Between the many films and TV shows following Avengers: Endgame, projects ranging from great to okay, and no proper build-up to our next Avengers-level threat, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has admittedly had its ups and downs these past few years in terms of quality consistency. However, I’m happy to report that Thunderbolts* has officially put us back on track! The film mainly follows the sister of Black Widow, Yelena Belova, as she assembles a ragtag team of anti-heroes that were introduced in other MCU projects to stop a threat that none of them can stop alone. Without giving away too much, especially that mind-blowing after credits scene, this film boasts incredible performances from the cast, thrilling action/fight choreography, and set pieces/comic references to more than satisfy Marvel fans such as myself. Not only that, but the story is also dark and deeply emotional, touching on themes of mental health and depression using the flaws of these anti-heroes, which I wasn’t expecting in the slightest. This is the type of intentional and emotional storytelling that I believe has been missing from some recent MCU film outings, and if Fantastic Four: First Steps ends up being half as good as this was, Marvel’s future is looking bright. Score: 9/10
