What About Bob? — Thunderbolts*
The Marvel Cinematic Universe post-Endgame has been, at best, a mixed bag. Between Phases Four and Five, there have been 13 films released, with the range of quality so extreme that graphing it out would basically resemble a heartbeat monitor, every peak followed by a devastating valley, to the point where you legitimately wonder when the whole franchise will just flatline and put itself out of its misery.
Think about how far we’ve come in the last four years (yes, we’re averaging more than three releases per calendar cycle). Black Widow was barely passable, and a too little, too late entry that gave one of their original Avengers due attention after they already killed her off. Shang-Chi showed potential, but you had to wade through a lot of Awkwafina-infused bullshit to get to the good stuff, and it was ultimately forgettable. Eternals represented a new low for the series, only to be outdone almost exactly two years later by The Marvels. Quantumania sucked all the fun out of Ant-Man’s adventures, did a bland Star Wars clone almost entirely in front of green screens, dove way too deep into the whole “multiverse” thing with Kang only to see Jonathan Majors become a real-life villain, and of course gave us the abomination that was M.O.D.O.K. No Way Home reminded us that fan service can be fun and still have stakes, a memory that was obliterated by the dull and soulless Multiverse of Madness. More and more series custodian Kevin Feige relied on commoditizing the audience by making the films less and less accessible if you didn’t pay a premium to watch shows on Disney+, which severely curtailed the enjoyment possibilities for Brave New World and many of the aforementioned failures. Even a throwaway romp like Love and Thunder, which I enjoyed more than most, showed that the property was running out of steam, as the humor reached a level of pure cringe (as God is my witness, I will murder whoever made screaming goats a thing).
There have basically only been three universally agreed-upon successes since Thanos was defeated: Wakanda Forever, Guardians 3, and Deadpool & Wolverine. I’d argue that the reason audiences and critics loved them was based on what they all have in common. They’re all, to one degree or another, farewell statements. We got to say a respectful goodbye to T’Challa and Chadwick Boseman at the same time. The final Guardians adventure saw the team breaking up, satisfied that they had done all they could, and knowing it was time to move on. Deadpool got the proper and profane alliance with the most badass mutant that we all wanted, correcting the monstrosity that was X-Men Origins, and a cheeky acknowledgement that the multiverse stuff is unsustainable nonsense. All three leave the possibility of a return open (a third Black Panther film is in development), but they all end on a hopeful note for the future, and a recognition that their work is done.
So where do we honestly go from here? Currently, we have four upcoming projects officially on the release schedule, with Fantastic Four: First Steps debuting in July, and then another Spider-Man flick sandwiched between two more Avengers movies over the course of the following year and a half. There are at least five more films at some stage of development, but I think we all know that, barring some major changes at the top, this experiment has run its course, and that’s perfectly fine to admit. No one knew if this risk of an interconnected universe would pay any dividends, and it’ll be in its 20th year by the time Avengers: Secret Wars hits the screen. We’ve done enough. There’s no shame in taking stock of things, realizing you’ve done something worthwhile, and taking a well-earned curtain call. There’s a reason why we have the old adage of quitting while you’re ahead, because when you don’t, this is where you find yourself, denying your losses and scraping together whatever you can in hopes of one more big score.
That sentiment is part of what drives Thunderbolts*, the conclusion of Phase Five, and a good reason why it ultimately does work. Some fans and critics are falling over themselves to praise the hell out of this picture, calling it the best MCU installment in years. Having seen it, it’s clear they’re grading on a curve, bearing in mind all of the stumbles of the franchise since 2021. This is a good movie, one that inspires just a touch of hope that the ship may be righting itself at long last, and I’d say it’s the first in a while that has emotional resonance while still pushing the overall narrative forward. But that’s about as far as I can go. There are still a lot of lingering issues that Feige refuses to address, ones that ultimately drag things down, but there’s enough thought put into the overall product to mostly outweigh those shortcomings, and leave the audience feeling true affection for the MCU as an entity for the first time since the “Infinity Saga” concluded.
Similar to Shang-Chi, you do have to endure a lot of crap to get to the quality, sort of like a 19th Century prospector sifting through muddy water to finally find some gold. As has been the motif for a while, there is far too much emphasis placed on shit that happened on the various Disney+ shows, to the point that in order to be properly prepared for this endeavor, you had to have taken in just over 31 hours of content between streaming programs and the actual “cinema” of the MCU. That’s not only disgusting, but this time there are crucial character details that will make zero sense if you didn’t do all the homework, yet another nadir for Feige’s boorish form of capitalistic synergy.
It also doesn’t help that we have the least inspired villain in the entire series running things, Valentina de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus). Essentially Marvel’s version of Amanda Waller, Valentina is a baddie with no actual powers, and yet somehow she gets to pull puppet strings for both the protagonists and antagonists with no accountability or comeuppance, which is infuriating. Through her various appearances, characters have had the ability and opportunity to take her out multiple times, and yet they always hesitate just enough to let her wriggle her way out of things, even when logic would dictate she shouldn’t. She’s just a Catch U Next Tuesday in a pantsuit with a smarmy attitude and a false sense of superiority, and yet despite the myriad casualties and collateral damage in these films, no one ever once bothers to shoot her or chuck her out a window? Really? There’s nothing to be gained for any of the characters in this film by letting her continue on, same as Waller when it comes to her subordinates and the various incarnations of the Suicide Squad, but she still gets to hang around and be annoying because reasons. I like Julia Louis-Dreyfus as an actress just fine, but this character does nothing for me. By rights she should have been eliminated 10 times over by now. Several villains (and heroes) with actual superpowers can get casually offed in these movies, but she can’t? Why?
Anyway, Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) has been doing mercenary work for Valentina since she was recruited at the end of Black Widow, but she’s certainly tired of doing dirty jobs for a politician who is obviously evil. She asks Valentina for something more public-facing, as she wants to believe that she’s doing something heroic, or at least project the façade that she is, so Valentina makes her a deal. One last job, “cleaning up” some evidence and eliminating a target in a remote “vault,” and she’ll get her hero’s welcome. Oh yeah, Valentina is head of the CIA and is facing impeachment for her clear corruption. We briefly attend hearings because Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) is now a freshman Congressman, and will have a vote on her fate. Never mind that she can just be arrested and imprisoned for her crimes without being impeached, because she’s not the President, we have to go through these motions to create the illusion that she’ll finally face justice, even though we all know she won’t. She’s followed around by an assistant called Mel (Geraldine Viswanathan), who leaks information to Bucky, but it’s ultimately meaningless.
The incriminating objects that Yelena has to destroy relate to something called “Project Sentry,” an unsanctioned effort by Valentina to create her own supersoldiers/superheroes to replace the Avengers, all operating solely under her command and whims. We’ll ignore the fact that the remaining Avengers could easily just assemble on their own, a nitpick that many had in relation to Brave New World and Thaddeus Ross’ initiative to have Sam Wilson reform the team, and just leave it at Valentina’s efforts being a wash, with all test subjects terminated after it was shut down. If anyone were to find out about her human experimentation, she’d be cooked.
But of course, the whole thing is a setup. Waiting for Yelena in the vault is John Walker (Wyatt Russell), the disgraced temporary Captain America from The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko) from Yelena’s debut outing, and Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen) from Ant-Man and the Wasp, all of whom having been assigned by Valentina to kill one of the others in a betrayal so easily spotted you could see it from space. Also present is Bob (Lewis Pullman), an amnesiac who has no idea how he got there (and we never learn), but he was apparently the lone survivor of Project Sentry. As contingency measures are taken by Valentina (via Mel) to incinerate the group lest they join forces, they eventually make their escape (up a mile-long vertical shaft, which is all the bullshit considering how they have to do it and the fact that they all realize that they don’t have powers apart from Ghost), getting picked up by Red Guardian Alexei (David Harbour), Yelena’s adopted but estranged father who’s reduced to being a chauffeur because he can’t get a job with Valentina and thus can’t pursue his own glory. Bucky eventually joins the fray as well, taking out Valentina’s goons but also arresting our ragtag underdogs due to their felonious pasts, thinking they might still be affiliated with the woman who just tried to kill them.
Now, there’s some good stuff in here, but it’s sparing. The fight sequence among the four assassins is fun to a point, and it actually has consequences. That’s impressive, though it also makes me wonder why one particular character was brought back in the first place if this was all the film was going to do with them. Bob ends up being a great character, as the experiments gave him the power to essentially probe everyone’s minds and show them their past traumas. It initially only serves the purpose of being a “tragic backstory” generator, but the gimmick does pay off massively down the road, especially once Valentina discovers him. It’s also just kind of funny that this is the second major film where Lewis Pullman has played an unassuming teammate named Bob (the other being Top Gun: Maverick).
The scrappy sense of humor that was heavily featured in the trailers does end up falling a bit flat, however. Half of this is because basically everyone talks in sarcastic quips. It’s funny when one person does it, but when six do it, the impact is lost. This accidentally makes Red Guardian the MVP of the film, because he’s the only one willing to be over-the-top and enthusiastically silly as a much-needed contrast. The other half is that, apart from him and Yelena, we really don’t have a reason to care about anyone in this team (though the origin of the “Thunderbolts” name is pretty clever and enjoyable when they call back to it). We haven’t seen Ghost for years, same with Taskmaster, and they were basically side players in their previous films. Also, if you didn’t watch the aforementioned TV series, you have no idea who Walker even is, just that he’s a guy wearing a Cap suit, but with a significantly weaker shield. He gets a Bob-induced flashback to his own grief, but that’s just empty pathos. We haven’t had nearly enough engagement with these people to invest in their personalities and thus their sardonic wit just sounds like bitching.
That said, when we get to the third act, things ramp up in a way that’s almost unheard of in the current MCU. In a last ditch attempt at a power grab, Valentina captures and exploits Bob’s abilities, turning him into her Sentry, complete with hokey costume and hair coloring. He reminded me of Captain Sunshine from The Venture Bros. mixed with Adam Warlock and Homelander. While he means well, he’s conflicted about what he’s asked to do, and becomes a spectacular threat in just a matter of moments, leading to an absolutely thrilling climax with some very dark ideas put on display. These are aided by simple but very effective visuals, proving that you don’t need a bunch of CGI noise to get the point across.
This is where the film really shines. For as much as the marketing focused on the jokes, it’s the drama and earned pathos that makes this work. These various B-to-D-listers aren’t fighting for some noble cause, but for their own personal freedom and ability to survive. They want to do good, but they also know that they’ve gone through a wringer where they’ve had to hurt a lot of people, and they need to be able to embrace their own failures in order to move forward. Bucky was brainwashed and turned into a killer for hire, Walker murdered someone in broad daylight, Ghost was experimented on and used for nefarious purposes, Yelena was a Widow, Taskmaster was manipulated and twisted by her own father, and even Alexei had to sacrifice his family and security in the name of his government’s ideology. These are people who’ve done incredible wrongs over the course of their lives, and that self-loathing weighs on them significantly. Having to confront that is a crucial step in their personal salvations, as well as helping Bob and the innocent civilians being targeted.
It’s a redemption story, but not one presented in the traditional way. Normally you’d see the big names coping with their losses and the guilt over the people they couldn’t save. Instead, we’re shown physical manifestations of a lifetime of suffering and perceived inadequacy. As the denouement gets ever nearer, you do start to care about what happens to these people, especially Bob, because so many of us dwell within our pain, seeking any form of solace we can get, and a lot of people — myself included — will choose to agonize in silence and seclusion for fear of burdening others or making things worse. I can’t remember the last time a Marvel movie actually made me feel something. This one accomplished it, and did so in a way that doesn’t come off as cheap or patronizing.
This isn’t a great film, but there are moments of greatness, and maybe that’s the point. In a vacuum, this is a middling entry worthy of a tepid endorsement, which is what the final grade will reflect, because there are still a whole lot of areas where the movie utterly misfires. I mean, for God’s sake, the flick has the gall to say that branding exercises are dumb, even though there’s a whole host of scenes and jokes that are all about branding, including a bit about the Wheaties box, Sentry’s entire design, and arguing over what the team’s name should be. But like its core group, it does occasionally seize the opportunity to make incremental progress in righting those wrongs, both for the characters, and the franchise writ large. It is one of the best MCU films in a while, basically by default, and it doesn’t nearly reach the heights of the few genuine wins. But for once, you can see the spark of creativity and potential, something that has been sorely missing for a very long time.
Also, for whatever it’s worth, this movie made me give a shit about Bucky for the first time ever.
Grade: B-
Join the conversation in the comments below! What film should I review next? Do you think the MCU can get its mojo back? Seriously, how weird is it that Pullman’s played two Bobs? Let me know! And remember, you can follow me on Twitter (fuck “X”) as well as Bluesky, and subscribe to my YouTube channel for even more content, and check out the entire BTRP Media Network at btrpmedia.com!
Originally published at http://actuallypaid.com on May 8, 2025.
