The main strength of this ensemble superhero movie is its cast, who expertly balance the tone between comedic camaraderie and some mature and darker themes. Hugely entertaining, with some genuinely unexpected twists and turns, this is perhaps Marvel’s best movie since Guardians Vol 3.

Premise: Adrift and without purpose, former assassin Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) is struggling to find her place in the world following the death of her sister, Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow. But when CIA Director Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) sends her on a covert clean-up mission, her path crosses with fellow outcasts John Walker/US Agent (Wyatt Russell), Ava Starr/Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen) and Antonia Dreykov/Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko).

Review:

I think it’s fair to say that when Thunderbolts* was first announced, no one was all that excited to see a team-up movie with the secondary and tertiary characters from a bunch of previous movies. At best, Thunderbolts* was accused of being the MCU’s Suicide Squad clone, and at worst, people saw it as scraping the bottom of the barrel for ideas.

But the more I thought about it, the more I could see the potential for this movie. One of Marvel’s main strengths has always been how well it casts its movies, which means that even its “secondary and tertiary characters” have been played by some fantastic actors. Florence Pugh, who headlines Thunderbolts*, has been fantastic as Yelena Belova, balancing the character’s emotional damage with her wide-eye sense of joy and her disarming sense of humour. David Harbour has been a joy as Alexei Shostakov (aka Red Guardian), Yelena’s father who’s half egotistical-but-well-meaning fool, and half embarrassing dad. Sebastian Stan has been playing Bucky Barnes for 14 years now, through one hell of a character arc, while Wyatt Russell brought depth and pathos to his performance as disgraced soldier John Walker (aka US Agent) in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Admittedly, neither Olga Kurylenko nor Hannah John-Kamen got a great deal to do as Antonia Dreykov (aka Taskmaster) in Black Widow or as Ava Starr (aka Ghost) in Ant-Man and the Wasp, but it was clear that their characters had potential.

“…combines humour, heart & surprises in the way that the best Marvel films do…”

The more I thought about it, the more I realised how much fun it could be seeing these entertainingly dysfunctional characters interact with each other, and how Thunderbolts* had the potential to be so much more than just the MCU’s Suicide Squad. And I’m pleased to say that my optimism was justified – Thunderbolts* is arguably the MCU’s best film since the conclusion of the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy in 2023, combining humour, heart and surprises in the way that the best Marvel films do.

I don’t want to say too much about the plot, because the marketing has done a surprisingly good job of not giving everything away. What I will say is that (unless you’re already familiar with the comic-book storylines which have inspired this film) there should be some real surprises for you in terms of who the film’s main antagonists are, what how the story unfolds. The final act, in particular, went in directions I was not expecting at all, and thankfully avoided the CGI-fuelled action maelstrom that has blighted other superhero movie finales (this movie’s final act is, for example, a vast improvement on the finale of Captain America: Brave New World).

“…touches on mental health issues in a sensitive & empathetic way…”

In terms of the film’s themes (rather than its plot), Thunderbolts* also had a lot more depth than I was expecting. Florence Pugh (who has arguably been the MCU’s best post-Endgame addition) continues to blow me away, and here, she subtly unpacks her character’s trauma, grief and depression in a way I was not expecting from a big summer blockbuster. The relationship between Yelena and her father continues to be a fully realised one, with David Harbour bringing real heart to the role alongside the bluster and comic relief. The film also makes a genuine attempt to touch on a number of grounded mental health issues in a sensitive and empathetic way, while never losing its sense of fun and genuinely entertaining comedic moments – which is a very impressive balancing act.

Alongside Pugh and Harbour, Sebastian Stan gets a chance to step into the limelight a little more, taking on more of a leading role (perhaps not surprising given he’s been in the MCU for 14 years now), and Wyatt Russell brings interesting layers to his character. Until now, the MCU hasn’t seemed entirely sure what it wanted to do with Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ character, Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, but Thunderbolts* seems to have finally found the right place for her. The film’s main new addition to the cast is Lewis Pullman as Bob Reynolds, a civilian who gets caught up in Yelena’s ‘clean up’ mission, and he gets quite a bit to do here, building on his brilliant supporting performances on films like Bad Times at the El Royale and Top Gun: Maverick.

“…rounds off ‘Phase 5’ of the MCU on a high note…”

If you’ve lost faith in the MCU, Thunderbolts* might just be the film to turn you around (after Captain America: Brave New World was, sadly, not that film). It rounds off “Phase 5” of the MCU on a high note, with an end-credits scene that sets up “Phase 6” with this year’s The Fantastic Four - First Steps and 2026’s Avengers: Doomsday (as well as a purely comedic mid-credits scene).

A great cast, a fun sense of humour, some real character depth, and unexpected plot developments means that, for me, Thunderbolts* stands alongside Spider-Man: No Way Home and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3 as the best films (so far) in the post-Endgame Multiverse Saga.

* and yes, the asterisk in the title is explained in the movie.