Thunderbolts Breaks Records: Highest-Rated MCU Phase 5 Film On Rotten Tomatoes
Thunderbolts is now the highest-rated MCU movie of Phase 5 on Rotten Tomatoes with 89%. Critics praise its bold tone, cast, and fresh take on the genre.
Thunderbolts Triumphs In MCU Phase 5 Films ( Photo Credit – Instagram )
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The MCU might’ve finally found its Phase 5 saving grace, and it comes wrapped in betrayal, anti-heroes, and more trust issues than a reality show finale. Thunderbolts brings together a ragtag team of misfits who’d rather punch each other than save the world—but somehow, it works. With Jake Schreier steering the chaos and the cast dishing out some of the most morally questionable team-ups we’ve seen, this finale to Phase 5 delivers sharp action, darker themes, and a much-needed edge. Fans were skeptical, critics were cautious, but Rotten Tomatoes just handed Thunderbolts the unexpected badge of honor: it’s officially the highest-rated MCU movie of Phase 5. (via Screenrant)
Thunderbolts Rotten Tomatoes Revealed
Thunderbolts has officially flipped the Phase 5 script, storming Rotten Tomatoes with a fiery debut score of 95%, just one point behind Black Panther, yes, that Black Panther. Two days ahead of its global release, the score has dipped slightly to 89%, but let’s be honest, in Phase 5 terms, that’s still superhero-level success.
Jake Schreier’s Thunderbolts is the plot twist no one saw coming. While Quantumania shrunk expectations and Brave New World struggled to fly, this edgy, ensemble-driven finale has critics surprisingly united. The current 88% still puts Thunderbolts ahead of Deadpool & Wolverine (78%) and Captain America: Brave New World (stuck at a heroic 48%… ouch). Even Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which most fans adored, barely moved from 81% to 82%.
Rotten Tomatoes scores usually tumble harder than Loki from the Bifrost in their first few weeks, but Phase 5 has shown us that what you debut with is often what you’re stuck with. So while Thunderbolts did drop seven points, it’s still sitting comfortably among the upper crust of MCU scores. It’s even rubbing elbows with Doctor Strange (89%) and the original Ant-Man and the Wasp (87%).
In fact, only two Phase 5 titles can claim higher scores: Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man with a ridiculous 100% debut and still-huge 97%, and Black Panther, which remains the GOAT at 96%. For a film built on villains doing hero work for shady reasons, Thunderbolts is having quite the heroic moment on Rotten Tomatoes.
What Is Thunderbolts About?
Forget squeaky-clean Avengers, Thunderbolts is here to round up the MCU’s most chaotic exes and throw them into group therapy disguised as a covert mission. This isn’t your typical superhero squad. We’ve got Yelena Belova, still snarky and lethal; John Walker, still trying to rebrand; Ava Starr, still phasing in and out of stability; and Antonia Dreykov, fresh out of mind control. The mastermind? Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus, has enough shady charm to make Nick Fury look subtle.
Set after the events of Black Widow, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and Ant-Man and the Wasp, Thunderbolts feels like the MCU’s version of a dysfunctional family reunion. Toss in Alexei Shostakov, the Red Guardian with a dad bod and a dream, Bucky Barnes trying to hold it all together like the exhausted group chat admin, and a mysterious new wildcard named Bob, and you’ve got the most unpredictable lineup in Marvel history.
The stakes? Catastrophic, of course. But somehow, this misfit squad might just be the reset button Phase 5 needed. Critics call it a creative step forward, and early reactions from the Dolby Cinema premiere suggest fans are equally onboard. Certified fresh and fully chaotic, Thunderbolts might just save the MCU from its identity crisis.
