Just when you thought you were done with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, they pull you back in. Marvel’s Thunderbolts* is a lot like its characters: seemingly inconsequential but ultimately a very big deal for the franchise. The 36th film in the MCU is garnering positive reviews ahead of its release this weekend, and that’s a relief following the poor critical reception of Captain America: Brave New World in February. Among the elements being lauded are the movie’s depiction of mental illness and the performances by Florence Pugh and Lewis Pullman.
Here’s what critics are saying about Thunderbolts*:
Is this a must-see Marvel movie?
The initial thought might be to dismiss Thunderbolts as an also-ran. That would be a mistake, since this flick is one of Marvel’s more successful efforts of late.
— Joey Magidson, Awards Radar
Thunderbolts* is a great superhero flick and one of the biggest surprises of 2025.
— Tyler Taing, Discussing Film
The sort of level that more superhero films should be at… Thunderbolts is a pleasant surprise.
— Ross Bonaime, Collider
Thunderbolts is essential summer movie escapism, and proof that perhaps the lethargic Marvel Studios can still capture lightning in a bottle.
— Eric Francisco, Esquire Magazine
Precious few of these movies rise to the level of essential viewing… However frivolous it may sound, Schreier’s scrappy ensemble effort is anything but a one-off.
— Peter Debruge, Variety
Until its climactic collapse, Thunderbolts is good enough.
— Siddhant Adlakha, JoySauce.com
What if we’re tired of the MCU?
If you’ve found yourself falling out of love with the MCU over a messy Multiverse Saga, Thunderbolts could be just the movie to pull you back in.
— Ian Sandwell, Digital Spy
Thunderbolts is a nice reminder of what this company is capable of at its best.
— Matt Singer, Screen Crush
This is what fans have been waiting for.
— Tessa Smith, Mama’s Geeky
It’s the rare movie that can be appreciated by casual Marvel fans and diehards alike.
— Molly Freeman, Screen Rant
It makes for the kind of olive branch to casual viewers this franchise sorely needs — if only to build up enough goodwill for the next noisy outing whose success depends on how many returning actors you recognize.
— Siddhant Adlakha, JoySauce.com
Is it one of the better movies in the franchise?
Thunderbolts is one of the MCU’s best.
— Britany Murphy, Muses of Media
Thunderbolts is not just the best Marvel movie in a while, it is top-tier Marvel.
— Tessa Smith, Mama’s Geeky
Thunderbolts goes back to the basics of what’s worked before, and creates one of the most enjoyable, fun, and genuinely moving MCU films since Endgame.
— Ross Bonaime, Collider
It’s one of the best movies of The Multiverse Saga to date.
— Ian Sandwell, Digital Spy
The secret sauce of Marvel’s best movies? It’s always been the simple fact that even polar opposites can amount to a greater sum than their parts. Thunderbolts is that to a T.
— Eric Francisco, Esquire Magazine
Jake Schreier’s Marvel debut is among the best and most self-possessed of these movies since Thanos snapped the mega-franchise in half, [but] its pleasures still feel like faint echoes of the series’ previous highs.
— David Ehrlich, IndieWire
Does it feel like a different kind of MCU movie?
Director Jake Schreier gives this flick a slightly different look and feel from most Marvel works.
— Joey Magidson, Awards Radar
Thunderbolts evokes a different energy… [It’s] one of the most grounded and effective entries the MCU has delivered in quite some time.
— David Gonzalez, The Cinematic Reel
Because of the themes Thunderbolts is exploring, this has a different tone than we’re often used to in the MCU, and it’s a welcome change.
— Ross Bonaime, Collider
The dysfunctional team-up is nothing new, not even in the MCU (hi, Guardians of the Galaxy), yet it’s the strength of the cast that elevates it.
— Ian Sandwell, Digital Spy
It’s still an MCU flick to its core, but director Jake Schreier manages to put his indie sensibilities to good use throughout.
— Justin Clark, Slant Magazine
Thunderbolts is another messy Marvel movie, and it’s for the same reason that a lot of these movies are messy: they are so caught up in dropping exposition and lore and sneaking in little hints for the future that they forget we’re here to see a movie.
— Kaitlyn Booth, Bleeding Cool
will it remind us of any other superhero films?
Thunderbolts is a Suicide Squad done right.
— Nick Schager, The Daily Beast
I have already read people comparing the Thunderbolts to DC’s Suicide Squad. I think it’s worth noting, though, that as much as those teams (and their films) operate in a similar fashion, the superhero movie Marvel is really cribbing from here is their own Guardians of the Galaxy.
— Matt Singer, Screen Crush
Watching Thunderbolts brought back feelings of watching the first Avengers film.
— Tessa Smith, Mama’s Geeky
The movie’s many verbal references to depression, substance abuse, or the writings of philosopher Søren Kierkegaard (yes, really) establish a genuine thematic ambition Marvel hasn’t seen in a while — not at least since 2016’s Doctor Strange, a story steeped in death anxiety and confronting mortality.
— Siddhant Adlakha, JoySauce.com
How is the script?
It is a smart and amusing script by Eric Pearson and Joanna Calo.
— Pete Hammond, Deadline Hollywood Daily
Calo and Pearson craft raw, emotionally grounded storytelling that sets their script apart from recent Marvel entries. Their work weaves unexpected vulnerability and character depth, creating an resonance that feels both refreshing and impactful.
— David Gonzalez, The Cinematic Reel
Thunderbolts*, along with the best movies of the MCU, knows that character is king, story matters, and all the other superhero elements need to be built out of that.
— Ross Bonaime, Collider
Is it thematically strong?
Patchy as the film may be, the ennui felt by its characters is thematically fascinating.
— Justin Clark, Slant Magazine
At its most basic, it’s just fantastic to have an MCU film that’s about more than taking out the bad guy.
— Ross Bonaime, Collider
Thunderbolts might not be the deepest exploration of depression you’ll ever see, but it’s impressive that writers Eric Pearson and Joanna Calo have managed it at all in a mainstream summer blockbuster.
— Ian Sandwell, Digital Spy
I won’t give you any platitudes about Thunderbolts being the best depiction of mental health in the MCU, or in any movie, but one thing the film does very well is depict how messy and imperfect mental health can be.
— Molly Freeman, Screen Rant
Screenwriters Pearson and Calo only scratch the surface with these themes instead of stating anything particularly meaningful… There could have been more dissection and discussion on these darker topics.
— Lauren LaMagna, Next Best Picture
Does the movie feel kind of meta?
Ultimately, Thunderbolts is a story of redemption and second chances – a fitting reflection of the MCU itself.
— David Gonzalez, The Cinematic Reel
It has self-conscious fun positioning itself as a dark Avengers riff.
— Nick Schager, The Daily Beast
Thunderbolts* is nothing if not self-aware.
— Justin Clark, Slant Magazine
Is it funny?
There is just enough humor sprinkled throughout to deliver the comedic relief that is needed to get through such a dark and heavy movie.
— Tessa Smith, Mama’s Geeky
It’s a film with some of the most fun… comedic moments within this universe in years.
— Ross Bonaime, Collider
Thunderbolts mostly stays away from the tiresome forced humor of the MCU, however, David Harbour seamlessly blends his unique comedic timing while still adding an emotionally impactful take.
— David Gonzalez, The Cinematic Reel
Please note Ghost’s reactions to some of the Red Guardian’s commentary or Walker being an ass – comedic gold.
— Britany Murphy, Muses of Media
How is the action?
Thunderbolts has some of the best Marvel action sequences that we have seen in a while, with CG that is on point and looks pretty darn fantastic.
— Tessa Smith, Mama’s Geeky
Much of the action is captured in-camera, with practical effects and well-choreographed stunts, sometimes shot in long takes… Thunderbolts feels more grounded in its approach to action than many of the franchise’s other entries as of late.
— Lauren LaMagna, Next Best Picture
[It has] some of Marvel’s best action sequences, in part because the heroes can’t fly around, firing undefined, but plot-serving blasts. Fighting each other makes for entertaining, in-your-face battles. Fighting together makes for some awesome sequences.
— Michael Ordoña, San Francisco Chronicle
It’s much less concerned with blowing things up, though there are some great action sequences.
— Britany Murphy, Muses of Media
Fans hankering for big-screen action do get their moments…however, the movie is more interested in its flawed characters and their mental states in particular.
— Ian Sandwell, Digital Spy
An early hallway battle in a smoke-filled corridor demonstrates that director Jake Schreier is intent on adhering to the MCU’s typical murky-action template, and just about every subsequent sequence set in low light is a muddy mess.
— Nick Schager, The Daily Beast
How does it look?
One of the more notable observations about Thunderbolts is that it is one of the best-looking MCU films in recent years.
— Tyler Taing, Discussing Film
Thunderbolts [is] one of the best-looking Marvel films in quite some time.
— David Gonzalez, The Cinematic Reel
Top-flight VFX help Schreier and Co. set this in a realer world.
— Michael Ordoña, San Francisco Chronicle
The cinematography by Andrew Droz Palermo is necessarily dark, but never oppressive, and matches the tone of this story beautifully.
— Ross Bonaime, Collider
The film favors a muted gray-and-gloomy color scheme throughout, which may fit its thematic concerns but prevents the material from popping.
— Nick Schager, The Daily Beast
Does anyone stand out in the ensemble cast?
Chief among them is Pugh, bringing real gravitas to Yelena in a darker portrayal than what she did in Black Widow.
— Pete Hammond, Deadline Hollywood Daily
Pugh anchors Thunderbolts with a vulnerability and emotional weight that’s been on sorely missed within the MCU.
— David Gonzalez, The Cinematic Reel
Pugh was a standout in Black Widow, often stealing the show, and she does the same in Thunderbolts.
— Britany Murphy, Muses of Media
Russell is another standout as the dime-store Captain America.
— Michael Ordoña, San Francisco Chronicle
Is Lewis Pullman’s Bob the best part of the movie?
The real standout here comes in Lewis Pullman… Bob is a character with several sides to him, and Pullman knocks every one of them out of the park.
— Ross Bonaime, Collider
Behind his lopsided smiles and off-kilter energy is something utterly grim, leading to the best moments of the film, and an ominous, despairing third act that coalesces all the film’s messiness into something surprisingly poignant.
— Justin Clark, Slant Magazine
Pullman is brilliant in a tricky part where he must balance the character’s broken mind, showcasing the dangers of untreated mental illness in a way that can be both menacing and deeply sympathetic. It’s quite a dark character and motif for Marvel and Disney Studios to play with for a brand that primarily markets itself to kids, but it’s also tamed in its mature themes and serves as a good entry point on the topic for its growing audience.
— Lauren LaMagna, Next Best Picture
Pullman’s tremendously sympathetic performance, characterized by wet puppy eyes and a shaky voice, is powerful enough to thaw even the iciest critics, a phenomenon I bore witness in an early screening surrounded by seen-it-all pros.
— Eric Francisco, Esquire Magazine
The third act of this film works because you’re invested in Bob.
— Kaitlyn Booth, Bleeding Cool
Does it overcome the usual MCU villain problem?
In Thunderbolts, we finally get an interesting and threatening woman villain with Louis-Dreyfus’ Valentina… You’ll love to hate her.
— Britany Murphy, Muses of Media
Louis-Dreyfus finally looks and feels comfortable in her villainous hues, allowing the movie the necessary gravitational pull to make its antiheroes look all the more heroic.
— Eric Francisco, Esquire Magazine
[Sentry/Void] is maybe the first time that Marvel has made the villain an overt metaphor. The closest would be Killmonger in Black Panther, which is one of their most effective villains.
— Joey Magidson, Awards Radar
Are there any major complaints?
The pacing could be tighter, especially in the first two acts, where there isn’t a ton of forward momentum, though the third act does make up for it.
— Joey Magidson, Awards Radar
As much as it tries to stand alone within the MCU, the movie can’t help but be a bit hurt by the wider universe… There’s not really any tension as you know these characters are back in Avengers: Doomsday.
— Ian Sandwell, Digital Spy
The few times Thunderbolts does feel inauthentic is when the tie-ins to the larger universe are heavily emphasized.
— Tyler Taing, Discussing Film
Will it leave us excited for more from these characters?
Audiences [will] not only quickly root for them but eagerly anticipate their return.
— Lauren LaMagna, Next Best Picture
Thunderbolts represents the first time since possibly Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever that the idea of the characters in one of these films getting another day in the sun isn’t just something to be excited about, but a gift the characters fully deserve.
— Justin Clark, Slant Magazine
I can’t say I’m looking forward to whatever the next gen of Avengers turn out to be, but zooming in on this particular crop of characters, I’m not even remotely excited to see them return, either individually or as a team.
— Matt Oakes, Silver Screen Riot
Does it offer hope for the future of the MCU?
The post-credit scene is going to blow your mind and is insanely important for what is to come in the MCU. I, for one, cannot freaking wait.
— Tessa Smith, Mama’s Geeky
Thunderbolts may not reinvent the wheel, but it serves as a cinematic olive branch to cinephiles holding out hope that better days for Marvel are on the horizon.
— David Gonzalez, The Cinematic Reel
It feels like Thunderbolts is the right kind of course correction to get us back to what made this a billion-dollar franchise: characters we are invested in on every level.
— Kaitlyn Booth, Bleeding Cool
The juggernaut movie series is on its way to recapturing its mojo.
— Nick Schager, The Daily Beast
The Marvel Cinematic Universe needed this…Is it a movie that gets the MCU back on track? Not quite. That being said, it’s a necessary success that could change momentum if the next few efforts are up to snuff.
— Joey Magidson, Awards Radar
Hopefully the studio carries this creative momentum into The Fantastic Four and the new Avengers sequels. It would be a real tragedy if they didn’t.
— Matt Singer, Screen Crush
Thunderbolts* opens in theaters on May 2, 2025.
Thumbnail image by ©Warner Bros.
