Thunderbolts* has finally landed on Disney+, but rewatching the MCU’s ambitious team-up movie comes with some harsh realities. This is despite Thunderbolts* earning widespread acclaim among both critics and fans, who have pointed out how Phase 5’s final movie was a breath of fresh air for the MCU.
Thunderbolts* leans into themes of mental health as it debuts the all-powerful Sentry and his ruinous alter-ego, the Void. Both are powerful manifestations of the unᴀssuming Robert Reynolds’ light and dark sides, and consistently rank among Marvel’s most powerful characters.
Thunderbolts* also spotlights the тιтular team members, who are among the MCU’s lesser-known and least powerful characters. This juxtaposition was a risky move that, thankfully, paid off critically, even if Thunderbolts* is now the MCU’s fifth-lowest-grossing movie. This is a shame, considering how Thunderbolts* is actually a pivotal installment for the future of the MCU.
Its arrival on Disney+ should at least bolster its viewing figures as audiences seem increasingly less keen on visiting theaters to keep abreast of the MCU’s installments. Nevertheless, viewing Thunderbolts* for a second time exposes some key realities that are arguably hard pills to swallow.
Sentry Is Still Too Powerful
Sentry’s debut in Thunderbolts* raised a few eyebrows ahead of time, especially when considering the team that he and the Void were going to go up against. His short-lived bout with the newly formed team vindicated those concerns, as the powerful new MCU hero dominated all five of the Thunderbolts team members without breaking a sweat, displaying such powers as:
- Telekinesis
- Invulnerability
- Heat vision
- Super Speed
- Super Strength
- Flight
Suffice it to say, the Thunderbolts never stood a chance, but it’s also hard to see any other MCU hero faring any better. For example, the Thunderbolts’ strongest member, Bucky Barnes, let loose on Sentry with every ounce of his strength, only for Sentry to shrug off every blow. Comparatively, Steve Rogers was able to achieve greater success against Thanos.
This heralds a significant power imbalance for future MCU installments, as Sentry still looks poised to trounce every other hero. The only new character who seems like they could stand a chance is The Fantastic Four: First Steps‘ Franklin Richards, but the young mutant is now 5 years old.
Defeating The Void Might Have Been Too Easy
Despite being effortlessly overwhelmed by Sentry, the Thunderbolts were subsequently able to vanquish the Void. Although this admittedly involved a significant change in strategy and was technically achieved by having Bob banish the alter-ego himself, the sequence as a whole was arguably brief and harmless, considering what the Void was also implied to be capable of.
Submitting themselves to the Void’s encroaching shadow, the Thunderbolts navigated a hellish realm of shame rooms to reunite with Bob before reaching the Void after navigating just two more. While in this realm, they were attacked by manifestations of their most shameful memories and the Void’s telekinetic onslaughts, with characters like John Walker even being impaled.
Nevertheless, everyone, including Manhattan’s innocent civilians, seemingly came out physically unscathed. The Void’s overall threat levels might have benefited from a longer and more perilous ordeal in his shadowy realm, especially if one of the Thunderbolts’ lives were either threatened or outright lost. Instead, it took minutes to outwit the Thunderbolts* arch-villain.
We Needed More Of Congressman Barnes
Bucky Barnes’ intentions to run for office were teased in Captain America: Brave New World when he visited Sam Wilson for a well-timed heart-to-heart. This came to fruition in Thunderbolts*, when it was revealed he had been elected to represent Brooklyn for several months. This was ultimately revealed to be a ruse to investigate and impeach Valentina Allegra de Fontaine.
Nevertheless, scenes featuring Bucky struggling with his new official role were among Thunderbolts*’ most amusing. The typically standoffish Bucky Barnes felt more relatable than ever as he struggled to navigate the nuances of political office. Nevertheless, now he is a leading New Avenger, this era was tragically ephemeral.
The Mid-Credit Headlines Might Have Had A Point
The Thunderbolts* mid-credits scene appears seconds after the Thunderbolts were officially renamed the New Avengers. It proceeds to cycle through a gallery of headlines and images that convey a general sense of doubt and distaste surrounding this comparatively unknown party of Avengers replacements, with quotes including:
- “Not My Avengers”
- “Really?! The Heroes No One Asked For”
- “Is New Always Better?”
- “I Like ‘Em”
- “B-Vengers”
- “The ‘Huh?’ Heard ‘Round The World”
After the opening weekend, Marvel Studios opted to make the unorthodox move of re-тιтling posters and promotional materials from Thunderbolts* to *The New Avengers. Unfortunately, this did not significantly improve the movie’s fortunes enough to even come close to the MCU’s $1 billion-grossing Avengers movies.
In this case, reality mirrored fiction. Despite the name change and the movie’s quality, Thunderbolts* ultimately earned just $382 million worldwide, according to The Numbers, making it the MCU’s fifth-lowest-grossing movie overall and the third-lowest-grossing in the Multiverse Saga, which underscores the relative obscurity of the movie’s main characters.
The MCU Needs A Reboot
Even before Thunderbolts* underwent a semi-serious, post-release тιтle change to The New Avengers, it was clear that it would be one of the MCU’s most referential movies since Avengers: Endgame. The heavily marketed team of characters originated from several previous MCU installments, while Thunderbolts* made references dating back as far as MCU Phase 1’s The Avengers.
Many references, such as Bucky’s shady past in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, or Ghost’s tragic origins in Ant-Man and the Wasp, would likely have flown over the heads of more casual audiences. Thunderbolts* consequently highlights the need for the MCU to reboot, wiping the narrative slate clean and negating any narrative reliance on 13-year-old movies.
Even The MCU’s Best Movies Rely On Humor And Exposition
Although Thunderbolts* is lauded for being a breath of fresh air in a franchise that some feel is going stale, it wasn’t devoid of the MCU tropes that often draw ire from detractors. Among these are moments of tension being undercut by jokes, such as when Yelena and Bucky Barnes both make light of their shame room experiences when reuniting with Bob.
Although arguably necessary in a movie that requires so much homework, Thunderbolts* also harbors its fair share of over-exposition. John Walker, incidentally, is a font of these moments, such as when he lists the four shadow ops’ history in the OXE incinerator room, or when he observes, “I think Bob’s dark side got superpowers.“
Early Scenes Relied Too Much On Lesser-Known MCU Installments
Although Thunderbolts* referenced several older MCU productions, a handful arguably required viewing. These include Ant-Man and the Wasp, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and Black Widow. Others include Captain America’s Infinity War trilogy and Hawkeye, in which Yelena Belova makes a pivotal appearance. Unfortunately, Steve Rogers’ trilogy notwithstanding, these are among the MCU’s lesser-known installments.
Nevertheless, the first act of Thunderbolts* leaned heavily on the emotional stories and relationships established in these productions, such as John Walker’s fall from grace and Yelena and Alexei’s history. It also helped to diminish the already too-sudden death of Taskmaster, whose tragic origin story was established in Black Widow, only to be cut brutally short in Thunderbolts*.
The MCU Needs More Movies Like Thunderbolts*, But Its Performance Won’t Help
Although it earned near-universal praise upon release, Thunderbolts* is even better on the second watch. So soon after Captain America: Brave New World earned criticism for its over-reliance on a familiar MCU formula, Thunderbolts* proved the MCU’s capacity to create darker and more thematically ambitious movies. Nevertheless, Thunderbolts* earned $31 million less.
This could potentially dissuade Marvel Studios from taking risks in future MCU installments. Although those who saw Thunderbolts* were impressed by its themes and the performances of its less established cast, there might have been too few for Marvel to consider Thunderbolts* an effort worth replicating.
Sentry Needed More Screen Time
Sentry’s MCU debut was one of the most anticipated aspects of Thunderbolts*. The character, often touted as Marvel’s answer to Superman, is the embodiment of a spectacle, and it is fair to say that the scene in which he flaunted his powers against the Thunderbolts vindicated this. Nevertheless, it was frustratingly brief.
Both for the entertainment factor and the potential to draw more widespread attention to the movie, Sentry should have been afforded more time to shine. Although his powers were evident in his fight against the comparatively weak Thunderbolts, a sequence in which he engages in superheroics that only the Avengers could mirror would have been an enticing addition.
The MCU Can’t Ever Be 100% Faithful To The Comics
The MCU has a reputation for committing comic-accurate adaptations of Marvel Comics characters to the silver screen. Still, it isn’t devoid of creative liberties, and Thunderbolts* is no exception, with both the тιтular team and the Void being standout examples. This makes it vulnerable to criticisms from both staunch and flexible comic book purists, though it is arguably necessary.
While the Void is a far more destructive force in Marvel Comics compared to the MCU, conveying the sheer scale of violence it has wrought in Marvel Comics is practically impossible to adapt in a more accessible PG-13 movie. Instead, Thunderbolts* typifies the MCU’s need to reinvent certain aspects of important figures to better fit a cinematic narrative.
Both the Void and the Thunderbolts were revised to convey a specific narrative about mental health and the insidiousness of ostracization, and Thunderbolts* was arguably better for it. Unfortunately, however, this often means sidestepping a more comic-accurate version of such characters in future MCU installments.
