I really wanted to see Thunderbolts*, one of the most anticipated movies on the 2025 movie schedule, in theaters, but I’m a dad of two kids. That means I have next to NO time to myself. In that way, it’s difficult to enjoy movies in the comfort of my own home, let alone in the actual theater (I mean, other than flicks like A Minecraft Movie, which my children wanted to see).
Yes, I made it a personal mission to watch Sinners in theaters (which is now one of my favorite movies), but that was a rare exception. So, would you believe that I was willing to make it another mission of mine to see Thunderbolts* in theaters? And, it’s mainly because I wanted to know what that little asterisk was for.
But, now that we ALL know what that little asterisk means (Because Marvel spoiled the surprise THEMSELVES!), I honestly have no enthusiasm for the film anymore. So, here’s why I really wish Marvel hadn’t spoiled that asterisk.
The Mystery Of That Asterisk Was Really Enticing Me
Do you want to know what I did last weekend? Well, on Friday, I took my son to Jiu-Jitsu, and my daughter to a Daddy-Daughter event. On Saturday, my son had his First Communion, and on Sunday, we celebrated my nephew’s birthday.
So, would you believe that with all three of those days completely filled up, I still tried to find time to see Thunderbolts*?
Honestly, and this may seem silly, but for the first time in a long time, I didn’t want to be spoiled by an MCU film. I’ve honestly been off the Marvel hype train since 2022.
I don’t know what it was, there was just something enticing about that asterisk. Like, why was it there? What was its purpose? I intentionally stayed off the internet since I didn’t want anybody to spoil it so I could see the movie NEXT weekend, but then, MARVEL SPOILED IT THEMSELVES! ARGH!
I Had Also Heard Such Good Things About Thunderbolts, But Now I’m Not So Pumped
In our positive review of Thunderbolts*, my colleague, Eric Eisenberg, called it one of the “better” recent MCU movies, and it has an 87% on Rotten Tomatoes. So, needless to say, the critical consensus was really positive. Not only that, but I heard a lot of good things about Thunderbolts*, with many people online saying that they “loved” the movie.
So, in that way, all the positive word of mouth was just icing on the cake to learning about what that asterisk could possibly mean. Now that I know that these characters are THE NEW AVENGERS, I just don’t have the same enthusiasm that I once had for the film, which really sucks! I so wanted to find out what that asterisk was really hiding. I didn’t want to be TOLD!
I Don’t See A Reason To Rush Out To See It Anymore
I actually saw Captain America: Brave New World in theaters, and it was pretty good. I’d rank it quite highly when it comes to other Captain America films.
However, I mostly saw it upon release because 1. My son also wanted to see it, and 2. I wanted to show support for Anthony Mackie. If not for those two factors, I would have just waited for it to come to Disney+, just like I’ve done for every other MCU film since Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
Well, Thunderbolts* was going to be another opportunity to venture outside my house for an MCU film, and I was going to go THIS weekend, but now that I know the mystery of the asterisk, I don’t feel the need to rush anymore, and I’ll just wait for it to come home.
But, what do you think? Should I still see it in theaters anyway? Let me know in the comments.