Thunderbolts*

Rating 7/10

With Thunderbolts* Marvel is admitting, “Yeah, we know you’re tired of superheroes. So here’s a movie about the B-team, the disorder, and fatigue. No universe-shattering stakes—just vibes, misery, and government screwups.” Somehow, it all works.

In this dark tale, Florence Pugh returns as Yelena Belova. The haunted  Black Widow assassin is grappling with the lingering pain of her past. She is drawn into a deadly conspiracy orchestrated by the embattled CIA director Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus). Sent under false pretenses alongside fellow operatives John Walker (Wyatt Russell), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), and Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko), Yelena soon discovers they were meant to be silenced to cover up de Fontaine’s illegal operations.

A mysterious figure named Bob (Lewis Pullman) emerges with god-like powers. The newly formed group is rescued by Alexei Shostakov (David Harbour), who beams with pride when John Walker jokingly dubs their crew “Thunderbolts,” a nod to Yelena’s childhood soccer team. They are later joined by Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), the reformed Winter Soldier, who sees through de Fontaine’s manipulation and becomes an ally. Together, the mismatched alliance must face a growing threat tied to Bob’s origins—one that spirals out of control and plunges New York into chaos.

Thunderbolts* is a dour saga centered on a ragtag group that must battle external threats and internal demons. The title suggests bombastic action, but the narrative is more concerned with the emotional weight of trauma. This is reflected not only in tone but visually as well. The cityscape is gray. Even the squad’s uniforms are muted. The aesthetic is bleak.

The story is driven by emotional scars, and it rests on Florence Pugh’s charismatic performance. She is the MVP of this ensemble. The rest of the gang —John Walker, Ghost, and Bucky Barnes — carry their own anguish, but the weight is particularly substantial for Yelena. The haunting memories of a past as a brainwashed assassin linger. “Your light inside is dim, even by Eastern European standards,” quips Alexei Shostakov, her father and the Red Guardian.

Yet amidst the despair, Thunderbolts* finds surprising room for levity. The screenplay, penned by Eric Pearson (Black Widow) and Joanna Calo (TV series The Bear), injects humor into the mix. The result is a film that acknowledges pain but doesn’t wallow in it. Scenes of quick banter and dry wit lift the heavy narrative. Julia Louis-Dreyfus delivers sarcasm as the manipulative CIA director. The actress recalls the slippery menace of Gene Hackman’s Lex Luthor.

The account may not be a happy action-packed spectacle, but it’s a compelling character study wrapped in the trappings of a superhero thriller. It’s pretty grim and occasionally drags—but it can be funny and hopeful, too. And yes, that asterisk in the title does have a clever payoff—an unexpected twist that qualifies the title. Thunderbolts* is a promising start to the 2025 summer movie season.

05-01-25