Thunderbolts*

“We can't do this. No one here is a hero.”

Marvel has done this before, back in 2014 with a risky little movie called Guardians of the Galaxy. That one changed up the formula, gave us something fun and new and snappy. Thunderbolts* is something new too, but in almost the opposite way. While I had a fun time, this movie is thoughtful and intimate, a different kind of movie for a different era of the MCU.

Let me be clear up front. I’m not saying this movie is like Guardians of the Galaxy. I don’t want to set you up with false expectations. Instead, think of it almost like a sister movie. Whereas Guardians was all about Quill’s journey to find family, this one is about Yelena’s journey to find family. Guardians was a movie about losers and outcasts finding a niche in the universe. Thunderbolts* is a movie about a group of losers and outcasts finding a niche in the world. It isn’t exactly one to one, but those aren’t the only similarities.

If this immediately turns you off because you thought Guardians was chock full of juvenile humor, well, that is one of the major differences. There is some silly humor, usually centered around Red Guardian, played by David Harbour, who is absolutely hamming it up in places. It is offset by heart and pathos for that same character. He’s a former carbon copy of Captain America created by the Russian propaganda machine at the height of the Cold War, and then was subsequently abandoned. He defined himself by his fame and adulation, and that fleeting moment in the spotlight was the last time he was happy.

Except if he were being truthful to himself, the last time he was happy was when he was undercover and acting as a father to Yelena and Natasha. Or more accurately an adoptive father, because while not blood related, he was the only positive father figure either of the girls ever had. With Natasha gone, he has let himself be consumed by his failures and loneliness, and is practically estranged from his surviving daughter Yelena. That’s a pretty meaty set up for just one of the five central characters.

Next there is Ava, played by Hannah John-Kamen. She was last seen in Ant-Man and the Wasp as the primary antagonist. She seems to have gotten a bit more of a handle on her powers, and has used that to start a career as an assassin. Of all the amazing things she could’ve done with the ability to walk through walls, she took up killing as her career. I mean, the first thing off the top of my head would be bank robbery if I was going the criminal route. She is unhappy and unbalanced by her job, successful and competent, but it is clearly not her calling.

Then there is John Walker, who was the secondary antagonist in Falcon and the Winter Soldier, a Captain America stand-in propped up by the government and then disgraced when he committed murder in front of a crowd of people. Walker is a bit of a contradiction. He is a hero, he wanted to do good, but failed spectacularly. So his defining characteristic is someone who is down on his luck and unable to recover what he could have been, no matter what he does. He uses snark and insults as a defense mechanism, and doesn’t play well with others because his last partner was killed in front of him.

Of course we know Bucky Barnes the best. He’s been in the MCU since the first Captain America back in 2011. As the veteran of the film, his arc has little to do with his fame or even his mission. He’s a good man trying to do good things, but is still haunted by the past and the horrors he committed while he was the brainwashed Winter Soldier. His journey is mostly about finding his place again, because he isn’t Steve Rogers' partner anymore or even Sam Wilson’s. But he can be a powerful role model for a new generation of heroes once he is given a chance to be one again.

Then there is Yelena, who is the heart and soul of the film and the primary character the story rests upon. After losing Natasha and five years from Thanos’ snap, she is directionless and broken. Full of regret and isolation, she often drinks herself into a stupor just to numb herself from the demons haunting her when she closes her eyes. Loneliness and a lack of purpose define her entire life, and the hurt and struggle on her face is palpable.

She was last seen coming to terms with the fact that Hawkeye didn’t kill Natasha, and maybe even feeling a kinship with Kate Bishop. But it’s also clear she doesn’t feel worthy of anyone or anything. Her self worth is zero, but she is such a brilliant and good natured person underneath. She never once hesitates to help someone in trouble, she is even kind to the people she is sent to kill. While a Black Widow by training, with a ledger full of red, she might have more of a hero embedded in her soul than Natasha ever had.

It helps that Florence Pugh is more than up for the task of leading the film, moving effortlessly from drama to comedy to gut wrenching self examination in the same scene. Her relationship with each of the other members of the team is foundational, and nothing about this group would work without her. Which is interesting because while incredibly capable, she is the only one without powers. Yelena was already a standout from her two appearances to date, and here she is clearly cemented as one of the central figures in the MCU moving forward.

So what about the rest of the film? I just spent ages talking about these characters. Well, that’s kind of the point, their journey is the movie. They are forced together and learn to soften and work with one another. Each gets to overcome their struggles, and they end up becoming a found family of sorts, just like in Guardians of the Galaxy. Yet this is a very small scale and intimate movie, set in only a few locations with minimal characters. It tackles mental issues and childhood trauma, depression and loneliness and what it takes to overcome those issues.

But it is also a superhero movie with explosions and action and what you would expect from an MCU film. All of which is well done and exciting. There doesn’t seem to be an overuse of CGI, with a lot of practical stunts on display. The dialogue is better than the standard MCU stuff, and the character dynamics and interactions are really fun to watch. Even when the characters are fighting, there’s a sense of need behind their actions and words. There were a couple of minor structural story issues, and the plot is fairly basic. But I loved the resolution and to me this felt like one of the best MCU films since Endgame.

Bits:

There are two after credits sequences. One is silly and the other is important. Of course the important one is all the way at the end.

This movie takes place chronologically after Captain America: Brave New World and the events of that film are directly referenced, so be warned.

I didn’t mention Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Valentina or Lewis Pullman as Bob at all, and that is because both of their characters are kind of spoilery to talk about. They both do a great job, and I genuinely liked them both in very different ways.

The * (asterisk) in the title is explained, and it makes sense.

Quotes:

Yelena: “Bucky, you have the wrong people. We have all done bad things.”
Bucky: “Look, I've been where you are. The past doesn't go away. So you can either live with it forever, or do something about it.”

Valentina: “We're brought up with this belief that there are good guys and there are bad guys, but eventually you come to realize that there are bad guys and there are worse guys.”

Red Guardian: “Yelena, being the hero, there is no higher calling. Your sister understood something about that.”
Yelena: “No, that's just a fairytale.”

Mel: “I was in high school when the Avengers came. It's kind of strange that it's all over now.”

While not the best MCU movie, it makes up for any shortcomings with a ton of heart and excellent character work both in writing and acting.

3.5 out of 4 Outcast Losers

Samantha M. Quinn spends most of her time in front of a computer typing away at one thing or another; when she has free time, she enjoys pretty much anything science fiction or fantasy-related.

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