Movie review
April 30, 2025 · 127 min · PG-13
Woke Score
Lower is better
Review
The movie pushes girlboss rebellion with Yelena and other women repeatedly mocking and dominating the men on the team. Female characters get multiple unprompted moments to emasculate male counterparts throughout. The story centers on confronting past traumas and mental health but the girl power beats stand out. No queer focus or explicit lectures on systemic oppression.
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Thunderbolts*.
Woke representation / casting
girlboss women emasculate male characters with snarky lines and physical dominance multiple times throughout
Woke political dialogue
no notable activist dialogue
Identity-driven story themes
redemption and mental health central with some female empowerment in dynamics
Western institutional / cultural critique
corrupt CIA but not activist modern critique
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant
Production
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
some girlboss backlash but weak and not widespread; many reviews call it not woke
Creator track record context
no relevant prior work cited
