Thunderbolts* (2025) brings together a team of antiheroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
Recruited by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), the team includes Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), Red Guardian (David Harbour), U.S. Agent (Wyatt Russell), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), and Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko). The idea is for them to go on a mission and in the end they could grant them redemption.
Most of them have connections to Black Widow and The Avengers.. Yelena is Natasha Romanoff’s sister legacy, while Red Guardian is Natasha’s surrogate father. Meanwhile, Bucky Barnes and U.S. Agent, both shaped by the Super Soldier program, must adjust their past traumas and uncertain futures.
Movie Title: Thunderbolts*
Year of Release:
Released on May 2, 2025.
Director:
Jake Schreier
Screenwriters:
Eric Pearson, Lee Sung Jin, and Joanna Calo
Producers:
Kevin Feige
Cast:
- Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova
- Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes
- David Harbour as Red Guardian
- Wyatt Russell as U.S. Agent
- Hannah John-Kamen as Ghost
- Olga Kurylenko as Taskmaster
- Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine
- Lewis Pullman as Sentry / Robert Reynolds
- Geraldine Viswanathan as Mel, de Fontaine’s assistant
- Chris Bauer as TBA
- Wendell Edward Pierce as a political figure
Length of Movie / Running Time:
2 hours and 6 minutes
Age Rating for the Movie Thunderbolts*:
PG-13 (USA)
Country:
United States
What Other Reviewers Are Saying:
"It challenges blockbuster fans in unexpected ways, presenting them with richer acting than we’ve seen in these films in some time and, perhaps most shockingly, a final act that’s emotionally grounded instead of just 'CGI things go boom.' It ends on a note that feels like a preview for another movie (or movies), a common problem in the MCU, but this time it’s almost as interesting a final touch narratively as it is driven by marketing." — Brian Tallerico, RogerEbert.com
"The movie works on a lot of levels. It’s quite funny, for one thing, with a great blend of humor thanks to Harbour’s over-the-top Red Guardian and Yelena’s acerbic wit. The chemistry between Pugh, Harbour, Russell and Pullman is genuinely great. And Sebastian Stan gets to have one very cool action sequence to remind us how much of a badass the Winter Soldier really is, and how much he really deserves his own movie." — Erik Kain, Forbes
"As with the Guardians of the Galaxy films, what works here is the uneasy tension within a team that comes together out of necessity, rather than any natural sense of affinity. The Marvel strategists were smart to anchor the film with Yelena — not because she’s an especially compelling character, but on account of who’s playing her. In Pugh’s hands, Yelena is facing a more relatable identity crisis than your typical Marvel hero." — Peter Debruge, Variety
Verayea’s Take:
"Thunderbolts* was a great movie. So much so that my only complaint was that not enough was done to emphasize how good it was. If this is the new era for Marvel, consider my interest piqued." — Winifred Eze, Verayea
⭐ Verayea Rating:
2 / 5
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