“Thunderbolts*” Heroes Don’t Wear Capes, They Just Crave Belonging.

Who would have guessed that after years of fans clamoring for a Marvel Studios antihero ensemble akin to DC’s “Suicide Squad,” it would be “Thunderbolts”—a ragtag team of outcasts—rather than the more glamorous Sinister Six that would get the nod?

Well, we asked for an antihero film, and we’ve been given just that.

As with all recent Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) releases, it’s important to acknowledge the franchise’s current state: the post-“Avengers: Endgame” era hasn’t exactly been kind. Films like “Captain America: Brave New World” failed to land with the same impact as their predecessors.

But with “Thunderbolts*,” the MCU finds itself treading creative ground it hasn’t dared explore in years. That’s because the film is one of the stronger entries in the franchise, but nowhere near the sharp, chaotic brilliance of its DC analog, “The Suicide Squad” (the James Gunn 2021 film is canon, so we’d be going with it.)

Let’s address the most immediate curiosity: the asterisk (*). Why is it there? There’s a reason the film’s marketing leaned heavily into this cryptic punctuation: revealing the secret behind the asterisk is a major spoiler. But a tip for the curious ones: it has to do with a new status quo.

What’s most surprising about “Thunderbolts*” is how refreshingly different it feels. Anyone expecting the standard two-hour Marvel package regular MCU two-hour business would be disappointed by the twenty-minute mark—in a good way—as it becomes clear that the film is tonally distinct: darker, more grounded, and far more introspective.

Unlike “The Suicide Squad,” where villains are forced into heroism under threat of death, “Thunderbolts*” gives us a team of emotionally fractured individuals, with a thirst for purpose. “We’re all just losers,” Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) quips. She’s not wrong. She’s joined by David Harbour’s Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian, Wyatt Russell’s John Walker/U.S. Agent, Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier, Hannah John-Kamen’s Ava Starr/Ghost, Olga Kurylenko’s Taskmaster, and Lewis Pullman’s Robert Reynolds/Sentry, all under the watch of Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ scheming CIA director, Valentina Allegra de Fontaine.

What unites them, beyond being on the list of things Valentina doesn’t want alive in her cleanup operation, is a desperate search for identity and purpose. This is a group of misfits burdened by inner darkness they can’t quite outrun. Though they all have something to offer, their struggle lies in being seen, understood, and finding a place where they truly belong.

Yelena, increasingly jaded by her covert missions, opens the film with a breathtaking leap from the world’s second-tallest building—a symbolic act of someone no longer sure why she’s still falling. Walker, disgraced for killing a terrorist on camera, now lives in the moral gray zone, doing covert work under Valentina’s thumb. Alexei, once the pride of the Soviet Union, now runs a humble limo service in D.C., clinging to memories of glory.

Florence Pugh does well as Yelena, but despite being marketed as the showpiece, isn’t close to being one. Walker is one of the more interesting characters. He’s a man trapped in an outdated notion that serving his country—even through violence—equals righteousness. Desperate for validation from his wife, superiors, and the public, he chases approval that never arrives.

But even he has to take second place to Bob (“I’m sorry, who?” is a fair reaction). Yes, Robert “Bob” Reynolds somehow finds his way into the team; no one knows who he is or where he comes from, but it becomes clear what he is: a well-meaning yet deeply unstable force of nature, the unpredictable product of Valentina Allegra de Fontaine’s covert attempt to resurrect the Super Soldier program, codenamed Project Sentry.

Lewis Pullman essentially plays a dual role here as Bob/Sentry or as his destructive alter ego, The Void.  His, along with the rest of the team’s, is a psychological exploration that is brave waters for a studio known for its formulaic safety net. Though he’s marketed as the film’s primary threat, there isn’t one in this film. No, “Thunderbolts*” antagonist is something far more abstract: the burden of the past, and the disillusionment that comes from trying and failing to escape it.

Such dark themes are reflected in the film’s aesthetic. Gone are the over-saturated colors and overly polished lighting typical of the MCU. You’ll see a lot more steely greys and deeper shadows in their place. Director Jake Schreier, along with the film’s stunt team, leans into practical effects, making the action sequences more visceral and impactful than recent CGI-heavy fare. That daring leap from Yelena atop the world’s second-tallest building at the opening scene? Yeah, it’s real shot! The scene in the vault where all characters introduce their powers as they fight one another is beautifully shot as is their failed attempt to subdue Sentry.

It’s not all roses for “Thunderbolts*”: there’s still the overarching fatigue of Marvel homework. Characters cannot be fully understood without the viewer being privy to the events in “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,” “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” and “Black Widow.” Ghost and Taskmaster are about as useless as any character in an ensemble can be. Fighting synergy—key for an ensemble of this sorts—is also lacking. Sure, they pool their brains together, but when the shooting starts, there’s a lot more more “all man for himself”-ing than should be (again, cue “The Suicide Squad”).

These, notwithstanding, “Thunderbolts*” has every reason to be lauded as an MCU gem. It may be uneven and occasionally overstuffed, and not as grand as hoped, but it dares to do what few MCU films have in recent memory: challenge its heroes to confront their inner void, not just external villains. By being the closest they’ve come to emotional honesty in years, these team of misfits have earned that asterisk.

Release Date: May 2, 2025

Streaming Service: None, Cinematic Release

Runtime: Two Hours

Directed By: Jake Schreier

Cast: Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, David Harbour as Alexei Shostakov / Red Guardian, Wyatt Russell, Hannah John-Kamen, Olga Kurylenko, Lewis Pullman, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Geraldine Viswanathan, Chris Bauer, Wendell Pierce, and Violet McGraw.

TNR Scorecard: