“Thunderbolts*” was directed by Jake Schreier and is the 36th film the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film sees a number of characters return from previous projects that include 2021’s “Black Widow”, 2018’s “Ant-Man & The Wasp” and the spinoff series, “The Falcon & Winter Soldier”. The film stars Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, Wyatt Russell, Hannah John – Kamen, Julia Louis – Dreyfus, Olga Kurylenko & David Harbour. All of which are returning MCU characters. Joining the cast newcomers, Lewis Pullman, Geraldine Viswanathan & Wendell Price. Marvel announced that this would the final film in the MCU’s Phase 5.
Following the events of “Captain America: Brave New World”, CIA director, Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Louis – Dreyfus) is facing impeachment for her supposed involvement with the OXE Group, a rogue research & development organization that has been working the “Sentry” superhero program which, if successful, will see a new hero for the world after the demise & “disbandment” of The Avengers. Valentina sends Yelena Bolva (Pugh) to a covert OXE facility to destroy any and all evidence linking her to OXE. Once there, she met by Ghost (John – Kamen), Taskmaster (Kurylenko) & John Walker (Russell), formally “Captain America”. They quickly realize that all of them have been setup to kill each other or die trying. They’re blindsided by the appearance of Bob, (Pullman), a random man found inside this facility. Their disagreement leads to one death, but it’s all put aside when the facility is set to go up in flames. Now, the remaining group must find Valentina & figure out why she wanted all of them dead before she can finish them off.
This film had somewhat of decent build to it but in my opinion, it’s almost a “Copy & Paste” of David Ayer’s “Suicide Squad”. However, unlike that movie, this one was actually good. The biggest standout here is Florence Pugh. Her performance was incredible and really carried the entire movie. She stole the show in “Black Widow” & really had great chemistry with Hailee Steinfeld in the spinoff series, “Hawkeye”. Here, she’s the lead and really delivers on all aspects. Both Wyatt Russell & Hannah John – Kamen are also very good in this film, taking major leap from their previous films. David Harbour was fantastic, much like in “Black Widow”. Her comedic timing & charm are top notch, the chemistry with Florence Pugh is great & really gives the “Red Guardian” a wide range of emotion throughout the film. I think the film dealing mental health & depression was an interesting choice that pays off in the end with multiple characters struggling & finding resolutions for their own issues. My only issue with the film is that, because of the comparison to “Suicide Squad”, the film does become formulaic & predictable by the time we are introduced to everyone, including the main villain. Like I said before, this is film better but does not clear Marvel of their mediocre run films post “Endgame”. Since 2019, the MCU released 14 films, including this one. Of those 14 films, maybe 5 or 6 were fantastic, including this one.
Overall, this was great movie that takes MCU into a possible different direction for the better. One thing I will say is this film and its post credit scene have me excited the upcoming “Fantastic Four” film, which is slated for a July 2025 release. The filming process of this project was delayed several times and over lapped other film projects. Originally announced for July 25, 2025, this film eventually swapped release dates with “The Fantastic Four: First Steps”, which is the next film in the MCU. This film is also saw the return of Scarlett Johansson, who played “Black Widow” in the MCU, as an executive producer, a title she previously held for the 2021 prequel, “Black Widow”.