The first reactions for Thunderbolts* indicate that the film includes an element that the MCU has been missing for the last six years. The story of Thunderbolts* was first shown to audiences in late April 2025, around 10 days before the film’s worldwide theatrical release. This alone proved that Marvel Studios has faith in the movie being well-received, with critics and other early viewers being allowed to build up anticipation by posting what they thought about the second Marvel movie of 2025.
As a result, the social media reactions for Thunderbolts* came flooding in. If the reactions are to be believed, Thunderbolts* is shaping up to be the strongest MCU movie in years, with many praising elements like the focus on practical effects, the exploration of more mature and serious themes, the action sequences, and the film as a whole feeling like old-school Marvel. Beyond these elements, though, the cast of Thunderbolts* was highlighted in many of the film’s social media reactions, proving that the film is fixing a six-year-old MCU issue.
Thunderbolts* First Reactions Are Praising The Team’s Dynamic
Team-Up Movies Are Back In The MCU
The aspect of Thunderbolts* cast that is receiving a lot of focus in the first reactions is the team-up dynamic of the film. The last true team-up movie in the MCU was 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, with Thunderbolts* finally scratching that itch for fans. Based on the film’s reactions, it is clear that team-up movies have been desired by many, given that such a big focus has been placed on how well Thunderbolts* various characters work together and how strong the team aspect of the story is.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and Eternals were not team-up movies in the traditional MCU sense, as disparate characters from different franchises were not brought together like in Thunderbolts* or The Avengers.
BeanzGotGamez, Brandon Norwood, and Jacob Fisher are just a few of the reactors who praise Thunderbolts* cast and how well they work together as a team. Although many are highlighting Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova as the standout character of the film, more reactions have come in that indicate the team dynamic fills the six-year void left by the Avengers’ MCU absence. Cameron Howe, Neil Vagg, and clubfeige only echo these sentiments, proving that Thunderbolts* is providing the MCU with a strong team-up movie for the first time in a while.
Marvel’s Future Proves How Much The MCU Has Missed Team-Up Stories
Several Are On The Horizon
If the reactions to Thunderbolts* did not already make this abundantly clear, the future of the MCU proves how much the franchise has missed team-up stories. Thunderbolts* is only the first, with The Fantastic Four: First Steps then releasing in July 2025 – only three months later – to provide another team dynamic. The upcoming movies of 2026 and 2027 further prove how Marvel is moving away from solo stories for a while.
The story of Avengers: Doomsday is set to release a year after Thunderbolts* in May 2026, combining these two тιтular teams with The Fantastic Four and the X-Men. Avengers: Secret Wars will then be very similar. On the TV side of things, Daredevil: Born Again season 2 will include an army going up against Kingpin. All of this just proves how much the MCU has missed team-up stories given that so many are in production, with Thunderbolts* kickstarting this wave.
