Thunderbolts* Deserves All The Praise It's Gotten, But It Makes Me Concerned About The MCU's Future

Guys, I’m really concerned about the state of Marvel, but it’s not for the reasons that you think.

If you know me, you’d know I love the MCU. I mean, I was a huge Marvel fangirl for years, but even now, I’m still looking forward to any upcoming MCU film or any new Marvel TV show because I love to escape into these superhero stories. So, of course, I was super excited for Thunderbolts*.

However, with some recent developments regarding the film, I’m really concerned about where this universe is going to go…and what it means for the MCU’s future. Let’s get into it.

The Film Itself Has A Great Story, A Wonderful Cast, A Fantastic Message, And Awesome Effects

So this isn’t going to be a quick little article about me ripping the film apart, because I loved the Thunderbolts*. I was already a fan of the characters going into this movie, mainly Bucky Barnes and Yelena. I feel like I've almost known them personally, and I was looking forward to seeing them work as a team.

When the film did come out, it was so much better than I thought it would be. I was nervous when Thunderbolts* reviews started to roll out, but when I saw many people saying it was one of the best Marvel films in years, I was all ears. And truly, it is. It has a great cast, a fun story, and some really cool action that feels a lot more down-to-earth rather than the huge CGI-fests we often receive with Marvel films.

But there’s one thing I need to talk about now that makes me super concerned for the future.

But What’s Been Going On With The Box Office?

This isn’t some one-off Marvel film with a new character. This is a Marvel film with several characters from several other IPs within the MCU, all coming together. This is essentially an Avengers movie, but just not on that big scale—it’s like the MCU’s answer to The Suicide Squad, but better because, let’s face it, all of these heroes are jerks, but we love them for it.

However, the box office for Thunderbolts* has been super concerning for me. The film did well in its first weekend, but it has only earned around $328 million to date. It hasn’t even broken even yet. This is a Marvel film, with several major characters that people have loved for years, and yet, it’s not earning that much money?

Granted, there have been other decent Marvel films in the last few years that haven’t earned that much, like The Marvels or Captain America: Brave New World. However, I think that also has a lot to do with many outside circumstances regarding their release and the online reaction to certain characters.

Thunderbolts* was marketed up the wazoo and, as far as I was told, many people were looking forward to it. But then it started earning these low numbers, for a movie that wasn’t rated R or anything.

If This Super Well-Reviewed Marvel Film Doesn’t Do As Well, What Does That Mean For Future Marvel Films?

I’m not saying that Marvel isn’t going to be successful in the future because I’m sure they will. With how much they have been talking about Avengers: Doomsday (especially with Lewis Pullman from Thunderbolts* already on set, and Robert Downey Jr. posting about it too), they will make plenty of money.

But I genuinely hope they still favor quality.

Thunderbolts* is one of the better Marvel films in a long time. Not just for the great acting or choreography or anything else, but the story feels grounded. It’s something that literally anyone could relate to. It’s not some giant alien battle, and while yes, there are clearly superhero elements, you can understand the themes easily. It’s a good film.

I really worry that Marvel is going to see these numbers and think that people don’t want these kinds of films. They want the action, the craziness, and everything else that these big Avengers movies bring. That’s fun and all, but sometimes, I really want a movie like this.

Many older Marvel films felt like this one—contained, controlled, and careful enough around their material that there was a lot of fun but also a lot of heart. But those made a lot more money than this. This feels like the early days of Marvel, and while a big franchise did spawn from that, the box office isn’t the same as it once was. These movies need more money to survive.

I don’t know; I could just be overthinking things, but I can’t help but wonder what this means. All I know is that I really hope this doesn’t affect Marvel's future. Here’s hoping that The Fantastic Four: First Steps moves in a better direction when it releases as part of the 2025 movie schedule.