Poor Thunderbolts*. First, its filming was delayed due to script rewrites and the 2023 strikes, leading to the departure of two of its stars, Steven Yeun and Ayo Edebiri. Then, it had to endure the indignity of having an asterisk tacked onto its title.
With so much secrecy surrounding the film, there isn’t much hype flying around it yet. Marvel isn’t doing much to generate excitement either. A leaked synopsis for Thunderbolts* has surfaced online (via Daniel RPK), and unfortunately, it’s leaving many fans feeling underwhelmed. Warning: potential plot spoilers ahead.
“Yelena, US Agent, Ghost, and Taskmaster are sent by Val to kill someone in a vault. They realize they’ve been set up and were meant to die on this mission. So they team up against their boss to take her down.”
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As Bully Maguire might say, it sounds very familiar, like something from an old superhero movie.
Yes, the Thunderbolts* synopsis is giving serious déjà vu to anyone familiar with the Suicide Squad movies. Comparisons to DC’s team of supervillains and anti-heroes pressed into doing good were inevitable, but this logline suggests that Thunderbolts* won’t even attempt to hide its inspirations.
The ragtag group of rogues being set up and left for dead by their untrustworthy female governmental spymaster? Swap Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Val out for Viola Davis’ Amanda Waller, and it’s literally the plot of both 2016’s Suicide Squad and James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad. And fans have definitely noticed.
This premise can be boiled down to just three simple words: “Task Force Xerox.”
However, not everyone is complaining about the Suicide Squad similarities. Some fans are upset that Bucky, played by Sebastian Stan, seems to have a reduced role in the plot.
It’s a bit disappointing that Marvel chose to closely follow the Suicide Squad mold for Thunderbolts*. The comics offer different roads they could’ve taken, like presenting the Thunderbolts as anti-heroes genuinely seeking redemption or depicting them as heroes before revealing their villainous nature. Instead, they seem to be the Suicide Squad in all but name.
But opinions may change once we see the first teaser trailer. Then again, Suicide Squad had a great trailer too, and we know how that turned out. Thunderbolts* could go either way when it releases on May 5, 2025.