Thunderbolts: Superpowers, sadness, and the power of connection

FIRST things first, Malaysia is mentioned multiple times in this movie and features one of our recently constructed iconic Merdeka 118 tower.

Take that Bill O'Reilly!

Thunderbolts directed by Jake Schreier brings together a band of dysfunctional outsiders — and lesser-known comic book characters — who discover their potential to be heroes when working together.

Thunderbolts is in many ways, different from other MCU films that have come before it, and that freshness couldn’t have arrived at a more opportune time, when the franchise is in need of new blood and direction. It’s some of Marvel’s darkest material to date, dealing with the emotional wreckage of broken individuals grappling with their past choices and finding camaraderie amidst the emptiness of their lives.

You know how every friend group has that one person who insists they’re “fine” but hasn’t blinked since 2018? That’s basically the essence of this film. Marvel’s latest dive into its antihero archive gives us a squad of misfits who have seen too much, stabbed too many, and honestly just need a group hug. Or a licensed therapist. Or both.

This isn’t your usual CGI-filled parade of heroics. Nope—Thunderbolts trades the bombast for brooding, and explosions for existential dread. Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova leads with her trademark deadpan sass and eyes that have clearly read every sad girl Tumblr post from 2012. Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes continues his career as Marvel’s most tired man, looking like he just got out of a group project where no one else did any emotional labor.

This may be a team-up film, but it very much belongs to Florence who carries much of the dramatic weight of the movie on her back, while Lewis Pullman delivers a complex performance as a sympathetic character at war with himself. It may not be the flashiest, funniest, or strongest Marvel film, but its rough edges and imperfections somehow all feel fitting for this anti-hero team of misfits.

Thunderbolts is now in cinemas nationwide.

The misfits are joined by Red Guardian (David Harbour, chaotic dad energy personified), U.S. Agent (Wyatt Russell, morally confused jock), Taskmaster (still not speaking, still intense), and Ghost (forever on the verge of a meltdown). Together, they’re less a superhero team and more a very unstable support group that occasionally punches things for the government.

And honestly? That’s the charm.

The plot—loose as it is—focuses less on external threats and more on internal damage. These are characters defined by what they’ve lost, what they’ve done, and what they’re trying not to remember. It’s like Marvel asked, “What if we did a film where no one’s really okay, and we actually acknowledged that?”

It’s surprisingly tender. And occasionally hilarious in that “haha ouch” kind of way. The script doesn’t shy away from darker themes: trauma, moral ambiguity, and the heavy truth that sometimes, redemption is just surviving another day without running from yourself. Heavy stuff, sure. But it’s also strangely comforting.

Now, does it stumble? A bit. Some characters get more screen time than others (looking at you, Ghost), and the pacing lags where it should sprint. But when it works, it really works—especially in the quiet moments where these not-so-good people try, clumsily, to be something better.

So no, Thunderbolts isn’t here to save the world. It’s here to show us what happens when the world doesn’t save you—and what it means to live with that.

Verdict? Come for the fight scenes, stay for the emotional damage. Just maybe bring tissues. And snacks. And a crisis hotline number, just in case.