We came for Iron Man, we cheered on Thor, we swooned over Captain America, but after Avengers: Endgame, we have struggled to find even one superhero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) who could charm us the way the Phase 1 heroes did. With Thunderbolts*, MCU’s most surprisingly engaging and fun film since the Infinity Saga (yes, it has been a pretty dry six years), fans have perhaps found someone other than a hero to root for.
MCU has long been known for its squeaky-clean heroes with a strong moral fibre steering epic battles between good and evil. Characters like Steve Rogers and Tony Stark defined an era of superhero storytelling marked by sacrifice, honour and redemption. But in May 2025, Marvel made a notable pivot with Thunderbolts*, a film that seems to have both revitalised the franchise and reinvented the Marvel hero.
Directed by Jake Schreir, Thunderbolts* is a jolt of electricity the franchise needed — messy, unpredictable, formulaic, yet undeniably engaging. This ensemble film centres on morally ambivalent characters like Bucky Barnes, who continues to wrestle with the weight of his past; Yelena Belova, whose wit is matched by her emotional scars; Red Guardian, still clinging to outdated ideals; and Ghost, whose trauma manifests in more ways than one. Their alliance is forged not out of shared purpose but out of shared wounds. Their motivations are ambiguous and their heroism is conditional.
Thunderbolts* marks Marvel’s most decisive move toward embracing the antihero on the big screen. While previous films occasionally hinted at a moral greyness — Tony Stark’s arrogance, Loki’s shifting allegiances, Wanda Maximoff’s grief-fuelled actions — these niggles were often resolved with a reaffirmation of the heroic ideals.
Characters like Frank Castle in The Punisher and Jessica Jones on the small screen offered early glimpses of how morally complex storytelling could succeed within the Marvel framework. Frank Castle, in particular, became a breakout figure despite — or because of — his uncompromising methods and emotional isolation. These characters proved that audiences were willing to invest in protagonists who didn’t always do the right thing for the right reasons. But these shows were not part of the MCU.
DC, on the other hand, has long been building its brand around complicated heroes and antiheroes. Films like The Suicide Squad, Joker and The Dark Knight, and series such as Peacemaker, embraced darker themes and characters that didn’t fit into traditional moulds. While Marvel honed its formula for crowd-pleasing blockbusters, DC leaned into internal conflict, often not with great results but always with a bold intent.
Phase 5: A new era in Marvel’s storytelling
The tonal shift in MCU began in earnest during Phase 4. Following the conclusion of the Infinity Saga, Marvel began exploring the emotional and psychological consequences of its world-changing events. WandaVision tackled themes of loss and denial, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier examined legacy and trauma, Moon Knight introduced dissociative identity disorder through a surreal lens, and Loki deconstructed destiny and free will. These projects proved that Marvel could tell stories that were not just action-driven but introspective as well.
In Phase 5, MCU seems to be finally reinventing its heroes. Thunderbolts* is the clearest signal of that commitment, but it is not alone. Deadpool, the irreverent and self-aware mutant known for his chaotic morality, is now officially part of the MCU. Blade, a half-human, half-vampire hunter with a grim worldview and storied past, is also part of the new phase.
They are not just tokens; they’re carrying the narrative, and with that comes a new tone for the MCU: darker, weirder, and a bit more grown-up. Which, frankly, might be what happens when your audience ages 15 years along with your characters.
And let’s face it — with the Avengers in disarray and no clear replacement for Captain America (Sorry Anthony Mackie, Chris Evans will always be Cap) or Iron Man in sight (Robert Downey Jr is missed so much that he is coming back to the MCU as a villain), it may just fall to these morally murky figures to pick up the mantle. Deadpool’s chaotic good, Blade’s shadowy purpose, and the Thunderbolts’ messy team dynamic might be the saving grace of a universe that’s getting more predictable by the movie.
This evolution reflects a broader shift in cultural storytelling. Audiences, thanks to shows like The Boys, The Umbrella Academy and Peacemaker, are increasingly drawn to characters who reflect real-world complexities; those who grapple with failure, contradiction and doubt. In Thunderbolts* and its contemporaries, Marvel is offering a more nuanced portrayal of heroism, one that embraces imperfection.
By moving beyond the binary of good versus evil, MCU has, hopefully, opened up new creative possibilities, with antiheroes being central to the future of the franchise. Maybe the age of clean superheroes is giving way to something even more powerful: heroes with dirt under their nails and blood on their knuckles — still fighting the good fight, just not always by the book.