Thunderbolts* is a breath of fresh air for Marvel, and the studio appears to be showing signs of life. After years of mediocre movies and TV shows (with the exception of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3), this film rises to the top by being character-focused and heartfelt.
Story-wise, this movie isn’t all that original or outstanding. A group of ragtag misfits collide, team up, and stop the bad guy. But, where this movie really shines is in the characters. Florence Pugh as Yelena steals the show with her heart-wrenching display of such raw emotions. Not every character is fully focused on, but one of my new favorite characters in the MCU is Bob (AKA Sentry). His awkward and adorable energy makes him impossible not to love.
This movie also does something that has been pretty hit or miss with the MCU lately: it’s actually funny. The banter between the group members is so realistic and fun. David Harbour as Alexi/Red Guardian is hilarious and brings a lot of tenderness and lighthearted humor to the movie.
A character that is great but should’ve had more screen time is Bucky. He’s awesome in the car chase scene, and he adds a lot to the team dynamic, but he doesn’t do all that much beyond that. But this movie does something that no other MCU movie has done: it gives Bucky an actual heroic theme in the score. He’s no longer bound to the unnerving Winter Soldier theme; he has an amazing theme song of his own.
Movies in the past decade tend to have very boring “floating head posters.” Especially superhero movies. But Thunderbolts* is a rare case where every poster is unique, appealing to look at, and shows off the team while conveying the tone of the movie and team dynamic. One of the most well known is the poster with all the team members on a “Wheaties cereal” box.
This movie also focuses on mental health and feelings of worthlessness that are personified in the villain, The Void. The Void is the dark side to Bob and represents all his insecurities. The way the team manages to save the day is just so heartwarming.
*Spoilers: It’s not all sunshine and rainbows, however. The biggest problem with this movie is how it handled the character of Taskmaster. Introduced in Black Widow, Taskmaster is a character who can replicate the combat style of anyone they fight, which makes them very interesting. However, in the comics, Taskmaster is very different from the MCU version. Not only was there a gender-swap, which isn’t even a problem, but they changed the backstory to a very stupid one and ruined the character. Everyone hated it, so in Thunderbolts,* they just killed her off. This was a huge mistake, as they definitely could have redeemed her character and made her a fan-favorite, but instead, they killed her off after two minutes of screen time.
The post-credits scene takes it back to pre-Endgame post-credit scenes. Most recent ones have either been one-off jokes or setting up plot points that go nowhere. This movie keeps it simple. Some more jokes and references, and then a tease for Fantastic Four: First Steps, which is coming out in July. They’re not teasing a new project, they’re just getting people hyped for a project they already know about.
A format like this is exactly what the MCU needs to maintain. A likable cast and a heartfelt story are the perfect way to get people to the theaters.