They’re not super. They’re not heroes. They’re not giving up either.

I saw Thunderbolts with Mrs. Know-It-All, we had a wonderful time at the movies, and the one thing I can say with absolute certainty is that this is not your standard MCU fare. If you’re looking for a glossy Marvel movie, no. The Avengers are not coming. Don’t take your kids to this. It’s not hard R or anything terrible, but it’s a thinking movie, and it’s a thinking movie that paces itself well. Yes, the characters are wearing outfits, but it doesn’t drown under that either. It’s a take on the MCU that I was really excited to see.

This is a non-spoiler review, which is something I don’t do here often. So if you’re thinking about seeing the movie, don’t worry, I’m not going to spoil anything for you. The full spoiler conversation that Mrs. Know-It-All and I had about it is its own video on the channel, and it’s actually pretty good.

A Ragtag Team and a Very Dark Turn

Thunderbolts brings together a ragtag group of antiheroes. Yelena Belova, played by Florence Pugh. Bucky Barnes, played by Sebastian Stan. Red Guardian, played by David Harbour. U.S. Agent, played by Wyatt Russell. Ghost, played by Hannah John-Kamen. Taskmaster, played by Olga Kurylenko. They’re recruited by the enigmatic Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus (very capably, by the way), for a mission that forces them to confront their pasts and ultimately question their allegiances.

Director Jake Schreier takes the MCU into a very dark tone. He shifts it completely. There’s a way more introspective direction going on here, and the film balances really intense action sequences with some kind of unbelievable character-driven storytelling. It’s a really fresh take on the superhero genre.

I say that, and trust me, I’m sure a ton of you are going to be like, “Well, what about this, and what about that, and what about the other?” Yes. But not in an MCU movie.

The Unpolished Black Widow

Florence Pugh shines as Yelena, which she kind of always does, but she’s the unpolished Black Widow. By that I mean Scarlett Johansson was always the very polished Black Widow, and Yelena is coming into it years later. Out of the gate, as you’ve seen in the trailers, she’s tired, and the movie carries that whole story all the way through. She’s fierce and, I would say, vulnerable.

Sebastian Stan, or Congressman Bucky Barnes as we learned in the Captain America movie, is a very grounded presence, in that he’s the only really familiar MCU face. You go to this thing and everybody else is a bunch of unknowns.

I had a discussion about that with one of the guys in the audience online, Street Preacher actually, who asked whether you have to have seen everything, because there’s a bunch of characters we don’t understand. And I said no, but yes. I love that guy.

Much like the earlier MCU movies, this one does a really good job of handing you stuff that’s new without feeling like you had to do the homework. They explain enough, and I think we’ve all generally gotten the picture by now: the heroes are gone as we know them. That’s the world we’re living in at this point, and I think it’s pretty interesting.

And David Harbour. Bro, David Harbour adds such a touch of humor and heart as Red Guardian. I love the guy. “When I look at you, I don’t see your mistakes.” That was really good.

The chemistry in this ensemble is palpable, and their interactions are a highlight of the film.

They Sold Us an A24 Movie and Then Gave It to Us

The cinematography leans into a grittier aesthetic. I had a conversation online with someone who said grittier doesn’t always mean better, and I get it. I really, really get it. But moving away from the glossy visuals that are the typical hallmark of the MCU does a good job of grounding this someplace.

There’s a heartfelt moment in here, a split second before something horrific happens. Normally in that moment you’d get the bright shining sun and the bright colors and the whole bit. This maintains its tone. I don’t know, man, I feel like someone probably had to wrestle really hard to keep it this way, and I’m really here for it.

This sold me on that A24 trailer feel. The one they sold us in that one trailer with the really great music. We were sold that, and they gave it to us, and that makes me so happy.

Son Lux’s score really complements the film’s tone. It enhances the action and the emotional beats. At least for me it did.

Bad People, Bad Things, and a Way Past It

Thunderbolts gets into some really deep themes: redemption, identity, and that gray area of morality. At its core it takes the Scarlett Johansson Black Widow journey and gives it to the whole team. It’s a character study as much as it is a superhero film. By that I just mean these are bad people who’ve done bad things, and now they’re being given an opportunity to go beyond that.

There’s a line in here that carries all of it: “The past doesn’t go away. So you can either live with it forever or you can do something about it.”

It explores what it means to seek forgiveness and ultimately forge a new path. I like that. I’m down for that.

Stay in Your Seat

Stick around. I was going to tell you there are two post-credit scenes, and that’s a lie. There’s what you think is the fade out, and then there’s a button, and then there’s the credits, and then there’s a scene. So stay in the theater. Don’t run out. Make sure you watch all the stuff to the end.

Wear Purple This Month

More than just Thunderbolts is going on this month. May is fibromyalgia awareness month, and Mrs. Know-It-All joined me at the top of the video to talk about it. World Fibromyalgia Awareness Day is May 12th, so everyone should wear purple. There’s a link in the video’s description where you can donate to the fibromyalgia association. If you know anyone who suffers from fibromyalgia, or you think you might have it, they’ve got lots of information, lots of tips, lots of research. It’s a really great organization. Go take a look.

The Verdict

Thunderbolts* is a 10 out of 10 on the Know-It-All Index. It’s pretty simple, I say it with pride, and I don’t care what anybody thinks.

It’s got areas that fell short, and I’m not pretending it doesn’t. It was just such a good time. Soul fulfilled. Even without the gloss and glitz of the old MCU stuff, it felt new and fresh somehow, and it defied my personal expectations of what the MCU is going to be moving forward.

It’s a bold step forward for Marvel, one that I hope marks a new trajectory. This movie is offering a more mature and nuanced narrative than I think we’ve gotten in a long time, if at all, from the MCU. It may not have the high-flying spectacle of some other Marvel movies, and I think that’s to its benefit. Its strengths are in the character work and, honestly, the thematic depth.

I really hope they take their cues from this. I hope they don’t learn the wrong lesson, which is to make everything dark and gritty. Just take a swing, man. Just take a swing.

Did Thunderbolts hit the mark for you, or did it leave you wanting more? I’d love to talk more about this one with you. The conversation lives in the comments on the video above.