“Thunderbolts Review: Florence Pugh and Marvel’s Misfits Revive the MCU with Heart and Humor”

Thunderbolts (2025) Review – Directed by Jake Schreier

Written by Eric Pearson, Joanna Calo

Starring Florence Pugh, David Harbour, Wyatt Russell, Hannah John-Kamen, Lewis Pullman, Julia Louis-Dreyfuss

Release Date: May 2, 2025

Review Published: May 2, 2025

Since the seismic release of Avengers: Endgame, Marvel Studios has stumbled through what I’ve come to call the “Marvel Malaise” — a period of creative fatigue where the fundamentals were there, but cohesion and emotional depth were noticeably absent. Fans have grown restless, and Marvel’s once unstoppable cinematic momentum has felt more like cautious coasting. That’s what makes Thunderbolts such a thrilling surprise.

Who would’ve guessed that the revival of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) would come from Jake Schreier, best known for directing Paper Towns, a relatively quiet adaptation of a John Green novel? And yet, here we are. With a smart, emotionally resonant script by Eric Pearson and Joanna Calo, a dynamite cast led by Florence Pugh, and a willingness to get weird in all the right ways, Thunderbolts is a strange, funny, heartfelt gem that redefines what a Marvel team-up movie can be.

Florence Pugh returns as Yelena Belova, still grieving the loss of her sister, Natasha Romanoff (Black Widow). Isolated and aimless, she reaches out to her estranged father, Alexei Shostakov aka Red Guardian (David Harbour), only for their reunion to end in tension and silence. When CIA Director Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfuss) offers Yelena a new mission—tracking down Ava Starr aka Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen)—it feels like a chance to do something that matters.

But nothing in Thunderbolts is straightforward.

Inside a secret mountain facility, Yelena finds herself face-to-face with John Walker (Wyatt Russell), the disgraced former Captain America, who believes she’s there to steal classified tech. Enter Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko), yet another loose thread from Yelena’s past. It quickly becomes clear that they’ve all been set up. Instead of a mission, it’s a deathtrap. Valentina wants them to eliminate each other—and she has a backup plan if they don’t.

That plan involves Bob (Lewis Pullman), a seemingly ordinary man in a very wrong place. Unleashed mid-chaos, Bob becomes a wildcard in a deadly game of double-crosses. Yelena’s protectiveness toward him hints at her aching desire for connection—and Florence Pugh grounds the character with humor, vulnerability, and depth.

From there, Thunderbolts transforms into something special: a thrilling escape mission laced with betrayal, moral ambiguity, and surprising humanity. Schreier and the writers dare to let emotional beats linger. The action, while explosive, is grounded in character. And the ending? It breaks the MCU mold with a finish that’s bold, cathartic, and genuinely moving.

After a string of lackluster Marvel entries—including the recent misfire that was Captain America: Brave New World—Thunderbolts feels like a fresh breath of radioactive air. It’s not just spectacle for spectacle’s sake. It’s a reminder of what made the MCU work in the first place: flawed characters, real stakes, and stories that mean something.

And yes, the movie is funny. Genuinely funny. The humor isn’t just quippy filler—it’s revealing, specific, and rooted in character. Yelena’s dry wit evolves into something deeply human, thanks to both Pugh’s layered performance and a script that trusts its characters enough to let them be messy, scared, and sincere.

This isn’t just a return to form for Marvel—it’s a reimagining. Thunderbolts is the kind of strange, heartfelt storytelling the MCU desperately needs more of. If this is the new direction, sign me up.

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