Thunderbolts* looks to be a departure from the previous team-up films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, featuring more morally ambiguous characters and a smaller-scale, intense plot. With a Summer 2025 release date, the film is closer than ever, and one of its stars has already seen a cut of it. In an interview with Cinema Blend to promote Creature Commandos, David Harbour (who plays the Red Guardians in Thunderbolts*) teased how the cut of the film he’s seen is evocative of the recent changes Marvel’s made to improve the quality of their output, saying:
“Marvel is excited by its expansion, to a certain degree. And also, I think they’re doing a bit of a course correction around getting too big, in a way, with the Disney+ stuff. I’m very excited for you guys to see Thunderbolts*. Because, I’m impressed with the direction they took that. And it’s surprising. It’s a real movie. I mean, whether you like it or not, who knows? But… I saw a cut of it, and it’s very impressive.”
Marvel Studios has seen a recent resurgence in success, in no small part thanks to the massive box office of Deadpool & Wolverine, which quickly became not only the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time, but also the highest of the year. While celebrating the success at San Diego Comic-Con, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige took the time to deliver first looks at the remaining slate in the Multiverse Saga, including a trailer for the anti-hero team-up Thunderbolts*, with the official footage eventually being released online to the public.
David Harbour Thinks ‘Thunderbolts*’ is a Step in the Right Direction for Marvel Studios
Harbour would go on to say that recent releases from major studios and streaming services have been less about the human experience of storytelling and more about numbers and data, and how Thunderbolts* feels like the antithesis to that, saying:
“I think the problem with all of this stuff is we get lost in the algorithm, or what we think works, or what the data tells us. But you can’t… this ineffable quality of human beings interacting with other human beings, that’s a special chemistry. It may not be nice. It may be unpleasant. But it has a certain electricity to it. And I think that that’s just all over Thunderbolts. And I’m so happy that Jake, the director, was so intent on capturing that. So intent on preserving that, and made that a priority. I was like, ‘Oof, this is good.’”
With the recent restructuring of the Multiverse Saga due to Jonathan Majors departing the role of Kang the Conquerer and Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom taking his place, it feels as though change is in the air at Marvel Studios. While it remains to be seen if Harbour’s words ring true, it’s always exciting when tentpole studio blockbusters have intimate character work. Thunderbolts* has a star-studded cast with the likes of Sebastian Stan and Florence Pugh, making the special chemistry Harbour hinted at feel all the more alluring. Fans will have to wait and see for themselves when Thunderbolts* releases on May 2, 2025.
