Some would consider exploring themes of loneliness and depression in a superhero film to be brave. I am not that person, yet let’s discuss Marvel Studios’ latest venture, Thunderbolts*.
Hopefully, you’ve been watching every Disney+ Marvel series because you know that Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) has been authorizing covert operations around the world using B-Level superheroes as her pawns. These heroes include Alternate Captain America, John Walker (Wyatt Russell), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen) from Ant-Man and the Wasp, and Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko) from Black Widow. Of course, we also have Black Widow’s sister, Yelena (Florence Pugh), and father, Alexei, also known as Red Guardian (David Harbour), in the mix.
On this day, Valentina is on the verge of being impeached from her role as CIA director due to a secret superhero project she has been conducting. Taking down Valentina is of special note for Congressman Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) Before the DOJ can get their hands on the Sentry program, Valentina instructs her assistant, Mags (Geraldine Viswanathan), to destroy all evidence of the project, which includes eliminating Walker, Red Ghost, Taskmaster, and Yelena. All are lured to the project center with orders to kill each other under Valentina’s order.
As the battle begins, the combatants realize Valentina is using them in this trap. Having been burned, our heroes must now hunt down Valentina to expose her crimes, which involves Bob (Lewis Pullman), whom Valentina has been experimenting on as part of her own super-soldier program. Now on the run, our heroes must defeat Valentina and her henchmen while figuring out exactly what’s up with Bob.
Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) in Marvel Studios’ THUNDERBOLTS*. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2025 MARVEL.
“…destroy all evidence of the project, which includes eliminating Walker, Red Ghost, Taskmaster, and Yelena.”
Here’s the problem with Thunderbolts*. It’s supposed to be a superhero film, but it’s not. It’s part sit-com. Every line of the film comprises humorous one-liner dialogue and jokey lines. Red Ghost is probably the only person who should be a joke, but we have a team of characters who don’t like one another and can only express their displeasure through joking around and bustin’ balls. Unless there’s some exposition that needs to be dropped, it’s one mildly humorous line after the other. If the characters on screen refuse to take the situation seriously, then why should we?
Thunderbolts* is also a public service announcement for depression and mental health. Yes…brave indeed, but I want a superhero action film. We certainly get that in the first half, but in the final act, our heroes win by empathy. Yes, empathy is now a superpower. It’s how Sam Wilson beat the Red Hulk, so why not here?
Yes, I’m a heartless old man who just wants to see heroes and villains beat one another up. Then again, I’m willing to be the moviegoing audience that wants the same thing I do. Instead, what we get are quippy dialogue, attempts at cool fight sequences, and a stern warning not to criticize this current mental health crisis.
The Marvel overlay on this story is good. Florence Pugh is charismatic as Yelena, who is having an existential crisis of her own. If you think bringing awareness to depression and loneliness is a character arc, you need to see more movies. David Harbour understands comedy bringing much needed energy to the story, and Sebastian Stan is reduced to a guy who can’t eat pizza and washes his arm in the dishwasher. I like Julia Louis-Dreyfus, but Valentina is a one-note villain and comedic foil. In the end, we all deserve better from Marvel. I’m so worried about the Fantastic Four at this moment.
Thunderbolts* tries to turn superheroes into therapists, but all it really does is leave fans desperate for a proper brawl. While Florence Pugh and David Harbour try to inject some soul into the chaos, the film proves that no amount of punchlines can save a story that forgot its superpower. Sometimes you don’t need a group hug—you need a good old-fashioned throwdown.
"…heroes win by empathy..."
This melancholy movie is nothing like I expected and quite boring and the cherry on top was a very weak finale.
Florence Pugh and Lewis Pullman were the two best characters. 4/10
I just finished watching Monolith (2022) which (spoiler alert!) features people who don’t deal with their trauma. The word is never spoken, but it basically beats the viewer over the head with the theme. This is the kind of mental health explorations that are completely uninteresting and uninspiring. It’s feeding the audience the pablum it already expects. There is nothing interesting about trauma themes. It’s like Christians nodding their head through a movie about Jesus. But here it’s feminists and women and therapy fans who link everything to trauma, and overcoming trauma, and policing trauma (who gets to have it, hwho is the cause of it. . MSheU sucked because the female perspective on conflict is uninteresting to men. Men don’t get erections by crying on the shoulders of women, who, contrary to their propaganda, DO NOT appreciate male trauma dumps at all. Trauma dumping is the privilage of women. All men know it, and, by the way laides, RESENT it. Have fun crying when this bombs.
Gotta say that both David Arbour and Florence Pugh have come a long way since the last half of 2010’s (2018 and forward).
I watched the movie at 1:30pm yesterday in IMAX and it was far far more enjoyable than I had expected based on half the pundits would lead one to believe. BUT it is not remotely the all encompassing bundle of joy that will save the Marvels that the other 50% would wish one to believe.
Shils and Haters you have to love both groups — because it is so easy to prove them both wrong.
Just go and watch the movie without preconceived opinions or don’t. The attitude you bring with you will impact your enjoyment of this adult themed movie.
For anyone who has lived a life, endured and survived trauma you will most likely find many of the themes in this flick challenging but ultimately uplifting. But for those of you who have had a perfect sheltered existence (or at least think you have) and are looking for a children’s cartoon you will more than likely hate this.
Sure it helps if you have watched the shows and prior movies – or at least know the main characters from Black Widow and Winter Soldier. NO you do not need to have watched Captain Falcon and certainly not any of the M-She-U.
I rated it 5 out of 10 – why it was most definitely missing a final act/battle and yes this would have needed a new foe.
Alan Ng sucks, but he’s better than Gore. One love, ya’ll.
This is what most people expected. Marvel is lost and has been for a while. I am curios how long they can afford to make flops.
Interesting take—equating emotional complexity with weakness. Wanting every hero story to be a brawl with capes feels a bit 15 years out of date. If characters confronting loneliness or depression makes you uncomfortable, maybe it’s not the film that’s unserious.
Also, calling it a sitcom because the characters don’t mope 24/7? Come on. Banter isn’t new, it’s just a little sharper now. And if empathy being effective in the final act bothers you, maybe revisit why any of these characters started fighting in the first place.
This isn’t therapy disguised as a movie. It’s a film that assumes the audience can handle more than just explosions. I guess you couldn’t
The replies left by Ronald & Chris! My dudes, I am sorry to you both for whomever hurt you and made you both so emotionally unstable but there is help out there for you. It’s an action movie, fist are all it should be about! Maybe also look for your penis as you seemed to have lost them when you lost your manhood! Geez such moronic takes for what is supposed to be a Superhero action movie.
No one wants to hangout with someone who whines about their feelings and emotions all the time for free so they sure don’t want to pay good money to watch people do it on a movie screen. People who are broken by their emotions ARE weak. Strong people aknowledge their feelings/emotions then suck it up and succeed in spite of them.
Oh come on. People are capable of handling complex themes. They just don’t need them laid on so thick in superhero movies. Basically this review, justifiably so, is calling out Marvel for forgetting what superhero movies are supposed to be. We get more than enough bleeding heart movies that wear their social messaging on their sleeve. We don’t necessarily need that from Marvel movies based on comic books. We just need larger than life heroes beating bad guys, with some meaningful themes woven in of course. But that demands strong writing.
By the way, I say this as someone to whom themes of mental health mean something. It’s disappointing that the writing in this movie isn’t up to par, at least according to Alan, as I would have appreciated a subtle and well written nod to the subject.
It’s more embarrassing Marvel slop.
This is a horribly written review. It feels like you used ChatGPT to write it – all so you can perpetuate your bias towards ANYTHING connected with Disney.
This type of agenda pushing bias has no place when it comes to critic publications. Weak.
I agree! As a comic (nowadays that’s important because many MCU viewers don’t read them and can’t set any expectations) fan of the chracaters, I was more than satisfied, and as a person that can read, this review feels so souless… I guess the reviewer is the casual of the casuals – not a bad thing when you are not reviewing films professionally
Find some real purpose with your life. Yikes.
The replies left by the dudes attacking this review are completely insane and are exactly why Marvel is dying, they’re the only few left that care about Marvel outside of main event movies like SpiderMan or Deadpool who are left. My dudes who can’t handle negative words about a movie & Corporation you’re shilling for. I am sorry to you all for whomever hurt you and made you both so emotionally unstable that have no understanding of the real world and not your bubble but there is help out there for you. It’s an action movie, fists are a majority of all it should be about! Maybe also look for your penis as you seemed to have lost them when you lost your manhood! Geez such moronic takes for what is supposed to be a Superhero action movie.