Thunderbolts: A Box Office Mistake That Still Sets Up the Future of the MCU

There have been some changes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe recently, and Thunderbolts, the newest movie, shows that. This ensemble antihero movie was the last one in Phase Five. It promised to be different from other superhero Movies by being darker and more focused on the characters. Critics mostly liked its new approach, giving movie a great 88% on Rotten Tomatoes, but the box office results paint a different, more depressing narrative. movie's evident that Thunderbolts didn't do well at the box office, even if critics liked movie. But its real value is in the bold moves it took for the MCU's future.

I really liked how the movie stuck to its morally gray characters. It was a nice change from some of the more clear hero stories. Jake Schreier directed the movie, which featured an interesting bunch of "disposable delinquents" including Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), and Red Guardian (David Harbour). These are people we've seen on the edges of the MCU. Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) planned their quest, which drove them to face their pasts and made for some really interesting drama.

But the financial results are impossible to ignore. Thunderbolts needed to make about $425 million worldwide to break even. It cost $180 million to make and another $100 million to market. It has only made about $382 million worldwide so far, which makes it one of the lowest-grossing MCU movies. It's even more interesting to think about why a movie with a solid cast and good reviews had trouble finding an audience.

Why Thunderbolts Didn't Make a Lot of Money at the Box Office

Audience Fatigue and Familiarity with Characters Were Factors

One of the main reasons Thunderbolts didn't do well at the box office is probably because people are tired of superheroes and the characters in the movie. I love seeing these antiheroes have their time to shine, but it's clear that they aren't as well-known as Iron Man or Captain America. Some people may not have seen the prior movies or Disney+ series that introduced several of these characters, such as Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen) and Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko).

In recent years, the MCU has also been putting out a lot of movies and TV shows. This can make it hard for people to keep up with and care about every single project. Marvel used to release movies in a more regular way, which kept fans interested. With so many things going on right now, a movie with a less well-known crew might not seem like a must-see event to some people.

The movie had a smaller budget than most MCU tentpoles, which usually cost between $200 and $250 million to make. However, it still needed to do well at the box office to make money. It looks like a non-marquee superhero movie needs more than simply strong reviews and word-of-mouth to become a huge smash these days.

What the Asterisk means and what the New Avengers show

The Ending of the Movie Sets Up a Big Change for the MCU

The strange asterisk in the title of Thunderbolts was one of the most talked-about things about the movie before it came out. I was interested in the rumors, and the movie definitely lived up to its promise of a big reveal. The asterisk was a brilliant way to hint at the team's true fate: they are now known as "The New Avengers."

At the end of the movie, Valentina Allegra de Fontaine holds a press conference to introduce the team as the New Avengers. This approach lets her save face following her illegal activities by making the squad seem like her idea. Florence Pugh, who plays Yelena, was allegedly stunned by this news because she saw it as a way for her character to find a new family and purpose.

The closing credits make this much clearer by pulling away the "Thunderbolts" title card to show "The New Avengers." This isn't just a marketing trick; it's a concrete plan for the future of the MCU. The sequences after the credits in the movie make this point even stronger. They show the team, which includes Bucky, Yelena, Ghost, and John Walker, in what seems like the newly restored Avengers Tower, which Valentina now owns. They even talk about a copyright issue with Sam Wilson's Captain America, who is said to be suing them for using the moniker "Avengers."

The second post-credits scene is very thrilling since a spacecraft with a "4" emblem on it arrives, hinting at the upcoming Fantastic Four: First Steps movie. This makes it apparent that Thunderbolts is an important part of the bigger story of the Multiverse Saga, just like The Avengers was for the Infinity Saga.

For the MCU, Thunderbolts is a must-have bridge.

It Can't Be Ignored That It Sets Up

Some people might think that Thunderbolts did poorly at the box office, but I think it's an important part of the MCU's ongoing tale. It's a movie that focuses on character development and builds up bigger things to come. Director Jake Schreier and writers Eric Pearson and Lee Sung Jin provided a new perspective to the project. They used their experience writing series like Beef to look at mental health and trauma in the setting of superheroes.

The movie is unexpectedly soulful for the MCU because it focuses on antiheroes and their inner battles. This is a reminder that not every Marvel movie has to make a billion dollars to be good. Instead, Thunderbolts is a great bridge that brings back characters and sets up important story aspects for future movies like Avengers: Doomsday and The Fantastic Four: First Steps.

The movie sticks out to me because it's willing to be "weird" and "lean into the skid" of the present superhero scene. Marvel's new strategy is to focus on quality and how everything fits together, even if that means some projects won't be as big hits at the box office as they used to be. The story and characters in Thunderbolts are so interesting that you should see it. It sets the stage for what's to come.

You can buy or rent Thunderbolts digitally on sites like Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, and Fandango at Home. It should start streaming on Disney+ in late August or early September 2025.

Questions and Answers About Thunderbolts

What does the asterisk stand for in Thunderbolts?

The asterisk in Thunderbolts means that by the end of the movie, the team will be known as "The New Avengers." This becomes clear in the last several minutes and is made much clearer in the end credits.

Why did Thunderbolts do poorly at the box office?

Even though critics liked Thunderbolts, it didn't do well at the box office because people were tired of superhero movies, the team was made up of less well-known characters from other TV series and movies, and there were too many movies coming out at the same time.

Who are the important people in Thunderbolts?

Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), Red Guardian (David Harbour), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko), John Walker (Wyatt Russell), and Bob, who is also known as Sentry (Lewis Pullman), are the primary characters in Thunderbolts. Valentina Allegra de Fontaine is the character that Julia Louis-Dreyfus plays. She puts the squad together.

How does Thunderbolts fit into the bigger MCU?

Thunderbolts is a straight setup for future MCU projects. Its post-credits scenes hint at the appearance of the Fantastic Four and make it clear that the new "New Avengers" are connected to movies like Avengers: Doomsday.

When can I watch Thunderbolts on Disney+?

There hasn't been a specific date set yet, but Thunderbolts should be accessible to watch on Disney+ by the end of August or the beginning of September 2025, when it comes out digitally on July 1, 2025.