Trigger Warning: Thunderbolts* includes depictions of suicidal ideation and an exploration of depression.
Phase Five of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is official over and Six is set to kick off with The Fantastic Four: First Steps; but, before we say goodbye, the final film of the Phase Five, Thunderbolts*, is out on home video. Like end of Phase Three film Avengers: Endgame (2019), Jake Schreier’s Thunderbolts* is as much an ending as it is a beginning. It brings together a few of characters from Phases One, Two, Four, and Five, addressing a few loose threads for each while also setting up a major conflict to come. Unlike other MCU films, though, its highlights don’t come from the bombast, but from the quiet moments, the introspection, the search for connection that pushes each of the characters to reconsider how they ended up where they are. It makes for a fascinating watch and one of the more satisfying in recent memory as it shuns fan service and embraces the darkness within to examine what it means to be a hero. Through three featurettes, two deleted scenes, and one gag reel, you won’t find any direct answers to this on the home release, but there’s always the director’s commentary.
If you’re interested in learning about Thunderbolts* in a spoiler-free capacity, head over to EoM Founder Douglas Davidson’s initial theatrical release review. Moving forward, spoilers are guaranteed.
After the events of Hawkeye (2021), Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) is experiencing an existential crisis, going through the motions on her missions and not finding the joy in things. Promised a change by CIA Director Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), Yelena agrees to one last job at a remote bunker to stop a thief from getting their hands on proprietary intel and finds herself one of several hitters given a similar mission: find and take out a target. Realizing that they’ve all been duped by Valentina, John Walker/U.S. Agent (Wyatt Russell) and Ava Starr/Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen) reluctantly team up with Yelena and the mysterious, scrub-wearing Bob (Lewis Pullman) to escape the facility they’re trapped in and lay low. When Bob is captured and it’s revealed that he’s the lone successful patient of Valentina’s Sentry Program, the three, alongside Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian (David Harbour) and Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) decide to work together to save Bob and stop Valentina. But what none of them could realize, not even supposed puppet master Valentina herself, is that what lies within Bob-now-The Sentry is something that threatens to swallow the world whole and, without The Avengers, nothing can stop it.
L-R: Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), Bob (Lewis Pullman), Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), and John Walker (Wyatt Russell) in Marvel Studios’ THUNDERBOLTS*. Photo Credit: Chuck Zlotnick. © 2025 MARVEL. All Rights Reserved.
What follows is based on a digital edition, the code provided by Walt Disney Studios, so no first-hand knowledge can be provided about the various iterations of this release. What the press release does state is that there is a limited edition steelbook that includes both Thunderbolts* and The New Avengers as the title, regular physical editions (4K UHD, Blu-ray, and DVD) with a few retailer-specific versions, and a digital edition.
Center: Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) in Marvel Studios’ THUNDERBOLTS*. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2024 MARVEL.
One of the more fascinating tidbits in the seven-minute featurette “Assembling a Team to Remember” is that Pugh found herself surprised by the direction of Yelena given the prior appearances in the MCU (Black Widow and Hawkeye). Her tone in the moment doesn’t imply or suggest irritation, but pleasantness, coming off as someone who is intrigued by the opportunity the shift in Yelena affords the actor. As a viewer, the change in Yelena from someone quite good at their job and who seems sort of above everyone else’s bullshit (it’s partially what makes her a scene-stealer in Hawkeye — that and her chemistry with actor Hailee Steinfeld who plays Kate Bishop) to someone with suicidal ideation and depression feels like a return to form for the MCU. Shane Black’s Iron Man 3 (2013) prominently centers Tony’s PTSD following The Avengers (2012) and Avengers: Infinity War (2018), and Endgame seeks to acknowledge Thor’s (Chris Hemsworth) psychological deterioration due to the loss of his family and his friends at the hands of Thanos (Josh Brolin) and his own hubris blocking the immediate prevention of Thanos from snapping. You can see it in the opening sequence with Yelena’s narration and how it courses through the undercurrent of all that follows until the failed fight with Bob as The Sentry. A particularly profound moment in the opening sequence can get overlooked between Yelena’s slightly unkempt hair and the lackadaisical way she jumps from the tower, but Schreier positions the camera so that the perspective of the fight between Yelena and the initial wave of security guards is overhead with the shadows of each character prominently established. This is certainly a foreshadowing moment for The Void and the shadows that appear when he sends people into the shame void, but it also makes the sequence look like Yelena and her opponents are already within it and don’t realize it. Despite their fighting, despite Yelena overcoming the numbers, she still loses because all she’s fighting are empty shadows. This is what her job is, boxing with meaningless nothings. It makes the emotional basement she hits, yelling at Alexei on the streets of New York, so hard-hitting as she’s been building up to her own breakdown for longer than she realizes. This journey makes the character more human and, therefore, more interesting than the quippy, confident killer we’re first introduced to.
Another great realization comes in the 10-minute featurette “All About Bob, Sentry & The Void,” which, among offering details about the three characters that Pullman plays (performance, costuming, narrative approach), we also get tidbits on the stunt work and production. If there’s been a frequent complaint about the MCU as a whole, it’s the reliance on CG to create the worlds that the characters inhabit, moving away from on-location or built sets to inspire the imagination. Schreier with Thunderbolts*, like Chloé Zhao with Eternals (2021) before it, makes the events within the film feel more realized because of how frequently they use CG to enhance what exists versus making it up digitally. This means that the explosion in Malaysia at the start of the film earns a more intense reaction from the audience because the production really did blow up a floor of a building, and it means that watching Yelena burst through each shame space receives as equal a reaction. Sure, some shame rooms are decorated to be false spaces. It’s a choice that aims to enhance the sensation that the void isn’t real, that it’s manufactured and meant to trick people into being trapped within it, yet remains no less dangerous because (a) of how the characters react to said space and (b) that it’s so clearly tangible. Speaking of the stunt work, if you enjoyed the opening, there’s a dedicated nine-minute featurette, “Around the World and Back Again,” that drills into the work that the stunt team put in to ensure both Pugh’s safety and the authenticity of the sequence to bring about the important character moment.
As for what remains, the three-minute gag reel is as amusing as one might expect, especially because of the chemistry of the cast. They all appear to be having a ball, even when things go wrong (and they do go wrong). The two deleted scenes are barely a minute in length and one can understand why they were cut between an unnecessary moment with Walker in the bunker and a perspective change after the New Avengers announcement that shows Congressman Gary’s (Wendell Pierce) reaction to Valentina’s announcement and what it means for his investigation into her.
On the rewatch, my biggest gripe with the film remains with Bob and the presentation of The Void. In the comics, the character has some deep trauma that created psychological issues and a dissociative disorder. Here, The Void seems more like a representation of depression, which, while still powerful as a metaphor within the film and its concepts, appears to underplay just how damaged Bob is. I love that the climactic battle with The Void is resolved via group hug, truly, as it offers something that Endgame got both right and wrong in its depiction of Thor’s emotional journey (his friends are so damaged by their own trauma that, instead of trying to offer him support, they offer jokes and insults) which is that community can be the salve that reduces the lies depression tells. I also find that it confusing that Sentry appears to be killed by Valentina’s kill-switch (blood-filled eyeballs and all), yet comes back completely fine once The Void is suppressed. It’s something which doesn’t get addressed as clearly as I’d prefer in the commentary track. One can make certain leaps of logic regarding the powerset The Sentry possesses, but returning from the dead (or apparent dead) didn’t seem to be one of them. Without it being addressed in a satisfactory way, this and the aforementioned presentation of his psychological state continue to gnaw at the edges of my enjoyment of everything else.
By and large, the MCU hasn’t released a bad film. Yes, even the one that popped into your head, that one. I’ve watched and rewatched them all several times and have found something to enjoy about each one. The best ones entertain and give the audience something more to chew on. Here, Thunderbolts* (or, as is part of its marketing post-release, The New Avengers) does a bit of both, giving the audience a few anti-heroes to follow in their respective quests to gain respectability in hopes that it might change how they view themselves. Knowing that Phase Six is going to introduce The Fantastic Four and move the story toward both Avengers: Doomsday (currently slated for Dec 2026) and Avengers: Secret Wars (currently slated for Dec 2027) doesn’t diminish the moment. Presuming that everything is going to come crashing down with the upcoming two-part Avengers story, best to enjoy it while we can.
Thunderbolts* Special Features:
- Around the World and Back Again – Discover the eclectic locations and astounding production design that helped make Thunderbolts* a rousing reality, including a visit to the sprawling sets in Kuala Lumpur where we join Florence Pugh performing stunts atop one of planet Earth’s tallest buildings and blowing up buildings on the streets. (9:13)
- Assembling a Team to Remember – Spend a bit of quality time with the cast and crew of Thunderbolts* as they divulge how the film’s fictional team of superpowered mavericks, misfits and antiheroes was assembled. (7:29)
- All About Bob, Sentry & The Void – Deep dive into the making of three different characters: Bob, Sentry, and The Void – all performed by Lewis Pullman. (10:36)
- Gag Reel – Enjoy fun outtakes on set with the cast and crew of Thunderbolts*. (3:00)
- Director’s Audio Commentary – Watch the film with audio commentary by director Jake Schreier. (2:06:42)
- Two (2) Deleted Scenes (0:58)
Available on digital July 1st, 2025.
Available on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and DVD July 29th, 2025.
For more information, head to the official Marvel Studios Thunderbolts* webpage.
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Categories: Home Release, Recommendation
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