Thunderbolts*

Thunderbolts* has a soul beneath layers of superhero set pieces and tropes — it mixes a bit of Inception (shame rooms full of old memories) with some Inside Out and Hancock. It’s not subtle with its gimmicks and visual symbolisms, of course, but it suggests that all the superhero fans who flock to theatres in search of escapism and thrills are inherently wired to avoid the imperfections of being human. It forces most MCU enthusiasts to confront the very life that the comic-book multiverse protects them from.

If there’s one thing the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is good at, it’s capitalising on its self awareness. Tony Stark knew he was the smartest guy in any room, and didn’t bore people with false humility. Steve Rogers knew how corny his idealism sounded in a largely-cynical world, so he kept up a stoic face while being mocked for it in film after film. Peter Parker was just another New York teenager anxious about not fitting in. Ant-Man and Hawk-Eye knew their powers were perceived as ‘sillier’ compared to the A-listers, and they owned this silliness. It’s what used to be endearing about these films [till Avengers: Endgame, 2019] – but once the stronger actors and directors quit, it became increasingly clear there was nothing beneath the layer of self-awareness.

If you are curious about the significance of the asterisk in Thunderbolts*, it denotes the New Avengers, as revealed at the film’s conclusion. Maybe they could have revealed it earlier but it was probably a marketing decision, like most things in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The latest superhero offering from the Marvel Cinematic Universe might be its most audacious. Thunderbolts introduces a team of assassins and mercenaries who are all wrestling with troubled pasts. Though Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), the Winter Soldier, is the most familiar character, the film centres on Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), along with Red Guardian (David Harbour), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko) and John Walker (Wyatt Russell)—a low-budget Captain America. Fans will recognise each of them from the MCU, predominantly from Black Widow. What writers Eric Pearson and Joanna Calo, along with director Jake Schreier and producer Kevin Feige, do so well in the 36th MCU film is turn second-string characters—antiheroes, even—into flawed but fun heroes. Thunderbolts* is a bold tonal shift in the MCU, trading flashy heroics for emotional scars and moral ambiguity. There are shades of Suicide Squad here, but this is a more inward-looking movie.

I have to admit I’ve had the Marvel Superhero fatigue for a while now and have even avoided watching some of the studio’s recent offerings. There are too many now, and everything seems to be having an Avengers hangover. Just when I was about to write off Marvel Cinematic Universe, the studio has sprung a surprise with Thunderbolts- a film that is aware of the weight of fatigue that it carries but turns the Avengers sub plot on its head and delivers a refreshing take on the super hero world post the exit of the Marvel stalwarts. The film, directed by Jack Shreier and featuring Sebastian Stan, Florence Pugh and others, also tackles mental health in the most effective way possible in a story of reluctant, has-been superheroes.