The Marvel Cinematic Universe regularly treats fans to new content, arriving in theaters as well as streaming with a Disney+ subscription. The recent release Thunderbolts* is now available to stream, and I maintain it's my favorite MCU flick in years. While not everyone is a superfan like me, I think that even casual moviegoers will enjoy Jake Schreier's blockbuster.
Fans who spent years watching the Marvel movies in order will recall just how many previous projects Thunderbolts* was connected to. Specifically Black Widow, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, and Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania. Still, don't think you need to have watched all of these projects to enjoy the movie and its motley crew of antiheroes.
You Don't Need To Be A Marvel Superfan To Enjoy Thunderbolts*
While the cast members of Thunderbolts* have been introduced across various projects, the movie isn't written to require you to know all of their backstory. The screenplay expertly drops in appropriate exposition, thanks to the characters' introductions to each other as well as their visions from The Void. So you can really dive right into the movie without needing to have seen every single chapter of the MCU.
The runtime for Thunderbolts* is 127-minutes, so its not bogged down by an overly complicated story. Instead the story takes place over just a few days, as a group of antiheroes meet and become an unlikely team in order to survive their conflict with Julia Louis-Dreyfus' Valentina.
Aside from the way Thunderbolts* introduces each member of the team, the screenplay is also funny and genuinely moving. So while we get some awesome action and comic book adventure, the movie also has a point of view and human-driven story to tell.
Thunderbolts* Tells An Emotional, Relatable Story.
From Yelena's opening narration and free jump, which was seen in the Thunderbolts* trailer, it's clear that the movie is a narration about grief and depression. Florence Pugh's character is struggling to get by mentally, which actually ends up connecting her to a lot of the members of the New Avengers... especially Bob/Sentry. Along the way we learn John Walker's family left him, and Ghost shares her tragic backstory.
Rather than a flashy final battle, the third act of Thunderbolts* is emotionally-driven and the perfect way to wrap up the aforementioned narrative. Despite being set in a world full of superheroes, the story at the heart of the movie is surprisingly relatable. So many of us have struggled with mental health, or know someone who has. I found myself moved when watching it in theaters, which doesn't often happen to me when enjoying a MCU blockbuster.
It's already been confirmed that the Thunderbolts aka New Avengers will return for upcoming Marvel movies, so this particular team is seemingly going to be sticking around. They were all confirmed in the Avengers: Doomsday cast announcement, and the Thunderbolts* credits scene teased them meeting the Fantastic Four shortly. So if casual fans enjoy Schreier's movie, maybe they'll be invested in more MCU projects.
Thunderbolts* is streaming on Disney+, and Avengers: Doomsday is expected to hit theaters December 18th of next year as part of the 2026 movie release list.
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