Warning: This review contains spoilers!

Avengers tend to be best assembled “under pressure.”

“Thunderbolts*” premiered on May 2 and has quickly become one of the most successful Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) movies. It currently has a 90% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and about thirty minutes into the movie, it became one of my favorite Marvel movies. Maybe I say this a lot in my reviews, but I loved this movie. “Thunderbolts*” echoes the vibrancy of the “Guardians of the Galaxy” trilogy and carries the fun and chaotic soul of “The Avengers” (2012). The moment the comic-style credits rolled (finally!) and darkness swept over the Marvel logo, alluding to the Void, I knew I was going to be in for a treat.

In the words of the Super Bowl trailer, “Nothing’s going to stop us [Marvel] now.”

The film stars the ragtag, gritty and emotionally charged side of the MCU. Sebastian Stan returns as fan-favorite Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier, and is one of two actors to be in every phase of Marvel. Aside from his cameo in “Captain America: Brave New World” (2025), his last appearance was in “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” (2021), where his co-star Wyatt Russell’s John Walker/U.S. Agent returns. They are joined by the “Black Widow” (2021) side of the MCU with Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova/White Widow as the lead, Pugh’s father figure, Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian and the comically inaccurate, but plot-useful Taskmaster. Ava Starr/Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen) returns to the MCU following her debut in “Ant-Man and the Wasp” (2018). Lewis Pullman delightfully joins them as Bob/Sentry/The Void, along with Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ very shady Valentina, who we’ve seen cameo in a couple of MCU projects only to stir chaos. In the post-credits scene of “Black Widow” (2021), she tells Yelena that Clint killed Natasha on Vormir, fueling the secondary plot line of “Hawkeye” (2021). After John Walker is demoted and stripped of his government title and Captain America, she recruits him and tells him that the time of Captain America and the Avengers is over. Now, a United States Agent is needed.

When the movie was announced, fans such as myself were concerned about how these characters would naturally interact with each other, given the thinning of the MCU with so many new characters introduced receiving little to no closure. On top of that, the Thunderbolts are a comic anti-hero force — I would march to Marvel HQ personally should they turn Bucky into a villain. 

Another concern was how this ensemble would be able to go toe-to-toe with Sentry, one of the most powerful characters in comic book history. Fans were concerned that this would be another case of “villain defeated by a speech trope.” 

The trailers were very different from each other and delightfully different from the film, making fans think they knew what they were in for, only to surprise the viewer left and right. The first trailer promised a somber, gritty tone of characters with dark pasts, particularly Yelena and Bucky, trying to find their place in the world. The second was the Super Bowl trailer; it reeked of excitement and was the team-up of team-ups. It was incredible how such a trailer made me so excited for this movie. 

From the comic art-styled MCU introduction to the beautifully commentative speculations of the “B-Avengers,” everything about this film is unconventional and creative — it is truly Marvel reborn. 

“Thunderbolts*” honors the legacy of the foundations of the MCU by paying homage to “The Avengers” in its synthesis of a new hero order cast of societal rejects and emotionally distraught associates of the Avengers to face the greatest antithesis of any character — superhero, hero, anti villain or plain villain: one’s own demons. The ensemble embodies the concept of the Avengers being a group of remarkable people who couldn’t seem to fit in anywhere.

The movie takes several risks, all of which pay off.

The action sequences are incredible, and the entire movie is grounded on a street-level, despite Sentry/The Void being a cosmic-level threat. At the beginning of the film, Yelena has a sick fight sequence where she throws her body and weapons left and right, all while the camera pans overhead, paralleling Natasha/Black Widow’s “Iron Man 2” (2010) hallway fight. The fight scenes between Yelena, John and Ava were fun to watch, too. I loved that the screenplay commented on the fact that all three of these characters can’t fly and all “only punch and shoot.” 

These sequences were refreshing and had my blood pumping. I couldn’t stop smiling seeing this diverse cast square up with themselves and bad guys — it’s been a long time since Marvel fans have had an authentic team-up movie, and this was exactly that.

I really loved the scene where Bucky decides to take matters into his own hands and go after Yelena, John, Ava and Alexei — the pre-Thunderbolts. My fellow audience members and I cheered when we saw Bucky on the motorcycle seamlessly disarming people, arming himself and proving how dangerous he is. 

The film managed to pull off a successful fight scene between the Thunderbolts and Sentry without overplaying or reducing either character. I loved the physicality of the fight, with all these characters coming in and out of frame in all different directions. It was chaotic, especially compared to Sentry’s indifference to them. He easily disarms and beats the team, even taking on two or three Thunderbolts at a time. He even completes the cycle of disarming Bucky in another live-action appearance when Bucky charges an assault on him, attacking him all over with no impact to be taken anywhere on Sentry’s body. Sentry’s teleportation abilities were cleanly edited and the camera angles following the punches he threw at characters were a nice touch.

The entire cast does a phenomenal job of portraying the loneliness and pain of these characters. We meet them all lost, trying to fit into their lives as abandoned super soldiers and Red Room victims with their incredibly, overbearingly snarky personalities. 

When we meet Yelena, she’s tasked with cleaning up Valentina’s messes. However, she confides in Alexei that she doesn’t feel fulfilled by it, and he encourages her to try the hero’s life that Natasha built for herself. She rejects it immediately and is then given a task by Valentina as a last job before she can try something new. There, it is revealed that the task is a set-up. She, John and Ava are all collateral of Valentina’s illegal human experimentation operations, and she’s rigged the place to incinerate them all. 

In a gritty and violent fight scene where the disposables of the MCU throw each other around and wildly insult each other, it is then revealed that there’s a variable that no one accounted for: Bob. 

Pugh and Pullman are the heart of this story.

The film opens with Yelena recounting how lost she feels amid Natasha’s death. In true Pugh style, Yelena is expressive as she searches for other characters to find a lifestyle worth living. She wastes no time insulting John, but is genuinely happy for him when he talks about having a wife and son. When they lose to Sentry, she breaks down, lamenting about how she’s done too many bad things. Pugh really pulls the viewer into the sadness associated with the ever-growing list of heavily traumatized MCU characters. We know Yelena’s tragic story from “Black Widow,” but Pugh’s delivery is just as raw and heartbreaking as the memories we see of her in the Red Room. 

Pugh’s acting in the third act of the film is superb. When she walks into The Void, she’s forced to confront the darkest times of her life. She first relives her first test of the Red Room, betraying a classmate of hers, which results in her classmate’s death. Yelena heartbreakingly turns around the first couple of times she relives this, before attempting to intervene and stop herself from spiraling down the path that led her to where she is today. She breaks into the next memory where little Yelena and the other child assassins are in a timed test to reassemble a loaded gun. Because Yelena is the first to do so, she is spared punishment. 

The scene where Yelena so carefully walks over to her past self and hides her face so she doesn’t have to see or hear a whip cracking against the other girls’ skin and bones was heartbreaking. Maybe the most distressing scene is when Yelena faces her ultimate demon: a recent version of herself hunched over in the bathtub, a drink in hand. 

It’s a raw and painful scene, especially when prior to that she bawls to Alexei about how she can’t find her place in the world: “Daddy, I’m so alone.” She describes her life as work (killing) and then drinking.

When Yelena confronts her past self, the past self puts her in a chokehold and forces the alcohol down her throat. It is only her perseverance with this vicious memory that allows her access to Bob. 

I loved the dynamics between Yelena and Bob. They were adorable. I love how, upon their introduction, she designates herself as his protector. It was really cute how during Valentina’s sting during the trap, she ties his back to her so she can keep an eye on him and fight with and around him. It was a clever balance of comedy as he kept stumbling his way through everything and physicality, since it forced a more freestyle fight sequence that was cool to see with all the flipping shots. 

Even when Bob’s story begins to not make sense, she gently calls him out and gives him sympathy, having been a victim of human experimentation herself. Even when he unintentionally induces the Void’s dream sequences, she doesn’t get angry at him or demand an explanation from him. She’s his biggest protector throughout the whole film, insisting that the Thunderbolts not attack him when he announces that he’s going to be Valentina’s Sentry.

It’s also why I strongly believe in the third act when the Void takes over Bob/The Sentry and starts turning people into shadows, she steps into the Void instead of running. While it can be argued that she didn’t see much worth in living, or that if Bob could fall, then what hope was there for someone like her, Yelena moved through the defenses of Bob’s mind with the sole intention of saving him. 

Where Natasha Romanoff was the soul of the Avengers, Yelena Belova is the soul of the New Avengers.

Lewis Pullman has incredible range. His duality in playing not one or two, but three very different characters is adorable and harrowing. Bob’s descent into the Void with the transition of getting validation to become the Sentry is a physical manifestation of mental health issues and is so well done on the screenwriters and director’s part.

I love Bob. He’s such a cutie patootie. He was so innocent and precious in the first act of the film. When stuck in a shaft with nowhere to go but up, Bob suggests that they link up and climb, leading to a comical and great team-building experience for the Thunderbolts as they have to move in unison despite their clunky suits and varying personalities (which by the way, was a hilarious team-building scene that forced this group to trust each other despite trying to kill each other minutes prior). When they get out of the shaft, he seems reluctant to leave, suggesting that he’s better off dead by Valentina than out in the real world, as he has quite a lot of bad days. 

When Bob lets the Void take over him, his consciousness is projected in a little room that Yelena manages to find him in. She sits with him, comforts him and helps him fight his fears as the room caves in on them. 

This makes the final fight all the more heart-wrenching because when Bob and the Thunderbolts get to the final room where the Void awaits them, the Void quickly pins down the team except Bob, moving to choke Yelena when she encourages Bob to fight back. 

I’ll never get over Bob’s small, little voice frantically begging the Void: “Please don’t hurt her.” It was a punch right into my heart.

One standout scene is after the Void beats him. In several trailers, the Void appears to be facing the Thunderbolts, saying that they weren’t heroes and would always be nothing. In the film, this is directed at Bob to encourage him to give in to the darkness.

When Bob mustered up the courage from the Thunderbolts to stand up for himself, only to get beaten so quickly, the film highlighted what mental illness can be like: trying and trying only to fall down, sometimes even more than before. I loved how quickly and mercilessly the Void handled Bob, harshly punching and beating him. It was the perfect manifestation of mental illness as the main antagonist, not Sentry or Valentina. 

It’s this creative choice that makes hero speeches and friendships so powerful, especially among these characters who’ve been emotionally abused more times than one could count. Having openly presented vulnerable misfits drives how scrappy and relatable all of these characters’ stories are. “Thunderbolts*” isn’t your typical superhero team-up film; it’s about people who aren’t all that heroic (except Bucky and I’ll die on this hill) doing what’s right for their friends.

“Thunderbolts*” redefines the superhero genre. Everyone has demons, and it may be the scariest thing to overcome. And there’s nothing wrong with that. 

My favorite part of the movie is the entire third act. The concept of breaking into rooms as memories and continuously flipping and flopping around (Bucky punches a chicken mascot that terrified Bob when he was high — that’s brilliant) was genius. It was fun, and as ragtag as this team was, I couldn’t stop smiling as I watched these characters work in sync to take on bad guys, all while running a tight formation around Bob. Something was always happening in every part of the screen, and I love how we got everyone in all the shots — driving the “team” concept.

I appreciated that this film took a more nuanced approach to “defeating the big bad” with words. I’m glad that they didn’t make Sentry focused on power, but on finding his place in the world. It paralleled with our antiheroes-turned-heroes bunch, but also spoke to how, since “Avengers: Endgame” (2019), people have continuously criticized Marvel and its new characters, often citing that there wasn’t a point to these stories anymore.

“Thunderbolts*” begs to differ.

First, the movie did a great job of granting the viewer an emotional final fight. Yelena and the team helped Bob build courage and trust in her, in the Thunderbolts, to break out of the Void and save New York City. This requires a lot of breaking and fighting from room to room, where, like I said, they are occupied with keeping Bob safe, getting out of the room and vocally supporting him through it all. The way these characters evolve to support Bob and each other was truly a clever way of achieving characterization, given what little we knew of them beforehand. 

This fierce protectiveness extended to the end, where the Thunderbolts worked to break free of the Void’s chains to stop Bob from beating the Void. Bob, who had taken a leap of faith and had finally gained the upper hand on the Void, began punching and beating him to the point where the Void’s darkness was beginning to spread to him, alluding to him giving in to mental distress. Yelena performs an impressive set of aerobics to hug him, holding him back from sinking in. John and Bucky quickly join, pulling off the chains on them to hold Bob and protect him. The tones of this conflict were on par with “Wandavision” (2021) and had me rooting for this wonderful band of pained characters.

The scene of them struggling to help Bob before all of them hugging him and lying there was heartwarming. It reminded me of that same feeling of the first time I saw “The Avengers” (2012), and that’s an indescribable feeling I wouldn’t trade for the world. 

That’s what real superheroes are. A good hero can have a sick final fight sequence and talk someone off a ledge, but a real hero does both.

Marvel fans never got to see the Avengers hug each other. If anything, we’ve seen them fight each other more often than not. That scene where they all hug each other before ending up back in NYC with the shadows gone and people restored reads like a job well done and the heroes saving the day.

“Thunderbolts*” proves that heroes, especially in the MCU, are incredibly diverse and can be utilized in ways beyond the traditional Marvel movie. I loved that it disproved the insignificance of several of these characters and made them people to root for and be invested in. The film addressed all critics of Marvel being dead since “Avengers: Endgame” by creating a story that’s impossible not to love. 

The movie had a healthy amount of comedic bits, whether in verbal roasts (juvenile Captain America, dimestore Captain America, Bucky’s ineffective Congress term, fat old Santa) or action (Red Guardian miserably failing to speed the limo, his loud arrival to save Yelena, John and Ava). Other funny scenes were when Mel calls Bucky about the Sentry/Bob situation moments after he went off on the Thunderbolts, saying that they were at fault and when Bucky blows up their getaway car. I also loved the cut scene of Alexei asking Bucky what the plan was to storm Valentina’s HQ (the Avengers Tower) —we cut to Bucky just driving the van inside — and they all start wildly decking people for Valentina to buzz on an intercom that she left the door open for them.

I appreciated how brutal the film is and how fresh it gets its theme across. The trailers truly undersold its theme on mental health.

While his character isn’t explored that much, John also grapples with his mental health and identity following his failed attempt at being the new Captain America. He lies to the team that he’s found a life for himself, plays it cool and maintains his usual arrogant self. However, there are bits and pieces scattered throughout that suggest he is in the same situation as his new team. Namely, after Bob makes him relive a memory of him and his ex-wife arguing about him being a negligent father, he veers a little too close to the edge that the team had all-so-hilariously crawled out of.

The Void was terrifying. His design was on par with the themes of the film. The choice to make his appearance be crafted of pure shadow, except for the faint silver glint in his eyes from when Bob gave someone a memory to relive, was genius. And the power to turn people into shadows? Utterly terrifying.

There’s a scene where, after assembling, Red Guardian takes the hit from a piece of debris falling on a girl who looks like young Yelena. The bystanders cheer, and as soon as he says that she’s safe, she’s turned into a crisp shadow. It was horrifying. 

The moment Bob actualizes into Sentry had me on the edge of my seat. When Valentina orders him to kill the Thunderbolts to frame her as a hero and them as villains, he says “no.” He states that they pose no danger to him and someone with God-like powers shouldn’t serve anyone. I lowkey got chills there. Pullman’s delivery was so monotone and confident, yet so different from his rendition of Bob’s emotional instability and the Void’s depression. This especially pays off as Bob’s dialogue repeatedly mentions an empty, void-like feeling inside of him.

I really love how the team was assembled here. In “The Avengers,” they were all so different but unified for avenging, making them functional. In “Guardians of the Galaxy,” they became a family through addressing their flaws and family issues and bonding over their losses. Here, they’re thrown into these life-or-death situations right away and make the best of it with what they can offer. They are scrappy and not too trusting, but there for each other. Where “The Avengers” is the gold standard,  the heroes of “Thunderbolts*” are realistic within and outside of the MCU.

The film was done so masterfully. As the Void began destroying NYC, each team member got a solo hero shot. Bucky saved a couple from a flying car with his arm. Ava used her phasing abilities to save people from a crashing helicopter on fire. Yelena and Alexei saved people from trucks spiraling in all directions as drivers turned to shadows. John attempted to push a large stack of debris from falling on an elderly woman, and was joined by the team. The scene ends with them standing together, much akin to the Avengers’ assembling scene in 2012, especially since both teams have their assembled shot in front of Grand Central Station.

One creative choice was behind the asterisk in the movie’s title. After the Void turns back into Bob, who has no memory of what just happened, the team spots Valentina trying to make a break for it. They follow her through the debris so they can finally arrest her, only to end up tricked: on the other side is a press team and a podium where she announces to the whole world that they are the New Avengers, much to everyone’s delight. 

The confusion and “oh shoot” reactions from myself, the audience and the characters was priceless. It reinforced how cunning Valentina is, and I loved how Yelena has the last line in the film: “We own you now, Valentina.”

I loved how well this movie put this band of misfits together. I’m also really glad that Bucky finally has a set of friends who get him and that he’s rocking another great hairstyle, if I do say so myself. I wish we got to see a little more of Bucky as a leader of this team instead of mainly Yelena until the post-credit scene. Still, given that he wasn’t there for the initial action, I can excuse it. I wish we got to see a little more of John’s and Ava’s interiority. The post-credits scene finally gave us the Wheaties box reference and a name rebrand from the Thunderbolts to a “B-vengers” New Avengers team.

Once again, “Thunderbolts*” proves that Marvel has been and always will be top tier. Even now, days after, it lives rent-free in my head as one of Marvel’s most daring productions. 

Final Score: 9.5/10