At first glance, the latest entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe seems like an odd choice. With just two films left until the final stretch of this wildly inconsistent saga, why make one an ensemble piece for a bunch of second-rate supporting characters? This is what many people thought when this film was first announced. With Thunderbolts*, directed by Jake Schreier and written by Lee Sung Jin and Joanne Carlo, another team of misfits joins the exclusive MCU club. This film, while not the best the MCU has to offer, is a return to the quality that we once expected from this universe. It is a movie that not only stands on its own with a great emotional story but also pushes the universe forward and gets viewers excited for what’s to come.
Thunderbolts* focuses on a group of highly-trained agents with superpowers, employed by Valentina Allegra De Fontaine, played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus. In order to keep her position in the U.S. government safe, Valentina arranges for them to all be killed during a mission, along with a mysterious man known only as “Bob.” However, they manage to escape the trap and, with some other allies, set out to stop Valentina from putting one of the most powerful forces in the world under her control. This is all while the group struggles with mental illness and their sense of belonging in their world.
The titular “Thunderbolts,” who get their name from a winless peewee soccer team, consist of former Black Widow Yelena Belova, played by Florence Pugh; disgraced Captain America John Walker, played by Wyatt Russell; incorporeal assassin Ava Starr, played by Hannah John-Kamen; forgotten supersoldier Alexei, played by David Harbour; and struggling Congressman Bucky Barnes, played by Sebastian Stan.
The movie’s plot is a thinly veiled metaphor for depression and mental illness, as the various members of the Thunderbolts join up at dark points in their lives. They feel unfulfilled, like they’re drifting without purpose. But in helping each other, they manage to find a new purpose together.
Bob himself fits perfectly into this theme, as his alter ego of The Void is a living representation of depression, a human shadow that swallows all happiness and drowns its victims in sadness. Bob, played excellently by Lewis Pullman, is a tortured soul who’s been dealt a horrible hand and believes himself to be all alone. Thunderbolts* finale avoids a cliché third-act fight scene with huge explosions and CGI, instead ending with a tender moment in which a broken man finally finds people who accept him for who he is. I also was impressed with the technical aspects of the film. Much of the crew working on Thunderbolts* started with smaller independent films, and together they infuse a sense of uniqueness that sets the movie apart. The shots are amazing, especially the action scenes, and the visuals offer interesting contrast. The score is also fantastic and very different from a lot of more traditional Marvel scores.
One aspect of the movie I was less impressed by was the supporting cast. Thunderbolts* provides a glimpse into Valentina’s backstory, but not nearly enough time was spent on her character and the reason behind her protective nature.
An even worse offender is Mel, played by Geraldine Viswanathan, who flip-flops between siding with Valentina and Bucky for virtually no reason. A few moments revealed aspects of her character, but they weren’t nearly enough to make her a memorable part of the movie. There’s also the expected death of Olga Kurylenko’s cyborg assassin Taskmaster. I was not a fan of this character when she first appeared in Black Widow, but I was excited to see her on this team. Her early death kills any potential Taskmaster had to improve beyond her less-than-impressive first performance.
At the end of the day, Thunderbolts* is a heartfelt reminder of why people like myself still love the MCU. At its peak, the franchise focuses on character development and emotional storytelling — no matter how small the characters in question are — while also dropping exciting hints and teasers. After a lengthy experimental period, the MCU reverted to this style in Thunderbolts*. Hopefully, the film’s warm reception will remind the MCU to that all audiences want are good stories and meaningful characters. If they can provide those, we can happily look forward to another 15 years of the largest fiction story ever told.
