It seems like the done thing is to hate on the MCU these days, but I still eagerly look forward to each new movie, and 2025’s second MCU offering, Thunderbolts*, was no different. Well, technically, it is third if you count Daredevil on Disney Plus. Anyway, I had a lot of fun with this and with Captain America: Brave New World, Daredevil, and now this, so far in 2025, the MCU is 3 for 3 in my opinion.
How to Download Thunderbolts*
Thunderbolts* was released on May 2, 2025. You expect to be able to download or stream it from Disney+ after several months pass from its release date. Click on the Download button at the end of this review and enjoy your movie.
The Movie Review
Thunderbolts*’ Quiet Opening Weekend
One thing I will say is that this was the quietest I have seen a cinema for an MCU release on the opening weekend. We went at about 2 PM on Saturday of opening weekend, and I was shocked at how empty my screen was and the cinema in general. While I am still very invested in the MCU, and think that the movies and shows have still been fun. It is clear to see that superhero fatigue is a real thing.
Valentina Allegra de Fontaine’s Desperate Plan
Valentina Allegra de Fontaine is in crisis mode as she is close to being impeached and losing her position. In an attempt to hide all of the shady stuff that she has been doing, Valentina has sent Yelena to a secret facility to take care of a target. One thing that was awesome about Thunderbolts* was that it got going right away and set the tone of the movie really well.
The Assassination Setup and The Sentry Project
With Valentine being as shady and as slippery as they come, as well as Yelena, she also sent John Walker, Ghost, and Taskmaster as well, telling each one they had a different target. However, the goal was to kill them as well as the evidence relating to something called “The Sentry Project”.
Sentry Survives and Joins the Thunderbolts*
This was one of the things I was most excited about seeing, how would the MCU handle a character like Sentry. Well, turns out that Valentina’s information about all the Sentry test subjects dying was false as one, a dude called Bob survived. Bob is a strange and unusual guy, but he ends up working with Yelena, Walker and Ghost to get out of the mess they are in.
Red Guardian and Bucky Add Humor and Emotion
After they escape, they meet up with Red Guardian who is freaking hilarious in this movie. I love the way that Red Guardian is like this embarrassing dad, but you can tell that he clearly loves Yelena and also loves being a superhero and wants more from his life than he currently has. As well as Red Guardian, Bucky also shows up and ends up joining forces with the group. The stuff with Bucky and him trying to be a politician was pretty interesting.
Sentry’s Rampage and the Thunderbolts*’ Final Mission
No spoilers here, but of course, Valentina has a plan, and that plan puts Sentry out on the streets, but it is his dark side that takes over, and the Thunderbolts* need to work together to save the day. Look, this is just a damn fun Marvel movie and what you see in the trailer here is pretty much what you get.
Final Thoughts on Thunderbolts* and Its Characters
I love the chemistry between the characters, and while this is not a super long movie. I do feel that they manage to give you some good character growth for each of the characters. Yelena, Red Guardian, John Walker, and Bucky all get some nice character stuff here, but I did feel that Ghost was kind of just there. She was not bad or anything like that, but apart from her powers being useful for parts of the plot, she never did much as a character for me.
At the end of the day, if you are bored with the MCU and have not enjoyed the last few movies, Thunderbolts* is not going to win you back. I had a great time with this, and I will certainly see it again in the coming weeks. I like this group of characters, and with the way it ended, I am interested to see how they fit into the MCU going forward.
