Here’s What’s Missing from the MCU’s ‘Thunderbolts*’

“Thunderbolts*” may not revive the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The once-mighty franchise stalled with disappointments like “Eternals,” “Ant Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” and “The Marvels.” This year’s “Captain America: Brave New World” showed signs of life, but its $200 million U.S. haul is a far cry from the saga’s biggest hits.

At the moment, “Thunderbolts*” is looking to snag between $70-75 million in its opening frame, according to Variety.

That’s not the biggest news to come out of the standalone feature.

Director Jake Schreier’s film is free of anything resembling woke.

Yes, after the MCU injected Identity Politics into its recent films, “Thunderbolts*” is all about story, laughter, pushing past trauma and finding joy in teamwork.

That’s it.

The cast isn’t upended by race swaps or progressive messaging. The dialogue doesn’t slow to a crawl to send a “message.” There’s no “girl power” montage a la “Avengers: Endgame.”

Nothing.

MCU fans can debate if the new film is as magical as past efforts. Certainly, the comedy dished out by David Harbour as the Red Guardian is as funny as anything we’ve seen before. And Florence Pugh reminds us how easily she transcends genre limitations – remember her superlative turn in “Midsommar?”

This isn’t accidental. In fact, Disney has been steering clear of woke in recent months. Smashes like “Moana 2” and “Inside Out 2” ignored woke messaging, and audiences flocked to both. The recent Disney+ series “Win or Lose” edited a trans storyline out of its kid-centric tale of a softball team bound for the playoffs.

Disney CEO Bob Iger has repeatedly said he wants to get back to the basics. He might even mean it.

Yet the transition isn’t seamless. The upcoming reboot “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” gender-swapped the Silver Surfer character – yes, there is an instance in the source material with a female Surfer, but it’s not the one fans have known for decades.

Even the actress playing the part was confused by the decision.

That film’s stars are also sabotaging the marketing efforts with their woke pronouncements.

The film may be 100 percent woke-free, but audiences may suspect otherwise.

Still, it’s clear Disney has been listening to fan complaints regarding the progressive bent to the MCU saga. Will that be enough to make “Thunderbolts*” the summer’s first blockbuster?

We’ll get some answers starting Friday when the film opens nationwide. The more complete answer may come the following weekend when word of mouth officially kicks in.

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