Marvel’s Thunderbolts* promises a wave of fresh ideas with its antihero-led feature, yet still feels like a stubborn checklist of familiar and tiring territories.
★★★☆☆
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been confused since at least the last Avengers movie in 2019. General criticism stems from the excess content and the lack of a clear solution to the gap that Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers or Robert Downey Jr’s Tony Stark left. Thunderbolts*, surprisingly, does provide some answers—but still retains some of the franchise’s key problems.
Essentially Marvel’s version of the Suicide Squad, Thunderbolts* is the latest chapter in an ever-expanding cinematic universe. Instead of the heroic Avengers team, who are notably absent at this point in the fictional timeline, the movie instead focuses on a group of ragtag and antiheroic characters across different previous projects. Through a series of complex events, the divergent personalities are forced to unite against a sleazy conspiracy that not only threatens them but also the rest of the world.
The movie strives to be unconventional amidst Marvel’s previous output. It tackles dark themes such as depression and mental health, and follows through with an inspirational story of how even the most unlucky, traumatised, and socially discarded people can become heroes. It also hosts a cast of popular talent, including the Oscar-nominated Florence Pugh.
Pugh takes the spotlight as Yelena, the troubled sister of Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow, after stealing the show in Johansson’s 2021 solo film. If this movie proves anything, it’s that Pugh is an actor Marvel wants to use to full capacity—and rightfully so. Yelena presents her infectiously devilish sass as per usual here, but also carries much of the film’s emotional weight, conveyed incredibly by Pugh’s passionate performance.
Lewis Pullman, who plays Marvel newcomer Bob, stands shoulder to shoulder with Florence Pugh as the film’s standout. He may have the most conceptually interesting character to work with, but Pullman’s real superpower is his performance, where he slips from the frail Bob to the psychotic monster of Sentry/Void with only a minor change of expression.
Strong performances are supported by impressive and creative visual effects, birthing one of the franchise’s most eerily unique climaxes to date. Quite literally, the movie dives into the monolithic and haunting void of mental health and emotional abuse, which culminates in the film’s abovementioned core themes. These are potentially some of Marvel’s darkest materials thematically. While that can appeal to many, the potential is hampered by the surpassing lack of chemistry between the team.
Whilst Pugh and Pullman thrive in their characters’ complexities, the rest of the cast’s inner traits and traumas are spoken out loud and never explored, leaving them surface-level. Wyatt Russel as John Walker, the unlucky successor of the Captain America mantle, stole the show in Disney+’s Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Now it feels Marvel is backtracking, simplifying his character to a perpetual hothead and the butt of the joke. Hannah-John Karmen’s Ghost is stuck in the background, while Sebastian Stan, hot off of two acclaimed performances in 2024 (A Different Man and The Apprentice), is woefully underused, especially given his extensive MCU resume. David Harbour as the Red Guardian at least provides some much-needed personality through his bombastic mannerisms and endearing chemistry with Pugh.
What lets Thunderbolts* down, though, is stale storytelling with obligatory MCU tendencies. After scenes of shock and despair with Yelena’s tragic upbringing as a Black Widow, we are suddenly shunted into a comedy skit as the group debates team names. Hope you’re ready for a wave of hilarious gags about the names of Bob or Yelena’s failed school hockey teams, because they are non-stop! And yes, Marvel still thinks that poking fun of a superhero character or team’s name is hilarious.
Thunderbolts* ultimately feels bogged down, juggling too many ideas and leaving a lot of interesting characters half-baked. Although Thunderbolts* promises a good build-up, paving the way for the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday (2026), the overall impact feels messy and unearned.
In trying to emulate Marvel’s glory days, Thunderbolts* ends up churning out the same tired cliches of the long-running franchise. If any areas feel fresh and effective, it is down to Pugh and Pullman, who draw intrigue for the events of the next Avengers movie. Let’s hope that the mess of Thunderbolts* does not deter the experience of the upcoming crossover.
Words by Joe Jenkinson
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