After years of misfires, disappointments, and a growing sense of superhero fatigue, the MCU looks poised for a comeback with the highly anticipated arrival of Thunderbolts—a gritty, but mostly fun new adventure that just might put Marvel back on top.

Directed by MCU newcomer Jake Schreier, Thunderbolts* is the 36th film in the franchise. It stars an ensemble cast featuring Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, Wyatt Russell, Olga Kurylenko, Lewis Pullman, Geraldine Viswanathan, David Harbour, Hannah John-Kamen, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus.

Ensnared in a covert government operation that quickly spirals into a deadly trap, an unlikely team of antiheroes—Yelena Belova, Bucky Barnes, Red Guardian, Ghost, Taskmaster, and John Walker—is thrust into a high-stakes mission that tests their fragile alliances and personal demons. As they navigate a web of betrayals, buried secrets, and shifting loyalties, each member is forced to reckon with the darkest corners of their pasts.

The ragtag...