Summary
For the first time in several years, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is rebuilding some positive word-of-mouth in the theatrical movie world, thanks to the release ofThunderbolts*. The Jake Schreier-directed latest Marvel entry has not only netted some of the most positive reviews the series has gotten in years, but has also genuinely reinvigorated huge swaths of the fanbase. Whereas other recent box office successes likeSpider-Man: No Way HomeorDeadpool & Wolverinelooked toward the past to incite audience excitement,Thunderbolts*charts new ground for the MCU and genuinely instills hope that there may still be something to this whole franchise. Or at least, it does right up until its finale, when the machinations of the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe intrude upon the story and break the back of the movie in the process.
Paradoxically, for as much asThunderbolts*seems like a promising portent of things to come and proof that Marvel Studios actually does remember how to make a real, practical movie, it also serves as a worrying warning. The need for the studio to cater to the larger interconnected universe and set up the impending release ofAvengers: Doomsdaycompletely runs the ending of the movie.
The Story at the Center of Thunderbolts*
Part of what makes Thunderbolts* such a surprising creative success is how much it does with so little. The film is ostensibly a sequel to several lesser Marvel works, such asBlack Widow,The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,Ant-Man and the Wasp, and everyone’s least favorite subplot fromBlack Panther: Wakanda Forever. But shockingly, the film manages to assemble this motley crew of loose ends from across the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe and interrogate them in a meaningful way. The bulk of the film is about how helpless and lost these characters feel, which functions well in-narrative and outside of it. In a meta sense, these are literally lost characters, an island of misfit toys from Marvel’s pantheon if ever there was one. Yet, the film finds meaning in exploring that very sense of isolation.
While the characters start the film as lone entities, many of whom are working as covert assassins for Valentina Allegra de Fontaine,they end the film having learned the value of community. Through uniting and finding solace in one another’s companionship, they are able to not only overcome the external obstacles thrown at them but also overcome their own respective internal struggles as well. In this way, the end of the movie sets them up in direct opposition to Valentina and her nefarious ways. They have had full-blown arcs and learned to value themselves far too much to ever lose themselves with her grasp again… or so it would certainly seem right up until the film’s final minute.
The End of Thunderbolts*
What actually happens at the end ofThunderbolts*is a last-minute reversal whose shock value is nowhere near worth the amount of structural damage it does to the story, themes, and characters of the film. In the aftermath of The Void’s defeat, thetitular team pursues Valentinathrough the rubble, trading barbs about how they’re going to make her pay for her deception and malicious intent. However, as they pass through the final layer of rubble, they find not just Valentina but an entire press conference assembled. Valentina has duped them into appearing onstage with her and announced that this new team, who just saved the day, is, in fact, The New Avengers, whom she has created.
The fact that Valentina would do this isn’t shocking in the least; she’s literally been doing this exact same thing over the course of the whole film, constantly pivoting to whatever new development best serves her. But what isshocking is the way in which the team reacts. Despite the full film’s worth of growth they’ve all experienced and the fact that each of their character arcs was centrally rooted in learning to value themselves as individuals and as a team, they just kind of nonchalantly roll with Valentina’s announcement. Yelena exchanges exactly one covert line of dialogue with her about how not all is forgiven just yet, but then proceeds to just go along with the whole thing anyway. Even more baffling, the post-credit scene of the film confirms that the whole team really did commit to this bit that Valentina cooked up on the spot, as it cuts to over a year later and sees each of them working as The New Avengers.
How Avengers: Doomsday Changed Things
The idea that this team would so subserviently comply with Valentina’s big reveal is ludicrous and undercuts the themes at the heart of the entire film. Furthermore, the idea that even a character such as Congressman Bucky Barnes would not only go along with the reveal but commit to it so wholeheartedly that he’s still a member of the New Avengers fourteen months later in the post-credit scene is insane.
The elephant in the room is that Marvel is desperately attempting to gear audiences up for next year’sAvengers: Doomsday, and is attempting to do so at a breakneck pace. When the studio opted to dump the original Kang-centric plan for Phase 6, they had to pivot hard and dramatically restructure things. As a result, whereas something likeAvengers: Infinity Warhad a full decade of build-up to it,Doomsdayonly has a couple of films in a handful of years. To this end, Marvel neededThunderbolts*to end on a note that established The New Avengers as vital players moving forward, and even shot the post-credit on the set ofAvengers: Doomsday, with theRusso Brothers stepping into direct. Forcing the film to end this way may effectively set up the impendingAvengersfilm, but it does so at the cost of this present-tense experience.
