In the run-up to promoting Thunderbolts*, Florence Pugh told Empire the film ended up being an "A24-feeling" indie. Considering that the movie's director, Jake Schreier, directed multiple episodes of the critically acclaimed A24 co-produced series BEEF (and Schreier brought over a number of his colleagues from that project, including series creator Lee Sung Jin for rewrites), and multiple members of the ensemble gained name recognition through the studio, including Pugh herself, the actor's claim raised eyebrows and piqued interests.
Realistically, though, we all know a Marvel movie couldn't possibly be an actual daring indie darling in the vein of A24 or NEON; the best-case scenario would be Marvel's version of those houses. And, pretty much, that's what we get: a darker film in comparison to the typical popcorn blockbuster, but at the end of the day, it's still Marvel, for better and for worse.
The film begins with Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) facing impeachment for illegal activities made under her command. In an attempt to expunge all evidence, including those who did her bidding, she sets up a death trap for Yelena Belova (Pugh), John Walker (a.k.a. U.S. Agent, played by Wyatt Russell), Antonia Dreykov (a.k.a. Taskmaster, played by Olga Kurylenko) and Ava Starr (a.k.a. Ghost, played by Hannah John-Kamen).
The darkness of the film, literally and emotionally, comes from a new baddie, a blacked out figure who forces people to confront the most sinister corners of their past. Thunderbolts* focuses on regret — the idea that even villains maintain a moral conscience that nags at them in their quietest, most humane moments.
Using Dr. Strange-esque stylization, Marvel uses the superhero genre to explore depression, loneliness and displacement, reminiscent of WandaVision's book at grief four years earlier. The film sets about some truly heinous circumstances for the team, and thanks to strong performances from Pugh, Russell, John-Kamen, David Harbour returning as the Red Guardian, and Marvel newcomer Lewis Pullman, Thunderbolts* succeeds in creating a thoughtful-enough discussion around its themes injected with quippy humour and interesting action set pieces.
Sebastian Stan also returns as the now-congressman Bucky Barnes, and while his presence in any film (Marvel, A24, whatever) is always welcome, it does feel like Stan has come to the end of his tenure with the character. He's every bit the brooding affable Bucky we've come to love, but perhaps the actor has outgrown the role that put him on the map. Stan had a tremendous year in 2024, and I can't blame him if his heart wasn't 100% into donning that metal arm once again.
Pugh's assertion that Thunderbolts* contains an indie feel isn't entirely without its merits. Especially in comparison to other Marvel projects, the movie doesn't have the typical fanfare of its predecessors, and isn't it lovely to have a Marvel movie that doesn't purely exist as a commercial for the next? (Save for the end credit scene, of course.) However, Thunderbolts* still has the fingerprints of the genre at its most rudimentary all over it. Storylines come together and resolve themselves quickly, there's never much doubt as to how the film will conclude, and while its themes deserve recognition, Thunderbolts* still tackles them as a four-quadrant movie would. All that being said, it's every bit as entertaining as we want these films to be.
Undoubtedly, Thunderbolts* is the best film Marvel Studios has released in some time — granted the bar is fairly low at this point. Critics, myself included, have written endlessly about the flailing franchise and Thunderbolts* (along with the Daredevil reboot) certainly has the potential to be the beginning of another peak for the studio. For the first time in a long while, I'm interested in what Marvel has in store, albeit with a dash of apprehension.