- Thunderbolts scores 88% on Rotten Tomatoes, landing at #14 among MCU films.
- Critics hail it as a gritty, character-driven redemption arc for Marvel’s antiheroes.
- Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova leads a cast that reinvigorates the franchise’s tone.
Marvel’s Thunderbolts has defied expectations with its strong critical reception, earning an 88% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and placing higher than many recent MCU entries.
Led by Florence Pugh, the film assembles a team of morally gray characters — including Bucky Barnes, U.S. Agent, and Red Guardian — tasked with an uneasy alliance for a dangerous mission.
Why Thunderbolts Might Be the MCU’s Most Important Film Since Endgame
Thunderbolts stands out not just because it’s good — but because it feels necessary. After a string of lukewarm entries and diminishing audience trust, Marvel needed a win. The film’s tight focus on broken characters and gritty realism offers a new direction for the franchise, one that aligns more with earlier, beloved titles like The Winter Soldier.
Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova is the heart of the team, and critics call her performance “magnetic.” But she’s not alone — David Harbour’s Red Guardian adds comic relief without breaking tone, while Sebastian Stan’s Bucky offers the kind of internal conflict the MCU sorely needed. The chemistry among the cast breathes life into a story built on trust, betrayal, and reluctant teamwork.
The film’s antagonist, The Sentry, represents the duality that permeates Thunderbolts — both narratively and thematically. With a superhero who might be the greatest threat himself, the story toys with the idea of unchecked power, identity, and mental fragility. This isn’t a fight to save the universe — it’s a fight to hold onto one’s humanity.
Notably, the film ends by teasing direct ties to Avengers: Doomsday, suggesting Thunderbolts isn’t just a one-off redemption story, but a foundational piece of Marvel’s next big arc. By investing in character over spectacle, Marvel might have finally found a formula to regain the emotional stakes that made the Infinity Saga so iconic.
With its raw tone, sharp performances, and meaningful setup for future stories, Thunderbolts isn’t just a comeback — it’s a necessary course correction for the MCU.
“Assembling a ragtag band of underdogs with Florence Pugh as their magnetic standout, Thunderbolts refreshingly goes back to the tried-and-true blueprint of the MCU’s best adventures.”
