You Should Give ‘Thunderbolts*’ a Chance

Right now, the behavior of the Marvel Cinematic Universe reminds me of bungee jumping.

You leap off the edge, and then you just bounce up and down an indeterminate amount of time.

For the MCU, the leap occurred in 2020, the start of the pandemic, when bad luck and bad decisions stymied an epic streak.

Now, Marvel is slowing its descent as it reaches the body, and something frustrating has happened along the way.

One of the MCU’s best movies of the past decade just fell through the cracks.

Here’s why you should give Thunderbolts* a chance.

Sins of the Father

In the movie industry, every release in a franchise relies on the strength of the brand and the most recent title.

When a film fails, the studio typically must wait many years to start anew, something we just witnessed with Final Destination.

The fifth film in that franchise was so bad that Warner Bros. Entertainment had to wait 11 years for the next one.

Marvel doesn’t have that sort of time. Sadly, the harder the studio pushes, the more things seem to fall apart.

During the pandemic, then-CEO Bob Chapek went all-in on Disney+ and demanded more Marvel and Star Wars content.

The problem with pushing something when you don’t have a good story idea is that fans can tell.

Not coincidentally, Marvel and Star Wars fans have grown more critical than ever, no small feat in either case.

Even worse, The Walt Disney Company, the owner of both, has spent billions of dollars on content.

Disney expects a return on investment, which has led to some panicky decisions, one of which has negatively impacted 2025.

In early 2024, Disney punted two releases for a calendar year, leaving Deadpool & Wolverine as its only release.

That movie joined two other Disney titles as the top three box office champions last year.

However, the spillover effect left 2025 with two films, Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts*.

Due to storyline elements in both movies, the fourth Captain America film had to come out first.

And since that film wasn’t anything special, fans were a bit jaded regarding Thunderbolts*.

After all, Marvel has been down as much as up lately, at least according to critics.

So, when Brave New World disappointed, fans proved less willing to give Thunderbolts* a chance.

Just the Facts

I fully understand this choice. To many casual MCU fans, the only great recent movie is Deadpool & Wolverine.

Since that was a standalone film barely connected to the rest of the MCU (so far), it’s a one-off.

Brave New World ostensibly connected the dots from several other Marvel movies and Disney+ series.

When that movie struggled, it felt like a severe setback for the MCU, one Marvel had anticipated.

Last year, studio executives cheekily added an asterisk to the official title of Thunderbolts.

That silly move signaled that fans should pay close attention to the project.

After the opening weekend, the studio changed tactics or executed a year-long plan, depending on your perspective.

That’s when Marvel modified the title of Thunderbolts* to New Avengers. Opinions are divided regarding the move.

People who weren’t inclined to watch the movie anyway view the marketing update as an act of desperation.

By this point, the writing was already on the wall that Thunderbolts* wouldn’t perform as well as hoped.

Even if we add the box office of Thunderbolts* and Brave New World together, it’s only $800 million.

Marvel movies should earn a billion, but $500 million is a given. So, what happened here?

Long story short, Brave New World wrecked Thunderbolts*, and that’s unfortunate.

Objectively, Thunderbolts* is the vastly superior film. Consider the following metrics.

Captain America 4’s Rotten Tomatoes, IMDb, and Metacritic scores are 47/77 percent, 5.7, and 4.7.

Even more alarmingly, its Cinemascore is a B-, which is actually below average on that scale.

Thunderbolts* received an A-, which is – I swear a bit lower than I expected – for reasons I’m about to explain.

To a larger point, Thunderbolts*’s metrics are 88/93, 7.5, and 7.4.

You can clearly tell the difference. Thunderbolts* is just plain better.

Now Available on Streaming*

As of July 1^st, Thunderbolts* is now available on digital video. It’s not cheap, though.

That’s why I added an asterisk on the now available part. Watching this film at home won’t be cheap right now.

Disney has recently raised its prices for new releases. So, you’ll pay $24.99 to rent the film or $29.99 to own it.

I’ve got a huge digital library, and I purchased Thunderbolts*, which I previously reviewed here.

At the time, I told you not to worry. Thunderbolts* is great, and I stand behind that after watching it again.

This film captures the spirit and whimsy of early MCU team-ups, with entertaining actors clearly having fun together.

But there’s more to the significance of Thunderbolts*. Now that it’s been out a while, I can touch on something else.

We live in an unprecedented era for human depression. In the aftermath of the pandemic, society seems more disconnected than ever.

This ostensible superhero movie bravely addresses those themes, tethering them to likable characters.

These aren’t the Marvel icons like Steve Rogers, Thor, and Tony Stark that everyone loves.

Everyone in this cast appears because they’re damaged. That’s why they’re allowing themselves to be manipulated.

Despite their feelings of isolation, these New Avengers eventually learn to trust one another enough to work together.

In the most seminal moment in the film, one willingly enters a void, a complete unknown that could kill them.

They do that because they’re a hero, and they realize that their suffering friend needs help.

This is NOT the kind of story we’ve seen in the MCU in the past. The appeal of the Thunderbolts* is that they’re flawed.

You Should Give ‘Thunderbolts*’ a Chance

For the past five years, people have been begging Marvel to tell better stories.

Thunderbolts* is probably the boldest film since Black Panther, but that isn’t a perfect analogy.

The people living in Wakanda were largely good. It was the outsider who wrecked the peace.

With Thunderbolts*, depressed people find peace through community.

It allows them to confront their fears and come to peace with their trauma.

This is exactly the kind of movie we need right now, and it’s frustrating to me that people haven’t given it a chance.

So, I encourage you to either rent/buy the movie on a digital service such as Amazon or iTunes or watch it on Disney+ in a few weeks.

Based on recent Marvel timelines, you should expect Thunderbolts* on Disney+ in mid- to late-August.

When it debuts, you owe it to yourself to watch one of the most profound and engaging Marvel movies in many years. 

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