Thunderbolts*
U.S.A. 2025

Opening 1 May 2025

Directed by: Jake Schreier
Writing credits: Eric Pearson, Joanna Calo, Kurt Busiek
Principal actors: Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Lewis Pullman, David Harbour

“There’s something wrong with me … or maybe it’s just boredom.” Nope, nothing wrong.

Marvel Studios (MS) has done it again. With MS president Kevin Feige at the helm, maintaining a broad overview of the Marvel Comics (MC) action, and Jake Schreier directing, having sealed the deal with MS executives following an impressive presentation, appetites of worldwide fans will be sated. MC’s Thunderbolts team is a bunch of passably gifted, non-heroic types either unemployed, gainfully employed, or retiring, i.e., “anti-heroes and super-criminals." Thunderbolts* is Marvel Cinematic Universe’s (MCU) thirty-sixth film, and the last film in MS’s Phase Five.

This band of misfits (mostly MCU friends of former flicks’ fame) find themselves bumping into one another in tight quarters attempting to complete the given assignment. Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko), and Captain America (Wyatt Russell) are doubly surprised when they realize they have been set up, and then by Bob’s (Lewis Pullman—new guy) emergence. Concurrently, at a highfaluting event in Washington, D.C., CIA director Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), with assistant Mel (Geraldine Viswanathan—new gal) in tow, bumps into Congressman (Bucky) Barnes (Sebastian Stan) before having a photo op with the politician (Wendell Edward Pierce—new guy). Hearing about the enterprise being in disarray, she sends out the troops. Meanwhile Alexei / Red Guardian (David Harbour) shows up to help these fast-forming allies into, obviously, a Team because it is their only chance to survive, thrive.

Screenwriters Eric Pearson and Joanna Calo’s narrative is strong, cohesive with MCU’s past films that make Marvel’s transposing of comics to cinematic realities so popular. Character’s development involved MS “going back to the roots”, i.e., flashbacks to pinpoint particular characters susceptibilities. The ensemble performances are substantial: likeable/relatable with doses of decorum, irascible pugnaciousness, and outlandish fun. The dialogue blends highbrow jargon, quips, and basic principles. As is customary, MS’s production values are outstanding: cinematographer Andrew Droz Palermo also shot on locations in Utah and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; editors Angela M. Catanzaro and Harry Yoon keep us on track; the band Son Lux’s score is full-bodied, and the countless visuals / visual effects studios blend the real and imaginative stupendously. Needless to point out, for a glimpse into future ventures stay seated until the last end credit rolls. (Marinell Haegelin)