When the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s most morally ambiguous anti-heroes are all individually sent out on the same black ops mission, none of them expected to wind up on a team. The makeshift group, affectionately named The Thunderbolts, find themselves threatened by a mutual enemy that wants to see them, and a seemingly harmless man named Bob, stricken from existence. This premise helps Marvel Studios’ Thunderbolts* stand out from the rest of their superhero offerings. And yes, the asterisk in the title serves a purpose.
Florence Pugh steals the show as Yelena, an assassin looking for meaning in life is the driving force of the film, making her the tentative main character. Thunderbolts* largely functions as a sequel to 2021’s Black Widow. Yelena isn’t the only returning character from Black Widows solo film. Also joining her are Taskmaster, Antonia Dreykov, played by Olga Kurylenko, and David Harbour’s Alexi Shostakov… Also known as The Red Guardian.
Also returning to the MCU are Wyatt Russell as John Walker. Walker was the replacement for Captain America, seen last in The Falcon & Winter Soldier series on Disney+. He wasn’t an ideal candidate, and wound up being granted his own title as U.S. Agent. Hannah John-Kamen returns as Ava. Otherwise known as Ghost; an antagonist the audience sympathized with during 2018’s Ant-Man & The Wasp. John and Ava find themselves in the same career path with Yelena, Taskmaster, and Ghost. All working independently under Valentina De Fontaine, a corrupt CIA Director who’s spent the last few years recruiting metahumans like a villainous Nick Fury. Julia Louis-Dreyfus brings a menacing performance to the table as Valentina, doing all she can to shape the narrative to her liking. Last, but certainly not least, is Sebastian Stan returning as Bucky Barnes; former Winter Soldier and current Congressman.
If the recap of who’s who seems overwhelming, fear not. Thunderbolts* does a solid job of filling in the knowledge gaps with clever dialog that would keep even a new Marvel fan informed well enough to follow the story. All of the black ops agents are set up, and encounter a mysterious man named Bob in the process. Now they’re on the run from the government, and doing all they can to stay alive. However, when Bob winds up needing their help, they go from defense to offense. Banding together to take on a common enemy, and redeem themselves of their tragic pasts in the process. Top Gun fans will recognize Bob as Bob from Top Gun: Maverick. No, they aren’t the same character, but Lewis Pullman played them both in an equally humble manner. His acting range is on full display in this movie, which makes me look forward to seeing more of him in the future.
Writers Eric Pearson and Joanna Calo weave a story together that feels less like a traditional superhero outing and something more akin to the political drama seen in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Their work carries a tone that hits somewhere between the serious nature of that film and the misfit vibe brought on by such installments as James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy. Though the comedy of Thunderbolts* isn’t as over-the-top, it’s still not a grim outing. Traditionally, The Thunderbolts are often mistakenly described as Marvel’s answer to DC’s Suicide Squad. However, no matter the roster, the team is always about redemption, not forced servitude. Eric and Joanna bring that to the big screen, as the team find themselves facing an opportunity to be heroes; redeeming themselves of their troubled pasts in the process. The story, while not using any lineup for the Thunderbolts seen in any of the comics, perfectly captures the essence of the long running series for followers of the MCU.
Andrew Droz Palermo brings his Cinematography to the MCU on the big screen for the first time. His last MCU role as director of photography was for the Disney+ Moon Knight series. However, he’s better known for his work on The Green Knight, which brought a gorgeous visual style to a classic fantasy. His work on Thunderbolts* is a bit more grounded, but no less sensational. Thunderbolts* is never visually boring, despite its fairly bleak color palette. Accompanying the visuals is the cinematic score brought on by Son Lox; the band who last composed music for the sci-fi films Everything, Everywhere, All at Once. Grace Yun helped tie everything together as the film’s production designer. She had previously worked with the writers for the 2023 series Beef. Prior to that she helped shape the eerie world of Hereditary in 2018. With all of these independent creators on board, Thunderbolts* could loosely be considered an “A24” style Marvel film. Which would be acceptable because it stands out as a unique film among the ever growing roster of Marvel Studios outings.
Releasing seventeen years after Robert Downey Jr. said the iconic line, “I am Iron Man.”; Thunderbolts* reminds audiences why they love comic book films to begin with. Feeling like a much needed change of pace for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it serves as a message… Sometimes it takes anti-heroes to do a superheroes’ job. Thunderbolts* is in theaters at the time of writing this. Personally, I hope to catch it at least once more while it’s there.