Since Avengers: Endgame, the Marvel fanbase has been in a cycle between “the MCU is back” to “the MCU is dead” with every project from phases four and five. The public consensus around Jake Schreier’s Thunderbolts* is “We’re so back,” as the reactions to the film have been generally positive. Some people even went as far as saying it was the best MCU film since Endgame. And while I have to disagree with that sentiment, this film is evidence that Marvel is treading in the right direction again, and that they are pointing toward a connected universe once again. Thunderbolts* has a simple plot, but the focus of its characters and the use of lightness and darkness to portray the message surrounding mental health and taking care of yourself make it one that hits home for a lot of people.

The Thunderbolts* are made up of Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Alexi Shostakov aka Red Guardian (David Harbour), John Walker (Wyatt Russell), Ava Starr aka Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), Antonia Dreykov aka Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko), Bucky Barnes aka Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan), and Bob (Lewis Pullman). The team of antiheroes is forced to work together to stop the plans of Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus). In doing so, they must open the doors of their past and confront the darkest parts of it. With the help of newly sworn-in congressman Bucky, and Val’s assistant, Mel (Geraldine Viswanathan), the team may have a fighting chance against the void.

From the opening scene, you can tell Schreier and Marvel are taking a different approach to this team. The film starts with Yelena’s narration, “There’s something wrong with me.” She continues the narration, discussing the emptiness she feels inside and how there’s a void within her. But, then again, “maybe [she’s] just bored.” Her narration captures what this film is about. Yelena is depressed, but can’t acknowledge it because she’s not entirely sure what the cause of her depression is. Like she says, it is a void. It’s also the first instance between the contrast of the light and darkness in the film. While Yelena finds herself moving into this void, Alexi tells her the light inside her is dim. Unbeknownst to Yelena, the rest of her ragtag team also have a sense of what that void is like, and as they continue to fight together, Alexi can see the light is not so dim anymore.

The acting standouts of this film are Pugh and Pullman. Pugh delivers a heartfelt and realistic portrayal of depression within Yelena. And she accurately portrays a human simply just trying to be better. When she meets Bob, she can see that he’s been through some rough patches like she has, and it inspires her to want to better herself. So much so that she confronts the worst moments of her life to help someone else in the end. And although Steven Yeun was the first choice for this casting, as he starred in Schrier’s series, Beef, Pullman made this character his own. He weighs the light and darkness within Bob and the void so clearly. He could have an exciting future in the MCU if they decide to explore Bob’s journey of balancing the Sentry/the void.

One thing that other Marvel fans and I have been missing in the post-Endgame era is the connection between projects.  Thunderbolts* is one of the first projects that makes connections to characters that don’t appear in the film and the events of films that take place prior to the events of Thunderbolts*. Another post-Endgame complaint from fans was that the comedy of a project took precedence over the story. But this film adequately balances the comedic and lighthearted moments alongside the more serious and critical moments, adding to the balance of light and darkness. There is no specific gag character, as they all have a purpose in the story and contribute to it.

Score: 4 out of 5 stars

Thunderbolts* is a refreshing film from the MCU that gets me excited for Marvel’s future again. I hope the Russo Brothers can keep the feel that this team has in their next appearance in Avengers: Doomsday. So, is the MCU back with Thunderbolts*? I would say yes. However, only time will tell with the next few projects if the sentiment flips back to “the MCU is dead.”