Supergroup therapy: A review of ‘Thunderbolts*’

When a little too much scrutiny falls on these individuals, the flames of criticism are fanned both by the media and by the politicians on the other side of the Congressional aisle. The mastermind behind this organization (played terrifically by Julia Louis-Dreyfus) decides to terminate the project (i.e. kill them). This of course inadvertently leads these rejects to unite and coalesce as a supergroup.

All of these characters have made appearances in previous Marvel entries, the most renowned being The Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) and Black Widow, version 2 (Florence Pugh). The rest are a hodgepodge of minor players that only Marvel completists will have knowledge of. For instance, if you know that Ghost (Hanna Jane-Kamen) was first introduced in “Ant-Man and the Wasp,” you are in that camp.

It’s a very simple tale. But the plot is not the focus of this movie, as much as it is an excuse to get the band together and explore the dynamics among the group’s members. The movie studio overlords have put together a unique team of creators (much like the characters) to come up with a very unconventional entry in their Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The relationships, dialogue and backstories of our dysfunctional anti-heroes are the coin of this movie’s realm.

First on the writing team is Joanna Calo, who was instrumental in crafting the black humor of Netflix shows “Beef” and “Bojack Horseman,” and more recently the delicious wit of the Max show, “Hacks.” She also had fingerprints all over Hulu’s not-a-comedy comedy, “The Bear.” Her cabinets are filled with Emmys for her prolific work.

The studio melds this with the more traditional Marvel screenwriting polish of Eric Pearson (“Thor: Ragnarok,” “Black Widow”). “Ragnarok” was one of the best entries in the MCU. “Black Widow” was a real life tragic tale of COVID-19 movie politics, and did not deserve the poor reception it received. “Thunderbolts*” does benefit from some storyline continuity from Pearson’s movie though.

They have made a Marvel movie that tries hard to shy away from all its recent criticisms (too much rotten CGI, third-act climaxes degenerating into boring superhero battles, wildly meandering storylines among the different movies that create discontinuity, etc.). That is a good thing.

But in doing so it’s turned into a quip-o-rama, a constant barrage of humor and jokes, which is fine I suppose for stand-up, but feels a little off for a movie. Some of the bits land really well. Many are throwaways.

The comedy is obviously a “tears of a clown” defensive mechanism belying a lifetime of trauma among the players (I mean the heroes, not the writers…I think). Joking allows everyone to reframe their pain, providing a false sense of agency. (There may have been a Dr. Phil joke in there somewhere.) To that end, backstories are provided for most of the characters (in case you haven’t seen the previous shows and movies), and there’s a good reason why these characters are the wounded rejects among superheroes, far from than the popular ones we may already be familiar with.

Ultimately, this was a very enjoyable entry. Any blockbuster franchise where the writing is the main focus deserves commendation. I was pleasantly surprised “Thunderbolts*” dials down the MCU-ness of the whole affair, although followers of the movies will definitely enjoy the fan service, especially past the end credits.

Finally, let me add that “Thunderbolts*“ has got to be the most cusp-Millenial and Gen Z Marvel movie of all time, with its obsession with mental health hygiene. You thought Thanos or Ultron were bad villains? You should check out the league of doom made up of Repression Man, P.T.S.D. 2025, Anxiety Girl and Doctor Dissocial Disorder. Is this perhaps a subtle product placement by the National Institute of Mental Health? Does Marvel receive a write off for an in-kind donation?

Author’s note: Please don’t cancel me. I am not making light of mental health issues. I am merely observing and reporting on what is going on in this movie. I admire the creators’ desire to try something new in what’s become a formulaic playground, but maybe there’s just a tad bit of an overcorrection going on here.

Also, I never got a trigger warning for some of the darker scenes. What’s up with that?