What happens when a bunch of baddies with red in their ledger get thrown together to save the world? You get Thunderbolts*. The Marvel Cinematic Universe film is not your average fare — yes, there are action scenes, and fights, and plenty of banter, but Thunderbolts* goes beyond that to look at the dark side of being a superhero (or rather, villain). The stakes are high, but the stakes are also personal.
The film closes out Phase 5 of the MCU, and takes place after the events of Captain America: Brave New World, all while carrying on plot threads from both Black Widow and Disney Plus series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Thunderbolts* ponders the question: in a world that no longer has the Avengers, who does humanity turn to in their hour of need?
Who are the Thunderbolts*?
Jake Schreier makes his MCU directing debut with a screenplay by Eric Pearson and Joanna Calo. The Thunderbolts* cast is stacked with MCU characters from a number of other properties. Led by Yelena Belova, played by Florence Pugh, the film also stars Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier, Wyatt Russell as John Walker / US Agent, Hannah John-Kamen as Ava Starr / Ghost, David Harbour as Alexei Shostakov / Red Guardian, and, Olga Kurylenko as Antonia Dreykov / Taskmaster. They go up against Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Valentina Allegra de Fontaine. New to the MCU are Valentina’s right-hand person, Mel, played by Geraldine Viswanathan, and Bob Reynolds, played by Lewis Pullman.
Thunderbolts* loosely adapts the comic book team created by Kurt Busiek and Mark Bagley — none of the original characters appear in the film. Like the original though, the characters in the film come together in a world without the Avengers. Admittedly, the Avengers in the MCU have been gone for over five years now, but there was a little blip of hope that a new team would be formed in Brave New World. That hope seemingly ended with the events of that film.
So, now, there are anti-heroes and former villains taking up the mantle to save the day. But their team-up is purely accidental, and not without strife. Said strife comes with a lot of mirth, and that is where Thunderbolts* shines.
Thunderbolts* perfectly balances light and dark
If you’re watching a Marvel property, you’re going to expect some amount of humour to undercut the tension. And Thunderbolts* brings the humour to the fore at every turn. This film is as funny, if not funnier, than the promos suggest. There are jokes, barbs, and comedy aplenty, and it all works despite the variety of characters at play.
Despite criticisms levelled at the franchise for being too bright and reliant on levity, the MCU hasn’t shied away from heavier subject-matter. And heavy subjects are the theme of Thunderbolts*, which are beautifully woven into the comedic elements of the story.
Considering the title characters have all lived difficult lives, and done terrible things, it’s not surprising that they have demons to face and battle. Yelena is most vocal about her struggles in the film especially after losing her sister Natasha Romanoff/ Black Widow, and being left to fend for herself while mourning. We also learn about John’s life post-The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, where he took on the mantle of Captain America, only to devolve into a murderous villain.
New character Bob Reynolds also brings with him a ton of baggage. Like his comic book counterpart, Bob has a history of addiction, and the film adds even more devastating layers to his backstory.
There are also hints to mental and physical health struggles that the characters face. Of the crew we meet in the film, Bucky is the only one who seems to have landed on his feet — as we saw in Brave New World, he’s now a congressman, and he has a mission of his own.
The film rightly posits that a little love goes a long way. If you know where to look for it.
Thunderbolts* forgets its an ensemble
Everything about Thunderbolts* screams that it’s an ensemble. You look at the posters, the promos, the cast, this should be an ensemble. But a true ensemble would provide the audience with as many points of view as possible, and give the title characters fully developed arcs. But a film is only so long, and there’s always going to be a battle for screen time. Someone’s going to feel short-changed, and if it’s a character one likes, your enjoyment in the film may diminish.
That’s what happens in Thunderbolts*. This is Yelena Belova’s film. And look, she deserves it. You don’t cast someone with the calibre of Florence Pugh, and then shunt her to the side. She owns the screen, let her have as much screen time as possible. Marvel is still behind on gender parity when it comes to its leads (let’s not even start with how behind they are on including non-binary and trans characters), so Yelena being in the spotlight is a boon. And Pugh is obviously having so much fun as this character — she perfectly carries the irreverent and emotional aspects of Yelena.
Thunderbolts* essentially feels like Black Widow 2, but Taskmaster is egregiously treated. Marvel had the golden opportunity to spotlight a female character with visible facial scars in a positive light — something that Hollywood is so afraid to deal with — and they completely ignore her.
The creative team should have done a better job of equitably sharing the narrative arc among the rest of the team. Ghost is given little to do, even though Hannah John-Kamen is having a ton of fun with her role. We never get Ghost’s perspective, and worse, she doesn’t form a bond with the other characters. Red Guardian has his moments as the obvious comic relief, but he really comes to life whenever Harbour and Pugh share a frame. Wyatt Russell is somehow able to parry the serious pomposity of John Walker into a brooding and funny jerk.
Louis-Dreyfus steps back into the shoes of Valentina with no effort at all. Newbie Lewis Pullman is spectacular — goofy, sad, stoic, all at the right time. He may not be Steven Yeun (the original choice to play Bob), but he pulls off the complexities of the character well.
Sebastian Stan gets to be a chiller and cooler version of Bucky in this film. He should have been given the chance to riff-off the rest of the cast, but he has a smaller role and his interaction with the main cast is less than one would expect after seeing the promos.
The best part of Thunderbolts* are the characters, but the focus should have been on developing all the characters, not just a few. There are missed opportunities that make this otherwise hilarious, and unconventional, take on superhero films less than extraordinary.