Yelena Belova
Florence Pugh
Yelena Belova
Thunderbolts*
“Everyone deserves a second shot.”
7.3
2025
2h 7m
ActionScience FictionAdventure
Director: Jake Schreier
Overview
After finding themselves ensnared in a death trap, seven disillusioned castoffs must embark on a dangerous mission that will force them to confront the darkest corners of their pasts.
Trailer
Buy It on Digital July 1 and Own It On Blu-Ray July 29 Official
Cast
Bucky Barnes
Sebastian Stan
Bucky Barnes
Valentina Allegra de Fontaine
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Valentina Allegra de Fontaine
Robert Reynolds
Lewis Pullman
Robert Reynolds
Alexei Shostakov
David Harbour
Alexei Shostakov
John Walker
Wyatt Russell
John Walker
Ava Starr
Hannah John-Kamen
Ava Starr
Antonia Dreykov
Olga Kurylenko
Antonia Dreykov
Mel
Geraldine Viswanathan
Mel
Congressman Gary
Wendell Pierce
Congressman Gary
Holt
Chris Bauer
Holt
Young Yelena
Violet McGraw
Young Yelena
Reviews
✦ AI-generated review
The Weight of Silence
If the modern superhero blockbuster is a loud, candy-colored shout, Jake Schreier’s *Thunderbolts** is a whisper in a concrete room. For years, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has expanded outward, consuming galaxies and timelines with a voracious appetite for scale. But in this thirty-sixth entry, the machine finally stops, looks inward, and realizes it is tired. This is not a film about saving the universe; it is a film about the exhausting labor of living with yourself after the wars are over.
Schreier, whose background in smaller, character-driven indies (*Robot & Frank*) is palpable here, strips away the green-screen gloss that has come to define—and plague—the genre. The visual language of *Thunderbolts** is aggressively anti-spectacle. The cinematography favors a muted, almost suffocating palette of grays and earth tones, mirroring the internal landscapes of its protagonists. The camera doesn’t swoop through the cosmos; it lingers in tight, uncomfortable close-ups or hangs high above a hallway fight, turning a brawl into a geometry of shadows. The action is heavy, practical, and bruising. When a punch connects, it doesn’t feel like a plot point; it feels like a desperate attempt to feel something.
The narrative premise is deceptively simple: a collection of the franchise’s "discarded" assets—assassins, super-soldiers, and spies who have outlived their narrative usefulness—are corralled by CIA director Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus, playing the banality of evil with chilling corporate cheer). They are sent to a vault, ostensibly for a mission, but in reality, to be disposed of. It is a grim reflection of how franchise filmmaking treats its own characters: as content to be consumed and discarded.
But the film’s soul resides in Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova. Pugh delivers a performance of jagged edges and profound vulnerability, playing a woman who has known nothing but violence and is now adrift in a world that no longer requires her specific skill set. Her chemistry with the ensemble is the film's beating heart, particularly in the quiet moments shared with "Bob" (Lewis Pullman), a terrifyingly powerful being paralyzed by his own anxiety. Their shared recognition—that they are monsters made, not born—provides the film’s most searing emotional anchor. This is not a "team-up" in the traditional sense; it is a group therapy session held in the barrel of a gun.
The widely discussed asterisk in the title serves as a metatextual punchline, a nod to the fluidity of identity in a corporate-owned mythology. By the time the film reveals its true meaning—a rebranding to "The New Avengers"—it feels less like a triumph and more like a tragic inevitability. These broken people cannot escape the cycle of violence; they can only give it a new name. The final confrontation isn't a beam of light shooting into the sky, but a psychological standoff against "The Void," a manifestation of the very emptiness they are all running from.
*Thunderbolts** is an imperfect beast. It occasionally stumbles over the requisite franchise-building mechanics it tries so hard to subvert. Yet, it succeeds where so many of its predecessors have failed because it allows its characters the dignity of their depression. It suggests that in a world of gods and monsters, the most heroic act is simply deciding to stay alive.
If the modern superhero blockbuster is a loud, candy-colored shout, Jake Schreier’s *Thunderbolts** is a whisper in a concrete room. For years, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has expanded outward, consuming galaxies and timelines with a voracious appetite for scale. But in this thirty-sixth entry, the machine finally stops, looks inward, and realizes it is tired. This is not a film about saving the universe; it is a film about the exhausting labor of living with yourself after the wars are over.
Schreier, whose background in smaller, character-driven indies (*Robot & Frank*) is palpable here, strips away the green-screen gloss that has come to define—and plague—the genre. The visual language of *Thunderbolts** is aggressively anti-spectacle. The cinematography favors a muted, almost suffocating palette of grays and earth tones, mirroring the internal landscapes of its protagonists. The camera doesn’t swoop through the cosmos; it lingers in tight, uncomfortable close-ups or hangs high above a hallway fight, turning a brawl into a geometry of shadows. The action is heavy, practical, and bruising. When a punch connects, it doesn’t feel like a plot point; it feels like a desperate attempt to feel something.
The narrative premise is deceptively simple: a collection of the franchise’s "discarded" assets—assassins, super-soldiers, and spies who have outlived their narrative usefulness—are corralled by CIA director Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus, playing the banality of evil with chilling corporate cheer). They are sent to a vault, ostensibly for a mission, but in reality, to be disposed of. It is a grim reflection of how franchise filmmaking treats its own characters: as content to be consumed and discarded.
But the film’s soul resides in Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova. Pugh delivers a performance of jagged edges and profound vulnerability, playing a woman who has known nothing but violence and is now adrift in a world that no longer requires her specific skill set. Her chemistry with the ensemble is the film's beating heart, particularly in the quiet moments shared with "Bob" (Lewis Pullman), a terrifyingly powerful being paralyzed by his own anxiety. Their shared recognition—that they are monsters made, not born—provides the film’s most searing emotional anchor. This is not a "team-up" in the traditional sense; it is a group therapy session held in the barrel of a gun.
The widely discussed asterisk in the title serves as a metatextual punchline, a nod to the fluidity of identity in a corporate-owned mythology. By the time the film reveals its true meaning—a rebranding to "The New Avengers"—it feels less like a triumph and more like a tragic inevitability. These broken people cannot escape the cycle of violence; they can only give it a new name. The final confrontation isn't a beam of light shooting into the sky, but a psychological standoff against "The Void," a manifestation of the very emptiness they are all running from.
*Thunderbolts** is an imperfect beast. It occasionally stumbles over the requisite franchise-building mechanics it tries so hard to subvert. Yet, it succeeds where so many of its predecessors have failed because it allows its characters the dignity of their depression. It suggests that in a world of gods and monsters, the most heroic act is simply deciding to stay alive.
Clips (11)
The Void’s First Appearance - Official Clip
Main on End Title Sequence
Desert Extended Look
"It's Coming Right At Us" Official Clip
"Pointless Childhood Stories" Official Clip
"They're Working Together" Official Clip
"She Wants Us Gone" Official Clip
Limo Chase Scene - Official Clip
"Now What?" Official Clip
"Who's This Old Santa?" Official Clip
"Something Wrong" Official Clip
Featurettes (65)
Funny Moments - Compilation
Florence Pugh & David Harbour Play Cast Vs Character
Thunderbolts* ASMR with... real bolts?
Valentina Allegra de Fontaine's ~ASMR~
ASMR with Florence Pugh, David Harbour, Julia Louis-Dreyfus
See more Sebastian Stan & David Harbour in Marvel Studios' T̶h̶u̶n̶d̶e̶r̶b̶o̶l̶t̶s̶*
Unboxing with Florence Pugh, David Harbour, and Wyatt Russell
Support Group
The Thunderbolts* Picked WHO For Their Avengers Team?!
Speed Round
Phase Hero Sits with Thunderbolts* Director Jake Schreier to Talk Opening Shot in IMAX & More!
The New Avengers
Presenting Marvel Studios' T̶h̶u̶n̶d̶e̶r̶b̶o̶l̶t̶s̶* The New Avengers.
Thank You from the Thunderbolts*!
Malaysia Merdeka 118 Takeover
YELENA 💛 That is all.
Thank You from the Thunderbolts*!
Exclusive IMAX® Interview
"SEBASTIAN!!!" - Wyatt Russell
"Lewis" - Wyatt Russell
History of the Asterisk
Ladies and gentlemen your Thunderbolts*
Geraldine Vishwanathan Brings Mel to Life
Hannah John-Kamen Reappears as Ghost in the MCU!
Wyatt Russell's MCU Movie Debut as John Walker
Girls helping Girls
Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige Talks the Emotional Themes in Marvel Studios' Thunderbolts*
Director Jake Schreier on Putting Together the Thunderbolts* team
Florence Pugh and David Harbour talk Thunderbolts*!
Lewis Pullman's Warm Welcome into the MCU as Bob!
Julia Louis-Dreyfus on Recruiting the Thunderbolts*!
Best Red Carpet Moments
David Harbour's Red Guardian is the Heart of the Thunderbolts*
Not bad for a team of scrappy anti-heroes.
Sebastian Stan Returns as Bucky Barnes in Thunderbolts*!
Florence Pugh Talks Returning to the MCU as Yelena Belova!
Geraldine Viswanathan has arrived at the World Premiere
Phasing through the red carpet.
You know her name -- Valentina Allegra de Fontaine.
David Harbour is protecting us from boring evening.
Bob's here.
Arm and dangerous.
If looks could kill.
Shang-Chi himself, Simu Liu, supports the Thunderbolts* at the European Premiere!
Pedro Pascal hits the European Premiere in London!
Not just a dime store Captain America.
Florence Pugh and Geraldine Viswanathan at the European Premiere!
Make way for Valentina Allegra de Fontaine — Julia Louis-Dreyfus is here!
No one messes with Ghost. Hannah John-Kamen arrives at the European Premiere!
The Red Guardian — protecting you from boring evening.
Give it up for Ghost
Ghost 🤝 John Walker
Ladies and Gentlemen... THE THUNDERBOLTS*
Florence Pugh blows a kiss at the European Premiere in London!
The man, the myth, the l̶i̶m̶o̶ ̶d̶r̶i̶v̶e̶r̶ Red Guardian.
Florence Pugh AKA Yelena lights up the European Premiere!
Bob sighting! Lewis Pullman arrives at the European Premiere.
Red Guardian Limo Service
Cast compliments with the Thunderbolts*
VEGAS, BABY! The Thunderbolts* cast brought the chaos to CinemaCon.
Did David Harbour really drive the cast of Thunderbolts* to CinemaCon in Vegas?
Cast Arrival At CinemaCon
Grab your seats before they're gone
Make way for the Thunderbolts*
The 'Thunderbolts*' Cast Share Their Avengers Announcement Reactions
Behind the Scenes (8)
Behind-the-Scenes
Behind the Scenes of the Void Space
Disney+ Special Look
Thunderbolts* director POV
Experience the Marvel Studios’ Thunderbolts*
"The Jump" Featurette
Behind the Scenes Featurette
“Making Of” Featurette
Bloopers (1)
Exclusive Gag Reel
Movies
Similar Movies
More movies you might want to watch next.
5.0
Pretty Cure Miracle Leap: A Wonderful Day with Everyone
2020 Movie
5.1
My Super Ex-Girlfriend
2006 Movie
7.4
Mad Max 2
1981 Movie
6.0
Timecop
1994 Movie
6.6
Conspiracy Theory
1997 Movie
5.9
The X Files: I Want to Believe
2008 Movie
6.1
The Shadow
1994 Movie
4.3
Steel
1997 Movie
5.5
Dude, Where's My Car?
2000 Movie
5.8
The Punisher
1989 Movie
6.5
Asterix vs. Caesar
1985 Movie
6.2
Antz
1998 Movie