Thunderbolts* was released in theaters on May 2, 2025, featuring past anti-heroes such as Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Red Guardian (David Harbour), John Walker (Wyatt Russell), Ava Starr (Hannah John-Kamen), Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), and newcomer Bob (Lewis Pullman). This rag-tag team was pulled together by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and is forced to work together to overcome personal battles as well as the struggles brought on by Valentina.
Pugh did an outstanding job in all of her scenes, but the scenes between Yelena and Bob were truly exceptional. Pugh’s acting connected with my emotions and allowed me to feel for the characters.
The movie could’ve easily fallen flat if the emotional scenes, specifically those about the characters’ mental health, hadn’t been acted in such a realistic way. Thunderbolts* didn’t overdramatize or minimize the characters’ mental health issues; it skillfully used them to drive the plot and evoke emotion among the audience.
In previous Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) projects, I had liked Yelena, Ava Starr, and Bucky Barnes; however, I grew to become even fonder of them in this movie. Red Guardian was a character I didn’t have strong feelings about in Black Widow, but I grew to appreciate his humor throughout Thunderbolts*.
John Walker was the real surprise for me. I disliked his character in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, but he became one of my favorite characters once I saw more of his personal life and internal struggles, as well as his character growth, especially in his attitude towards Bob.
While I recognize some people have complaints about Taskmaster’s early death, I saw no issue with it. Sure, Marvel could have fleshed out her story and character more, but a main point of action movies is that not every character makes it out alive. Her death started off the movie on a realistic note, reminding audiences that these aren’t the Gods and invincible heroes we have seen before – most of them are simply assassins with super-soldier serum.
The overall sense of a found family and joint effort to overcome their personal struggles, especially by helping Bob overcome his trauma in the Void, really enhanced the movie. I thoroughly enjoyed the mix of good action sequences, important discussions, and the idea that the Thunderbolts are now the Avengers. This movie felt like the old phases of the MCU before it was overloaded with the multiverse and an abundance of characters.
The post-credit scene opened up an interesting story reminiscent of Captain America: Civil War. It showed a growing conflict over whether Bucky and the Thunderbolts will become the Avengers or the team that Sam Wilson (Captain America) is assembling will become the Avengers. I am very excited to see where future movies take this dispute.
