People call her “the new Black Widow” and “Black Widow’s sister”, a child soldier trained in the Red Room as a lethal assassin. But now Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) is bored.
More than that, she’s disheartened and depressed, not so much haunted by the faces of all the people she’s killed but by the sheer monotony and pointlessness of her evil work. Now, as a CIA asset, Yelena is working for Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julie Louis-Dreyfus) and she has done a LOT of evil deeds.
Although Yelena feels alone, misery loves company and with the Avengers disbanded, there’s still plenty of need for violent individuals in suits out there. Like John Walker/U.S Agent (Wyatt Russell), the humiliated state sponsored replacement for Captain America. Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), the one-time Winter Soldier now LARPing as an ineffective congressman. Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko) and Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), two superpowered killing machines, now on the end of de Fontaine‘s leash.
But after years of failed black ops, an impeachment looms heavy over de Fontaine‘s head, and she sees only one way out. Burn evidence of EVERYTHING, including Yelena and this ragtag group of misfits, including some random guy (Lewis Pullman). With the help of Red Guardian (David Harbour), the has-been former Russian super soldier and Yelena‘s father figure, they survive to fight another day.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe juggernaut refuses to slow down with the release of Thunderbolts*. Not even counting the multiple TV series released, this is the jaw dropping 36th film of the franchise! With its script by Eric Pearson and Joanna Calo, director Jake Schreier unites multiple supporting characters across the franchise for this unlikely ensemble piece.
Forget Phase One, two etc., we’re now in the “Have You Done Your Homework?” phase of the MCU. For many fans, the answer is “Yes” and yet, I don’t think they’ve seen an instalment quite like this. Thunderbolts* smartly takes on themes of depression, isolation and abuse in ways that would have been thought of as ‘no-nos’ for the “Disney MCU” just a few years ago. For example, refusal at tackling Tony Stark’s alcoholism arc is still seen as a missed opportunity in adapting his character fully.
But there is still plenty of humour and action to be had throughout the film, with admittedly more of a lean into the humour. The characters still run off the usual gags in the face of nearly any situation, as it has become expected of the MCU by this point. Action and insane costumes are ever present, but both feel almost subdued as we get to know these individuals more than before.
The characters in the film have great chemistry, even if this reflects more on the actors than the writing. Pugh and Harbour continue the journey we first saw them begin in Black Widow (2021), while U.S Agent, who many felt got a raw deal in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021) gets a chance to shine brighter here, I’m sure to many fans’ delight. It’s also great seeing John-Kamen given the opportunity to do more with her Ghost character than she was able to do in Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018), although, it’s still slightly limited by the film’s many moving parts.
The issue is there’s just a few too many things going on in the story for its large cast to all evenly get time to breathe. It’s not the first time we’ve seen such a substantial ensemble introduced to each other in a single MCU film. However, not all the pieces fall into place as perfectly as Joss Whedon managed with The Avengers (2010). That’s admittedly a high bar to live up to but Thunderbolts* has a few characters which suffer as a result. It’s just a shame that more balance couldn’t have worked out to give everyone equal focus.
Despite this minor criticism, Thunderbolts* is still an upgrade in the pantheon of recent MCU films. It does something different with its story and characters which is appreciated, focusing more on inner turmoil, even if the writers can’t escape from the “end of the world” calamities.
If you’re someone who had given up on the MCU post Avengers: Endgame (2019), I can’t say this will be a game changer. But for many fans, it will offer a fresher take in comparison recent previous films, some decent banter, and likeable personalities. Of course, being an MCU film, it’s recommended to stay until the end of the credits during Thunderbolts* for a teaser of things to come.
Thunderbolts* is in cinemas now.