Thunderbolts* (2025) Film Review: A group of ragtag misfits band together in a surprisingly solid outing

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Caught in a deadly trap and on a dangerous mission, a group of antiheroes is forced to work together while grappling with the darkest corners of their pasts. The Thunderbolts consist of Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh); Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan); Alexei Shostakov (David Harbour); John Walker (Wyatt Russell) and Ava Starr AKA Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen).

Marvel movies have seen a steady decline in quality and audience reception ever since the climactic resolution to the Infinity Saga with Avengers: Endgame (2019). Heavy reliance on a mixture of Disney+ shows and movies featuring B-grade superheroes has caused audience fatigue for the MCU, and the most recent offering is a refreshing, surprisingly deep narrative that evokes intrigue for future projects.

The movie does have a classic MCU quality to it, with an exciting post-credit sequence (NO SPOILERS!) which promises an interesting direction for this shared universe and fun team-ups with other comic book legends. The typical Marvel humour is still present here, with a few badly timed jokes and one-liners which appear to undercut otherwise serious scenes. Without giving too much away, the film features a complex, unique villain who exhibits a sincere exploration of mental health issues and past trauma. There are sinister, surreal sequences which would arguably not be out of place in a horror movie, therefore, there are some occasional tonal inconsistencies regarding its uses of comedy.

The Thunderbolts prepare to fight a new adversary together

However, the narrative is genuinely touching and is bound to resonate with anyone who has experienced poor mental health or emotional/physical abuse. Despite some clunky and messy narrative beats that are overly familiar, the grounded approach to its characters highlights the film's charm. Our mismatched group of mercenaries are all given valiant attempts at fleshing out their backstories and developing intriguing layers to their characters, such as the disgraced Captain America wannabe John Walker having his wife walk out on him with their young son, or Alexei resorting to becoming a chauffeur to make ends meet. Not everyone is given the spotlight, but just enough is shown or implied to get us to care about the so-called 'new Avengers'.

Pugh is the shining star of the movie, with her reliable charisma and ability to portray a vast array of emotions flawlessly, making for a likeable lead as Yelena. Her dry delivery of her no-nonsense dialogue makes for the more successful attempts at humour in the film, and a special shout-out to Harbour must be made for his comedic timing. Alexei does provide the majority of the film's comic relief, but it is hard not to enjoy Harbour's sweet, embarrassing 'dad energy', which he excels in from his role as Jim Hopper in Stranger Things (2016 - ).

Lewis Pullman as the enigmatic Robert Reynolds also impresses with a challenging role that required balancing often dark, heavy emotions and more upbeat quirks. The whole cast of misfits fostered believable chemistry between them over the course of the narrative, and it will be interesting to see more from them in future installments.

Despite suffering from similar problems plaguing many movies in the MCU, Thunderbolts* feels like an exciting next chapter in this interconnected universe and a well-needed breath of fresh air. Led by a powerhouse performance from Pugh and admirable turns from the rest of the cast, the film explores powerfully resonant themes and teases a promising continuation of the beloved saga of superhero crossover stories. Bring on the Fantastic Four!

Check out the trailer for Thunderbolts* (2025) below and let me know your thoughts in the comments!