The MCU’s been struggling with a bit of an identity crisis since closing up the Infinity Saga, while trying once again recreate and recapture the storytelling and characters that made the studio the must-see box office juggernaut it was. Since then it’s been a deluge of TV and film, that were chasing that same pre-Thanos high to no avail, but I think they’ve finally got it. Instead of a roster of established or wanna be heroes, Thunderbolts* has the MCU following a group of established rogues on the fringes, which in the early days was exactly what the likes of Iron Man, Captain America and Black Widow were. It’s a back to basics approach, that really helps to not only develop this new team, but finally give fans something to care about again.
Thunderbolts* has Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) in the midst of a government Impeachment hearing, and looking to destroy any and all evidence of her unethical dealings/developments with The OXE Group. Allegra has been stalking in the shadows of the MCU for the last few years, like Nick Fury once was, but instead of collecting the “Earth’s mightiest heroes” for good, she’s been collecting the cast offs for her black ops – the failed Captain America John Walker ( Wyatt Russell), the Black Widow who’s okay with a lot of red in her ledger (Florence Pugh), another Black Widow who can master anyone’s fighting style (Olga Kurylenko) and an assassin that can quantum shift (Hannah John-Kamen). We begin the film with Yelena (Florence Pugh) having a bit of an existential/moral crisis about being an assassin – when she takes her final gig for Valentina before planning to try to take the path of her sister and go hero.
This lands her in a vault with all of Valentina’s other assassins, who were all hired to kill the other, cleaning up the last of her loose ends. What instead happens however, is the group is quick to realize the boss’ plan and decide to band together to kill her new home base at the newly renovated Stark Tower. The first half of the film is essentially a bottle episode that forces the Thunderbolts, named after Yelena’s pee-wee soccer team who never won a game – to come together and trust one another just enough to team up. This soul searching is enabled by a failed OXE Grove test subject Bob (Lewis Pullman), who is freed during the battle and thanks to his ability to delve into the mind with a touch – gives the filmmakers an uncontrived way to showcase how each of the Thunderbolts are struggling with their own demons, enabling the audience to connect with them.
The film smartly casts aside the idealistic principles of the MCU, which just don’t work in this post snap world for a new world of anti-heroes who are united by their aspiration to be save the day. For my money Florence Pugh’s Yelena and her “Father” Red Guardian (David Harbour) have been two of the brighter spots of the post Thanos films. Here the father/daughter dynamic is touching as ever, as Harbour supplies the narrative with some much needed levity. I was honestly caught off guard with just how hard Pugh and Wyatt Russell go with their performances, which explore the emotional cost of a life in black ops and wet work; which this film does NOT shy away from. Sebastian Stan eventually enters the fold, after cementing his rehabilitation from being the Winter Soldier in the years since Black Panther, being the ideal leader for this group of misfits.
Thunderbolts* is a great mix of super hero action and soul searching drama that really manages to tug at your heartstrings, as we get to see all these fan favorites finally step from the darkness into the light. So is the MCU back? Given the one-two punch of the Thunderbolts* (which was great) and Fantastic Four (which looks to be equally intriguing) it just might be. I will say I haven’t been this excited for an MCU film like Fantastic in quite some time. But that said, Thunderbolts* has the MCU finally turning out the kind of intriguing character studies through the prism of the superhero action spectacle that once dominated the box office. The fan-service however, has been dialed back in favor of emotional weight and character development and I think cutting those ties and focusing solely on this group was the best thing they could have done.
Its ironic that by the end of the film, the Thunderbolts not only manage to save not only New York, but in the process the MCU with one of the most complex and nuanced takes on the superhero team up since the first Avengers film. Yes, it’s that DAMN good!
