Marvel gets a huge shot in the arm from the MCU’s unlikeliest heroes.

By this point, Marvel Studios’ post-Endgame funk has been so extensively documented it really doesn’t need reiterating. To save everyone precious time and energy, let’s just say that, since 2019, things haven’t quite gone to plan for the comic book juggernaut. There have been ups, but there have been just as many downs, something previously unthinkable for what was once a bulletproof franchise.

That said, the Marvel name has battled back in the past and there’s no doubt it will once again. Despite the current size and influence of Marvel as a company, much of their best work happens when in an underdog mindset. Just look at the incredible success of previously B-list heroes like Iron Man, Thor, and the Guardians of the Galaxy; the popularity of outsider heroes like Spider-Man and the X-Men; or the story of how Marvel fought their way back from the brink when they were forced to sell the film rights to some of their biggest characters – and it’s clear that the underdog spirit runs deep with this company.

This is precisely why, despite the chips being down, Marvel will no doubt get their mojo back one day. And it feels rather appropriate that this comeback looks to have been sparked by the most underdog team of them all.

Finding themselves ensnared in a death trap set by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), an unconventional team of disillusioned castoffs - Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), Red Guardian (David Harbour), Ghost (Hannah John-Kaman), Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko), John Walker (Wyatt Russell), and Bob (Lewis Pullman) - embark on a perilous mission that will force them to confront the darkest corners of their pasts.

Despite arriving as the final chapter of Phase Five of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the air of a new dawn feels strong with Thunderbolts*. Of all the MCU phases thus far, this current one that has encompassed everything from Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania until now has undoubtedly been its roughest. Many factors have gone into the problems over the past couple of years, however, these choppy seas seem to have finally calmed with the franchise’s latest instalment.

Refreshingly, Thunderbolts* is a film that doesn’t overreach in its ambitions. Unlike many of its superhero contemporaries, this is a film that’s more than happy to keep things low-key, and it’s this restrained approach that really allows Thunderbolts* to stand out from the comic book crowd.

On the surface, there’s more than a hint of The Suicide Squad to Thunderbolts*, yet it doesn’t take much digging to discover there’s so much more to offer here. Although Marvel’s band of unlikely underdog heroes are as mismatched and as ramshackle as their DC counterparts, there’s something far more reflective and refreshingly intimate about what Thunderbolts* is doing.

With a tone pitched at a place we rarely see from a superhero movie, let alone a Marvel one, Thunderbolts* just hits different, and perhaps the biggest factor in this refreshingly alternative approach is the legwork put into getting its mental health themes right. Of course, plenty of comic book and superhero films have prodded at and skirted around the subject of mental health but few have tackled it quite as head-on and attentively as this.

With strong Guardians of the Galaxy vibes, Thunderbolts* tackles the concept of broken characters wrestling with rejection, trauma, and the cumulative impact of past bad deeds, yet, unlike its space-hopping MCU cousin, this is a film with far less colour and sci-fi pizzazz to lift the gloom. With a darkness closing in on each of our antiheroes (quite literally at times), the troubles facing them feel entirely human and a world away from the usual high-level concerns of your average Marvel superhero. Even when things do get high concept and the superhero shenanigans are ramped up a notch with the introduction of the various sides of Lewis Pullman’s Bob, it still manages to land in a very relatable and highly impactful way.

It’s certainly not an easy thing to do and it’s a serious tonal tightrope walk for a film that’s intended to be a big summer blockbuster; however, the visual interpretation of Bob’s depression, loneliness, trauma, and bipolar disorder is quite remarkable. Taking these themes and ramping them up to superhero levels is quite some feat, yet, whether it’s via the Sentry, the Void, or just plain Bob sides of Lewis Pullman’s character, we are offered a surprisingly nuanced, deeply human, and admirably relatable representation and examination of mental health.

Striving to offer a very different Marvel product than we’ve become accustomed to, Thunderbolts* is a superhero movie not about punching bad guys through buildings or taking down an alien spaceship to save a city, the world, or the multiverse. This is a superhero movie about depression, trauma, loneliness, finding a purpose, and helping a friend through it all. Granted, we’re not getting some complex, nuanced A24 trauma drama here – and no one should go in expecting Thunderbolts* to be that – however, as a big old slab of blockbuster franchise cinema, it has far more to offer on the subject of mental health than one might expect.

It’s all a delicate balance but one Marvel and the film’s director, Jake Schreier, strike pretty damn well, with much of their success stemming from the admirable legwork put in with their characters. With an ensemble that includes Yelena Belova, Bucky Barnes, John Walker/U.S. Agent, Red Guardian, and Hannah John-Kaman’s Ghost, these are all familiar faces we have seen in other Marvel projects, yet the film’s script balances them exceptionally well, all while ensuring they feel fuller, more rounded out, and far more authentic than we’ve seen before.

Despite the odd tone and plotting wobble, Eric Pearson and Joanna Calo’s script is nimble and flexible enough to handle the emotional shifts comfortably, however, much of the film’s success stems from its cast. This is an MCU team up after all and, as such, the dynamic of the team is vital to the ultimate success of Thunderbolts*, and while the ensemble isn’t quite on the stratospheric level of chemistry that the original Avengers cast possessed, they manage to offer something very different and, in many ways, just as satisfying.

While the star gage may not be on the same level as their Avengers predecessors, that hardly matters here as there’s something about the scruffy underdog team dynamic that just works. Landing closer to Guardians of the Galaxy than the Avengers, the cast may initially appear randomly thrown together, however it doesn’t take long to see that there’s something far more substantial going on here.

Led wonderfully by Florence Pugh as the de facto leader of the ‘Thunderbolts’, the ensemble’s friction, banter, and chemistry really do make the movie tick. Pugh is as customarily awesome as ever, Sebastian Stan offers a wise old Avengers head, Wyatt Russell’s cocky, punchable snark keeps things interesting and bounces off Hannah John-Kaman excellently, while David Harbour offers a great balance between broad humour and deep sadness that rounds things out perfectly.

Around the edges of the core team, Julia Louis-Dreyfus feels like she’s finally hit her stride with her slimy Valentina role, while Geraldine Viswanathan adds a good dose of dry wit and humour to proceedings as Valentina’s long-suffering assistant. Of the entire ensemble, however, it’s Lewis Pullman that really steals the show. Putting in a triple shift as Bob and his two alter egos, Pullman offers fantastic depth and range in his performance, one that operates as the true emotional core of the entire film.

Within the team, there’s certainly room for some classic MCU humour here and there to add a little levity to proceedings, however, it never feels as intrusive or as unnecessary as it so often can in a Marvel movie, with the film’s tone coming off far more solemn and closer to the likes of Winter Soldier than anything else, a factor reflected in its muted colour pallet and relatively reined in action.

Like Winter Soldier, the action in Thunderbolts* feels grounded and tactile, all while embodying the classic fantastical Marvel spirit. Leaning heavily on hand-to-hand combat, car chases, and (relatively) realistic, close-quarters choreography, the action on offer may not be hugely mind-blowing, yet it is tactile, visceral, and highly impactful.

Even as we enter the third act and the action ramps up a couple of notches, director Jake Schreier goes out of his way to avoid the cliches and the kinds of pratfalls that often drag down your average superhero movie. There are no sky beams or alien ships here but there is an ominous shadow creeping its way across New York and it’s a switch into the extraordinary that feels earned, visually arresting, and emotionally satisfying.

Full credit must go to Schreier and his writers, as well as Marvel Studios themselves, for not only having the vision necessary to construct such a thoughtful, well-balanced, emotionally impactful slice of blockbuster cinema, but to fully deliver on what they set out to achieve. As simple as that sounds, it’s certainly not something you can say for a lot of the recent Marvel projects (looking your way Brave New World). And if this is a sign of what’s to come, it feels like the Marvel Cinematic Universe may have its mojo back at long last.

Minor plotting and tonal issues aside, Thunderbolts* is a triumphant return to form for Marvel. With an impressive balance of character work, heart, humour, and action, Thunderbolts* deploys an excellent ensemble, relatable stakes, and an astute mental health analogy to deliver one of the MCU’s finest post-Endgame entries.

Thunderbolts* is in cinemas now.