How ‘Thunderbolts*’ Is a Gritty & Grounded Action Thriller That Mostly Ignores the MCU Multiverse

is ready to make a big play as the surprise MCU hit of the year, and it seems that, for those who have been getting a bit overwhelmed by the sprawling multiverse story that has been the primary focus of this “saga,” this movie is ready to make things a lot simpler with a grounded story. Marvel Studios exec Brian Chapek spoke to HeyUGuys at the film’s premiere, and addressed how Thunderbolts* is a movie that “brings things back down to Earth.”

“Yes, the MCU has gotten so big, right? We’re dealing with Multiverses and these large, giant threats, and so from the very beginning and in making a Thunderbolts movie, we really wanted to bring it back down to Earth on a more human scale and tell a story about these characters and what they might be dealing with as internal characters. So yeah, it was really a great opportunity to be able to take these outcasts and unite them in this film.”

Of course, the film is going to have some multiverse repercussions, as the Thunderbolts team is set to make their next appearance in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday. But before all of that, this is a film that stands mostly on its own, and as long as you have a rough idea of which characters are bobbling around the MCU, then you will recognize most of the new ensemble team. For Chapek, bringing together this group of characters from other parts of the MCU tapestry was a fun thing to do thanks to the great roster of actors making up the cast. He said:

“It makes my job so much easier, because they are such amazing actors and what they were able to bring to these characters…I mean, these are all people who have existed in kind of subpockets of the universe in different franchises so, so much fun was bringing them together, and seeing what kind of strange alchemy we could create with them, and it takes people who are maybe left in the rearview mirror and unite them as something much better.”

‘Thunderbolts*’ Will Lead Directly into ‘Avengers: Doomsday’

Over the last few years, several MCU movies have been teasing what is coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The Marvels included a post-credits scene that saw Monica Rambeau breaking through universe barriers and being trapped in a universe containing the X-Men. Brave New World ended with Samuel Sterns, aka The Leader, telling Sam Wilson that “they are coming.” Meanwhile, way back in 2022 Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness teased an “incursion” that could have dire consequences for the MCU as we know it.

Now Thunderbolts* is one of the last few remaining movies to be released before the Multiverse Saga surges towards its conclusion. While the film itself may be grounded, online descriptions of the film’s post-credits scene have revealed that the movie will end with the group watching the spaceship of The Fantastic Four breaking into the atmosphere of Earth-616. This will be a direct lead into Avengers: Doomsday for the new MCU team, and will also connect with July’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Perhaps, despite “grounding” the Thunderbolts for their introductory movie, there is simply no way of getting away from the fact that everything is connected in the single narrative of the MCU.

Source: HeyUGuys

Thunderbolts*

3
/5

Release Date

May 2, 2025

Runtime

126 Minutes

Writers

Eric Pearson, Joanna Calo

Franchise(s)

Marvel Cinematic Universe