The Marvel Cinematic Universe has too many characters and unfinished stories. The MCU has had this issue for a while; they dedicated several minutes to introductions in the climax of Avengers: Endgame, they’ve added tons of new characters in recent years through numerous movies and Disney+ shows, and by introducing the multiverse, they’ve added a few more decades of history into this already convoluted world. Bringing in all these new characters is fine, if there’s a goal to it all, and you’re not just scrambling to keep building and building with no direction in sight — a common complaint about this world, post-Endgame.
But worst of all, in this continuing growth, Marvel has often forgotten how to think small. It’s easy to forget that some of the best movies and shows in the MCU have shown restraint, from WandaVision’s retro sitcom throwback, to Spider-Man: Homecoming largely just being about a kid in high school, and Loki having massive stakes, yet by and large, becoming a character portrait of everyone’s favorite villain-turned-hero. Not everything has to be a multiverse of madness, although it sometimes feels that way in recent years.
Here to kick off the summer season and alleviate both of these aforementioned issues is Thunderbolts*, which takes secondary, often villainous characters from other projects (mostly Black Widow, but also Ant-Man and the Wasp, and, for some reason, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier) and turns them into a misfit superhero team who like to work in the gray areas. It’s a clever way to give these underrated characters the spotlight. It’s also a film that shows needed restraint, a focus on character, and the dynamics between these “heroes,” while never sacrificing massive stakes. As the MCU has grown convoluted and works towards its next major culmination of several phases, Thunderbolts* goes back to the basics of what’s worked before, and creates one of the most enjoyable, fun, and genuinely moving MCU films since Endgame.
What Is ‘Thunderbolts*’ About?

Thunderbolts* begins with Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) getting ready to jump off a building, talking about how she feels like there’s something wrong with her — an emptiness, a void, or maybe she’s just bored. As she jumps off the building, we find out that she’s been working as a mercenary for Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), the director of the CIA, with her own shady dealings. Yelena is tired of working in the shadows, covering up Valentina’s messes, and wants better for herself. Valentina says she’ll consider this after one final mission.
This mission once again involves cleaning up Valentina’s mess in a secret bunker. When Yelena gets there, she’s met by other mercenaries that Valentina wants to get rid of in order to clean up any loose ends. There, Yelena finds herself against John Walker/U.S. Agent (Wyatt Russell), Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), and a mysterious person known as Bob (Lewis Pullman). This group teams up to escape, but then continues together when it turns out Valentina has an even larger threat that they need to take care of. Meanwhile, Yelena’s father Red Guardian (David Harbour), is aimless, not able to work as a hero and running a limousine service in D.C.; while Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) is trying to gather evidence in the impeachment trial of Valentina and turn her assistant, Mel (Geraldine Viswanathan), onto the side of good.
But what unites these unlikely heroes isn’t necessarily a sense of justice or an attempt to help save the world, but rather, a sense of uncertainty and despair, lost in a world where they don’t quite belong. They all have something to offer, yet they’re unsure how to get the world to notice them. As the beginning shows, much of Thunderbolts* focuses on these characters and their inability to know who they should be. They’re all fighting that emptiness, that darkness, that void that creeps up in them, and they try to push down, but it’ll eventually come out in ways they never expected.
‘Thunderbolts*’ Feels Different From Your Standard MCU Film, and That’s a Good Thing

Because of the themes Thunderbolts* is exploring, this has a different tone than we’re often used to in the MCU, and it’s a welcome change. Even though we’ve met most of these characters before, this film reintroduces this team to us from a new lens, reconfiguring our appreciation for them. For example, sure, John Walker is still the stuck-up douchebag who wanted to replace Captain America as he was in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. But in Thunderbolts*, we get to see the pain that he holds inside, and appreciate him as someone who legitimately wants to do good. Similarly, Yelena is still dealing with the loss of her sister, yet it never feels like she’s in the shadow of Black Widow; rather, she’s becoming a standout character in her own right.
At its most basic, it’s just fantastic to have an MCU film that’s about more than taking out the bad guy. Yes, we’ve had MCU films with stories that are deeper like that, such as Black Panther: Wakanda Forever dealing with the loss of a great leader, or Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’s exploration of family. But here, that loneliness, depression, and pain permeate this film at its core, while never becoming overwhelmed by it. Director Jake Schreier (Beef, Brand New Cherry Flavor) and writers Eric Pearson (Black Widow, The Fantastic Four: First Steps) and Joanna Calo (The Bear, Hacks) know that this story needs to be grounded in something real, and it’s wonderfully effective at taking on dark themes in a film that still feels light. It’s no surprise that this team has worked on shows like Beef and The Bear, which expertly meld trauma and drama with genuinely funny moments.
The ‘Thunderbolts*’ Team Is Great Fun, but Some Characters Get Lost Along the Way

Image via Marvel

So much of why Thunderbolts* works is because they’ve amassed a brilliant cast of characters to follow on this journey, where it’s inherently fun to just watch them play off each other and work together. Pugh is a fantastic lead here, and her passion to become something greater and better is palpable through every scene. Again, it’s nice to see this character becoming more than just a sequel of sorts of Natasha Romanoff, and that’s largely thanks to Pugh’s performance here.
This is a well-calibrated team through and through, as Stan’s Bucky gets to have some great moments, but rarely takes the focus away from Yelena. David Harbour and Wyatt Russell are quite fun in adding color to this dynamic and bringing some much-needed levity. Unfortunately, Hannah John-Kamen’s Ghost, while absolutely an improvement over where we last saw her in Ant-Man and the Wasp, doesn’t have much to do here. While the other characters have an opportunity to reckon with their darkness, Ghost is mostly relegated to pointing out details we already gleaned from her previous film. That’s not a knock on John-Kamen, who is also a nice inclusion to this group, but it does feel like she can get lost in the mix at times. It’s also a treat to finally get more information on Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Valentina, as she plays the character like the MCU’s answer to Selina Meyer. Louis-Dreyfus is deliciously nefarious, almost like a morally questionable Nick Fury, and it’s the type of dubious character we need more of in this universe.

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‘Thunderbolts*’ Has the Opportunity to Do What ‘Fast Five’ Did

They’re putting together a team.

But the real standout here comes in Bill Pullman as Bob/Sentry, a character who has to directly reckon with his pain, past wounds, and fears of being completely alone. Bob is a character with several sides to him, and Pullman knocks every one of them out of the park. Whether he’s timid and trying to stay out of the way or greedy with power, Pullman turns Bob into a beautifully well-rounded character that we care for regardless of what state he’s in. Even more than Yelena, Bob has to reckon with the emptiness and tries to outrun it, which leads to a surprisingly emotional conclusion. Again, it’s the type of character that lives in the gray areas, who isn’t just a hero or a villain, that the MCU needs more of.
‘Thunderbolts*’ Might Have Dark Themes, but It’s Always a Blast

Image via Marvel Studios

In addition to its excellent cast, Thunderbolts* is a delicate balance of tone that director Jake Schreier handles quite well. This is digging deeper than most Marvel films attempt, yet it’s also a film with some of the most fun action scenes and comedic moments within this universe in years. Thunderbolts*, along with the best movies of the MCU, knows that character is king, story matters, and all the other superhero elements need to be built out of that. Despite still having large stakes, this is a story that feels restrained and intimate. Yes, there’s still a threat of potential worldwide destruction, but we’re also equally as worried about the darkness that each of these characters holds within them. This team has a history of taking stories with lots of characters, making them emotionally resonate yet still fun, and that comes through here.
Even though Schreier hasn’t done much work in action films, he knows exactly what he’s doing here, with action sequences that are fast, fun, but never confusing. For example, when this team fights against each other upon meeting in Valentina’s bunker, he’s teaching us both who these characters are and what they’re capable of. As Yelena mentions, they’re a team that just punches and shoots, but Schreier makes this a blast to watch. It’s also just a film with a great style to it — again, a rarity in the MCU. The cinematography by Andrew Droz Palermo (The Green Knight, A Ghost Story, You’re Next) is necessarily dark, but never oppressive, and matches the tone of this story beautifully. Similarly, the excellent score from Son Lux has just the right mixture of melancholy and excitement, even seemingly extrapolating part of Kid Cudi’s “Pursuit of Happiness” here and there, a song that certainly speaks to the themes that the film is going for.
Thunderbolts* might not be the mightiest hero that the MCU needs, but it feels like this cinematic universe is taking a step forward in an already convoluted world. This isn’t necessarily a huge sea change, but it shows that even this deep in, Marvel can tell smarter, more emotional stories without forsaking fun, action, and big explosions. It’s the sort of level that more superhero films should be at, and shows exciting promise for where these movies could go (especially with Fantastic Four coming in just a few months). And even though the film does at times feel like it’s setting up for future projects, it never feels burdened by this, but rather, like we’re seeing the natural progression of where these characters’ stories should lead. Thunderbolts* is a pleasant surprise in the MCU; it only took a team-up of Marvel’s unlikeliest superheroes to bring it out in them.
Thunderbolts* comes to theaters on May 1.

Thunderbolts*

Thunderbolts* is a surprisingly emotional and restrained MCU film that still manages to be a lot of fun.

Release Date

May 2, 2025

Runtime

126 Minutes

Director

Jake Schreier

Writers

Eric Pearson, Joanna Calo

Pros & Cons

Thunderbolts* shows a personal, emotional side to the MCU’s characters, which this universe needs more of.
This team, particularly Florence Pugh and Lewis Pullman, are a delight to watch together.
Director Jake Schreier is great at balancing the darker themes with a lighter tone.

Some characters do get lost in the mix, without much to do.