“Deadpool & Wolverine” went on to become a massive earner and record breaker. But the biggest surprise to come out of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is “Guardians of the Galaxy” and how its scrappy band of space misfits were able to propel a trilogy of films that still stand among the studio’s best.
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Half of the fun of these movies was watching previously obscure Marvel characters get thrust into the spotlight and seeing how they played off one another. The Guardians were the underdogs who had to prove themselves among the studio’s more popular roster of characters. The same challenge now applies to the upcoming “Thunderbolts*,” whose lineup includes a collective of anti-heroes from “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,” “Black Widow,” and “Ant-Man and the Wasp.” It’s essentially Marvel’s answer to DC’s “Suicide Squad.”
I’m cautiously optimistic about “Thunderbolts*” simply because it has Florence Pugh, David Harbour, Sebastian Stan, and Wyatt Russell at each other’s throats. Early reactions to screenings of the film give the impression that Marvel has a winner on their hands, one that feels like a return to form. As the film encroaches closer and closer to its May 2 release date, it’s interesting to learn that one version of its script supposedly mirrored elements from a beloved Bruce Willis movie.
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