In 2016, we got David Ayer’s Suicide Squad, which may have made tons of money, but still ended up being a mess that failed to capture the source material that was DC Comics’ answer of The Dirty Dozen where no one was really expandable. While we got James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad, which was more successful at fulfilling that concept, no doubt Marvel wanted to put their own spin on a ragtag team of antiheroes, which brings us nicely onto Thunderbolts*, the 36th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Created by Kurt Busiek and Mark Bagley, the Thunderbolts is a team that mostly consists of reformed supervillains. Now in the MCU, they are underdogs that have previously appeared in previous films and television shows. Along with Bucky Barnes, (Sebastian Stan), the team comprising of Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), U.S. Agent (Wyatt Russell), Red Guardian (David Harbour), and Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko) are caught in a deadly trap and forced to work together on a dangerous mission.
From the not-so-impressive trailers, Thunderbolts* could have just delivered on the premise of the anti-heroic ragtag team, who are introduced to one another by trying to kill each other, only to reluctantly work together when they discover a greater threat than themselves. While the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy was more successful in delivering that concept, the Thunderbolts themselves have enough banter with each other, even if they are not breaking new ground.
This may be a major step-up following Captain America: Brave New World from a few months ago, Thunderbolts* is in a similar position that a lot of the post-Endgame instalments are, with the amount of connective tissue in relation to the wider MCU. Especially in the wake of recent MCU media where most of the Thunderbolts were introduced, it would be hard for the casual audience member to keep up. More B-listers than the A-listers that comprised the Avengers, which the film is fully aware of. The greatest strength from Eric Pearson and Joanna Calo’s screenplay is showcasing how broken the titular group is.
While not every one of the Thunderbolts gets their moment to share their sad backstory, when the sad flashbacks do occur, Thunderbolts* surprisingly hits hard. It may be an ensemble piece where everyone plays their part well – although David Harbour should dial back on the loudness as Red Guardian – but for a good portion, it is Florence Pugh’s movie. Her turn as Yelena has always been the best thing from Black Widow to the Hawkeye miniseries, and being placed front and center here, Pugh delivers more than just wit and badassery, as there are clear signs of depression Yelena is going through, built upon a life filled with guilt and tragedy.
Best known for directing the 2012 science fiction comedy-drama Robot & Frank, it would be easy for Jake Schreier to get lost, helming a blockbuster that is part of the wider Marvel machine. And yet, being much more character-driven and centering on flawed people, most of which lacking superpowers that require a great deal of CGI, Thunderbolts* is darker and with a greater emphasis on practical action than you would think. Despite subtle references to the very first Avengers outing, the third act doesn’t attempt to recapture that grand climax and aims for something surreal and intimate with one of the most interesting villains to be introduced in the MCU.
