To give you an idea of the state of the MCU before Thunderbolts*, we'll share a little editorial anecdote. While many of us here delve into Marvel movies, there was a time when we fought for the pleasure of covering them. A bygone era, since the latest releases have had more of an effect on us going to theaters with butterflies in our stomachs, fearing a new Ant-Man & the Wasp: Quantumania or Thor: Love & Thunder.
You could even say that the only two recent good surprises were, because they were quite disconnected from the rest of the company. Deadpool & Wolverine played on our nostalgia with humor, and Guardians of the Galaxy3 was a father's farewell letter to his children. So when Captain America: Brave New World came to hammer another big nail into the coffin of mediocrity, we thought the MCU was dead and buried.
An opinion that we don't feel like we're the only ones to share, because if the arrival of the Fantastic Four attracts a certain curiosity around a new artistic direction, the Jake Schreier's Thunderbolts* doesn't seem to be a crowd pleaser. We've lost count of the "Go first, then tell me if it's worth it" remarks we've heard around us, as if we now have to push someone into the water first to judge whether it's too cold to enter. Well, so be it! We've dived in, and this is what we found.
Trapped by their employer, Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), a group of outcasts will try to trust each other and work together to prevent a threat much greater than themselves. Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), John Walker (Wyatt Russell), Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko), Red Guardian (David Harbour), and Bob (Lewis Pullman) will have to overcome their own failures if they finally want to become the heroes they dreamed of being.
The art of recycling?
We remember only too well a Brave New World that finally showed us the world before, notably by rehashing a story from 2008. And the return of Robert Downey Jr. to the team sounds the death knell. This gives a glimpse of what the MCU has become: a company going around in circles that no longer knows how to bring something new or how to find the miracle recipe. There's a sort of statement of intent in the release of Thunderbolts*, which pushes forgettable characters (John Walker from the series Falcon and the Winter Soldier) or completely forgotten ones (Ghost from Ant-Man and the Wasp) inherited from the MCU to the forefront. Again and again, this look in the rearview mirror. Desperate maneuver? No, no, we swear that this is part of a plan cleverly constructed for years.
The first surprise of this Thunderbolts* is that this flashback works. And perhaps it's precisely because these protagonists are part of the "waste" that the studio left behind. Sam Wilson must deal with the weight of a Captain America who preceded him. Here, the group knows that no one is counting on them, because they don't even count on themselves either. Society's rejects with no legacy, whose destiny can ultimately only be determined by the future. The feature film can then reconnect with the charm of its predecessors without the pressure imposed by the latter. Simply put, we find this entertaining style mixing action, humor, and emotion, and which balances the three well enough that they don't sabotage each other.
Obviously, this also means that the associated weaknesses are included in the lot, with writing that isn't at all subtle when it comes to referencing the friends. Normally, if you have a drink every time the Avengers are mentioned, you'll be in an alcoholic coma halfway through the story. The importance of the characters is as asymmetrical as possible—or even nonexistent for some—and the forced humor of the Red Guardian can quickly tire. Nevertheless, even these flaws make us feel like we're back home, including for the sake of the post-credits scenes.
Thunderbolts*, an electric Marvel?
While the Marvel specifications are clearly present, they give Thunderbolts* plenty of room to express itself. And we can count on the creative team, mainly made up of veterans of the series Averted (on Netflix, watch it!), to put their two cents in. Far from being light throughout, the story will instead openly address strong themes such as mental health, depression, loneliness, the need to belong... The feature film questions our heroes on their very definition of heroism and what it represents in their eyes. The psyche is at the heart of the plot and is treated very seriously, something that had disappeared since the criticized (and yet excellent) Iron Man 3. Superpowers aren't the solution; they're a tool in the hands of fallible individuals like everyone else.
And in this area, it helps to have an engaged cast. We often complain about some actors who came to Marvel to collect the paycheck over time. However, that's never a feeling we get here, and we add that it's a real treat to see Julia Louis-Dreyfus return to her role as Veep. Especially since her character brings with him a very acidic take on American politics and his cynical ability to always turn the tables to his advantage, like the ultimate villain that no superpower can defeat.
We must also give Jake Scheier credit for having taken care of his action scenes, including two big pieces that put the choreographers in the spotlight. Everyone's abilities are highlighted, from the twirling Yelena to the more aggressive Bucky. The sequences are visible, rhythmic, effective, to the point of leaving us wanting more, like during a fight where we can see a certain character in action. Yes, for the first time in a long time, we are in front of a Marvel film that makes us want to see the next ones.
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