Thunderbolts* is so unrelentingly mediocre that it confirms Marvel’s contemptuous refusal to offer anything better. Worse, it depends on the dedication of an audience of cretins. This is implied by Yelena’s backstory explaining the asterisked title as a reference to her childhood failures and disappointments. It clearly indicates that this movie is for Zoomers who were never taught about art, literature, philosophy, or cinema.

It’s no coincidence that the contempt oozing out of Thunderbolts* matches the Biden years of contorted language. That asterisk denotes a corrupt populist movie that tells Zoomers they are freaks and mediocrities, even if they band together. The caucus of third-rate superheroes diminishes the concept of heroism just as the terms “inflation,” “take seriously,” “root causes,” “infrastructure,” and “democracy” were robbed of meaning by the last administration. Yes, Thunderbolts* is an anti-American fantasy. What that asterisk really means is: There’s even less to this movie than you think