It’s an obvious and massively repeated statement, but I feel it’s important to reiterate—Marvel, post-Endgame, has been filled with such major disappointments. What was once something to look forward to, has become a capitalist cash cow filled with uninspired stories using the same formulaic feel, look and message. I felt that things hit an all-time low with the hideously low-quality installment that is Captain America: Brave New World. All hope seemed lost but as with some films during the last two MCU phases, there were some refreshing glimpses of light given to us—Thunderbolts* is one of them.

What happens when you give a person who hasn’t reconciled with his past traumas unlimited power? Both his duality of identity are wrestling each other for its place to rule over the body. Hurt people will hurt people—and people are never tired of saying this. Then, a bunch of “heroes”—in actuality, a bunch of skilled no-goods with no real superpowers filled to the brim with past sins and guilt. What to do? What can mere nobodies do against a powerhouse like that? “How do you expect us to be heroes?” Simple enough. Bring out the best in each other. Guide them and be with them. Doing this, anyone can be heroes—even the worst of people.

At first, this film didn’t seem promising. Though, with the knowledge that A24 crew members were at the helm of the project with Jake Schreier—of Beef and We Cry Together-fame—leading and producing the themes mentioned above, it placed my mind at ease. Their experiences from previous A24 films can be seen here, especially through the surrealistic past trauma scenes. Because of this and how the story and themes are represented, I feel that this film is a special entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. For the first three phases, the entries of the MCU had its focus mainly on introducing its characters, making their arcs and getting them together for an epic finale. The messages they were trying to convey weren’t profound—at least not as profound as it could be and with some exceptions such as the complexity of artificial intelligence and consciousness in Avengers: Age of Ultron and the discussion of politics Captain America: Civil War. In Phases 4 and 5, most of the films’ messages still feel the same, but if the film was steered by an auteur like Sam Raimi, James Gunn or, in this case, Jake Schreier, you get a piece of Marvel that is full of character. The film explores themes of mental health, specifically trauma, loneliness, identity and relationships—this might be the first instance of a Marvel film that contains surreal-like symbolism to represent its themes. Now, there is, finally, something left for the audience to infer. Albeit some of the character symbolism suffered from exposition, it’s still great to see there was an effort made there.

Though, if you’re expecting epic action, this is not the film for you. What the action merely does here is support the notion that the Thunderbolts are weak compared to their counterpart. Instead, how the Thunderbolts defeat the enemy through an emotional standpoint is what makes this film stand out against other Marvel films so far. When you do get action sequences, it’s an alright one. Some scenes had great cinematography, especially when playing with rack focus and panning. Out of all, the score is what brought it home—a great piece of work by the Everything Everywhere All at Once crew that supports the emotional scenes very well.

Thunderbolts*, although not the greatest piece of superhero film, is another step in the right direction for Marvel. Hiring crew members that are alumnis from arguably the indie film production house proved to bring a fresh new perspective on the superhero genre, bringing in profound messages through clever symbolisms. Thunderbolts* is an emotional piece of work that subverts expectations