Thunderbolts* has just achieved an impressive Marvel Cinematic Universe stat. Thunderbolts* boasts an all-star cast, bringing anti-heroes from several MCU movies and TV shows together, with a lot of them meeting for the first time. As the Multiverse Saga has lacked in character interactions and team projects, with no Avengers movies so far, Thunderbolts* comes as a breath of fresh air, which has made the excitement levels for the film rise. Before the upcoming MCU movie arrives in theaters, fans can now get a concrete look at how Thunderbolts* fares through its first reviews.
On Rotten Tomatoes, Marvel Studios’ Thunderbolts* debuted with 95%, the MCU’s second-highest score ever. Only Black Panther, with 96%, stands above it. However, as more reviews come in, the 2025 MCU movie’s critics’ score could drop, as numbers tend to fluctuate when it comes to release week. As a whole, the Multiverse Saga has been divisive, with films like Spider-Man: No Way Home and Deadpool & Wolverine becoming universally acclaimed, while others like Eternals and Captain America: Brave New World have struggled. Thunderbolts*’s emotional story seems to have resonated with critics, which is exciting for its box office chances.
What The Thunderbolts* RT Score Means

Marvel Studios Seems To Have The Hit It Needs

Thunderbolts*’s Rotten Tomatoes score being so high is impressive in comparison to the MCU as a whole, but even more so when it comes to the Multiverse Saga. As this period of the franchise has been divisive, leading to multiple Rotten scores for MCU movies by critics, Marvel needed its new team movie to be a major hit. Based on how positive the response from critics has shown to be, it is easy to imagine that Thunderbolts* could generate the same kind of response from fans, becoming the box office hit it has to be.

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Marvel’s Thunderbolts* Almost Took Place Entirely In A Single Location & I Would Have Loved To See It

Thunderbolts* was almost very different, as the MCU movie would have taken place in a single location originally, which would have been exciting.

Most of the Thunderbolts* cast will soon reprise their roles in Avengers: Doomsday. With Marvel pivoting to Doctor Doom after firing Kang the Conqueror actor Jonathan Majors, all the setup that had been put onscreen for him to be the Multiverse Saga’s main villain is now wasted. The buildup to the next two Avengers movies has not been nearly as perfect as it was for Infinity War and Endgame in the MCU’s Infinity Saga. As it introduces a new team that will be key to Avengers: Doomsday, the fact that Thunderbolts*’s reviews are so positive bodes well for the 2026 movie.
Our Take On The Thunderbolts* RT Score

Marvel’s New Team Deserves All This Success

I’m glad to see Thunderbolts* debut with the MCU’s second-highest Rotten Tomatoes score ever. While I know The Fantastic Four: First Steps has always been Marvel’s splashiest release of 2025, I have to say that after its first few trailers, Thunderbolts* quickly became the MCU movie I’ve been looking forward to the most this year. As critics have been said to be somewhat jaded with the MCU over the past few years, such a strong positive response from the first Thunderbolts* reviews is exciting. I believe Marvel has a gem on its hands, and I can’t wait to watch Thunderbolts*.

Thunderbolts*

8/10

Release Date

May 2, 2025

Runtime

126 Minutes

Director

Jake Schreier

Writers

Eric Pearson, Joanna Calo

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Source: Rotten Tomatoes