Phase five started off with a whimper. Ant-Man and The Wasp Quantumania didn’t manage to excite fans for the new phase in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Overall phase five has been filled with ups and downs. In my opinion, phase five consisted of two awesome films. These films are Deadpool and Wolverine as well as Guardians of the Galaxy vol 3. An underrated film in The Marvels, seriously the film needs more love. And two films that I consider to be misfires or disappointing. These films being Ant-Man and The Wasp Quantumania as well as Captain America: Brave New World. Outside of Secret Invasion and the final season of What If? Phase five was pretty good on the TV side of the MCU. Still a little upset that we have not seen Blade yet. Blade was supposed to be in this phase, yet it has been a troubled development. Now with Thunderbolts* quickly approaching, it must now close up the latest phase of the MCU. One must ask why is Thunderbolts* the final film in this phase? How important will this film be for the overarching story?

To be honest, Thunderbolts* was a low priority type of film for me. Before the trailers and promos, it was just another marvel film. Which was something I rarely feel about Marvel films, usually its a day one viewing. When the first trailer dropped, it quickly caught my attention. It came off as Marvel’s response to DC’s Suicide Squad. Much like James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad, the cast seemed to have amazing chemistry and the action seems top notch. The trailer gave me the feeling of it being a necessary experience in the theaters. However, that is how I feel about this Thunderbolts*, will the general audience care?

At the time of this writing Thunderbolts* is now being raved by critics. Thunderbolts* has a 89% on Rotten tomatoes, making it the best reviewed Marvel film since Spider-Man: No Way Home. This should be exciting news for Marvel fans and movie goers, but will it translate to box office gold? I think so, upon buying tickets the theater was already packed. As mentioned above, the trailer sparked excitement for Thunderbolts* because it felt different from most MCU films.

The strength of the film looks to be the cast and characters. Mainly three characters will carry the success of this film. Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova steals every scene they are in the MCU. Pugh seems to be a powerhouse in the trailer. David Harbour as Alexei Shostaskov/ Red Guardian will play the comedic relief. This character has become one of the fan favorites in the MCU and the marketing has took advantage of that. Finally, the third character that will aid in the success is Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes. Bucky seems to be loved by all MCU fans. His involvement in this will intrigue fans to buy a ticket. However, what about rest of the cast?

Thunderbolts* will introduce Lewis Pullman (Top Gun: Maverick) as the Sentry, a new hero in the marvel universe. A complex character that will introduce a unique element in the MCU. I look forward to how the MCU will use Sentry. We have not received a great look at the character in the trailer. This is perfect for building suspense around the character. Thunderbolts* will also reintroduce lesser known characters that could potentially play a huge role in the future of the MCU.

Wyatt Russell returns as U.S. Agent after his introduction in The Falcon and The Winter Solider. Hannah John-Kamen as Ghost from Ant-Man and The Wasp and Olga Kurylenko as Taskmaster from Black Widow both return. These three characters are interesting from a story perspective with all of them being at a low point. We got a character study of U.S. Agent already. However, Ghost and Taskmaster were just villains before this film. Getting their stories fleshed out will benefit the future of the MCU and their characters.

There is one thing that is questionable. Before the release of Thunderbolts*, we got the announcement of Avengers: Doomsday. Certain members of the team were missing. Olga Kurylenko and Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine were both missing from the cast announcement. What does this mean? I think it means that Taskmaster will be killed or sacrifice their life for the team. It would be unfortunate if the same happens to Valentina Allegra de Fontaine. She has a very interesting future in the MCU.

The critical response to Thunderbolts* has been positive. The post and mid-credit scenes have also been praised. It’s safe to say that Thunderbolts* may be the right choice to finish phase five on. Be on the lookout for our review of Thunderbolts* this weekend. Let us know how excited you are for Thunderbolts*.