The promotion of the movie “Thunderbolts,” helmed by Jake Schreier under Beef’s direction, has given off an air of anxious eagerness due to its association with A24. However, the studio appears to be hinting that this film, compared to the MCU standards, boasts a rich ensemble of character actors, and this isn’t an inaccurate assessment. Sebastian Stan, reprising his role as Bucky Barnes, exudes an unprecedented sharpness here. While Barnes may seem an unusual classification for a century-old, brainwashed super soldier and one of the last remaining ties to the franchise’s first phase, it holds true.
In “Thunderbolts,” Barnes assumes a fresh role as a congressman, working to expose the corruption of power-hungry CIA director Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (portrayed by Julia Louis-Dreyfus, channeling her Selina Meyer persona as a supervillain). Barnes seems out of place as a politician, grappling with the intricacies of the impeachment process rather than resorting to super soldier serum-induced violence. He appears confused and exasperated by a system that demands evidence while his target consistently obfuscates it.
In his kitchen, eating takeout while his cybernetic arm is being cleaned in the dishwasher, Barnes doesn’t embody a forced hero struggling to fit in with normality, but rather a relatable figure questioning what it means to act righteously in everyday life.
