The Marvel Cinematic Universe is constantly putting out new content, both in theaters and streaming with a Disney+ subscription. The next highly anticipated upcoming Marvel movie is Jake Schreier’s Thunderbolts*, which will unite antagonists from across the shared universe for a mission. One Marvel fan allegedly saw a test screening, and claims it’ll impress those who are feeling “jaded” about the shared universe as a whole.
What we know about Thunderbolts* has been limited, but more footage from the blockbuster is been methodically released. The pressure is on for the movie to deliver, especially after The Marvels flopped and Captain America 4 failed to make the same box office numbers as its predecessors. Someone on Reddit claimed they got to see the film early as part of the test screening process, and was super impressed by what teh studio brought to the table. As they shared:
Attended a test screening of this near Burbank about 6 weeks ago. I won’t say too much but I think if you’re feeling jaded by the ‘capeshit’ genre because they’re all feeling the same, I would check this one out. The journey it takes the characters on is actually interesting, the team dynamic is great (not unlike Guardians of the Galaxy) and the way Sentry/Void is executed into the story is really fascinating.
Honestly, that’s some high praise. Fans who spent years watching the Marvel movies in order will recall the way the shared universe struggled following Avengers: Endgame. There have been concerns over superhero fatigue, but if this report it be believed then Thunderbolts* will deliver big time when it hits theaters. Is it May yet?
While the visuals and story beats of MCU movies can sometimes look pretty uniform, this report (if true) indicates that Thunderbolts* will have a very different feel. The comparisons to Guardians of the Galaxy are high praise, as that remains a fan favorite franchise for the shared universe. The same Redditor made a prediction about how the next Marvel movie will be received by the public, posting:
I expect this one to leg out well into the following weeks after it drops. I see the Tomatometer being above 90% for critics and audiences (of course I could be wrong) but the audience I was with seemed to love it and couldn’t stop talking about it highly after the screening.
Of course, only time will tell if this comes to fruition. It does seem like there’s a ton of excitement from the fans for the project. That’s largely thanks to Thunderbolts* cast list, which includes favorites like Florence Pugh‘s Yelena, Sebastian Stan‘s Bucky, and Julia Luis-Dreyfus’ Valentina Allegra de la Fontaine.
Despite some recent flops, the MCU did also have record-breaking success with Deadpool & Wolverine. The right project has the potential to win over audience, and we’ll see if Thunderbolts* does the same when it hits theaters May 2nd as part of the 2025 movie release list.