Given the lack of output for the rest of this year (because Marvel TV moved Wonder Man<\/a> to January), now\u2019s as good a time as any to look back on the year that was, try to process what was achieved, and think about where the genre is going in 2026<\/a>. With all of that in mind, I spent a ton of time thinking about the Best Superhero Movie Released in 2025. And I went with:<\/p>\n Thunderbolts Is The Best Superhero Movie Released in 2025<\/p>\n And no, I\u2019m not calling it The New Avengers. This ragtag band of super-powered rejects adopt the name Thunderbolts<\/a> (adorably stolen from Yelena Belova\u2019s West Chesapeake Valley youth soccer team) when they were banding together under the auspices of doing the right thing, no matter how difficult. That\u2019s their \u201csecret handshake\u201d moniker, and I wish it would have stuck. <\/p>\n Thunderbolts is the most rewatchable superhero movie released in 2025. And it rewards the viewer on each return, where you can pick up subtle jokes, admire the kinetic streams of chemistry shared by the cast, or marvel (sorry) at Angela Catanzaro and Harry Yoon\u2019s inspired editing. I laugh every time Red Guardian\u2019s joyful bellow gets cut off after the team agrees to join Bucky on a mission to stop Val and save Bob.<\/p>\n Also, Florence Pugh gives arguably the best performance in any MCU movie outside of Josh Brolin\u2019s work as Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War.<\/p>\n Thunderbolts doesn\u2019t break new ground. But it does build something interesting on the MCU\u2019s already established foundation. Teams like the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy have come together before to fight a common foe. But the members of those teams weren\u2019t as deeply flawed, as desperately broken, as Yelena\u2019s band of misfit toys. <\/p>\n Which is why their third act finale is so much more compelling than anything we have seen in the MCU before. Instead of pyrotechnics and expensive visual effects, director Jake Schreier wisely relies on therapy sessions staged in \u201cshame rooms\u201d located in the Void. And they matter because we care about these characters. Some, like Sebastian Stan\u2019s Bucky, because of the years we\u2019ve spent watching him rally against his programming. And some, like David Harbour\u2019s Red Guardian, because they are tragically hilarious.<\/p>\n Not that Thunderbolts is My Dinner With Andre in Tights. There\u2019s more than enough choreographed action to keep comic audiences entertained. Hell, Sentry (Lewis Pullman) beats Bucky with his own artificial arm! That\u2019s so metal. But it\u2019s the character moments and humorous beats woven into every single fight scene that helps this ensemble to shine. <\/p>\n One month before Thunderbolts dropped, Marvel released what many fans dubbed \u201cThe A24 Cut\u201d of a trailer for the film. I shared it above. And while the final feature didn\u2019t fully embrace this indie-arthouse tone \u2013 which would have been revolutionary \u2013 it got much closer to this vibe than I anticipated, and it helped make Thunderbolts feel like the gust of fresh air the MCU needed (and continues to need).<\/p>\n What\u2019s Next for The Thunderbolts?<\/p>\n I hope you don\u2019t want to find out any time soon! <\/p>\n![\"Yelena](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/yelena-belova-looks-troubled-as-she-stands-at-the-top-of-a-skyscraper-in-thunderbolts.jpg\"\/)
\n Yelena Belova looks troubled as she stands at the top of a skyscraper in ThunderboltsImage via Marvel Studios<\/p>\n
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