The movie opens on a morose note, as Florence Pugh ’s weary assassin Yelena explains in voiceover that she feels deadened by the loss of her sister ( Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow) and the empty routine of her life.

That's the overall vibe to this latest entry in the never-ending parade of Marvel films and television series. Thunderbolts* serves two purposes — the good news is that it's further proof that Florence Pugh is a dynamic screen talent.

Wyatt Russell, David Harbour, Lewis Pullman and Julia Louis-Dreyfus also star in Jake Schreier’s account of dysfunctional outsiders teaming up to tap into their heroic potential.