New Avengers or Old Plot? Thunderbolts review
- Every Media Productions
- May 9
- 3 min read
A darker, grounded take on Marvel’s legacy of heroes. Thunderbolts reboots the formula, with mixed but promising results.
by Fábio Borges, in Los Angeles
After years of box office domination with titles like Avengers: Endgame, Marvel has begun to feel the effects of franchise fatigue. Some recent releases, even with massive budgets and star-studded casts, have failed to captivate audiences or reignite excitement for the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). In this context, Thunderbolts, released in theaters under the subtitle New Avengers, emerges as a strategic attempt to reposition the brand. And, surprisingly, it works, though not without reservations.
A New Team, A New Chance
The strength of Thunderbolts lies in its core cast, which brings together broken characters, antiheroes and morally gray figures. Under the leadership of Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), the team includes names like the Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan), Red Guardian (David Harbour), U.S. Agent (Wyatt Russell), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), and, unexpectedly, the film’s standout character: Bob, also known as Sentry, played by Lewis Pullman.
Bob / Sentry: Devastating Power Beneath Fragility
Bob is undoubtedly one of the film’s biggest surprises. In the comics, he is the alter ego of one of Marvel’s most powerful and unstable characters: the Sentry, a sort of Superman with psychological problems. The film explores this duality in clever and unexpected ways. Bob initially appears as an ordinary, introspective, even fragile man, the opposite of the imposing, god-like figure that is the Sentry.
As the story unfolds, his powers are gradually revealed, culminating in emotionally and visually impactful scenes that mark the film’s turning point. Pullman’s performance skillfully balances Bob’s human vulnerability with the near-cosmic threat he becomes as the Sentry, whose instability is as dangerous as his abilities. More than just a supporting character, Bob / Sentry becomes a dramatic pillar of Thunderbolts; and his introduction could have massive implications for the future of the MCU.
Plot: Between the Predictable and the Promising
The storyline centers around a covert mission that threatens to destabilize global balance, evoking the best moments of Captain America: The Winter Soldier. While it follows a familiar formula (team formation, internal challenges, betrayal), Thunderbolts injects fresh energy by giving voice to emotionally unstable and ethically ambiguous characters.
The screenplay’s greatest strength is creating genuine tension among the team members without relying on overly cartoonish villains. The real conflict is internal, not external, giving the film a more mature, less fantastical tone.
Visuals and Direction: Marvel Regains Control
After criticism of declining quality in recent projects, Thunderbolts marks a return to the technical precision that made Marvel famous. The action scenes are well-choreographed, practical effects are used smartly, and director Jake Schreier focuses more on mood and atmosphere than empty spectacle. The restrained tone benefits character development and heightens tension in key moments.
Rebirth or Stopgap?
With a strong cast, intriguing characters and a storyline that blends drama and action more evenly than recent efforts, Thunderbolts (New Avengers) can indeed be seen as a potential turning point for Marvel. It's not perfect, but it points to a new path, one less dependent on galactic mega-villains and more focused on human relationships, moral dilemmas and self-contained stories.
About the author
Fábio Borges is an award-winning international journalist and the founder of Every Media Productions. Since 1996, he has reported from the Americas, Europe, and Asia, producing over 4,000 news stories.
About Every Media Productions
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