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Thunderbolts* Movie Review

<div style="text-align:left"><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:700px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1746367041882Key Visual 1 (1).jpeg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner">The <em>Thunderbolts* </em>crew | Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align:left"><br/></div><div style="text-align:left"><strong><em>This article may contain spoilers. </em></strong></div><p>Thanks to perfect casting, a tidy plot, and good dialogue, <strong><em>Thunderbolts*</em></strong> finally puts the MCU back into perfect worldbuilding form. It’s a fun superhero team-up movie laced with nihilism, explosions, and friendship*.</p><p><em>Thunderbolts*</em> begins in Malaysia, as Yelena Belova (played by <strong>Florence Pugh</strong>) is tasked with destroying a facility on behalf of CIA director Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (played by <strong>Julia Louis-Dreyfus</strong>). No questions asked, Yelena does the job and destroys the lab through any means possible.</p><div><br/></div><div><iframe class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" id="instagram-embed-0" src="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DI3BCByipDd/embed/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=864&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com&amp;rp=%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A0%2C%22os%22%3A346135.09999999404%2C%22ls%22%3A345857.5%2C%22le%22%3A346131%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="510" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-0" scrolling="no" style="background:white;max-width:540px;width:calc(100% - 2px);border-radius:3px;border:1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219);box-shadow:none;display:block;margin:0px 0px 12px;min-width:326px;padding:0px"></iframe></div><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><div><br/></div><p>But as she starts walking away from the explosions, Yelena, like so many of us going through our typical 9-to-5, starts feeling some existential dread once again. She questions if this is the life she wants to live. What is contentment? What is happiness?</p><p>Just the typical questions we ask when we’re going through the motions. But then, Yelena is not just your typical employee. For those not well-versed in Marvel lore, Yelena was part of the Black Widow program and is the adopted sister of Natasha Romanoff (yes, <strong>Scarlett Johansson</strong>), who died several Marvel movies back in <em>Avengers: Endgame</em>. Like other Black Widows, she’s gone through many missions, killing many people along the way.</p><div><br/></div><div style="text-align:center"><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:700px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1746368708919Key Visual 2.jpeg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" spellcheck="false">(From left) Alexei Shostakov / Red Guardian (David Harbour), Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) and John Walker (Wyatt Russell) in Marvel Studios&#x27; THUNDERBOLTS*. Photo by Chuck Zlotnick. © 2025 MARVEL.</span></span></span></div><div><iframe class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" id="instagram-embed-2" src="https://www.instagram.com/p/DJBgc_3Nw2i/embed/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=864&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com&amp;rp=%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A2%2C%22os%22%3A439557.09999999404%2C%22ls%22%3A345857.5%2C%22le%22%3A346131%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="881" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-2" scrolling="no" style="background:white;max-width:540px;width:calc(100% - 2px);border-radius:3px;border:1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219);box-shadow:none;display:block;margin:0px 0px 12px;min-width:326px;padding:0px"></iframe></div><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><div><br/></div><p>And so the burden of guilt, loss, and loneliness is starting to feel too much for Yelena. When she asks her father figure, Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian (played by<strong> David Harbour</strong>), for advice, he tells her that maybe she needs to step into the light and escape the void of working behind the scenes, be a hero like her sister, Natasha. </p><p>Yelena casually mentions this to de Fontaine, who tells her that after one last cleanup mission for her, she’ll start putting her into more front-facing roles. Yelena agrees, but as she enters the covert O.X.E facility, she comes face to face with other individuals: John Walker (<strong>Wyatt Russell</strong>)<strong></strong><strong></strong>, Ghost (<strong>Hannah John-Kamen</strong>), Taskmaster (<strong>Olga Kurylenko</strong>), and Bob (<strong>Lewis Pullman</strong>). Who’s cleaning up who? And oh, did I mention Bucky Barnes a.k.a. The Winter Soldier (<strong>Sebastian Stan</strong>) is now a US Congressman?</p><div><br/></div><div><iframe class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" id="instagram-embed-4" src="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DI_YRetIJ_a/embed/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=864&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com&amp;rp=%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A4%2C%22os%22%3A527668.099999994%2C%22ls%22%3A345857.5%2C%22le%22%3A346131%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="510" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-4" scrolling="no" style="background:white;max-width:540px;width:calc(100% - 2px);border-radius:3px;border:1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219);box-shadow:none;display:block;margin:0px 0px 12px;min-width:326px;padding:0px"></iframe></div><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><div><br/></div><p>Set in a time when the old Avengers are basically dead or missing, director <strong>Jake Schreier </strong>creates a nice story that asks questions that old MCU fans may have, while also giving sufficient answers to the casual fan who may have last watched a Marvel film when Iron Man was still around.</p><p>The <em>Thunderbolts* </em>crew delivered stellar and believable performances as a rag-tag group of <em>sorta</em> heroes, a team of misfits and former villains in their redemption era. David Harbour as Red Guardian is super fun. Florence Pugh and Lewis Pullman give gravitas to their roles as Yelena and Bob. And given Pugh’s very charismatic portrayal, it won’t be unusual if we see her appear in more MCU properties.</p><div><br/></div><div><iframe class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" id="instagram-embed-8" src="https://www.instagram.com/p/DI2cE8qNQrr/embed/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=864&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com&amp;rp=%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A8%2C%22os%22%3A759485.599999994%2C%22ls%22%3A345857.5%2C%22le%22%3A346131%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="881" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-8" scrolling="no" style="background:white;max-width:540px;width:calc(100% - 2px);border-radius:3px;border:1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219);box-shadow:none;display:block;margin:0px 0px 12px;min-width:326px;padding:0px"></iframe></div><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><div><br/></div><div><iframe class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" id="instagram-embed-6" src="https://www.instagram.com/p/DI8K2yctlBk/embed/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=864&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com&amp;rp=%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A6%2C%22os%22%3A628516.1999999881%2C%22ls%22%3A345857.5%2C%22le%22%3A346131%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="881" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-6" scrolling="no" style="background:white;max-width:540px;width:calc(100% - 2px);border-radius:3px;border:1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219);box-shadow:none;display:block;margin:0px 0px 12px;min-width:326px;padding:0px"></iframe></div><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><div><br/></div><p>And finally, let’s talk about the *. <em>Thunderbolts* </em>works with or without the asterisk. As a standalone movie, it’s a nice action film that can be enjoyed even without prior knowledge of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. BUT with the asterisk, the film truly shines as a bridge towards the future of the MCU. If anything, after watching the quite lengthy post-credits scene, I don’t think anyone would not get hyped for the future of Marvel.</p><p><em>Thunderbolts*</em> may have finally filled the void that the old Avengers left behind.</p><div><strong><em>Thunderbolts* is now showing!</em></strong></div>

<p>"Thunderbolts*" serves a fresh take on a Marvel movie.</p>

"Thunderbolts*" serves a fresh take on a Marvel movie.

'Thunderbolts*' Punctuates MCU Phase 5 With Heart, Humor, and Hype for Whatever's Coming Next

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'Thunderbolts*' Punctuates MCU Phase 5 With Heart, Humor, and Hype for Whatever's Coming Next

Alex Cruz

Published May 04, 2025 10:30 PM PHT

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Updated May 04, 2025 10:34 PM PHT

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