By George & Josh Bate
Since the release of the climactic Avengers: Endgame in 2019, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has ventured into new and bold directions, expanding the size and scope of the franchise with the introduction of the multiverse, along with a plethora of new characters. In the years since, some projects have garnered immense acclaim from audiences and critics alike, with Spider-Man: No Way Home and WandaVision serving as prime examples of this success. However, in the post-Endgame era, Marvel has also faced unique challenges, such as divisive reactions to a number of projects (Eternals, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, etc) – something the franchise rarely had before during their Infinity Saga era of success and plaudits. Now, the MCU approaches the culmination of Phase Five, and anticipation builds for next year’s Avengers: Doomsday. That film, along with its successor Secret Wars, carries the burden of reinvigorating audience enthusiasm for Kevin Feige’s sprawling superhero franchise. And while that responsibility is Doomsday’s to bear, the latest movie release, Thunderbolts*, holds a similar weight of bringing back audiences and setting the stage for what’s to come.
Directed by Jake Schreier, Thunderbolts* tells the story of a team of misfit antiheroes who are manipulated into signing up for a perilous mission by the villainous CIA director Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus). This ragtag ensemble is led by Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), who attempts to move on from her past as a Black Widow assassin. Pugh is joined by Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes, now a Junior Congressman in the U.S. government, along with John Walker/U.S. Agent (Wyatt Russell), Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian (David Harbour), Ava Starr/Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), and Antonia Dreykov/Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko). Their mission leads them to a mystery man known as Bob, a simple name for a very complex character played by Lewis Pullman. With each member of the team navigating their own personal trauma along with the dangers they face from Val and her team, the group must prove that they can put aside their grey pasts and come together for a greater purpose.
If one were to boil it down, Thunderbolts* exists as Marvel’s equivalent to Suicide Squad, albeit far better than 2016’s David Ayer film and 2021’s James Gunn film. ‘Villains’ from previous movies who aren’t really as bad as they once seemed join forces to stop a greater evil. Thunderbolts* succeeds far more than DC’s equivalents as Jake Schreier’s film is artfully put together, well acted, and hits a number of crucial emotional beats. At this stage of the superhero craze, both Marvel and DC appear more focused on improving their own output than competing with one another, but the similarities between Thunderbolts* and Suicide Squad are still interesting to note.
At the heart of the story is the aforementioned Bob. Much of the film’s success, both emotionally and narratively, is reliant on Bob, making Lewis Pullman a crucial player in this ensemble. Bob is arguably the most captivating part of the film, with Pullman delivering a captivating and versatile performance with many dimensions that unravel over the course of the film. Mental health is at the heart of Bob’s story, and Thunderbolts* more broadly, as Pullman’s character believes himself to be worthless and struggles with mood fluctuations and depressive episodes. Surprisingly, this examination of Bob’s inner psyche goes beyond surface level, which is typically where superhero flicks land when dealing with real world issues like mental health. The audience is able to get into Bob’s head (quite literally), which makes him an incredibly sympathetic character, even as he’s threatening the lives of everyone in New York City. While various other MCU movies have delved into specific sub-genres (the first Ant-Man being a heist film for instance), Thunderbolts* stands out as the first MCU film to exist at the intersection of superhero adventure and profound exploration of mental health. The franchise has addressed mental health head-on before, most glaringly with the Disney+ series Moon Knight, but Thunderbolts* positions mental health front and center on the big screen arguably more than any other superhero film to date. The film integrates a rich exploration of loneliness, substance use, suicidal ideation, and the need for community, primarily through the parallels between Bob and Pugh’s Yelena. What results is a film that will be greatly relatable to many who have had struggles with mental health and one with a surprising amount of emotional weight.
While the plot centers around Bob, Thunderbolts* features an array of other characters returning from previous MCU projects. One of these returning characters is Bucky Barnes, once again played by Academy Award nominee Sebastian Stan. Although not the leader of the group per se (that title goes to Yelena), Bucky is the person who assembles the team of misfit heroes and puts them on their way to stopping Val. Unfortunately, Bucky is greatly underused and doesn’t really have a semblance of a character arc. Given that Bucky was once known as the Winter Soldier, Bucky fits right in amidst a team of misfits who have all done things they regret. Despite that, Stan isn’t in the film enough to make a significant impact, often operating in the background while other characters take the spotlight. Bucky exists in a peculiar middle ground in Thunderbolts*; he isn’t the lead, nor is he saved for a surprise, impactful cameo, both of which feel like better options than what the film lands on, which leaves one of the MCU’s greatest actors in Sebastian Stan frustratingly underutilized. Still, some Bucky is still better than none at all, especially as he’s among the MCU’s most fascinating and well-developed characters. Stan also spearheads the film’s most badass moment, a motorcycle action sequence reminiscent of Terminator 2: Judgment Day.
Bucky’s role may appear awkward at times, but it’s clear that the character still brings something to the film. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for Ghost. The antagonist of Ant-Man and the Wasp played by Hannah John-Kamen makes her return to the MCU after seven years in Thunderbolts*, providing the filmmakers an opportunity to further develop one of the MCU’s dullest villains to date. Disappointingly, this is no the case as Ghost adds little to the film and is a completely forgettable presence in an otherwise fascinating ensemble.
More success is found with Wyatt Russell’s John Walker, who returns after being the standout in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. For lack of a better term, Russell plays the asshole of the team, which is in keeping with his character’s portrayal in the Disney+ series. Russell delivers some great one-liners in the film and makes for an interesting addition to tthe film.
Amidst the presence of Bob, Bucky, Ghost, and Walker, Florence Pugh’s Yelena is the clear lead hero. Although it has been advertised as an ensemble piece, Thunderbolts* is firmly Florence Pugh’s film. That’s far from a bad thing, though, as Pugh commands the screen with a performance that showcases why she is one of the most in-demand actors in the industry today. Alongside Pullman’s Bob, Pugh is given the meatiest and most interesting material to work with as her character plays into the theme of mental health and explores themes of loneliness, past trauma, and longing desire for community with resounding success. In many ways, Thunderbolts* can be considered a character study of Yelena, making the film feel like a throwback of sorts to more character-focused MCU movies of the past, such as Captain America: The First Avenger.
From a filmmaking perspective, Thunderbolts* is one of the most impressive Marvel movies in recent years. There are some excellent action sequences throughout, with the opening act’s vault fight being a standout. Bob’s transformation from his regular self to Sentry also results in a memorable action scene in which the fighting is extraordinarily well choreographed and shot, stitched together like a continuous and interrupted take.
Thunderbolts also excels with its visual effect. Gone are any wonky VFX shots that have hindered recent MCU movies like Thor: Love and Thunder and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania The cinematography from Andrew Droz Palermo also impresses, especially as it lines up perfectly with the tone of the story being told. Every frame has a gray tint to it, but it is done with purpose, rather than the gray and drab pallor that dominates many MCU outings. Moreover, the Hiroshima parallels that come with the arrival of The Void is a captivating visual idea that works in establishing the danger that Sentry poses. In an era in which it’s often popular to criticize the look of Marvel projects, Thunderbolts* manages to standout aesthetically.
Although Thunderbolts* impresses with its exploration of mental health and filmmaking prowess, the film still has a sense of humor, albeit one that falls quite flat. There are plenty of one-liners and quips from the ensemble, but the vast majority don’t land. Thankfully, the film surrounding this humor is strong enough to offset the flat humor, and the film isn’t as dependent on its humor for entertainment as other MCU movies. Much of the humor comes from David Harbour’s Red Guardian, whose initial refreshing presence in the film fades as his character becomes tiring and somewhat irksome.
After a strong first two acts, Thunderbolts* loses a bit of a momentum in its third act. While the exploration of mental health comes to a satisfying conclusion, the film culminates in a rather forced assembly of the team. Other than Yelena, Bob, and Red Guardian, there isn’t much of an emotional bond between the team members like there is in The Avengers or Guardians of the Galaxy. Thunderbolts* certainly evokes strong emotion, but this primarily comes from themes of mental health and not necessarily the team coming together.
VERDICT: 7.5/10
The Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Phase Five concludes with one of the franchise’s most emotionally relatable and aesthetically impressive outings. Thunderbolts* marks the MCU’s most overt attempt at exploring mental health on the big screen, and does so with incredible grace and emotional intelligence. While other MCU outings have fused the superhero genre with other sub-genres (like Ant-Man as a heist film, for instance), director Jake Schreier does the unexpected in crafting a blockbuster epic with topics like loneliness, suicidal ideation, and depression positioned front and center. The exploration of these themes comes primarily through the characters played by Florence Pugh and Lewis Pullman, whose dynamic proves to be the heart of the film. Although billed as an ensemble piece, Thunderbolts* is firmly Pugh’s vehicle to shine and makes a resounding case for why she should be one of the leaders of the MCU moving forward. Pullman, meanwhile, delivers the most compelling performance of the film as a compels character with multiple dimensions that unravel over the course of the story. Unfortunately, the rest of the team doesn’t match these two characters’ level of captivation. An underused Sebastian Stan means Bucky does not have any semblance of a character arc, while Hannah John-Kamen’s Ghost adds nothing to the film and David Harbour’s Red Guardian becomes tiring. The assembly of the titular team may feel a bit forced, but Thunderbolts* overcomes this issue with overwhelming success in its portrayal of mental heath within the context of a big-budget comic book movie. Heading into Phase Six and the highly anticipated duo of Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, the MCU couldn’t have produced a better film to increase anticipation and give fans a new group of heroes to root for.