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 Architecture of the Discarded
In the grammar of cinema, an asterisk is a warning label. It suggests a correction, a footnote, or a condition waiting to be fulfilled. For the Marvel Cinematic Universe—a sprawling narrative machine that has lately sputtered under the weight of its own infinite expansion—the asterisk in Jake Schreier’s *Thunderbolts** is not just a typographic quirk; it is a confession. It signals that these characters, much like the franchise housing them, are provisional. They are the B-sides, the replacements, the mistakes. And yet, in Schreier’s surprisingly tender hands, this provisional status becomes the film's greatest strength, allowing it to shed the plastic sheen of "superhero content" and emerge as a genuine study of obsolescence and survival.
Schreier, whose work on the A24 series *Beef* displayed a mastery of petty grievances masking deep existential rot, brings a similar textural grit here. He is less interested in the kinetic blur of combat than in the uncomfortable silence of a room full of people who know they are unwanted. The film’s visual language reflects this claustrophobia. When the team—comprising the assassin Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), the super-soldier relic Red Guardian (David Harbour), and the disgraced John Walker (Wyatt Russell), among others—finds themselves trapped in a vault, Schreier films them not as a tactical unit, but as rats in a maze. The lighting is harsh, practical, and unsparing, stripping away the glamour usually afforded to costumed crusaders.
The narrative spine of the film is not the mission itself, but the realization of the mission's fraudulent nature. These are not heroes assembled to save the world; they are liabilities gathered to be liquidated. This meta-commentary is sharp: just as the studio might cycle through intellectual property, the character of Valentina (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) cycles through human assets. However, the film avoids collapsing into cynicism thanks to its beating human heart, largely carried by Florence Pugh.
Pugh’s Yelena has always been a standout, but here she is given room to be more than just a quip-machine. Her dynamic with David Harbour’s Red Guardian provides the film’s emotional anchor. Their scenes together are not merely comic relief but a painful dissection of a failed father-daughter relationship. When Alexei tells Yelena that she is not defined by her ledger of red, it lands with a gravity that no amount of CGI sky-beams could achieve. Similarly, the introduction of "Bob" (Lewis Pullman)—a ticking time bomb of mental instability—allows Schreier to visualize trauma not as a villain to be punched, but as a "Void" that consumes from within. The visual manifestation of his struggle is terrifyingly intimate, treating mental illness with a horror-tinged reverence rare for the genre.
Ultimately, *Thunderbolts** is a film about the rejection of the labels placed upon us. The final reveal—the peeling away of the title to unveil a new identity—is earned not because of a plot twist, but because the characters have crawled through the mud to reclaim their own worth. They reject the role of the "Thunderbolt," a disposable lightning strike, and demand to be the Avengers, the permanent fixtures.
Schreier has crafted a film that feels less like a franchise installment and more like a group therapy session held at gunpoint. It is messy, occasionally uneven, but deeply alive. In a genre often obsessed with the future, *Thunderbolts** makes a compelling case for the salvageable beauty of the past.
In the grammar of cinema, an asterisk is a warning label. It suggests a correction, a footnote, or a condition waiting to be fulfilled. For the Marvel Cinematic Universe—a sprawling narrative machine that has lately sputtered under the weight of its own infinite expansion—the asterisk in Jake Schreier’s *Thunderbolts** is not just a typographic quirk; it is a confession. It signals that these characters, much like the franchise housing them, are provisional. They are the B-sides, the replacements, the mistakes. And yet, in Schreier’s surprisingly tender hands, this provisional status becomes the film's greatest strength, allowing it to shed the plastic sheen of "superhero content" and emerge as a genuine study of obsolescence and survival.
Schreier, whose work on the A24 series *Beef* displayed a mastery of petty grievances masking deep existential rot, brings a similar textural grit here. He is less interested in the kinetic blur of combat than in the uncomfortable silence of a room full of people who know they are unwanted. The film’s visual language reflects this claustrophobia. When the team—comprising the assassin Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), the super-soldier relic Red Guardian (David Harbour), and the disgraced John Walker (Wyatt Russell), among others—finds themselves trapped in a vault, Schreier films them not as a tactical unit, but as rats in a maze. The lighting is harsh, practical, and unsparing, stripping away the glamour usually afforded to costumed crusaders.
The narrative spine of the film is not the mission itself, but the realization of the mission's fraudulent nature. These are not heroes assembled to save the world; they are liabilities gathered to be liquidated. This meta-commentary is sharp: just as the studio might cycle through intellectual property, the character of Valentina (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) cycles through human assets. However, the film avoids collapsing into cynicism thanks to its beating human heart, largely carried by Florence Pugh.
Pugh’s Yelena has always been a standout, but here she is given room to be more than just a quip-machine. Her dynamic with David Harbour’s Red Guardian provides the film’s emotional anchor. Their scenes together are not merely comic relief but a painful dissection of a failed father-daughter relationship. When Alexei tells Yelena that she is not defined by her ledger of red, it lands with a gravity that no amount of CGI sky-beams could achieve. Similarly, the introduction of "Bob" (Lewis Pullman)—a ticking time bomb of mental instability—allows Schreier to visualize trauma not as a villain to be punched, but as a "Void" that consumes from within. The visual manifestation of his struggle is terrifyingly intimate, treating mental illness with a horror-tinged reverence rare for the genre.
Ultimately, *Thunderbolts** is a film about the rejection of the labels placed upon us. The final reveal—the peeling away of the title to unveil a new identity—is earned not because of a plot twist, but because the characters have crawled through the mud to reclaim their own worth. They reject the role of the "Thunderbolt," a disposable lightning strike, and demand to be the Avengers, the permanent fixtures.
Schreier has crafted a film that feels less like a franchise installment and more like a group therapy session held at gunpoint. It is messy, occasionally uneven, but deeply alive. In a genre often obsessed with the future, *Thunderbolts** makes a compelling case for the salvageable beauty of the past.
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
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