“We can find you some good guy material.”
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has been in a transition. Transitions are OK, but for Marvel this one appears to have lasted several years. There have been more misses than hits. Last I checked we were in the fifth phase of the MCU, and so far the results have been underwhelming. I mean, when even a Captain America movie with Harrison Ford turning into a Red Hulk doesn’t capture the box office numbers that were once considered automatic, something is wrong. The fifth phase is now coming to an end with the release of Thunderbolts*. Honestly, my expectations were low, and it appeared that even Marvel was already training us to ignore the last five years and get ready for big things with the launch this summer of The Fantastic Four: First Steps and Robert Downey Jr.’s return as Doom in the next series of Avengers films. I got the feeling that Thunderbolts* was really just filling time until the “real” stuff starts and was quite ready and willing to ignore it. I’ll bet there are many of you who have been having that same feeling. Well … it’s time for a reality check. Thunderbolts* is not anything close to a great movie, but I haven’t had this much fun at a comics film for literally years (OK, check that; I loved the Deadpool/Wolverine film). They say America loves an underdog, and Thunderbolts* is the Rocky of the MCU.
The film starts where Captain America: Brave New World ended. There are now high-level congressional hearings about the events of that film, and the brand new president is Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, played by Seinfeld’s Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Heck, even the name sounds like something out of Seinfeld. More on that later. Let’s call her Val for short. Val’s been president for like 10 minutes and she’s facing an impeachment. There is apparently some black-ops stuff going on, and Val will kind of play your villain for the evening. How do we know she’s a villain? I mean, she’s got a great “Who me?” smile. But she’s trying to wrap up the loose ends of her black-ops unit by sending them on a mission which they soon discover is to kill each other. End of loose ends, and Val kicks back in the White House with a cool red wine and enjoys her reign. Or the players might find out what’s going on and team up to escape her trap and come after her. Yeah … let’s go with that plotline.
Her nemesis in the hearings is everyone’s favorite Winter Soldier, Bucky Barnes, played by Sabastian Stan. He ends up hooking up with the ragtag Thunderbolts guys and gals.
What the kind of good guys and the bad guys don’t know is that the ops people who have now called themselves Thunderbolts have unknowingly released her biggest secret and super weapon. That’s Bob. Bob is played by Lewis Pullman. If you’re name is Bob (I see you out there, Ross), prepare to take a lot of teasing after your friends see this film. So Bob has this power that makes him stronger than any being ever encountered. He starts turning folks into blots that look like the carbon from your laser printer, and the Thunderbolts are all that stand in his way. Of course, even Val learns that creating a super being is the easy part. The hard part is controlling the super being. In the other corner in this Rocky analogy is a really crazy group of characters taking on the name of Thunderbolts.
You have Yelena Belova, played by Florence Pugh. We met her in the Black Widow origin film. She’s Natasha’s sister, and she was also reared in the Soviet Red Room training program. So basically, meet the new Black Widow. Their father is Alexei Shostakov, better known as the Red Guardian. He’s the old Soviet version of super soldier like Steve Rogers. He’s over-the-top batcrap crazy and steals most of the best comic moments. He’s the kind of nutty guy who doesn’t know he’s out of his mind and takes himself way too seriously while everyone else rolls their eyes. He’s great, and he’s played by David Harbour.
We also have Walker, played by Wyatt Russell. He was Captain America for literally five minutes, and he has defined himself by that few minutes of glory. He’s very goofball and light. Ghost is played by Hannah John-Kamen. She has the power to phase, so she can be invisible and walk through walls. She doesn’t have a lot of self-confidence, and this is like her breakout moment. Together they are that anti-hero team of has-beens and never-was characters who find courage in each other and the desire to be true heroes.
The film ends very weakly. As in Wonder Woman 1984, we get an anti-climactic beating of the bad guy through “good vibes” and positive thinking. It’s a good thing these guys are entertaining, because the ending SUCKS. Stick around for two stingers in the credits.
This film is everything those DC Suicide Squad films wanted to be and should have been. We have wonderful characters, and they play off each other so that they are both compelling and entertaining. I dare you to take your eyes of this group for a second. Can’t be done. They are instantly endearing and everything Marvel has been missing for years. If Marvel is smart, this could be the beginning of a renaissance in the MCU. “This is why we’re The Avengerz with a Z.”
