Thunderbolts*

 

“Everyone deserves a second shot” was one of the official taglines I saw floating around for Thunderbolts*, and although this is ostensibly in reference to the scrappy characters that populate the film it could also just as easily apply to Marvel Studios and the long-running cinematic universe it birthed back in 2008 with Iron Man. Ever since the culmination of storytelling that was Avengers: Endgame in 2019 it seems like the MCU has had more misses than hits, with existing fans shrugging their shoulders and longing for the glory days with almost every new release and potential new audiences being completely locked out thanks to the sheer weight of each movie’s legacy. Thunderbolts* (yes, the asterisk is an actual part of the title) is a return to form of sorts that injects some much-needed energy into the nearly twenty-year-old franchise, and its themes of depression and mental health also make it one of the more meaningful superhero films in a while.

The cast of Thunderbolts* is technically an ensemble one, but there is no doubt that the show really belongs to Florence Pugh’s Yelena and Lewis Pullman’s Bob, the former of whom was introduced in 2021’s Black Widow and the latter being a newcomer to the MCU. David Harbour’s Red Guardian is also there to steal a laugh or two, and the other team members are there more or less to take up space. But Pugh and Pullman carry the emotional weight well, bringing gravitas to a universe that sometimes offers nothing deeper than popcorn-munching fun.  

Up until the fairly cerebral and touching ending, Thunderbolts* does not deviate too much from the usual Marvel formula, however. There is still a lot of action to be had, even if it does seem a bit toned down from previous entries, and that action still very much feels like a child gleefully mashing action figures together.  There are plenty of snarky quips from sassy characters, and the end credit scenes dutifully tease what is to come next in a never-ending conga line of content. That being said, this tried-and-true formula works pretty well here—the metaphorical action figure child has a pretty good eye for fight choreography and the snarkiness is genuinely fun without being obnoxious.

Thunderbolts* doesn’t reinvent the wheel, in other words, but it does add some oil to the squeaky axles of the Marvel Cinematic Universe thanks to some solid performances and a focused theme of depression and loss. It offers some much needed energy to a franchise that desperately needed it, and as a fan I couldn’t be happier.

Thunderbolts* is now playing in theaters.