While we no longer believed in it, Thunderbolts* has just knocked down: hailed by critics, the film is considered one of the best films in the Marvel stable.
Since the start of its phase 5 in 2023, the MCU has patina, and not just a little. Between the flop ofAnt-Man 3 and the mega-bide of The Marvelsthe superheroic giant seemed to sail in sight, without light CAP. And the commercial failure of Captain America 4 At the beginning of 2025 did nothing. In this wobbly framework, Thunderbolts* first appeared as another nail in the coffin of a franchise that many said in loss of speed. Before its release, the project was declined with unflattering adjectives (dreary, dull, opportunistic) as it seemed to be a lukewarm replica Suicide Squad sauce Marvel.
But as the film’s release approaches, Marvel changed brave. Marketing has tried to highlight a darker, almost depressed tone, like the last trailer centered on a Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) in the midst of an existential crisis. The first opinions on Thunderbolts* fell and they were rather enthusiastic (as almost always). And we then discovered the film… which was really A good surprise.
Ce Thunderbolts* which closes the laborious phase 5 a succeeded in the impossible: seduce criticism, to the point of displaying one of the best scores ever attributed to a Marvel film on Rotten Tomatoes (88/100 all the same) and Metacritic (69). Press review.
Thunderbolts* is more than a suicide squad
“Surprisingly, Thunderbolts* is interested in the psyche of characters suffering from depression and isolation. Although he does not reach the epic summits of action of the first films, he suggests that Marvel goes in the right direction. »»
David Griffiths – Subculture Entertainment
“Thunderbolts* is not always successful, but he dares to be different, from the title to the team. A freshness and a reflection that the recent efforts of Marvel have not always managed to set up. »»
John Nugent – Empire Magazine
« Basically, the most radical element of this new version made in Marvel is undoubtedly his idea that the problems of the world are not resolved with overpowered punches, but by a frank collective hug. A little cucul and syrupy, perhaps.«
Kevin Maher – Times (UK)
The solution to the fatigue of superheroes?
“This is a return to the essential, chaotic and sometimes uneven, to the best of the old MCU. The film is exciting and sincere and, above all, it proves that Marvel can still surprise us when he stops trying to please everyone and that he lets himself go to the oddity. »»
Linda Marric – HeyUGuys
“If Avengers was the film that America in 2012 needed, exulting in the euphoria of the Obama era while remaining sounded by September 11, then Thunderbolts fits perfectly at 2025: a world where everything seems a little fucked up, and where the powerful seem above all busy preparing. »»
Alonso Duralde – The Film Verdict
“Thunderbolts* has something to push these so-called victims of” superhero weariness “to reconsider the question: and if it was not the genre itself that was out of breath, but rather this obsession to sell out to come and recycle an already faded nostalgia, instead of simply telling stories?
Clarisse Loughrey – Independent (UK)
FLORENCE PUGH SUPERSTAR
“If it finally works, it is thanks to Florence Pugh, who can tear sincerity from a scenario (and a franchise) which has so little, by capturing an entire emotional arc in its only moments of silence. »»
Radheyan Simonpillai – Guardian
“All the parts assembled here, including a high quality distribution (even Wendell Pierce!), Transparently work together as Marvel has not done so for some time. And above all, Florence Pugh dominates the film from start to finish ”.
Jake Coyle – Associated Press
“This is why Thunderbolts* is much better than most Marvel’s films after Endgame. It is not only because it is a brutal spy thriller, with a big heart, featuring anti-heroes that are adorably distraught. It is also because it is carried by an actress as charismatic as Florence Pugh. »»
Nicholas Barber – BBC.com
For criticism, Thunderbolts* is therefore imposed as A welcome anomaly in the MCU landscape at this stage. Where many feared a lazy recycling of the worst tics of the studio, the film seems to have surprised by its emotional density and its desire to face a broken world, without trying to flee any form of reality behind torrents of jokes and explosions.
On Rotten Tomatoes, Thunderbolts* is currently at 69/100 and is therefore placed in 12th place in MCU films, ex-aequo with Spider-Man : Far From Home et Avengers (also at 69/100) and even just ahead Avengers : Infinity War and its 68/100. In front of him, we find in particular the two other Spider-Man films by Tom Holland, Shanghai-Chi (71/100), Thor Ragnarok (74/100), Captain America : Civil War (75/100), Avengers : Endgame (78/100), Iron Man 3 (79/100) and of course Black Panther, The best rated film in MCU on Metacritic with an average of 88/100.
Thunderbolts* arrived in French cinemas on April 30, 2025.
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