There’s a lot of good things to say about Thunderbolts. 

This is only her third MCU outing, but Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) is already a better character than Natasha Romanoff. Feels a bit blasphemous to say, but I think it’s true. Pugh acts her ass off in a movie that could uncharitably be called the MCU’s Suicide Squad. She also has good material to work with, instead of being the Avenger’s token female or the Hulk’s therapist/side piece. Marvel did Natasha dirty; I’m glad her adopted sis is getting better treatment. 

The Red Guardian (David Harbour) is an absolute delight. Steals every scene. The movie even redeems John Walker (Wyatt Russell), who was a quasi-villain when last we left him. All the characters are damaged goods. That’s the point. In fact, I’d argue the Guardians of the Galaxy are a better comp than the Suicide Squad. Misfits, not villains. Found families, not reluctant allies. 

Despite the recent marketing materials, Thunderbolts is not the best MCU film. (There’s a commercial that quotes an unnamed reviewer who posits exactly this, which obviously means said reviewer is Kevin Feige’s nephew or dog groomer.) Thunderbolts is not even in that conversation. It’s a mid-level MCU film, somewhere in the range of the first Ant-Man or Doctor Strange. Graded on the MCU’s recent curve, it’s a triumph. But let’s not get all hyperbolic here—it’s a solid B. After a wasteland of Cs and Ds, I’ll take it. 

For the first time in years, I actually feel hopeful about the MCU. 

A lot of that comes from the Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) of it all.