The Marvel Cinematic Universe is easily one of the most divisive in film history, and looking back at the last few efforts, it needs to get things back on track, which puts Thunderbolts* in an interesting, and somewhat unenviable position. Sure, we’ve had some hits (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3) and some misses (Captain America: Brave New World), but we know the next gigantic crossover event is on the horizon, and fans are eager to see the pieces begin to fall into place.
The events of Avengers: Endgame created a huge ripple effect across characters and timelines that is still being felt today. The question is, and has been for a while: Who is going to step up and be the heroes that the world so desperately needs? Well, Thunderbolts* looks to provide some clarity on that question, not the heroes we asked for, but a rag-tag crew of B-grade players that we’ve been drip-fed introductions to over the last few years of movies and TV shows. And for the most part, the film does a decent job of squeezing them all together in a memorable way.
Yelena (Florence Pugh) is the heart of Thunderbolts*. A hired assassin who wants to change her ways and become more of a hero, she is tired of doing wrong in the world and is ready to start making an actual difference. This comes to the absolute delight of her dad Red Guardian (David Harbour), who has been waiting to be in the spotlight while running his own rideshare service to make ends meet. Harbour is the absolute highlight of every scene he is in; he provides much-needed comic relief during what is a fairly emotional, dark story, and the way he interacts with Pugh – and her total embarrassment of her overbearing, awkward parent – provides consistent chuckles.
“…grief, trauma, and regret. It’s all there, and it all makes for a surprisingly emotional journey…”
It’s also fantastic to see so much more of Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), the Director of the CIA, after only really featuring in short cameos previously. In fear of being impeached, she unknowingly brings together the new team of titular anti-heroes, in an effort to try and tie up loose ends by removing them from the board. Louis-Dreyfus channels all the worst parts of her role in Veep, a person who clearly has too much power, is hyper-ambitious, and is often comically villainous. On the flipside, Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) plays perhaps one of the more puzzling roles during the first half of Thunderbolts*, dabbling in politics and doing a clearly terrible job of it. I was just eager for him to lose the suit-and-tie and get back to his Winter Soldier ways.
Once he does, and the rest of the gang come together, including Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen) and “Captain America from Temu” Agent Walker (Wyatt Russell), business well and truly picks up. We also see the introduction of Bob (Lewis Pullman), a strange character who evolves throughout the film to be the big reason that all of these oddball assassins and brutes come together for the greater good. There’s a touching narrative in here about mental health and loneliness, with the key villain of the piece unable to stop the Void from taking over, swallowing up the whole world around them. This, in turn, forces Yelena and the others to look deep within the darkest parts of themselves, giving them personal obstacles to overcome, or reflect on: grief, trauma, regret… It’s all there, and it all makes for a surprisingly emotional journey in a universe that is normally more interested in elaborate set-pieces, fists and explosions.
That’s not to say Thunderbolts* doesn’t have those moments, still. The fight scenes – amongst themselves, and against others – are well-choreographed, visceral and gritty. These are not superheroes like Thor or Spider-Man with their superpowers, but rather skilled and scrappy fighters who know how to get the job done, and that shows in the way battles are filmed and presented. These moments make our main cast easy to root for, while also reminding us that we are, indeed, watching a superhero movie, at the end of the day.
While it does manage to balance these darker themes with some plucky fun moments, overall, Thunderbolts* takes a while to really get going. The team-up of sorts doesn’t kick off until well past the halfway point, and it’s lacking the fast pace and banter of its MCU counterparts. Its exploration of emotions makes for a more dramatic adventure in tone, and while I was on board with this new team by the time the credits rolled, it lacks a truly memorable epic moment to hang your hat on, stopping it from becoming an instant classic.
Even throughout the movie, the “lack of Avengers” is brought up regularly, and that feels like just as much of a commentary on the entire franchise as it does a plot point for the characters on the screen. While Marvel still has some building blocks to stack in the months and years that follow, Thunderbolts* mostly steadies the ship, due to its likable cast of side characters-turned-protagonists, and promises a compelling future to come. It pushes the multiverse silliness aside and focuses on us getting to know these new(ish) folk, which feels like a refreshing change of pace after so many convoluted storylines.
As always, time will tell if the MCU can keep up the momentum.
Thunderbolts* is in cinemas now.
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Checkpoint Gaming attended a screening of Thunderbolts* as a guest of Disney/Marvel Australia.
About the Author
Luke Mitchell
he/him
Luke spends his time making radio, playing video games, binge-watching TV, getting unreasonably invested in wrestling, hosting bear events and hanging out with his beautiful pets.
