Thunderbolts* Really Is Marvel’s Answer to an A24 Movie

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The characters in “Thunderbolts” (their asterisk) consist of lesser enemies and questionable companions who have appeared during the past years of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. If you’re not familiar with John Walker, aka U.S. Agent (Wyatt Russell), who made his debut in the Disney+ series “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier“, or can’t remember Ava Starr (Hannah John-Kamen), an adversary from “Ant-Man and the Wasp” with the ability to pass through walls, then that’s the humor. As the Marvel Cinematic Universe continues to expand over its 20-year journey across films and television, it has been leaning more and more on lesser-known characters (often referred to as “deep cuts”). However, “Thunderbolts” cleverly uses this extensive universe to its advantage. If you’re a fan of Yelena Belova, the Red Room-trained former child assassin, it’s not because she’s Black Widow’s adoptive sister, but rather due to Florence Pugh’s portrayal in a depressing hoodie and an air of melancholy that hints at Eastern European roots. It was once believed that the MCU had transformed its characters into stars, rather than the actors playing them. “Thunderbolts“, which surprisingly turns out to be a good movie, demonstrates that a group of B-list superheroes can shine as long as the actors are talented and given engaging material.

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.

The unique link between Thunderbolts* and A24 isn’t their shared heritage, but rather their shared ambition to create something opposite to the film Everything Everywhere All At Once. While the Daniels’ Academy Award-winning film utilized the concept of the multiverse to portray feelings of dissatisfaction and existential despair, Thunderbolts* centers its comic book narrative around suicidal thoughts. The new addition to the MCU is Bob (played by Lewis Pullman, who has a face that fits the name), a character with a history of bipolar disorder and meth addiction, who unwittingly joined Valentina’s clandestine superhero project. Yelena, Walker, Ava, and Antonia “Taskmaster” Dreykov (portrayed by Olga Kurylenko) initially cross paths with Bob when Valentina, who they have been working for, assigns each of them a mission to eliminate them at a supposedly secure facility where they are intended to be eliminated. Instead, they reluctantly band together for an escape that resembles intense trust-building exercises, as they gradually uncover Valentina’s plan to grant Superman-like abilities to a man whose mental instability makes this a risky proposition. The rest of the team is not quite on the same level – Yelena remarks at one point during their escape attempt that they all “just punch and shoot” – which sets the movie on a course towards a confrontation that feels more like therapy than an action-packed orgy.

The success of this unconventional group of anti-heroes battling a deity of despair lies primarily with the exceptional cast, and director Schreier’s insight that they provide a more engaging spectacle compared to typical scenes. Notably, Pugh delivers an emotional depth that elevates the film above recent Marvel productions, making it feel more tangible and realistic.

The MCU initially gained popularity by basing its extraordinary narratives on elements closer to reality, starting with Iron Man, a weapons manufacturer seeking redemption through technological power. Interestingly, as the genre prepares to revisit its sincere roots with the revamps of Fantastic Four and Superman, Thunderbolts debuts with the most profound exploration of superpowers as metaphor that the MCU has presented so far.

However, Pugh portrays her character’s melancholy with a rawness that is surprisingly moving, whether Yelena is sarcastically joking with Bob about suppressing negative feelings or quarreling with her surrogate father Alexei Shostakov (played brilliantly by David Harbour), who has fallen from the Soviet legend, the Red Guardian, to a bored limousine driver.

Thunderbolts rekindles some of the charm of the early Marvel productions, when they seemed like an extraordinary blend of corporate entertainment rather than mere advertising for future sequels. The key, which should have been apparent, is appreciating the people these films showcase, instead of merely using them as promotional tools for upcoming installments.

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2025-04-29 19:54