated films, Thunderbolts*, directed by Jack Schreier, kicks it off with a bang. Rippling through the waters of uncertainty, as Marvel struggles to find its footing post Endgame. Excluding of course the few good ones, like Shang Chi, Deadpool & Wolverine, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Thankfully, they got their feet in the sand. So what sets the Thunderbolts* apart from titles like Multiverse of Madness and Eternals? What makes it so much better? Well, that’s an easy question. Character development. 

Throughout its 2 hours and 6 minute runtime, Thunderbolts* explores mature themes like depression, anxiety, loneliness, and the effects of prolonged emotional isolation. Each and every component of this new team, composed of familiar characters, and a protagonist that is brand new to the series, is important to the plot, and serves as a strong foundation for the story to expand. From the surprisingly well-handled characterization of Yelena Belova, Black Widow's sister (played by Florence Pugh), to the quippy comedic relief served by Alexei Shostakov (Red Guardian played by David Harbour), this strong cast is the standout of the entire production. 

Even some lesser-known side characters like U.S. Agent John Walker, and Ghost are given some nice background details that build their characterization beyond that of previous entries. You care about this team, what they are doing, and don’t want them to fail because of that fact, not because the world is going to end, or the plot forces you into a false sense of meaning. It’s not just a, “I want to see the hero’s win” sort of film, it's a “I hope the Thunderbolts* survive so we can see them again!” To top of this interesting set of individuals, comes Sebastian Stan’s Winter Soldier. Easily another one of the best aspects of this movie. 

The main plot follows six characters, all of them lured together by the main antagonist, Valentina Allegra, who manipulated them to hunt each other into an underground vault, where they are supposed to die. After realizing they were set up, this band of mis-fit heroes comes together to form a team, hoping to enact vengeance for the near-death experience Valentina had put them through. While in this vault, they discover the character of Bob, (played by Lewis Pullman) who has found himself with them, despite not being a part of the plan. Turns out that this man is not just some ordinary civilian, but a product of the “Sentry Project” which gives him immense power and strength. As well as the ability to access a dark dimension called The Void. 

Together, these characters explore emotionally complex themes like loneliness, despair, depression, and guilt. Although this is a superhero film, the depth and realism to these characters' personalities and struggles is unlike any recent Marvel movie we’ve seen in a while. Even surpassing that of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and Deadpool & Wolverine. It’s been a while since a film like that has made you feel legitimately sorry for the characters, and relate to them in such a dynamic way. (Because of this, I myself am proud to give this film a 7.5/10 rating.) If you like a dark, gritty, maliciously comedic thrill ride, with epic fight scenes, and good dialogue, then Thunderbolts* is the film for you. 

Official film review. SPOILER WARNING. 

Starting off with a bang (literally), Thunderbolts* proves its worth by subverting the audience's expectations almost immediately. During the vault scene (right at the beginning of the film), after five of the main characters were lured into an underground bunker- Taskmaster, John Walker, Yelena, Ghost, and Bob- one of them, is shockingly killed. As a fight ensues between the four, (Bob isn’t a big fighter at first), Ghost manages to kill Taskmaster with a gunshot to the head, ending the short-lived legacy of one of the MCU’s most controversial characters. To many, this came as a relief, as Taskmaster was a massively hated plot device in the last film she appeared in, Black Widow, mostly because of the absolute atrocity that was her lazy gender-swap twist towards the end of that film. 

It seems that Disney has actually taken accountability for their mistake, and decided that to make everything better, they should just kill her off in the first twenty minutes of the film and hope we all just forget she was ever a thing. Now is that lazy or smart? The answer isn’t exactly clear. I myself would have personally liked to see her gain a little more development, even though I was one of the people that didn’t like the twist in Black Widow. However, despite that scene leaving a bad taste in my mouth, Taskmaster is still a character I’d like to see more of, you already put her in, so in my opinion, you should just run with it. Giving her a good design in Thunderbolts* didn’t help anything either. If you know a character is hated, you should really try to make them more likeable, instead of just taking them out of the picture altogether. With that being said, her death did not demean the quality of the film. 

This twist was not the only thing that makes this movie so interesting, as there is another reason I really like this one. For years, I have been waiting patiently for Marvel to showcase good character development, and Yelena was one of the best examples I’ve seen in a while. Mixing perfectly with Bob’s lonely personality, Yelena is one of Marvel's biggest clutches since Deadpool. After her not-so-fantastic debut in Black Widow, the White Widow didn't really look like “Main-character” material, but after her amazing performance in Thunderbots*, mostly due to the impressive talent of Florence Pugh, and some good writing, she has proven herself to be an essential protagonist within the universe.

Her story is relevant, it’s relatable, and her especially convincing acting-job makes it feel all the more important to the audience. She stole the show, there is no doubt about it. Yet there is another character that is just as great, that being Bob, or rather, Sentry. An emotional wreck with a rough, heavy past, Bob has been subject to experimental medical procedures, of which he was expected to die. In an effort to make a new super-hero, Valentine Allegra started to take random people off the streets, and infuse their DNA with super-human abilities, expecting them to die in the process. Hence the reason such emotionally unstable people were targeted, they were never going to be the hero, just the lab-rat they needed to advance their experiments. 

The difference between Bob and the other subjects, is that unlike them, he miraculously survived the procedures, and attained the abilities Valentina wanted to enforce. This left a man with extreme mental-issues, mainly depression, with immense power and might, too much to handle. It is because of this that he eventually becomes the central conflict during the film, forcing the Thunderbolts to work together, and get him under control. Throughout the final act, instead of some epic, large-scale Endgame fight, this one ends with an emotionally fueled battle that has Bob face off against the darkest depths of his consciousness. Which in itself is The Void. Sitting in the theater, I was very impressed with how they handled his inner-character struggles, and although the final confrontation could have been considered lack-luster, I saw it as a breath of fresh air for the franchise. With the idea of loneliness being defeated by the power of friendship and compassion. Thankfully, not represented in some cringy way like most other films. 

In the end, Thunderbolts* was fun, thrilling, and complex compared to the other movies. The characters were fun, and blended together like Peanut-Butter and Jelly, a perfect combination. I personally recommend seeing this film, and catching it while it's in theaters (probably gone by the time this article is published). I hope you enjoyed my review, and please go check this film out. You won’t be disappointed. I’m also happy to say that Red Hulk did not appear in this one, something I had feared the entire time I watched the movie. P.S, I hate Captain America: Brave New World.