Marvel kinda handed the keys to a bunch of “emotionally unavailable” misfits and said, “Go fix the MCU.” And weirdly? It kinda works. Thunderbolts is not the most original cup of tea, but it’s definitely one of the more surprises.

I went in with no expectations as I purposefully dodged all trailers. The plot is basically a recycled plot of a bunch of superhero rejects getting tossed into a mission they probably shouldn't be trusted with..this time on Earth. The writing hits solid emotional beats, digging into guilt, trauma, and the occasional one-liner that actually lands. It’s not genre-redefining, but it has heart and momentum.

I wasn’t a fan of Yelena in Black Widow and Hawkeye but she’s starting to warm up to me as an interesting new lead possibility. Winter Soldier continues to do what he does best…brood around but at least this time he’s kinda got a purpose. Red Guardian continues to bring everyone laughs with his one timers and can’t everyone empathize with just wanting to relive the glory days? I’ve seen lots of people say they’ve warmed up to U.S. Agent but he’s still an ass that was super bland. All it takes is getting an ass whooping to find good in yourself? Bob was interesting though. I liked that we all knew he had a dark streak in him that he would need to fight but I didn’t expect the climax was just going to be the classic man vs himself scenario…they sort of already did this earlier this year with Red Hulk. And from not knowing he had powers to becoming OP and being able to control all his power within minutes was kinda crazy. 

Marvel always does a good job of organizing their releases, After Captain America: Brave New World, which was so vanilla, they released a grittier Daredevil. Thunderbolts picked up the grittiness from Daredevil, added more comedic elements to make it really feel like Marvel’s version of a group therapy session with explosions. It’s self-aware enough to laugh at itself without becoming a full parody. The tone keeps it fun, even when it gets dark.

Thunderbolts doesn't reinvent the wheel, but it doesn’t let it fall off the car either. While not a cultural phenomenon, Thunderbolts earns points for pushing Marvel into a more character-driven lane. To be honest, the end credits scene earned enough good will to subtract a single facepalm already! Marvel fans might feel satisfied watching the end credits alone!