“Thunderbolts” Is Massively Entertaining and Surprisingly Emotional

The Thunderbolts are an antihero superhero team appearing in comic books by Marvel Comics. The team consists mostly of reformed supervillains and first appeared in “The Incredible Hulk #449” in January 1997. Throughout the years, the team has changed numerous members, including who would lead the team.

Now, the Thunderbolts team makes it to the big screen in the 36th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

In “Thunderbolts,” Marvel Studios assembles an unconventional team of antiheroes - Yelena Belova, Bucky Barnes, Red Guardian, Ghost Taskmaster and John Walker.

After finding themselves ensnared in a death trap set by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, these disillusioned castoffs must embark on a dangerous mission that will force them to confront the darkest corners of their past.

Will this dysfunctional group team themselves apart, or find redemption and unite as something much more before it’s too late?

“Thunderbolts” is a massively entertaining movie that is definitely one of the better entries that the MCU has recently offered. This ragtag team of underdogs gives the MCU a decent boost, which the franchise really needed. This MCU story is more character-driven, the action is more grounded and it also explores trauma, healing and redemption (more on that in a bit).

This MCU movie really delivers on the action, but unlike most of the other entries, the action sequences that the “Thunderbolts” delivers are more on the grounded side. There is a moment in the beginning of the movie where the titular ragtag team tries to take each other out and is really entertaining. A lot of the action from that scene continues as the Thunderbolts try to escape from the building.

There’s another action sequence that really stands out which occurs after the

Thunderbolts hitch a ride from the Red Guardian - some of this sequence is shown in the trailers. This entire chase scene can be quite exhilarating as soon as the action starts and this action sequence is also mixed in with some really hilarious moments. And as soon as Bucky joins the action with his motorcycle and weapon, it kind of gives a “Terminator” vibe with how the character looks.

“Thunderbolts” also does a great job balancing the humor and the more serious, thrilling moments. Just like his scene-stealing moments in “Black Widow,” Red Guardian can also be quite hilarious and even a little moving. There are also a few times during the first half of the movie where the mysterious character Bob (who is actually a pivotal character) also steals the show with some funny moments. I really won’t go into more of Bob since it could lead into spoiler territory.

This movie also explores the themes of trauma and its impact on mental health through the struggles of some of the characters. And, for “Thunderbolts,” it really works quite well. Throughout the movie, we see Yelena Belova trying to grapple with the consequences of her past, which leads to her briefly breaking down emotionally to Red Guardian. The other characters have their own moment where they are shown struggling and wanting redemption. 

The theme of trauma also leads into the movie’s conclusion as The Void, a dark entity representing one of the member’s repressed trauma, appears as a shadowy figure that can engulf people and summon them into a reality made of their worst memories. The entire Void sequence is definitely one of the major highlights of “Thunderbolts.”

Overall, “Thunderbolts” delivers some great action and even some emotional moments in ways that Marvel hasn’t really done before. This MCU entry is quite refreshing and gives the overall MCU franchise much needed fresh blood. The movie also features a couple extra scenes during (and after) the credits. The first scene is more for laughs, while the post-credit scene leads right into “Avengers: Doomsday.”

Cast: Florence Pugh (Yelena Belova); Sebastian Stan (Bucky Barnes); Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Valetina Allega de Fontaine); Lewis Pullman (Bob); David Harbour (Alexei Shostakov); Wuatt Russell (John Walker); Hannah John-Kaman (Ava Starr); Geraldine Viswanathan (Mel); Olga Kurylanko (Antonia Draykov).

Writer/director: Eric Pearson (writer) (Transformers One; Black Widow; Godzilla vs. Kong); Joanna Calo (writer) (The Bear); Jake Schreier (director).

Trivia: During the movie’s opening, it was actually Florence Pugh jumping off the Merdaka 118 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, which is the second tallest building in the world with no CGI or stunt doubles involved. According to director Jake Schreier he used blast shadows (an urban myth about how a nuclear blast can eradicate people but leave behind their shadows burned into the ground/wall) as part of the Void’s shadow powers for their simplicity and horror.

During the production of “Guardians of the Galaxy,” director James Gunn expressed interest in making a movie based on the Marvel Comics team. By May 2021, Gunn was no longer interested in the idea after directing 2021s “The Suicide Squad,” because that DC Comics team is based on a similar concept.

MPA: PG-13 for strong violence, language, thematic elements, and some suggestive and drug references   (running time 126 minutes)

• The shot of the lab Yelena blew up was an actual charged explosion set off on a floor of a building. There was no CGI in that shot.

• Florence Pugh actually jumped off the Merdeka 118 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, which is the second tallest building in the world (2,227 feet tall) with no CGI or a stunt double. Pugh said that the stunt required so much willpower and adrenaline that "I fell asleep for three hours after I did the stunt because my brain [went down]."

• Steven Yeun was originally cast as Robert Reynolds/Sentry, having worked with director Jake Schreier on Beef (2023). After filming was delayed due to the SAG-AFTRA strikes in 2023, Yeun dropped out due to scheduling conflicts, and was replaced by Lewis Pullman. Yeun expressed disappointment of not being able to do the film, and hopes to be cast in another Marvel project.

• The final film of Phase 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

• James Gunn was interested in directing a movie focusing on the team, which Kevin Feige claimed was a possibility should Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) do well enough at the box office. The surprise success of Guardians led to Marvel quickly announcing a sequel, which resulted in Thunderbolts being relegated to Development Hell. By the time the film resurfaced with a 2025 release date, Gunn had decided the film was too similar to him making The Suicide Squad (2021) for DC Comics.

• Mel, who is portrayed by Geraldine Viswanathan, is based on Melissa Gold (Songbird), a superheroine who was a founding member of the Thunderbolts team in the comics. Here, she is an ordinary human who works as Val's secretary; however, she has a locket with a bird on it, referring to her comic name.

• This movie was released on May 2, 2025, the 17th anniversary of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

• The film depicts the Thunderbolts as a group of misfit anti-heroes forced to work together out of self-preservation. In the comic books, the original Thunderbolts team were actually Baron Zemo's Masters of Evil supervillain team, who adopt completely new identities as patriotic superheroes to deceive the public. Both versions of the Thunderbolts form in the absence of the Avengers: in the MCU the Avengers disassembled during the events of Captain America: Civil War (2016) and in the comics The Avengers, as well as the Fantastic Four, were separated from the main Marvel Universe following a battle with the supervillian Onslaught.

• The post-credit scene of the film, directed by The Russo Brothers, was filmed only 4 weeks prior to the film's release. It was filmed on the set of Avengers: Doomsday (2026)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUUszE29jS0