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Thunderbolts (2024)


tv echo

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4 hours ago, Raja said:

Being "the Black Widow" with an army of ex black widow trained assassins in the world might have been the only second-generation takeover of an Avengers name/power set that has worked

And for some reason, they don't want to give us Kate and Yelena as crime-fighting dog moms, which would be the most obvious next step.

Though I'm not really disappointed with this lineup. If I had to choose, I could do without Barnes, but it's fine. I'd like to see how a group like this works together when they're not the Avengers and are only so powered up.

(edited)

I Was Surprised To Hear Thunderbolts* Director Hint At How The Movie Connects To Avengers: Doomsday
By Mick Joest   April 19, 2025
https://www.cinemablend.com/superheroes/marvel-cinematic-universe/surprised-hear-thunderbolts-director-hint-how-movie-connects-avengers-doomsday

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CinemaBlend's sister magazine SFX had a chance to talk to Schreier about the upcoming superhero team-up Thunderbolts* in its latest issue and asked how it might factor into the next major superhero ensemble. The director was cryptic in his response, but did indicate there's at least one character who will be relevant in Doctor Doom's big plot:

"There might be some stones, or pebbles [smiles]. I don’t know how you want to rate your rocks. Look, you know the character that we’re talking about, and you know that there’s a level of power involved there that could have an impact going forward. I’m not making Doomsday so I’m not privy to that."

Jake Schreier didn't get into specifics on what character he was referring to, ....


Florence Pugh's latest Marvel movie made her a Guinness World Record holder
By Kimberley Bond   20 April 2025
https://www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/culture/culture-news/a64511234/florence-pugh-thunderbolts-marvel-guinness-world-record-stunt/ 

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While Pugh is coy in explaining what exactly the stunt entails in a bid to avoid spoilers (it does involve jumping from a great height), the efforts have landed Pugh a place in history.

The Harper’s Bazaar May cover star told us: “My double, the female co-ordinator and I are all now Guinness World Record holders!”

Edited by tv echo
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Social media embargo was lifted yesterday - first reactions are positive...

‘Thunderbolts’ First Reactions Praise How Florence Pugh “Brings The Heart” To Marvel Movie & Takes Yelena Belova “To Another Level”
By Armando Tinoco   April 22, 2025
https://deadline.com/2025/04/thunderbolts-first-reactions-florence-pugh-marvel-1236374557/ 

‘Thunderbolts’ First Reactions: Florence Pugh Is ‘Superb’ in ‘Some of Marvel’s Darkest Material to Date’
By Jack Dunn, Zack Sharf   April 22, 2025
https://variety.com/2025/film/news/thunderbolts-first-reactions-marvel-florence-pugh-1236374552/ 

First reactions to Thunderbolts call the new Marvel movie "raw" and "deeply human," praise Florence Pugh and Sebastian Stan
By Emily Garbutt   April 22, 2025
https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/marvel-movies/first-reactions-to-thunderbolts-call-the-new-marvel-movie-raw-and-deeply-human-praise-florence-pugh-and-sebastian-stan/ 

Thunderbolts* Early Reactions Claim The Film Is A 'Home Run For Marvel Studios'
BY BILL BRIA   APRIL 22, 2025
https://www.slashfilm.com/1841490/marvel-thunderbolts-movie-reactions/ 

Thunderbolts Early Reviews Are Here, And They Reveal One Clear Consensus
Marvel fans seem to have another great movie on their hands after the first reactions to the MCU's Thunderbolts*!
By Richard Nebens   April 22, 2025
https://thedirect.com/article/thunderbolts-early-reviews-reveal-clear-consensus 

A few examples:

Edited by tv echo
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Don't read if you don't want to know...

THUNDERBOLTS*: Details Of "[OMITTED WORD]" Post-Credits Scene Have Leaked Online - SPOILERS
By Mark Cassidy   April 22, 2025
ComicBookMovie article link 

Spoiler

The movie reportedly features both a mid and post-credits scene. Details on the first are vague (there are conflicting reports and it's difficult to know for sure if any are legit), but we do have a full breakdown of the second courtesy of MTTSH.

A number of social media reactions described the post-credits sequence as "insane" and a "game changing moment," and while this might be a slight exaggeration, it does sound like the scene serves as a direct tie-in to the events of Avengers: Doomsday.

"The post credits scene for Thunderbolts* is as follow: The New Avengers are in their new tower talking about Sam recruiting his own New Avengers team and how he has the copyright for that name. Then they hear about something coming from space, it's the Fantastic Four ship coming into their universe." 

Edited by tv echo
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MAJOR SPOILERS!!!...

Full Plot Breakdown of Marvel’s Thunderbolts* and and Post-Credits Scenes Explained
by Sophie Williams   April 24, 2025
https://maxblizz.com/full-plot-breakdown-of-marvels-thunderbolts-and-and-post-credits-scenes-explained/ 

Thunderbolts director says earlier version of the Marvel movie's script was "kind of like a Die Hard thing"
Exclusive: Director Jake Schreier explains which rewrites were most significant for Thunderbolts*
By Emily Garbutt  April 24, 2025
https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/marvel-movies/thunderbolts-director-says-earlier-version-of-the-marvel-movies-script-was-kind-of-like-a-die-hard-thing/ 

Edited by tv echo
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This video is a sneak peek scene from the movie (spoilery)....

Marvel Studios' Thunderbolts* | "Who's This Old Santa?" Official Clip
Marvel Entertainment   Apr 23, 2025

 

This podcast includes Thunderbolts* comments near the end (not spoilery)...

Look Ahead to Daredevil: Born Again Season 2!
Marvel Entertainment   Apr 23, 2025

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... Later on, Thunderbolts* director Jake Schreier takes us behind the scenes of the film. Then, we’ll catch you up on what the Thunderbolts have been up to ahead of the film’s May 2nd release. 
*  *  *
09:22 - Thunderbolts* BTS with director Jake Schreier
17:52 - Catch up before Thunderbolts*

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Thunderbolts director says the movie tries to "start fresh" with all its characters – even Bucky Barnes, who made his MCU debut 14 years ago
By Emily Garbutt   April 26, 2025
https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/marvel-movies/thunderbolts-director-says-the-movie-tries-to-start-fresh-with-all-its-characters-even-bucky-barnes-who-made-his-mcu-debut-14-years-ago/ 

"Thunderbolts” Cast To Appear On “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
https://whatsondisneyplus.com/thunderbolts-cast-to-appear-on-jimmy-kimmel-live/ 

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Monday, April 28
1. David Harbour, Sebastian Stan, Florence Pugh, Wyatt Russell and Hannah John-Kamen (“Thunderbolts*”) 2. Billy Idol (“Dream Into It”) 3. Musical Guests Billy Idol featuring Avril Lavigne

Tuesday, April 29
1. Julia Louis-Dreyfus (“Thunderbolts*”) 2. Mo Amer (“Mo”) 3. Musical Guest Tucker Wetmore

Edited by tv echo
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‘Thunderbolts*’: Florence Pugh and David Harbour Talk Absent ‘Black Widow’ Stars and Pretending to Be Tom Cruise
By Brian Davids   April 28, 2025
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/thunderbolts-florence-pugh-david-harbour-1236202315/  

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Well, Florence, despite having a new guinea pig, Yelena is lonely. She misses her sister, Natasha. But this set did have a version of Natasha in the form of stunt coordinator Heidi Moneymaker, Scarlett Johansson‘s longtime stunt double. Did you ever feel Scarlett’s absence and comment on it like Yelena does?
FLORENCE PUGH
That’s a good point. My whole journey with Marvel was because of Scarlett trusting me and Scarlett wanting me to join her movie [Black Widow] six years ago. So I always miss her presence, and I always feel like it was such a mean thing to begin the journey with someone and then you never get to work with them again on it. (Laughs.) It was kind of wild that [Black Widow] was the first and the last time I would get to experience this world with her. But I am genuinely always just hoping that she’s proud. I always have that in the back of my head, like, “Oh, I hope she’s happy that we came in.” So I do miss her a lot on set, yes. We would have a lot of laughter. 
*  *  *
What happened to Alexei and Melina, post-Black Widow?
HARBOUR
That’s a great question, and in fact, I would love to get into that.

PUGH We don’t know what happened to Melina. 

HARBOUR No, [we don’t]. I’ve talked to [Marvel] people about Melina, and I think there’s still very much potential for Melina. 

PUGH Hope!

HARBOUR It’s funny, when we shot Black Widow, there was no time for this scene in the movie itself, because the movie is clearly about Scarlett’s character. But there were some DVD extras that came out … 

The kiss!
HARBOUR
Yeah, there was a beautiful scene with me and Rachel after the crash. I touch her face and everything. It was one of my favorite moments from that movie. 

PUGH It was cut? 

HARBOUR Yeah, it was cut. You can’t focus on those two when Natasha is fighting Taskmaster at the end of the film. “Let’s go to the two supporting characters and see how they worked out!”
*  *  *
HARBOUR But I do think that there’s potential for Melina’s reemergence in some kind of interesting way, and I would love to have her back in Alexei’s life. She would add such an interesting complexity. 


Interview: Thunderbolts* Director Jake Schreier Explains How This Team Differs From the Suicide Squad
by Sergio Pereira   April 28, 2025
https://www.fortressofsolitude.co.za/interview-thunderbolts-director-jake-schreier-suicide-squad/ 

Quote

Fortress of Solitude: Lewis Pullman replaced Steven Yeun in Thunderbolts* after scheduling conflicts. What, if any, changes did you make to the character to accommodate the switch in actors?
Jake Schreier:
From a writing perspective, not a lot. I think what you always want with any actor is to explore what points of connection they find with that character, and so it was a new process with Lewis, who is so open and so committed to figuring out all the levels of that character. And it is such a complex set of dimensionality that you need to explore to make that work. He and I would just get together every weekend and go through line by line within the scenes – even when he is just Bob –  which lines tie into which sides of the character a little bit more and really carve out, even if it’s subtle and not everyone reads it the first time they watch, which aspects of the character those lines are connecting to.
*  *  *
For the average viewer, they might look at Thunderbolts* as Marvel’s version of the Suicide Squad or even The Expendables. Having directed and overseen the movie, how do you feel this film differs from something such as Suicide Squad or even The Expendables?
Well, that was what was so smart about Eric Pearson’s script, and what Brian Chapek had developed with him, was that it had this twist on that.

Spoiler

From the beginning, Valentina Allegra de Fontaine is sending them to kill each other, not to be some kind of rogue team to do black ops with. So, right from the get-go, I felt like that distinguished it, and then it felt like we could make our mark by going into a much more internal character place, make it more about internal struggles than external ones, and find some level of difference there. 

I also think that for me – relative to – James [Gunn] did such incredible work with Guardians of the Galaxy and The Suicide Squad, that it felt like those were really this incredible group of misfits and that this group felt more like people who might’ve thought they were the hero, or they were the lead – people like John Walker – and then things went quite awry. So, it’s more about just all of us. Anyone who’s kind of thought that they were destined for something bigger then had it not work out and what do you do from there? Where do you go, and how do you find your way out of that place?

Edited by tv echo
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Thunderbolts* Interview: Director Breaks Down the Movie's Most Chilling VFX
Collider Interviews   Apr 28, 2025


Wheaties Teams Up with Marvel for Collector’s Cereal Box
How to get a limited-edition Wheaties box inspired by the Thunderbolts* movie
by Christian Saclao   April 29, 2025
https://geekspin.co/thunderbolts-wheaties-cereal-box/ 

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Ready to claim your own slice of superhero glory? The limited-edition Thunderbolts*-inspired Wheaties box will be available exclusively online at Wheaties.com, starting at 11 a.m. EST on Wednesday, April 30th. But don’t wait — supplies are limited, and these collector’s boxes are expected to disappear faster than a Marvel post-credits scene!


Wheaties-box-inspired-by-Thunderbolts.jp

Edited by tv echo
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From last night's Jimmy Kimmel show...

Julia Louis-Dreyfus on Thunderbolts*, Meeting Pope Francis at Vatican & Wordle with Carol Burnett
Jimmy Kimmel Live   posted Apr 30, 2025


More from the world premiere in Hollywood on April 28...

Best Red Carpet Moments | Marvel Studios' Thunderbolts*
Marvel Entertainment   posted Apr 29, 2025

Florence Pugh Talks Returning to the MCU as Yelena Belova!
Marvel Entertainment   posted Apr 29, 2025

Sebastian Stan Returns as Bucky Barnes in Thunderbolts*!
Marvel Entertainment   posted Apr 29, 2025

Lewis Pullman's Warm Welcome into the MCU as Bob!
Marvel Entertainment   posted Apr 29, 2025

Edited by tv echo
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Reviews embargo lifted yesterday. Reviews are mostly positive. Current Rotten Tomatoes critics score is 89% (based on 152 reviews). Here's a sampling (you can read other reviews here) - spoilerish...

Thunderbolts* First Reviews: A Breath of Fresh Air for the MCU
Critics say it's a welcome return to form for the franchise, with thoughtfully fleshed out characters, spectacular visuals, engaging action sequences, and fantastic performances from Florence Pugh and Lewis Pullman in particular.
by Christopher Campbell    April 29, 2025
https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/thunderbolts-first-reviews/ 

‘Thunderbolts*’ Asks: Who Wants the Off-Brand Avengers?
The answer: You do, as the MCU delivers a movie that channels its glory days and finally gets back on track
By David Fear   April 29, 2025
https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-reviews/thunderbolts-review-mcu-florence-pugh-1235319681/ 

‘Thunderbolts*’ Review: Florence Pugh and Sebastian Stan Lead a Gratifyingly Fresh and Soulful Marvel Adventure
By David Rooney   April 29, 2025
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/thunderbolts-review-florence-pugh-sebastian-stan-marvel-1236202913/ 

Thunderbolts* Really Is Marvel’s Answer to an A24 Movie
By Alison Willmor   April 29, 2025
https://www.vulture.com/article/review-thunderbolts-really-is-marvels-a24-movie.html 

Thunderbolts* review: Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, and the gang are mostly successful at keeping the Marvel torch lit
By Jordan Hoffman   April 29, 2025
https://ew.com/thunderbolts-review-florence-pugh-sebastian-stan-keep-marvel-torch-lit-11723917 

'Thunderbolts*' movie review: Florence Pugh leads a heady Marvel refresh
Brian Truitt   April 29, 2025
https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/movies/2025/04/29/thunderbolts-marvel-movie-review/83323025007/ 

Edited by tv echo
On 4/23/2025 at 8:17 AM, tv echo said:

Social media embargo was lifted yesterday - first reactions are positive...

‘Thunderbolts’ First Reactions Praise How Florence Pugh “Brings The Heart” To Marvel Movie & Takes Yelena Belova “To Another Level”
By Armando Tinoco   April 22, 2025
https://deadline.com/2025/04/thunderbolts-first-reactions-florence-pugh-marvel-1236374557/ 

‘Thunderbolts’ First Reactions: Florence Pugh Is ‘Superb’ in ‘Some of Marvel’s Darkest Material to Date’
By Jack Dunn, Zack Sharf   April 22, 2025
https://variety.com/2025/film/news/thunderbolts-first-reactions-marvel-florence-pugh-1236374552/ 

First reactions to Thunderbolts call the new Marvel movie "raw" and "deeply human," praise Florence Pugh and Sebastian Stan
By Emily Garbutt   April 22, 2025
https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/marvel-movies/first-reactions-to-thunderbolts-call-the-new-marvel-movie-raw-and-deeply-human-praise-florence-pugh-and-sebastian-stan/ 

Thunderbolts* Early Reactions Claim The Film Is A 'Home Run For Marvel Studios'
BY BILL BRIA   APRIL 22, 2025
https://www.slashfilm.com/1841490/marvel-thunderbolts-movie-reactions/ 

Thunderbolts Early Reviews Are Here, And They Reveal One Clear Consensus
Marvel fans seem to have another great movie on their hands after the first reactions to the MCU's Thunderbolts*!
By Richard Nebens   April 22, 2025
https://thedirect.com/article/thunderbolts-early-reviews-reveal-clear-consensus 

A few examples:

They look and sound like shills or bots.🤔

Marvel Studios executive producer Brian Chapek said that, with Thunderbolts*, Marvel "wanted to bring it back down to Earth on a more human scale and tell a story about these characters and what they might be dealing with as internal characters"...

Brian Chapek - Thunderbolts UK Premiere Red Carpet Interview on Florence Pugh, superhero outcasts
HeyUGuys   Apr 22, 2025

(edited)

Lewis Pullman Shares Dad Bill Pullman's Honest Reaction to Thunderbolts* Script (Exclusive)
By Sharareh Drury   May 1, 2025
https://people.com/lewis-pullman-shares-bill-pullman-reaction-to-thunderbolts-script-11724328?taid=68135e818745050001de4753 

Quote

Speaking with PEOPLE for a recent press event for Thunderbolts*, Lewis, 32, said while his famous dad, 72, has yet to "slip into this universe" a.k.a. the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he always has wisdom to pass on due to his own impressive acting career.

"He always goes story first, and writing first, and character first," Lewis, who plays a mysterious character named Bob, said. "I was waiting to get the full script so I could send it to him so we could talk about it."

Putting on a serious Bill Pullman-esque impression, Lewis continued, "Once he read the script, he was like, 'There's a lot to do here. Yeah. I think there's a lot to be done.'"


Marvel Studios' #Thunderbolts* | History of the Asterisk
Marvel Entertainment   Apr 30, 2025

Edited by tv echo
(edited)

Just got back from one of the earlier showings because, yeah, I'm still on the MCU train even if their latter offerings have been iffy at times.  Thankfully though, this more than delivered and I ended up actually thinking it was one of the stronger outing in years.  SPOILERS ABOUND!!

 

 

While I'm sure there will be some adept comparisons to The Suicide Squad franchise, this equally reminded me a lot of the first Guardians of the Galaxy film, where a bunch of misfits and initially loners find themselves having to stop a threat, start out bickering and even hating on one another, but end up not only being an effective team at the end, but growing closer as well.  And while it didn't quite pull it off as well as GOG did, I was surprised how much I enjoyed the team-up and even got emotionally invested in them during some moments.  In particular, I liked how Bob/Sentry really wasn't a villain, but someone who was suffering, was taken advantage of, and just needed someone(s) to reach out and showed that they cared about what was going on with him.  Despite only being introduced in this film, I ended up finding the character fascinating and looking forward to seeing more of him.  Lewis Pullman did an excellent job.  Part of me is still curious to know what Steven Yeun's take would have been, but this one is hard to top (and, I kind of wonder had it been Yeun, some would have just thought of him as Dark Invincible during all of his scenes.)

Despite being billed as an ensemble piece, this really could have almost been Yelena & Friends, because she really did carry the film in a lot of ways.  Felt like almost every major decision involved her, she generally drove the plot forward, felt like the most full-fleshed out character here, and pretty much came off like the lead.  And I ain't going to complain because when you are lucky enough to get Florence Pugh in your franchise, you better damn use her!  Thought she was absolutely fantastic here: starting out making Yelena come off like a cool, badass assassin at first, but then seeing her insecurities and pain come out each time she dealt with whatever obstacle was thrown at her, and diving into her mindset in ways I wasn't expecting.  You can just tell how much it hurt losing Natasha, and how lonely she feels over her family being fractured like it has.  Combine that with her childhood trauma over the way she was raised in the Red Room and, well, honestly, it says a lot about Yelena that she's not a complete mess.  All in all, Pugh delivered on all fronts and I hope she continues to play a big part in the MCU going forward.

She certainly got some good assistance from David Harbour here.  Alexei brought in some sold laughs again and was fun bouncing off the rest, but his scenes with Yelena really did carry a lot of weight, and both Pugh and Harbour have great chemistry.  The scene when Yelena finally has a breakdown on the street and Alexei comforts her was some of the finest acting work out of all of the MCU.

Still, Sebastian Stan is certainly given plenty of time to shine again as good old Bucky Barnes!  Loved seeing him initially trying to maneuver around in the political world and bring justice that way.  And then when that goes south, he not only goes back to kicking ass, but actually shows some impressive leadership skills by being the calming voice amongst this more "shoot/hit first, ask questions later" group.  Steve would be so proud!  I have to imagine though that he mainly won his congress seat due to name recognition and even his looks, because I definitely think he didn't set the world on fire during debates or on the campaign trail, heh!  Of course, if someone had recorded him riding that bike and blowing up trucks with ease, he'd probably be the next president!

The rest mainly took a backseat, but still had some good moments.  John Walker continues to show that he has some positive traits that can get the job done, but his temperament will always hold him back, and that is one of the many reasons he never could be Captain America.  He always seemed to be the one to automatically chew everyone else out, even when it wasn't necessary.  Sounds like it even carried over to his personal life, since his wife left him.  Wyatt Russell continues to be great in the role though.  Ava/Ghost was mainly just there to be an extra body, but still had a few good lines and I'm just happy to see Hannah John-Kamen whenever I can.  Loved her the first time I saw her on Killjoys, so I'm glad she's at least found a solid gig here, even if I wish we got more.

But, hey, she did fare better than poor Taskmaster.  Most already predicted that she was doomed, but I was still surprised she got offed that quickly and so unceremoniously.  Only had about five lines and Olga Kurylenko's face was only there for about a second.  I guess this is the way to re-introduce a different Taskmaster, but I still kind of felt bad for her.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus continues to be a blast as (clears throat) Valentina Allegra de Fontaine.  Of course, she was secretly trying to create own superhero to "protect the world", but really was just wanting to get power for herself and her company.  She'd fit right in with the gang from Vought International in The Boys!  Not surprised that she found a way to still come out ahead at the end, but I can see her luck only carrying her so far.

So, instead of it being based on Thunderbolt Ross, the name comes from a soft ball team Yelena played for as a child.  I guess it makes sense as anything else, although there is currently still some debates over who sponsored that team!

The way Sentry's power "dark blipped" its victims was definitely giving off similar to vibes to how people disappeared during Thanos' Snap.  Finding out that all of the victims where reliving their worst moments/traumas was pretty dark as well.  Liked seeing MCU take a more grounded (by its standards) look at mental health, compared to its previous outings (remember a lot of criticism over how they treated Thor's clear depression as a joke in Endgame.)  Did get a chuckle though when everyone was talking about it and Bucky was like "Considering what I went through, I'm sure y'all know how great all of that felt for me!"

So, the big twist at the end is that the Thunderbolts are already no more and they are now the "New Avengers."  But wait!  Thanks to the end credit scene, we discover that there is also another New Avengers led by Sam, and there seems to be some major friction between the teams.  And, according to John I think, Sam's version has more public support.  Of course, everything might change thanks to this new arrival: a mysterious spaceship that looks.... FANTASTIC! (sorry...)

All in all, great watch.  Don't think it will go down as the best MCU outing ever, but I think it was one of the best in some time and might still have a shot in getting in my personal top 15 at least.  If nothing else though, it establishes that Yelena/Florence Pugh is a star!

Edited by thuganomics85
  • Like 9

I really enjoyed this. Thought the entire cast was great, especially loved Pugh, Stan and the interactions between Yelena and Alexei.

The people blipping into shadows was creepy. Especially the little girl who just disappeared after Alexei saved her.

I didn’t like the sound of Bucky saying the conversation with Sam didn’t go well. I don’t want them to have a Civil War style fallout. Hopefully they are more level headed then Tony and Steve (although Tony more then Steve since Steve seemed willing to move forward at the end of Civil War by the sound of the message he left Tony) and will avoid a rift. I enjoy the chemistry between them and want them to remain friends.

  • Like 7
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Current Rotten Tomatoes scores are: Tomatometer 88% (203 critics' reviews) and Popcornmeter 95% (1,000+ verified ratings)...
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/thunderbolts?cmp=TWRT_Movie_Thunderbolts_VH 

Thunderbolts* lays the groundwork for Avengers: Doomsday – and shows it the path to success
Nicola Austin   May 2, 2025
https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/scifi/thunderbolts-groundwork-avengers-doomsday-comment/ 

Quote

Thankfully, the latest instalment from director Jake Schreier proves a return to form for the franchise, with Florence Pugh’s ragtag band of antiheroes recapturing the heart, humour and amusing antics of early Infinity Saga instalments such as Guardians of the Galaxy and The Avengers.

Edited by tv echo
3 hours ago, Shannon L. said:

Can anyone tell me if we should watch Captain America: A Brave New World before we see this? I just saw that it's still only available to rent for $24.99 and don't want to spend the money if I don't have to. 

You can, but you don't have to. Thaddeus Ross gets a mention,  but they don't go into real detail about those events.

  • Useful 1
(edited)

I just want to start by wondering if anyone has posted this meme with Taskmaster in mind

houseinnebraska-family-guy-not-you.gif.b9a3f2b2154a21869d29e6ea6e825a09.gif

True story . . . I have a friend on Facebook who posted about going to see the movie. He had his Taskmaster hoodie on.

Good movie . . . though I cannot recommend the source material enough. "Thunderbolts" has been the title for many groups over the years, but the original concept Marvel put out in early 1997 is the best. It was from Kurt Busiek and Mark Bagley. Awesome stuff at that time. It's a pity we couldn't get that in the MCU.

What we did get was Yelena, Bucky, and some items found in the MCU junk drawer teaming up, along with introducing Superman Sentry to mainstream audiences. It was all right. Having them become the New Avengers was a cute swerve, though it seemed a little out there that they'd exist for over a year, even with the doubting headlines in the end credits. Speaking of which . . . nice of the final end credits to spoil the F4 appearance in the very last scene.

Have we ever had a fight scene where a bunch of people made zero impact? I was cracking up at Sentry no-selling the attacks.

Is is wrong to hope Red Guardian gets killed in the next "event"? I like him, but I feel he tends to be too much. "New Avengerz" . . . . yikes.

Valentina sucks on every level.

ETA: When and how did Bucky get into Congress? "Hello. My name is James Buchanan Barnes. I was best friends with Steve Rogers growing up. I joined the army, fought in World War II, got captured, and was rescued by my formerly frail bestie. Then I fell off a train to my death . . . only to get turned into an assassin by Hydra, complete with a badass metal arm. I killed a LOT of people. I killed Tony Stark's parents. Yeah, you can blame the brainwashing, but I think that's the reason why Steve gave his shield to Sam. Anyway . . . I'm not a Boomer that thinks he knows how to represent his people. I'm pre-Boomer, and I KNOW how to represent."

ETA2: When anyone said "Bob" on screen, were any of you guys hoping the name would be pronounced like Rowan Atkinson as Blackadder?

Edited by Lantern7
  • Like 3
6 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

I just want to start by wondering if anyone has posted this meme with Taskmaster in mind

houseinnebraska-family-guy-not-you.gif.b9a3f2b2154a21869d29e6ea6e825a09.gif

 

What was the point of Taskmaster being in the movie at all? Or even in the MCU in general? Another disposable female character, eh, Feige?

I guess I can appreciate how the movie put a realistic spin on Walker’s rushed “redemption” in FATWS, but I will never get behind making Bucky a senator, no matter how briefly. 

  • Like 1
(edited)

I saw this movie yesterday and enjoyed it very much. I agree with many of the comments posted by @thuganomics85 above. I also agree with many of the comments posted by top critics who liked this movie (also previously posted above).

I really loved Yelena, Bucky and even John Walker (who I couldn't stand in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier). I thought Lewis Pullman did a great job as Bob. I can only take Alexei in small doses, but I loved his relationship with Yelena. 

I liked that all of the voided people returned in the end. Apparently they weren't killed, but just transported to "shame" rooms.

Bucky becoming a congressional representative is a bit of a stretch - until you realize who all is currently in the US House of Representatives and other elected offices in real life (but I'll refrain from political comment). All you need is to get the most votes in one small congressional district against a less popular candidate. Before becoming a brainwashed assassin, Bucky fought alongside Captain America in WWII. After being deprogrammed, he fought with the other Avengers against Thanos' army. He's also charismatic and attractive, despite being somewhat inarticulate.

Btw, I just posted some social media pics in the Doomsday thread showing some of the "Old Avengers" getting together to watch Thunderbolts*.

Edited by tv echo
  • Like 4
11 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

ETA: When and how did Bucky get into Congress? "Hello. My name is James Buchanan Barnes. I was best friends with Steve Rogers growing up. I joined the army, fought in World War II, got captured, and was rescued by my formerly frail bestie. Then I fell off a train to my death . . . only to get turned into an assassin by Hydra, complete with a badass metal arm. I killed a LOT of people. I killed Tony Stark's parents. Yeah, you can blame the brainwashing, but I think that's the reason why Steve gave his shield to Sam. Anyway . . . I'm not a Boomer that thinks he knows how to represent his people. I'm pre-Boomer, and I KNOW how to represent."

Likely the same way Ross got into office. The parallel isn't exact, but it's there.  Barnes is well-known at this point, and despite his shady past I think he could get a big chunk of the popular vote, especially as things currently stand in the world the characters inhabit. It's why he's so bad at giving impromptu comments to the press, without a speechwriter preparing something for him.

So. This is Yelena's movie, as it should be. I guess she never saw Natasha alive again, since her loneliness was based on not having anyone around after her "work" was finished. And while Alexei is various levels of clown, there's something smart in him saying she didn't think he'd want him near her. He's the author of much of her trauma, both him and Melina, but for whatever reason he clearly means a lot to her. In the present she doesn't seem to know how to connect with people, which does make me wonder if she's not been in contact with Kate Bishop at all since the events of Hawkeye.

Nice to see Ava again, though I am displeased that Taskmaster was dispatched so quickly. Valentina's bullshit got Antonia killed, even if it was Ava pulling the trigger, and as much as I maybe shouldn't I'd hoped Bob would finish the job on her. Notice how TM deliberately opens her mask to tell Yelena, "I'm not here for you." Val set the group against each other like it was The Hunger Games. It's kind of shocking that she's still alive.

Other things; Not surprised to see that John hasn't fully put aside his asshole tendencies, or his ragemonkey vibes. I do think he's trying, but how are you going to pick a fight with a guy who's wearing pajamas and doesn't seem to be entirely there? Because like all of them, Bob is a victim too. Of his psychosis, of people who took advantage of his state to get him into a "medical trial", and then just abandoned him in the name of cleaning up. Hell, Val didn't even know he was in the vault when she set the place up to burn. Did she forget or did she just not give a damn?

The people applauding when the group pushed the big slab of concrete over was kind of cheesy, but it was a good cheesy. The Avengers are gone, we don't know if Sam has a team put together yet (or as a sidenote how Kamala's recruiting is going) and so this group of victims, of losers, of not-quite-good-people is what's here to protect civilians. Alexei telling Yelena that he was the happiest when he was saving people made me feel for him, which is an accomplishment given who and what Alexei is, but that's the point. That you try to do better.

  • Like 5
On 5/1/2025 at 9:04 PM, thuganomics85 said:

Lewis Pullman did an excellent job.  Part of me is still curious to know what Steven Yeun's take would have been, but this one is hard to top (and, I kind of wonder had it been Yeun, some would have just thought of him as Dark Invincible during all of his scenes.)

Yeah, I definitely would have been constantly thinking Dark Invincible if Steven Yeun had been cast as that character.  From the clips I saw, Pullman looked spot on as Sentry.  Maybe not Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark spot on, but good casting really does make a difference.  Of course, most posters here will say no one cares what comic book fans think anyway.

Of course Florence Pugh is a deserving star, so it's no surprise she's front and center.  I'm a little surprised that I haven't heard a bunch of complaints about the M-She-U and Marvel/Disney forcing another female feminist leader on us.  Maybe it's because Pugh is such a big star. 

The Silver Surfette asked the Fantastic Four if they were the protectors of this world, and some people were losing their minds because Sue answered her instead of Reed.  As silly as that is, I suppose it shows people care more about the Fantastic Four than the Thunderbolts.  As well they should, as the foundation of the entire Marvel Universe (and I mean that with no disrespect to the Thunderbolts).

  • Like 3
45 minutes ago, iarwain said:

Of course Florence Pugh is a deserving star, so it's no surprise she's front and center.  I'm a little surprised that I haven't heard a bunch of complaints about the M-She-U and Marvel/Disney forcing another female feminist leader on us.  Maybe it's because Pugh is such a big star. 

It helps that she's white, doesn't seem to be overly outspoken on social media, and only the absolute die hards would know enough about the Thunderbolts to complain about how the movie is disrespecting the source material.

  • Like 2
10 minutes ago, baldryanr said:

It helps that she's white, doesn't seem to be overly outspoken on social media, and only the absolute die hards would know enough about the Thunderbolts to complain about how the movie is disrespecting the source material.

I would leave "white" out of it.  It doesn't have anything to do with race.  Vanessa Kirby is white also.  The rest of what you said I agree with.

I really don't get the point of Marvel pretending Taskmaster was in this movie. It really feels it was a way to appease the raging fanboys who were pissed that we didn't get Tony Masters. "We hear you. Here you go, one line then a bullet to her head! Happy now?"

Aside from that it was an enjoyable movie. I liked that the final act wasn't the typical Marvel boss battle. Somehow these misfits really did become a family.

Hopefully Sam's legal action after the time jump against the New Avengers was about sticking it to Valentina and not just declaring ownership of the title once he felt like it. There's probably no love lost between him and John Walker, but I'd have thought he'd have a soft spot for Bucky and also for Yelena what with her being Nat's sister.

No mention of Melina at all. Hopefully we haven't seen the last of her.

  • Like 7
16 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

Speaking of which . . . nice of the final end credits to spoil the F4 appearance in the very last scene.

I was so confused to why the F4 theme got a credit. I was like did I miss it? I'm not great with recognizing music/themes so it wouldn't have surprised me if I did miss it.

I really enjoyed the movie but, movies about a team up of outcasts and losers coming together is right up my alley. 

On 5/1/2025 at 9:04 PM, thuganomics85 said:

And while it didn't quite pull it off as well as GOG did, I was surprised how much I enjoyed the team-up and even got emotionally invested in them during some moments

It definitely reminded me of GotG and, I agree it didn't pull the team up off as well but, I think that was due to the lack of wacky space hijinks and that the characters were all human.  Quill benefited from being the lone human among aliens, kind of like Crichton on Farscape.

The cast had great chemistry together which really helped pull the story off. I'm glad they didn't nerf Bucky again like in Falcon and the Winter Soldier.  

The story revolved around Yelena but Alexi stole every scene he was in. Bucky was still the main draw for me, so I'm glad he got to be a hero in his own right (I still think he should have gotten the shield before Sam). 

There were only two moments of clapping in my theater, one was when Bucky showed up on the motorcycle and the other was when the F4 shipped showed up in the post credit scene.

6 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

There was a credit for their theme.

There was? I totally missed that. I only saw the credit for the F4 theme.

Mel drove me crazy,  kept saying I know this actress but, couldn't figure out where...she was in Miracle Workers 🙃

Edited by Morrigan2575
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