But things seemed to get a little bit better with the last Captain America film and now Thunderbolts* suggests that perhaps the powers that be at Marvel are finally listening to their fanbase.
Thunderbolts* while strangely feeling like a throwback to the original Avengers movies also manages to do something completely different and bring a sense of seriousness to a franchise that at times recently felt like it was leaning a little too much to the comedic side.
Directed by Jake Schreier (Robot & Frank) Thunderbolts* finds CIA head honcho Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus – Seinfeld) in danger of being impeached. The Congress are investigating all of her Black Op secretive missions and trying to uncover all of her secrets. Realising that she needs to get rid of her secrets she concocts a plan that will see Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh – The Commuter), John Walker (Wyatt Russell – Night Swim), Ava Starr/Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen – Ready Player One) and Antonia Dreykov/Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko – Quantum Of Solace) either kill each other or be incinerated.
However, that plan doesn’t work and the survivors end up escaping alongside the mysterious Bob (Lewis Pullman – Top Gun: Maverick) who soon see themselves meeting up with Alexei Shostakov (David Harbour – Stranger Things) and Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan – The Apprentice) and beginning a mission to stop Valentina and her dark plan.
With Thunderbolts* Marvel have made some pretty brave decisions. First, they appointed a director who is largely known for meaningful dramas rather than action films and then there is the reason for that decision – this is a film that focuses more on the character and the traumas they are suffering from rather than the action itself. If you want to mix action with a character drama then you need a director that can do both – and Jake Schreier ends up being that man.
The characterisation in Thunderbolts* sets this film apart from any other Marvel movie. While the trailer for the film hints that what brings these characters together is that they are all anti-heroes but in fact it is that they have all suffered trauma in their life. Whether it be the isolation and pain that Yelena is feeling after the loss of her sister and resulting separation from her father or the fact that John Walker’s life and marriage has fallen apart since his fall from hero status these characters are all mentally damaged and that is well and truly explored throughout the film.
The screenplay also allows for Schreier to deep dive into how Bob becomes the superhuman Sentry and as the audience and other characters are taken into the pain-ridden world that he has lived for once Marvel has given us a true understanding of how a villain becomes a villain.
While there is a huge focus on characterisation in Thunderbolts* that doesn’t mean that there is no action, instead the action here is reigned in until it is needed and even then somehow it how has a realistic feel to it. One sequence even gives a nod back to The Avengers vs Loki battle at Stark Towers and while it doesn’t live up to the epic nature of its predecessor it is a good encore to the events that then occur in Sentry’s dark mind.
With so much emphasis on characterisation this time around the cast really have to bring their A-Game and that they do with gusto. Florence Pugh and Wyatt Russell lead the way as they manage to mix action with character acting sensationally well while David Harbour manages to inject some comedy while himself playing a character in pain. Then there is Lewis Pullman who manages to mix drama, humour and action all together in one of the most challenging acting performances we have ever seen in the Marvel Universe.
Special mention must also be made to Geraldine Viswanathan (Blockers) who is a stand-out as Valentina’s assistant Mel. She has some brilliant moments throughout the film where she plays a character torn between remaining working for her evil boss or listening to the wise words of Bucky and joined the ‘good’ side. That storyline brings as much tension and suspense to the film as any action sequence and hopefully the audience gets a chance to see the character grow more in the next Phase.
A Marvel movie that deals with deep issues like PTSD, family trauma and a sense of not belonging was probably not what anyone was expecting in 2025 but it is certainly what Thunderbolts* delivers and it works brilliantly well. This feels like a bright new dawn for Marvel and we can only hope that this is what they keep delivering in the future.
3.5/5 Stars
Thunderbolts* is currently screening in Phuket and is rated 13.
David Griffiths has been working as a film journalist for over 25 years. That time has seen him work in radio, television and in print. He currently hosts a film podcast called The Popcorn Conspiracy. He is also a Rotten Tomatoes accredited reviewer and is an alternate judge for the Golden Globes Awards. You can follow him at Facebook: SubcultureEntertainmentAus.