REVIEW — “Thunderbolts*”

Everyone deserves a second shot, even the self-proclaimed losers of the MCU. Featuring dark and damaged anti-heroes on a redemptive joyride, Thunderbolts* is a fun-filled, action-packed MCU character study with a thunderous heart.

Acting powerhouse Florence Pugh reprises her role as Yelena Belova, who serves as the emotional core of the ensemble. As the heart of the film, Pugh delivers a nuanced performance that perfectly balances Yelena’s strategic pragmatism with moments of vulnerability and wit. We find her unhappy and without purpose following the death of her sister Natasha Romanov (Black Widow). Stuck in a spiral of depression, she is going through the motions of one violent mission after another for Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus). Grief-stricken and all alone, she is consumed with shame and regret, teetering on the edge of her own deep, dark void. Standing on a precipice, her life can only go down or up, however, she is reluctant to become a hero, feeling undeserving of the glory.

Still emerging from his own dark past, Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) is now an elected U.S. representative. While I vaguely remember Sam calling him a congressman in Captain America: Brave New World, The Winter Soldier’s election to Congress largely occurred offscreen. Looking uncomfortable in a suit and tie, Bucky does not enjoy navigating the political gamesmanship in Washington, preferring instead to go rogue in his investigation of the corrupt Valentina.

In an effort to avoid impeachment and tie up loose ends, Valentina sends Yelena and her other black-op assassins including Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko), and disgraced former Captain America John Walker (Wyatt Russell) on a sham mission to a remote location to take each other out. Fortunately, the trapped anti-heroes’ survival instincts trump their orders and they are able to work together to escape along with mysterious newcomer, Bob (Lewis Pullman), an unassuming guinea pig of a man haunted by a dark past that only Yelena seems attuned to. Along the way, the on-the-run misfits are aided in their escape by Bucky and Red Guardian (David Harbour), Yelena’s estranged “dad” from 2021’s Black Widow. It turns out, Bob is becoming The Sentry, the result of Valentina’s aborted experimental project to create the ultimate superhero/soldier. When a dark Void begins to consume Bob and twist his mind, Yelena and her misfit band of Thunderbolts must unite to bring him and the world back from the brink of darkness.

In Thunderbolts*, each actor is finally able to find their character’s groove. As Walker, Russell plays a hot-headed wiseass in line with some of his father Kurt’s most iconic characters, but he also gets to showcase his acting chops as he wrestles with the complexities of his past villainy and newfound heroism. Given much more depth, heart and substance than she was offered as the secondary villain of Ant-Man and The Wasp, John-Kamen is a delight as Ghost. They each get the opportunity to shine and inject levity into serious situations with witty banter, playful chop-busting, and infectious dog-piling. Directed by Jake Schreier from a screenplay written by Eric Pearson and Joanna Calo, the film also stars Geraldine Viswanathan, Chris Bauer and Wendell Pierce.

Washed up and grappling with his own insecurities, David Harbour’s Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian is tired of sitting on the sidelines. Desperate for action, glory and the chance to be part of a team, Harbour effortlessly embodies the character’s bluster, often using his large stature, booming voice and comedic timing to bridge the gap between humor and sincerity. He chews every scene he is in and injects a unique and over-the-top flavor into the film, yet he also helps provide some of the film’s most engaging moments. Harbour and Pugh’s strained father-daughter relationship is one of the highlights of the film as it comically oscillates between eye-rolling embarrassment and emotional co-dependency, especially in a heartbreaking scene near the film’s end that encapsulates Yelena’s raw vulnerability and need for a sense of family.

As Bucky, Sebastian Stan showcases a depth that is often overshadowed by his film’s action sequences. His portrayal continues to delve into the psychological aftermath of his past, and Thunderbolts* underscores his journey of healing. Much like his interactions with Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) in Disney+’s Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Stan’s delivered banter with Alexei, Walker and the rest of his cohort adds an unexpected layer of levity and warmth to his formerly brainwashed super soldier character who must now babysit a band of similarly damaged castoffs. As their wise elder, he advises them that while they can’t outrun their past, it’s never too late to do the right thing.

As a lost and afraid man holding back rivers of emotions behind his swirling eyes, Pullman stars as Bob/The Sentry: two halves of a damaged man injected with godlike powers through experimentation. Considering the fantastic Steven Yeun was initially cast in the role by his Beef director Jake Schreier, Pullman pulled off the deeply emotional and imposing role with a quiet tenderness, an impressive performance that was an unexpected, yet welcomed, surprise.

The film’s likeable cast of characters were clearly compiled through thoughtful consideration. While Yelena and Alexei and Bucky and Walker each have their own shared history, many of these characters have never crossed paths within the MCU. It’s refreshing to witness the collision of these dynamic personalities and their resulting chemistry, particularly the unique pairings of Pugh and Pullman, Russell and John-Kamen, and Stan and Harbour. The chemistry among the cast not only fuels the action but also enriches the narrative. Starting as would-be assassins, each relationship grows from reluctant ally to loyal teammate, an evolution that feels natural given their personal circumstances and shared understanding of shame, loneliness and redemption. Fortunately, the film’s sharp humor helps cut through such heavy themes. As the team bonds and their brooding demeanor and deep-seated distrust in one another fades, their abrasive camaraderie—rooted in pain, humor, and shared mischief—shines through and creates an atmosphere where these anti-heroes can thrive among the chaos and finally realize their purpose as heroes.

Walt Disney Pictures and Marvel Studios’ Thunderbolts* is a refreshing divergence within the expansive Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) that transcends beyond typical superhero flicks by intricately weaving the narratives of morally ambiguous characters while tackling heavy topics like depression, regret and mental illness with acerbic wit and tender understanding. Be sure to stick around until the very end for two after credit scenes, one with heavy implications for the future of the MCU and another that features the song “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now.” While David Bowie’s “Heroes” would have worked perfectly as this film’s theme song, Thunderbolts* earns extra cool points for instead opting for the Starship classic. 4/5

Rated PG-13 with a runtime of 2 hours and 6 minutes, Thunderbolts* opens in theaters May 2, 2025.