With great power, comes great responsibility… and mental health challenges which shape the misunderstood misfits at the center of Thunderbolts*–Marvel’s most ‘therapeutic’ blockbuster to date.

At some point, they were discarded weapons of mass destruction wreaking havoc across the world until they connected with the people they needed most: each other.

Source: Marvel Studios

It’s these timeless emotional themes infused with a sharp script, hilarious shenanigans, and screen-smoldering action sequences that elevate Thunderbolts* above most modern superhero films more concerned with hunk than heart.

Check out the trailer below:

Years after the Avengers assembled to save the world, dysfunctional castoffs Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Bucky Barnes (Sabastian Stan), Red Guardian (David Harbour), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko), and John Walker (Wyatt Russell) are forced to work together on a dangerous mission that will force them to confront the darkest corners of their pasts. 

Directed by Jake Schreier (BEEF), the heartstring-tugging film also stars Lewis Pullman, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Geraldine Viswanathan, Chris Bauer, and the always enjoyable Wendell Pierce.

“I cant wait for everyone to see [Thunderbolts*], we felt very good about this movie, we screened it much earlier than we usually do, so, I’m very excited for everyone to see this because it’s a great Marvel movie and because Jake has done something very special–and the whole cast–with this movie,” said Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige in an interview with Marvel Entertainment.

Without spoiling anything, we can say it’s (arguably) the best MCU film since Avengers: Endgame with giant ramifications for the future of the MCU.

To unpack everything Thunderbolts*, we caught up with the cast who opened up about the ‘therapeutic’ themes, mental health, and more in our interviews below:

David Harbour and Wyatt Russell

Hannah John-Kamen and Lewis Pullman

Julia Louis-Dreyfus & Geraldine Viswanathan 

Jake Schreier