Since the conclusion of the Infinity Saga saw Earth’s mightiest heroes hand over the protection of the planet to a new generation, Marvel has struggled to reach the consecutive highs of its initial decade-long dominance. There have been some hits in the years since Thanos, but those have mainly come from outside the track that Iron Man originally set us upon. Thunderbolts aims to reignite the team-up feel of past MCU titles but does so without the gloss and glamour, offering a ragtag group of down-to-earth heroes to cheer on. On the surface, it’s another easy-to-watch, superhero-esque romp through the countryside—but just beneath, it injects a much deeper meaning that stuck with me long after the post-credits scene finished. (Yes, stay for it.)
Yelena (Florence Pugh) is stuck in a rut, still reeling from the loss of her adoptive sister and spiraling. She feels like her life is going nowhere and is becoming deeply disillusioned with life in the shadows and the constant violence that comes with it. After some soul-searching with her father, the enigmatic Alexei / Red Guardian (David Harbour), Yelena asks for a more forward-facing role, hoping to give her life new meaning in the public eye.
She is sent on one final mission to clean up a black site for one of the recent MCU’s most deplorable villains—Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus). De Fontaine seems to have been behind many a superhero-esque black ops mission, but her position in government is now coming under closer scrutiny, especially from her political opponents, including first-term senator Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan).
Yelena quickly learns the true reason behind the black site, where she meets up with John Walker (Wyatt Russell)—originally the next Captain America, now just a washed-up, angry super soldier—Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), a science experiment gone wrong who can phase through just about anything, and Bob (Lewis Pullman), a confused and conflicted character who seems to come out of nowhere. Things quickly take a turn as we discover who Bob really is, the plans De Fontaine had (and still has) for him, and just what it’s going to take for this team of misfits to work together to save us all from impending doom.
Thunderbolts feels like a setup movie for the next phase of the Marvel Universe. It builds on its characters and gives them another layer beyond what we’ve learned from previous films and TV series. It spends the majority of its runtime developing those character traits and really lets us in on what’s happening with them, showing their human qualities—warts and all. The story is compact and flows well, without the need for massive globetrotting adventures, keeping you engaged with its setting and the stories being created for its cast.
There is a strong thematic undercurrent throughout the film: each of the characters carries a deep darkness in their past. Bucky, as the Winter Soldier, was Hydra’s main weapon; Red Guardian was a national hero who operated outside the law; Ghost went to extreme lengths to save herself after being experimented on; Walker failed as the next Cap; and Yelena was an assassin forced to carry out missions without a moral compass. Each is suffering from real, deep-seated emotional trauma, which only becomes more pronounced when Bob enters the picture.
Thunderbolts may not be a full return to the golden era of the MCU, but it’s a step in the right direction. Florence Pugh carries the film with a performance worthy of awards season—were she not in a superhero flick—and the chemistry she brings elevates those around her, showcasing each character in a new light. The film takes a deep dive into the dark recesses of the human psyche, while also showing that it’s okay to want to find your tribe to become a better version of yourself. Themes of depression, longing, and shame are interwoven into an intriguing story of redemption that flows seamlessly from start to finish.
Thunderbolts is out in cinemas now.
