While many, after Avengers: Endgame and during the Covid years, questioned whether Marvel was a spent cinematic source, it seemed like a ridiculous notion to me. Sure, some of the films weren’t hitting the box office highs of their predecessors and the phrase superhero fatigue, whatever that really is, was thrown around. But at the end of the day people want their superhero flicks to be this grand, action stacked tale, with characters they can root for, exploring themes that they experience in their lives, with a dollop of humour thrown in. It’s pretty simple really. And Thunderbolts* have done this to perfection. For a superhero blockbuster filled with bombastic action and spectacle Thunderbolts* is the most grounded Marvel movie in recent memory, with its themes staying with you long after the credits roll. One of Marvel's best.

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One of Marvel's best 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 pasts. Will this dysfunctional group tear themselves apart, or find redemption and unite as something much more before it’s too late?

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Narratively Thunderbolts* is an unusual beast because of the way in which it establishes and uses its villains. Valentina Allegra de Fontaine appears at first glance to be your one dimensional superhero baddie but she is more layered than that. The second no spoilers here villain is even more nuanced, more so than any superhero baddie in recent memory. 

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And having your baddie’s framed in that way completely impacts the rest of the story and the heroes story arcs and development. While the makers of Thunderbolts* had the advantage of having already established characters through previous cinematic and Disney Plus entries, they don’t make the mistake of leaving the characters where they are. They make them three-dimensional, fully fleshed out and painfully and beautifully human. 

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The production of Thunderbolts* is stunning and you can really sense and see that a lot of this film was shot in camera with limited use of CGI. This grounds not just the action but the story, adding gritty realism to it. From Bucky’s Terminator-like arrival into the heart of the action to the least car chase car chase in cinema, this feels like one of Marvel’s most grounded.

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Thematically Thunderbolts* knows what kind of film its driving at and does it from start to finish. And not in a way that feels half-hearted at all. This film will arrest you and have you thinking about it for days. 

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It’ll be of little surprise that this is Florence Pugh’s film. She is incredible here, centering this ragtag bunch of anti-heroes with heart and humanity. The best woman superhero of the MCU. David Harbour’s Alexei brings much needed laughter and Lewis Pullman’s Bob is a revelation. 

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For a superhero blockbuster filled with bombastic action and spectacle Thunderbolts* is the most grounded Marvel movie in recent memory, with its themes staying with you long after the credits roll. One of Marvel's best.