Ah, so that’s what the asterisk was for. Thunderbolts* isn’t just another Marvel movie—it’s a statement. A ragtag team of antiheroes, a wild mix of razor-sharp banter and gut-punch emotion, and a third-act twist that flips the entire premise on its head. And yes, that little star in the title? It means everything.
This is a film of two halves—one crackling with the snappy, dysfunctional energy of a Guardians of the Galaxy mission gone wrong, the other steeped in the kind of existential dread that would make The Winter Soldier nod in approval. And somehow, against all odds, it works.
[The following contains SPOILERS for Marvel’s Thunderbolts]
The Thunderbolts’ Greatest Weapon? Their Mouths.
From the moment this team of misfits assembles, the chemistry is electric. Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) and Red Guardian (David Harbour) pick up right where Black Widow left off, trading barbs with the kind of father-daughter dynamic that’s equal parts heartwarming and humiliating. Harbour chews scenery like a man who’s been starving for it, while Pugh’s dry, world-weary sarcasm remains one of the MCU’s sharpest weapons.
Then there’s Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), now inexplicably a congressman, lurking on the edges of Valentina Allegra de Fontaine’s (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) scheming like a man who’s already regretting every life choice that led him here. And let’s not forget the sheer joy of Yelena and Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen) teaming up to mercilessly mock John Walker’s (Wyatt Russell) “hat”—which is to say, his sad, battle-worn Captain America helmet—in a moment so perfectly timed, it feels like Marvel at its most effortlessly fun.
But for all the wit and charm, the team never quite gels as a seamless unit. The rapid-fire banter aims for Guardians of the Galaxy heights but doesn’t always stick the landing. And that’s a problem, because just as you settle into the rhythm of the jokes…
The Sentry: A Villain Who’s More Tragedy Than Threat
Enter The Sentry (Lewis Pullman), a character who isn’t so much a villain as he is a walking crisis of identity. One moment, he’s the golden god of the Marvel Universe, the next, he’s consumed by The Void—a manifestation of his own crushing despair. His struggle with mental health, isolation, and self-loathing becomes the film’s emotional backbone, forcing every member of the Thunderbolts to confront their own darkest moments.
Yelena, already wrestling with her past as an assassin, sees herself in him. Bucky, now navigating the murky waters of politics, grapples with the weight of his own redemption. Even Red Guardian, the team’s resident buffoon, gets a moment of raw vulnerability that reminds us why Harbour was born to play this role.
And visually? Andrew Droz Palermo’s cinematography is a masterclass in mood. That overhead hallway fight teased in the trailers? On-screen, it’s a stark, shadow-drenched ballet of violence, emphasizing the loneliness at the heart of Yelena’s journey. The film’s darker moments are where it truly shines—both in storytelling and sheer craft.
The Asterisk Strikes Back: What Thunderbolts Really Means
And then… the twist. That asterisk wasn’t just for show. In a move that’s either brilliant or brazenly ridiculous (or both), Valentina rebrands the team as The New Avengers—complete with a literal billboard change mid-weekend.
The post-credits scene drops them into the old Avengers HQ, now dubbed The Watchtower, and teases a legal battle with Sam Wilson’s Captain America over the rights to the Avengers name.
It’s a bold swing, one that asks: Can these side characters really carry the Avengers legacy? The answer, much like the film itself, is messy—but compelling. They’re not Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. They’re the scrappy underdogs, the ones who’ve been left behind, and that’s exactly what makes them worth rooting for.
Verdict: A Messy, Thrilling Step Forward
Thunderbolts* isn’t perfect. The tonal balance wobbles, some jokes land harder than others, and the team dynamic takes a while to find its footing. But when it works? It’s Marvel at its most daring—a film that’s unafraid to get dark, weird, and even a little meta.
It’s a movie about broken people trying to outrun their pasts, and whether or not they deserve to be heroes. And in a universe increasingly crowded with gods and multiversal threats, that’s a story worth telling.
Thunderbolts may not be the cleanest Marvel entry, but it’s one of the most interesting—and that asterisk? Yeah, it’s gonna be a big deal.
