Thunderbolts* (MCU)

[Ulysses Dare]

Just watched this last night and found it quite fun. Not the best MCU movie, sure, but miles ahead of Brave New World,

[BrandX]

As I rewatch Thunderbolts, I have to say, I'm not sure I'd have considered the guy John killed, innocent. 😛

[Ulysses Dare]

On 8/2/2025 at 7:47 AM, BrandX said:

As I rewatch Thunderbolts, I have to say, I'm not sure I'd have considered the guy John killed, innocent. 😛

Something that's always bugged me about the MCU version of John Walker is how the script keeps trying to bend reality to make me believe this guy is an asshole. I was reading Captain America back when Super Patriot, a.k.a. John Walker, was introduced. That guy was a 24-carat asshole. The MCU version is a combat vet who got tossed into water over his head and then the people who did it to him pulled up the ladder. 

[BrandX]

39 minutes ago, Ulysses Dare said:

Something that's always bugged me about the MCU version of John Walker is how the script keeps trying to bend reality to make me believe this guy is an asshole. I was reading Captain America back when Super Patriot, a.k.a. John Walker, was introduced. That guy was a 24-carat asshole. The MCU version is a combat vet who got tossed into water over his head and then the people who did it to him pulled up the ladder. 

 

I agree.  He didn't come off as much of an asshole in the series and I thought it was messed up what they had the government do to him.  Not saying they shouldn't have taken away the shield/title, but it's not like Steve didn't go about killing Nazi's, and John just killed a terrorist, who may not have been the one to kill his friend directly, but he was there as the group and things got heated.

 

Also, in Thunderbolts, he came off as right more than once.  Elevator shaft scene, while the others didn't like it, he was not only correct but saved them all (okay, Bob would've been fine :p) and when he told Yelena there was to many variables and then she acts like he shouldn't have moved when her plan fell apart and he was screwed 😛

 

Though, I do believe she gave him a compliment later about being a good soldier.

 

Of course, on the digs, they were all going to do that regardless.

[ShardWarrior]

I watched Thunderbolts and CA: BNW on the plane while on vacation.  Thunderbolts was middling/okay at best in my opinion.  If I am being honest, I just did not get invested in the characters at all.  Most, if not all of them, are substandard copies of the originals done far better.  Yelena's incessant whining grated my nerves to the point I nearly shut it off more than once.  I honestly do not know why they even bothered to have Taskmaster make a cameo.  Seemed pointless to include her.  This was one of those MCU films you needed to "do your homework on" to understand who these characters are, which I do not think helped it.

 

The movie did have some nice action sequences and I do think it better than some other MCU offerings, but overall I did not care for it.  John Walker/US Agent and Bucky were the only characters I did like.  If these are indeed the new Avengers, it does not bode well for the MCU.

 

I found Godzilla Minus One a much better and far better written film.  Much more entertaining to watch.

[Ghost]

10 hours ago, ShardWarrior said:

 

 

I found Godzilla Minus One a much better and far better written film.  Much more entertaining to watch.

In all fairness, Minus One is a great movie.  
I don’t really think you can compare anything MCU related to it.
 

[ShardWarrior]

9 hours ago, Ghost said:

In all fairness, Minus One is a great movie.  

 

Yes, I thought so.  I had a 13 hour flight so I had plenty of time for movie watching.  I bring up Godzilla Minus One as it was one of the films I watched during my flight.  I always enjoyed the Godzilla films as a kid, whether they were silly/campy or not.  I liked the first two films in the recent Legendary Monsterverse.  I have to say,  I was very surprised at how well Minus One was written.  I very much enjoyed Shikashima's story arc.  This film is even more impressive once you realize that Disney spent about twice as much on a single episode of something like She-Hulk than was spent on Minus One - and the film won an Oscar for VFX.  Definitely worth a watch if you have not seen it.

 

9 hours ago, Ghost said:

I don’t really think you can compare anything MCU related to it.

 

Sure you can.  From the standpoint that a good film with a well written story and compelling characters you can get invested in is indeed a good film with a well written story and compelling characters you can invest in.  It does not matter if that film is an MCU movie or not.  

[BrandX]

On 8/29/2025 at 3:49 AM, ShardWarrior said:

I watched Thunderbolts and CA: BNW on the plane while on vacation.  Thunderbolts was middling/okay at best in my opinion.  If I am being honest, I just did not get invested in the characters at all.  Most, if not all of them, are substandard copies of the originals done far better.  Yelena's incessant whining grated my nerves to the point I nearly shut it off more than once.  I honestly do not know why they even bothered to have Taskmaster make a cameo.  Seemed pointless to include her.  This was one of those MCU films you needed to "do your homework on" to understand who these characters are, which I do not think helped it.

 

The movie did have some nice action sequences and I do think it better than some other MCU offerings, but overall I did not care for it.  John Walker/US Agent and Bucky were the only characters I did like.  If these are indeed the new Avengers, it does not bode well for the MCU.

 

I found Godzilla Minus One a much better and far better written film.  Much more entertaining to watch.

 

You have Taskmaster there the same reason Suicide Squad had Slipknot.  Gotta kill someone off to feel the pressure!  Also, no one liked her. 😛

[ShardWarrior]

2 hours ago, BrandX said:

Gotta kill someone off to feel the pressure!  Also, no one liked her.

 

Her not being all that important or likeable is exactly the point.  It was not the "shock/gut punch" that I believe it was intended to be.  It did not have any meaningful dramatic impact because you did not care about the character.