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Geek Tyrant
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
THUNDERBOLTS* VFX Video Reveals How The Films Visuals Came to Life — GeekTyrant
If you've been wondering how Marvel pulled off some of the visuals in Thunderbolts* , a new VFX breakdown from Framestore was released, and it's packed with fascinating details. From high-altitude battles to surreal moments inside The Void, this video shows just how much artistry went into the film's biggest scenes. One of the standout elements in Thunderbolts* was Bob, played by Lewis Pullman, who doubles as Sentry and his terrifying alter ego, The Void. Bringing that duality to life took a combination of practical effects and heavy CG work. The breakdown starts by zooming in on Valentina Allegra de Fontaine's secret vault, perched atop a mountain. This location is where our dysfunctional team first collides, only to discover Valentina has set them up to kill each other. The entire mountain-top structure and the army of guards outside was fully digital. The reel also showcases Ghost's signature phasing ability in action, like when she slides through the back of a jeep. Then we see Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova being launched through a wall inside The Void, landing on a table thanks to old-school wire work. The set's practical curtains, are swapped out for CG elements that add a supernatural touch, creating the effect of the room itself attacking her. Then, at the vault, we see Bob ascend high into the sky after taking fire from guards, his rise and dizzying fall back to Earth happen in a fully CG environment. Later, the sequence jumps to a sprawling lab, which was partially practical but digitally expanded and ultimately annihilated during Bob's brutal clash with The Void. Early concept shots reveal how the lab grew in scale and then crumbled in spectacular fashion. Yelena, meanwhile, dodges collapsing debris in a mix of wire-assisted stunts and CG enhancements. This behind-the-scenes look reinforces just how much invisible work goes into making an MCU film of this scale. Thunderbolts* doesn't just rely on CGI spectacle, it blends practical stunts, intricate digital artistry, and meticulous planning to create something that feels chaotic yet grounded.
The Review Geek
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Review Geek
Thunderbolts* aka The New Avengers (2025) Recap & Ending Explained – What happens to Bob?
Thunderbolts* aka The New Avengers Plot Summary Thunderbolts, renamed as The New Avengers is the final film in MCU's Phase Five and has been creating a lot of hype ever since the cast was revealed way back in 2023. Expectations were high as the project roped in Eric Pearson, Joanna Calo, Jake Schreier and Lee Sung-jin, all attached to successful dramedies like Beef, The Bear and Thor: Ragnarok. Not to be outdone, the starry cast includes familiar and new faces such as Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, Wyatt Russell, Lewis Pullman, David Harbour, Hannah John-Kamen, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and more. Thunderbolts finally released in May 2025 and is a critical as well as a commercial success. Quick Recap Thunderbolts begins with CIA director, Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, wrapping up all loose ends regarding the mysterious O.X.E Group as she is being investigated. And her loose ends just so happen to be her hired mercenaries – Yelena, Walker, Taskmaster and Ghost. Manipulated into agreeing to one last mission in which they must kill each other, the agents end up in an unlikely and tense alliance to save themselves and escape a literal death trap. Joining them is Yelena's 'father', Red Guardian who takes it upon himself to save his daughter, Bucky, now a congressman who vows to take down Valentina, and…Bob. Bob is an unassuming man who wakes up in the death trap and befriends our group of misfits as they struggle to escape Valentina's clutches. At the same time, the New Avengers must face their past and make peace with it courtesy of the super-secretive Project Sentry being developed by O.X.E. Bob turns out to be Sentry, an invincible superbeing who stays back as a distraction, allowing his friends to escape. Valentine turns him against the group but bites off more than she can chew as Bob turns on her as well. Having turned to the dark side, Void Bob starts destroying New York City by shrouding it in Emptiness, where each person is stuck in a loop of their most shameful memories. And the only ones who can stop him are the New Avengers, a ragtag group of criminals who barely see eye to eye. Why does Bob turn to the dark side? Bob has a rough and abusive childhood with everyone constantly looking down on him. All he wants to do is help people. When he enters Project Sentry, he does it with the mindset of becoming so strong that people will finally acknowledge him, that he can finally matter and do some good. Valentina's assistant, Mel accurately observes that he has delusions of grandeur and Valentina uses it to turn him against the New Avengers. She claims that the rogue agents look down on him, and as a powerful being, he answers to no one…except her. This doesn't sit well with him and Valentine tries to kill him, having realised that she cannot control him. He sees it as a betrayal and turns into Void Bob – the side of him when he experiences the lows due to his bipolar disorder. He believes that he is bound to be forever alone and the emptiness he feels is the only thing that is tangible. How do the New Avengers stop Bob? Right before Void Bob attacks, Red Guardian aka Alexei goes after Yelena who lashes out at everyone about how much of a failure they all are. In a moment of vulnerability, she reveals her depression and feels much lighter as Alexei comforts her and promises to be by her side. When Void Bob attacks and transports everyone in his path to the Emptiness, Yelena tries to stop him. She realises that he is trying to make everyone experience the emptiness that he feels. She willingly enters the Emptiness and tries to get to Bob. Having experienced the Void's powers at the storage center, Walker understands Yelena's plan and brings the New Avengers with him into the Emptiness. They all fight through their shameful memories and finally reach Bob who is touched by the gesture. Yelena advises him to acknowledge his pain. She accepts that he may not be free of the emptiness, but he will feel lighter, just like her. He agrees and the gang go down memory lane to face Bob's most shameful memory – of Project Sentry. He is ashamed that he wanted to become a superhero so people would acknowledge him. They finally face Void Bob who gaslights Bob. The New Avengers encourage Bob who fights Void Bob. However, they soon realise that the Emptiness is seeping into Bob, that by absorbing Void Bob, he will lose himself for good. The gang rushes to him and, while trying to stop him from killing Void Bob, they end up hugging him. The Emptiness and Void Bob disappear and everything goes back to normal. How does Valentina escape impeachment? Thunderbolts begins with an investigation into Valentina, a CIA director for getting involved in several unethical and dangerous projects like Project Sentry. Some of the congressmen, like Bucky, want to impeach Valentina and put her in prison. However, they don't have much evidence which is why Bucky decides to capture her mercenaries – Yelena, Ghost and Walker – so that they can testify against her. Bucky later abandons that plan so they can team up to stop Bob. Throughout the movie, Mel's loyalties flip-flop as she doesn't agree with Valentina's ideology of doing evil things for power and the greater good. But when Valentina loses control of Bob, Mel gives in and decides to stick with her. One can assume that she thinks it is because Valentina is now harmless. This allows Mel to save Valentina when Bob tries to kill her. As for Valentina, her original plan is to create a Nick Fury-like image by ordering Bob to kill the 'evil' agents – Yelena, Bucky, Ghost, Walker and Red Guardian, and 'save' everyone. This way, she is seen as a hero. In the end, when Void Bob is brought under control, Valentina spins the narrative by announcing that she is responsible for gathering the agents and stopping Void Bob. She dubs the gang the New Avengers, which falls in line with her old plan of being seen as a hero, escaping from impeachment. The New Avengers decide to take on the mantle as someone needs to protect the city. But Yelena reminds Valentina that they own her. Should she get out of line, they can easily destroy her. What happens in the end-credit scenes? In the first mid-credit scene, we see that Valentina and her people are going hard into marketing the New Avengers. Alexei is in a supermarket and he tries to promote a New Avengers cereal to a customer who doesn't recognise him. She runs off because of his weirdness. In the second and final end-credit scene, we learn that Sam Wilson is gathering his own Avengers and is in the process of copyrighting the name 'Avengers'. Bucky tries to stop him but it seems that he fails. Alexei's solution is to change their name to the New AvengerZ. Right then, they get a distress signal from outer space. As usual, the group bickers and we learn that Bob cannot use his Sentry powers without unleashing the Void. Bucky coaches Yelena on how to work the tech and they get an image of the distress signal source. It is a spaceship with the logo '4', suggesting that it belongs to the Fantastic Four. Read More: Thunderbolts* aka The New Avengers Review
The Review Geek
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Review Geek
Thunderbolts* aka The New Avengers (2025) Movie Review – Is Marvel finally back on track?
Is Marvel finally back on track? Thunderbolts, renamed as The New Avengers is the final film in MCU's Phase Five and has been creating a lot of hype ever since the cast was revealed way back in 2023. Expectations were high as the project roped in Eric Pearson, Joanna Calo, Jake Schreier and Lee Sung-jin, all attached to successful dramedies like Beef, The Bear and Thor: Ragnarok. Not to be outdone, the starry cast includes familiar and new faces such as Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, Wyatt Russell, Lewis Pullman, David Harbour, Hannah John-Kamen, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and more. Thunderbolts finally released in May 2025 and is a critical as well as a commercial success. Yes, quite shocking as the MCU has been a bit of a hit-or-miss ever since Phase Four. The movie begins with CIA director, Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, wrapping up all loose ends regarding the mysterious O.X.E Group as she is being investigated. And her loose ends just so happen to be her hired mercenaries – Yelena, Walker, Taskmaster and Ghost. Manipulated into agreeing to one last mission in which they must kill each other, the four agents end up in an unlikely and tense alliance to save themselves and escape a literal death trap. Joining them is Yelena's 'father', Red Guardian who takes it upon himself to save his daughter, Bucky, now a congressman who vows to take down Valentina, and…Bob. Bob is an unassuming and clueless man who wakes up in the death trap and tags along with our group of misfits as they struggle to escape Valentina's clutches. At the same time, the New Avengers must face their past and make peace with it courtesy of the super-secretive 'Project Sentry' being developed by O.X.E. From the summary itself, Thunderbolts feels like MCU's Suicide Squad but it has way more finesse. The dry humour is smooth and witty, unlike recent Marvel projects which have bordered on cringe. It is as if we are back to the good old days of Marvel. There is comedy, action, bromance, drama and heartfelt moments. It is partly thanks to Director Jake Schreier and partly thanks to the cast. Pugh is snarky, Russell is arrogant, Pullman is naive, John-Kamen is mysterious, Harbour is the comic relief, but in the midst of it all, they are charming and likeable. They are a group of misfits, criminals, villains, yet they are relatable. They don't have any righteous code of conduct or stuffy ethical dilemmas. Our anti-heroes are humane and flawed which creates an interesting dynamic as everyone puts themselves first, bickering and bantering as they barely work as a team. This makes the plot unpredictable as well, keeping viewers on their toes despite following the usual superhero formula. Combined with the fast pace and crisp editing, viewers are in for a ride. Thunderbolts gets right into the main conflict, dropping the characters and the viewers right in the middle of it. It may lose viewers at times but once the action picks up, there is no time to be lost. All we need to do is sit back and enjoy the ride like the old Avengers movies. The final cherry on the top is the theme on mental health which brings in the emotional quotient. The New Avengers struggle with depression, loneliness, bipolar and PTSD, explored via a pretty clever plot device linked to Bob. We won't get into spoiler territory but it helps the movie preach assurance, closure and mental peace without getting too didactic. The movie is not perfect, though. It is entertaining but the two aren't mutually exclusive. Unfortunately, comedian Julia Louis-Dreyfus is the weak link of Thunderbolts. Her Valentina and Geraldine Viswanathan's Mel flounder with the government politics and scheming. They keep rehashing and reiterating the same old evil plan throughout the movie, making their scenes dull and monotonous. Stan's Bucky almost falls victim to it as well but he is saved as he ends up sharing his storyline with the New Avengers. The CGI lacks at times, such as the first flying segment, which is surprising since Marvel is known for their top-notch special effects. Some of the fight scenes, while cleverly choreographed and exciting, are prolonged as well. Adrenaline-filled scenes work because they are short and pop up in short bursts. However, Thunderbolts pushes its luck when it comes to the action. However, the main takeaway is that Thunderbolts has heart which is very on brand for the older Marvel films. It isn't busy trying to hash out the new Marvel phase, set up new characters or introduce a new problem that will make sense in some future sequel that may or may not happen. Sure, it does that, but that is just a byproduct. But first and foremost, Thunderbolts stays in the moment and is quite relatable for Marvel fans who are nostalgic for the good old times. Most of the characters may be new but the formula is the same, with a group of likeable superbeings bantering while saving the world with ingenious action segments. If the MCU is to redeem itself, Phase Six better take a page from Thunderbolts aka The New Avengers.
Geek Girl Authority
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Girl Authority
Who Is Bob Reynolds, the Newest Hero Introduced in THUNDERBOLTS*?
This article contains spoilers for Thunderbolts*. A new hot favorite has landed in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and his name is … Bob. Lewis Pullman plays the latest hero added to the franchise, but he's even more unlikely a hero than the rest of the team in Thunderbolts* . So, who is this klutzy, insecure and seemingly powerless fella? And what's his origin story? Meet Bob Content warnings for substance abuse and domestic violence We meet Bob early in Thunderbolts* , during the four-way skirmish in the O.X.E vault. The confrontation between Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) and John Walker/US Agent (Wyatt Russell) results in a table accidentally damaging and opening a container. Said container happens to house Robert Reynolds. RELATED: Marvel Studios Announces Expansive Avengers: Doomsday Cast Bob appears and is, understandably, completely at sea about his surroundings and the violence taking place. He's scared, but also cool as a cucumber. We find out soon why he carries an air of ease, despite being a hapless civilian. Despite Bob's assertions that he can help, none of the yet-to-be-called-Thunderbolts allow him to chip in. But Bob's hiding a secret. Bob was once part of a super-secret program called the Sentry program. Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) was either leading it or part of it. The program was an attempt to create super-beings, but those who would be under the control of Valentina. RELATED: Movie Review: Thunderbolts* The program was shady, taking place under wraps and tucked away in Malaysia, where, presumably, Valentina's higher-ups weren't looking. The program seemed to prey on the desperate—Valentina's assistant, Mel (Geraldine Viswanathan), often states that Bob is unstable. And Bob is known to have struggled with substance abuse, because he states he was traveling Asia hoping to score some drugs. An unnamed recruiter found him and promised he'd become better. The man was partially correct. Valentina believed that the program had failed and all the candidates had died. Most did, but Bob survived, despite being locked in a case, believed to be dead. We find out why, when later in Thunderbolts* , Bob is neutralized by Mel in the newly renamed Watchtower, and awakens not as himself, but as the Void. The Emptiness Inside Hannah John-Kamen, Lewis Pullman, Wyatt Russell, David Harbour, Florence Pugh and Sebastian Stan stand in a row, staring at the camera in the movie Thunderbolts*. In Thunderbolts* , Bob grew up in a horrible family. In a sequence reminiscent of another Marvel show that dealt with mental health, Moon Knight , we learn Bob's father was physically abusive toward him and his mother. His mother unwittingly placed a lot of blame on the boy. RELATED: The Missing Women From the Avengers: Doomsday Cast As we see in the scene in the Void, Bob tried to stop his father from hitting his mother, which angered his father even more. But worse, it led his mother to say, 'You're always making things worse.' This is a mantra Bob repeats to himself whenever he makes a mistake or receives criticism. Not only was Bob's early life toxic, but his father was an abusive alcoholic, while his mother suffered from an unnamed mental illness. Bob, too, has mental health issues—he shares with Yelena that he has brief periods of euphoria, followed by days of darkness. He also suffers from memory lapses, which are perhaps the result of his depressive episodes. RELATED: Sadie Sink to Star in Spider-Man 4 A Manifestation Bob's sadness, insecurity and pain manifest as a literal being, the Void. Whenever a character touches Bob, they are sent to one of their most painful memories. For Yelena, it's the memory of the first death she caused in the Black Widow program. John remembers a moment that signaled the end of his marriage. Valentina is back to being a little child, seeing her father murdered because of an innocent mistake she made. Bob can't control this side of himself—if he's Sentry, he's also the Void. The only way he's able to conquer the emptiness inside himself is with the help of his newly found teammates and friends. The Thunderbolts make sure he's no longer alone. Bob in the Comics Bob Reynolds is a known character in the comics. He was created by Paul Jenkins and Jae Lee in 2000 (there is some controversy around the character's true creation), and introduced as the Golden Guardian of Good across five issues. Bob was a recovering alcoholic with a long-suffering wife. Except he was more. RELATED: Kraven the Hunter Spoiler Review Slowly, Bob remembered his past—that he was a hero fighting alongside the greatest in the Marvel universe, from his base called the Watchtower, which was not a refurbished version of the Avengers Tower, as it is in the film. But the world had forgotten about him. Bob became Sentry when he was given some of the super-soldier serum that created Captain America. Except Bob needed to keep consuming the serum to maintain his Sentry self. This soon turned into an addiction. And, of course, there was the Void. In the comics, Sentry's nemesis is the Void, and Bob's memories of his Sentry life resurface every time Earth is in danger from the Void. Bob rallies his old friends together, including his best friend Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic, and the rest of the Fantastic Four, as well as the Hulk, the X-Men, Spider-Man and sundry other heroes. RELATED: Captain America: Brave New World and the Importance of Self-Love Of course, as we know from the film, the Void is Bob. He was the one who made the world — and himself –forget about Sentry's existence, so the Void would not return. The Void's powers in the comics are even more devastating than in the film—the Void makes people see their past, present and future, all bleak, dark, and lonely. Bob the PR Stunt While the Sentry stories seemed to suggest that there was a whole chapter of Marvel comic book history missing, it was, in fact, all a ploy. Jenkins and Lee plotted an elaborate PR stunt. Each issue of the Sentry ended with an 'interview' with Stan Lee, where he claimed he'd forgotten that he'd created a superhero before introducing Marvel's first superheroes, the Fantastic Four. It all seemed very real till the creative team pulled the rug from beneath readers in the final issue, revealing the truth that it was all made up. Sentry had never existed before, and definitely not in Stan Lee's mind. This was an innovative PR stunt. And the film, in a way, pays tribute to Sentry's PR stunt origins. RELATED: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds x Spongebob Squarepants Advert Gets Blooper Featurette Throughout Thunderbolts* , Valentina heavily relies on her crisis communications skills, presenting herself and her illegal doings in the best light to avoid being impeached. Once she discovers Bob's powers as Sentry, she intends to center him in her own publicity stunt as Earth's mightiest hero. Then, when things go sideways with Bob and the Void, but the media have already arrived, Valentina pulls a last-minute public relations switcheroo by announcing she's secretly formed the New Avengers. A Rebranding Less of a tribute is how we've all been stunned by Marvel's extraordinarily strange marketing and PR choices for the film, aka, revealing which cast members will be in Avengers: Doomsday before the film was even released; and then rebranding Thunderbolts* to The New Avengers before the end of opening weekend. Speaking as a marketing and PR professional myself, they really should have waited. RELATED: Foundation : Get First Look and Premiere Date for Season 3 In other PR-related backstories, originally, Steven Yeun was cast as the character of Bob, but due to the actors' and writers' strikes, production of the film was pushed back. Yeun's schedule didn't align with the new production timeline. Pullman eventually got the role. What's Next for Bob? Florence Pugh, Lewis Pullman in Thunderbolts* Unlike the comics, Bob was not lost to history in the MCU. Thunderbolts* couldn't recreate the same formula where the world forgot a hero, because they'd already done that in Spider-Man: No Way Home . This means Bob is younger, and he's also already formed a bond with five other heroes. We know Lewis Pullman will return in Avengers: Doomsday —he was one of the 27 actors revealed in the five-and-a-half-hour PR stunt Marvel pulled in late March. And this is verified in the post-credits scene of Thunderbolts* as well. RELATED: The Fantastic Four: First Steps Teaser Welcomes Us to the Family During the scene, we see that Bob is still part of the New Avengers, but he is unwilling to turn on his Sentry powers because of the other guy—a certain green Avenger can relate. Now, Bob, as Sentry, is super-powerful. It can be a struggle to make an invincible character compelling. So, it's no surprise that much of Bob's battles in Thunderbolts* were internal and emotional. Sentry has to appear at some point in Doomsday , but for now, Bob is just Bob. And he's along for the ride with the New Avengers. Thunderbolts* is currently screening across theaters. Why Did THUNDERBOLTS* Even Bother Including [SPOILER]? Monita has been championing diversity, inclusivity, and representation in entertainment media through her work for over a decade. She is a contributor at Bam Smack Pow, and her bylines have appeared on 3-time Eisner Award-winning publication Women Write About Comics, Geek Girl Authority, HuffPost, (formerly Soundsphere/Screensphere, FanSided's Show Snob, and Vocal. She was also a TV/Movies features writer at Alongside her twin, Monita co-hosts the pop culture podcast Stereo Geeks.
Geek Tyrant
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
THUNDERBOLTS* Star Julia Louis-Dreyfus Says What Little She Can About Her Marvel Character's Future Involvement in the MCU — GeekTyrant
Julia Louis-Dreyfus is fresh off her latest turn as the character Valentina Allegra de Fontaine in Marvel's Thunderbolts* , where she proved to be nefarious as ever, and not yet defeated. While most of the rest of the cast of the film has been announced as part of the Avengers: Doomsday ensemble, Louis-Dreyfus has not been confirmed, leaving us to wonder when we will see Val return. In a recent interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live, the actress was asked if she would be returning for Avengers: Doomsday , to which she replied, 'Well, no, I'm not gonna be in that movie.' Keeping her cool, she hinted that her character might appear in the MCU in the future, stating, 'But I'm very happy to be a part of the Marvel universe, and I'm not allowed to say anything beyond that.' This is pretty much par for the course for Marvel actors. I look forward to seeing Julia Louis-Dreyfus whenever she pops back into the MCU. For now, Thunderbolts* is in theatres everywhere.
