Marvel Studios bring us Thunderbolts*, in which Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) tries to find her place in the world while still reeling from the loss of Natasha.
She works various jobs for Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), and wants to get away from the darker side of her work for a more public facing position where she hopes to find some happiness. Unfortunately, Allegra is facing impeachment and various charges over her Black Ops projects and has quickly moved to remove any connection to her, and tasks Yelena to remove a target at a secret site.
What seems to be a routine mission becomes murky when John Walker (Wyatt Russell), Ava (Hannah John-Kamen), and others enter the mix with a clear mandate to eliminate others. The group quickly realize they have been set up to be eliminated, and discover a mysterious individual named Bob (Lewis Pullman), who has no memory of how he got into the secure locale. He seems like a custodial worker, but he’s much more than that.
At the same time, Yelena’s “father,” Alexi (David Harbour), learns of the plan and suits up as the Red Guardian to save the day, as he too is eager to find some purpose. Throw in the arrival of Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), and you have the makings of a dysfunctional group who trusts one another about as much as they trust Valentina, yet are united in their desire to bring her down.
Unfortunately, there is a wild card in the mix, and it poses a danger greater than they have ever faced and one that will force them to confront their darkest fears in the process.
The movie takes some time getting up to speed. It sprinkles shorter action sequences amongst the character development and setup, but the dynamic between the characters is engaging. It is nice to see more depth for the characters as we see them step up from supporting to lead roles.
The film has some nice segments and solid effects. The last few moments, including the mid and end-credit scenes, offer up some very interesting possibilities down the line that I am sure fans will be discussing once the film releases.
While it is not as epic in scope as some past Marvel offerings, the character-driven approach is a nice change of pace, and there is enough action to keep fans engaged in what is a very satisfying offering from Marvel Studios.
Thunderbolts* released May 2 in the United States, marking the final film in Phase Five of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film has grossed $162.1 million, becoming the eighth-highest-grossing film of 2025.
4 stars out of 5
