After years of diminishing returns in the MCU, Thunderbolts* feels like a genuine course correction. Director Jake Schreier brings the energy of a small-scale character drama to a superhero ensemble piece, resulting in easily the most emotionally resonant Marvel film since Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Character Over Spectacle
Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova has never been better used. The screenplay gives her a genuine internal struggle — the specific loneliness of someone who has only ever been a weapon trying to figure out who they are without a target. Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes gets a new angle: the weight of having been forgiven when you’re not sure you deserve it.
The TDW Verdict
The MCU’s best in years. Proof that character still matters more than spectacle.