Thunderbolts*: First Rate Laughs from Second Rate Heroes
By John Kirk
Rating: B-plus
The world might be desperate for some folks to fill the Avengers' shoes, but these guys? C’mon …
But that's pretty much the vibe of Thunderbolts* - laughs, heroes with inferiority complexes, and a sense that these guys are their own worst enemies. Don't expect high heroic drama, but definitely be prepared for some laughs and even a bit of MCU canonical continuity, believe it or not.
There's a double emotional stream of humour and self-deprecation running throughout this film. (The asterisk in the title footnotes the words “The Avengers are no longer available.”) While it has humour in abundance, the audience is quickly made aware these are not the polished heroes we are looking for. But then again, if the heroes also know that, then maybe they’re the ones we need?
The story: Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), the adopted sister to the Black Widow and heir apparent to her legacy, is depressed. Saddened by the fact that all she does is work, come home to no-one and marinate in the guilt of her former Soviet Red Room Assassin days, she agrees to one more job.
She’s guaranteed that this will be the last clean-up job by her duplicitous handler, corrupt defence contractor, Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), currently under investigation by Congress. Yelana’s contract brings her into contact with the US Agent, John Walker (Wyatt Russell), Ghost/Ava Starr (Toronto’s
Hannah John-Kamen), the Taskmaster, (Olga Kurylenko) and Bob (Lewis Pullman).
Yeah, Bob. More about Bob later. I know my friend, comic writer Paul Jenkins is happy to see Bob.
When the mission goes south, the erstwhile assemblage of anti-heroes realize that they’ve all been duped and this is the catalyst the brings them together. While this happens fairly quickly, it allows for some comic moments as these new friends take stock of each other and their disadvantages. The elevator scene that begins with the line “So, no flyers? We all just punch and shoot?” that we saw in the trailer is definitely a moment that defines this group of second-rate substitute Avengers.
The humour is the way into this film and appreciating the characters. Florence Pugh’s deadpan fake Russian delivery is well-timed and thoroughly enjoyable. While it’s easy to be irritated by the easily irritated John Walker (remember him as the Temu version of Captain America from Falcon and the Winter Soldier?), it’s also easy to laugh at him as his insecurities and impulsiveness get the better of him. (Fun fact: Wyatt Russell actually auditioned for the role of Captain America in Captain America: The First Avenger).
But the humour is ramped up by the appearance of the Winter Soldier himself, Congressman Bucky Barnes (
Sebastian Stan), and the Red Guardian/Alexei Shostakov, the forgotten Super-Soldier of the Soviet Union. (David Harbour). These two opposites (bumbling and chaotic to precise and moody) play off each other perfectly. Of course, this is because both are the products of Soviet Super-Science, where one is a fully-conditioned killer and the other fully lacks conditioning!
The other track is the deprecation. Aside from the Winter Soldier, and possibly Ghost, we are given a lot of insight into the backgrounds of these characters. All are second-stringers, doing mercenary work when they can get it, and all definitely have some non-heroic elements in their backstories that manage to elicit sympathy.
These become liabilities when they are called upon in the moment to be the heroes we need them to be. It’s one thing to face an external threat like an armed opponent or an overwhelming super-powered force. But the fact that they also must overcome the pasts which come back to haunt them makes for a war on two fronts.
It’s easy to root for this crew when they’ve provided both humour and opportunities to feel sorry for them. It’s a double-pronged emotional persuasion that works. Even though they’re knock-off Avengers, they’re ones that people can better relate to than Norse gods, WWII legends or millionaire scientists with the resources to purchase small nations. Maybe that old Russian dude with the leather-patched costume isn’t such a bad guy after all?
The heroes don’t take themselves seriously and neither does their enemy. But when the audience sees that, it’s a simple thing to ease into the theatre seat and go along with the story. Even though they suck and they know they suck, they still want to be heroes and that has to count for something.
Ultimately, we are rewarded with a decent ending and some pretty cool continuity teasers in true Marvel fashion.
Thunderbolts*. Directed by Jake Schreier Starring Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, Wyatt Russell, Olga Kurylenko, Lewis Pullman, Geraldine Viswanathan, Chris Bauer, Wendell Pierce, with David Harbour, with Hannah John-Kamen, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Opens in theatres Friday, May 2.