Yelena Is The Heart And Soul Of Thunderbolts*, But There's One Character Whose Story Shouldn't Be Overlooked

The following article contains some fairly hefty SPOILERS for Thunderbolts*. If you’ve yet to watch the new 2025 movie, please take a step back and return once you’re all caught up with the MCU timeline.

Like a large portion of the moviegoing population, I had some MCU fatigue heading into Thunderbolts*’ opening weekend, which is something I didn’t think I would ever say. However, after giving the critically-acclaimed comic book adaptation, I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised by the story, characters, action and comedy in what has become one of the best Marvel movies in a few years. But that wasn’t the only surprise…

Heading into the movie, I had a feeling Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova would be the heart and soul of Thunderbolts*, which she is. But on top of that, there’s another show-stealing character that shouldn’t be overlooked when discussing the movie. Considering this is a character who was absolutely despised when they were introduced a few years ago, this made an already great experience into a thrilling and fulfilling journey.

Yelena Belova Is The Emotional Core Of The Thunderbolts* And At The Center Of The Movie's Biggest Scenes

Though Thunderbolts* is very much a team movie in the same vein as Guardians of the Galaxy or the various Avengers movies, Yelena Belova is the emotional core of this superb MCU film and its near-perfect balance of humor, heart and action (it does all three very well). She’s the first major character we meet in the movie, we follow her throughout much of it, and she’s at the center of the Thunderbolts* ending.

One of the most interesting characters introduced to the MCU in the post-Endgame stage of the franchise, Yelena has all the skills you’d want in a hero, but also all the angst, fears and self-deprecating humor that prevent her from coming off as the perfect heroine. Yeah, she kicks a lot of butt up and down the movie’s two-hour runtime, but she also provides so much of the emotional weight and carries it around as she’s trying to figure out her life.

But I Kept Finding Myself More And More Invested In John Walker's Story

This isn’t taking anything away from Yelena Belova, or any other member of the Thunderbolts in the movie, but I couldn’t stop gravitating towards Wyatt Russell’s John Walker, a.k.a. “State-sponsored Captain America,” a.k.a. U.S. Agent, as soon as he showed up in the hard-hitting and unforgettable vault sequence. The wise-cracking, heelish and unhinged super soldier brought a lot to the whole action set piece (and others that followed), but there was one moment that really started to make me see him from a different point of view.

That happened when he came in contact with Lewis Pullman’s Bob and was transported back in time to one of his worst memories and biggest failures; not on the battlefield or the moment from Falcon and the Winter Soldier where he used his shield to brutally murder someone, but back home when he was unable to get over his public perception and be a good father.

His Transformation From A Villain In Falcon And The Winter Soldier To A Hero In Thunderbolts* Was So Fulfilling

Most of the main characters in Thunderbolts* were villains (or at least very bad anti-heroes) at one point in their lives, and that’s very much the case for John Walker. As I mentioned just above, he brutally killed a man in cold blood with his shield in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier in front of shocked and terrified civilians. That said, I didn’t think the guy would ever be able to redeem himself or at least attempt to make up for his dark past. While he doesn’t completely fix everything by the time that big post-credits scene rolls around, his transformation has started.

That journey was honestly one of the most emotional, fulfilling and fun-to-watch aspects of Thunderbolts*, and this standout member of the New Avengers (little hat and all) is totally on his way to becoming the best version of himself; one that can be celebrated without getting all caught up in his troubled past.

The Vision Where He's Transported Back To His Son's Room Was So Heartbreaking

Thunderbolts* featured several dark, ominous, and distressing visions whenever various characters came in contact with Bob, but the one I keep going back to is John Walker’s memory of being a bad, or at least distracted, father. Walker sitting there, buried in his phone reading headlines about his fall from grace while his son begs and cries for even the slightest amount of attention was so painful, heartbreaking and real. In a movie where the villain is an unstable super soldier who transports everyone to a labyrinth of shame rooms, this bit of grounding went a long way.

It’s an incredibly brief scene, yet I’m still feeling the impact of it hours after leaving the theater (I’m sure it will be days or possibly weeks before I fully shake it), and that’s not something I expect to experience with a comic book movie about a ragtag group of former villains who become the new Avengers.

And I Feel Like I'm Obligated To Give Wyatt Russell Praise For His Comedic Timing In Thunderbolts

But it isn’t all just gloom and doom with John Walker in Thunderbolts*, as he is honestly one of the funniest Marvel characters in some time. The vault fight scene, where he and the rest of Valentina Allegra de Fontaine’s (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) misfit toys are sent to kill each other so the CIA director can avoid being impeached and indicted, features some outrageously funny U.S. Agent moments. His refusal to put others before himself, his confusion about who was sent to kill whom, and everything else about him in his sequence is top-notch comedy.

I guess I shouldn’t be all that surprised considering Wyatt Russell is the son of Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell, so comedy pretty much comes naturally to his second-generation star. Maybe that explains that goofy smile on his face when he’s wearing that absurd hat at the very end of the movie, which I bet we’ll be seeing a lot more of when Avengers: Doomsday comes out next year.

So with Thunderbolts* completely changing the way I think about John Walker after all these years, I cannot wait to see how the character continues to evolve in the very near future.