After years of misfires, disappointments, and a growing sense of superhero fatigue, the MCU looks poised for a comeback with the highly anticipated arrival of Thunderbolts—a gritty, but mostly fun new adventure that just might put Marvel back on top.
Directed by MCU newcomer Jake Schreier (Paper Towns, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew), Thunderbolts* is the 36th film in the franchise. It stars an ensemble cast featuring Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, Wyatt Russell, Olga Kurylenko, Lewis Pullman, Geraldine Viswanathan, David Harbour, Hannah John-Kamen, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus.
Ensnared in a covert government operation that quickly spirals into a deadly trap, an unlikely team of antiheroes—Yelena Belova, Bucky Barnes, Red Guardian, Ghost, Taskmaster, and John Walker—is thrust into a high-stakes mission that tests their fragile alliances and personal demons. As they navigate a web of betrayals, buried secrets, and shifting loyalties, each member is forced to reckon with the darkest corners of their pasts.
The ragtag team is led by Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova, continuing her standout run as the sharp-tongued Black Widow successor. Sebastian Stan returns as Bucky Barnes/The Winter Soldier, bringing a world-weary gravity that anchors the group. Wyatt Russell reprises his role as John Walker/U.S. Agent, whose fragile patriotism clashes with nearly everyone on the team.
David Harbour brings some much needed comic relief as Red Guardian, while Hannah John-Kamen returns as Ghost, adding a haunted, unpredictable edge. Julia Louis-Dreyfus is delightfully manipulative Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, the team’s enigmatic handler. Elsewhere, Lewis Pullman makes a rather impressive entry to the MCU as Bob, a mysterious individual who finds himself at the heart of this new adventure.
Thunderbolts feels both messier, but undeniably funnier than your average Marvel fare—and that’s a good thing. Director Jake Schreier leans into the team’s dysfunction, offering a film that feels like a real return to the old MCU. The action is punchy and well-executed, but it’s the tension between characters—particularly Bucky and Walker that gives the film its edge.
Despite a tendency towards somewhat overt explorations of mental health issues, the film’s true strength lies in its ability to deliver compelling action sequences, often surpassing its more thematic moments.
Granted, the story does wobble under the weight of trying to serve so many arcs and teases, and some narrative threads get more attention than others. But where the film falters in balance, it excels in tone. Thunderbolts embraces its characters’ baggage and makes it part of the storytelling, rather than papering over it with quips.
Unlike many of Marvel’s recent teases, this one feels purposeful. More importantly, it is a film that makes us truly care about its characters and their their well-being. It also manages to directly set the stage for Avengers: Doomsday, and offers a jolt of momentum to a franchise many fans have accused of going through the motions post-Endgame.
It’s gritty, chaotic and sometimes uneven, but also thrilling and unexpectedly heartfelt. Best of all, it proves Marvel can still surprise us when it stops trying to please everyone and leans into the weirdness.
