Thunderbolts* pairs an unlikely group of misfits who, together, discover a great purpose. Image Credit: Marvel Studios.

‘Thunderbolts*’ Director Jake Schreier Credits ‘Toy Story 3’ Among MCU Debut Inspirations

Originally posted on Agents of Fandom | By Sean Mott | Last updated May 3, 2025 6:48 PM ET

Thunderbolts* is now in theaters and has been met with glowing reviews from critics, firmly claiming the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is back on track as the connected universe barrels towards Avengers: Doomsday in 2026. The films stars Florence Pugh as Yelena Balova, Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes, David Harbour as Alexei Shostakov, Wyatt Russell as John Walker, Hannah John-Kamen as Ava Starr, Olga Kurylenko as Taskmaster, Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, and Lewis Pullman as Bob Reynolds. Thunderbolts* follows this group of unlikely misfits as they band together to not only save the day, but save themselves from their past trauma.

Agents of Fandom contributor Sean Mott had a chance to sit down with Thunderbolts* director Jake Schreier, who explained what other films helped inspire this fresh new story in his first MCU foray.

Jake Schreier Was Searching for Tension in ‘Thunderbolts*’

“I made a reel when I was pitching that has scenes from a bunch of different movies, where there were characters thrown together in a situation where they have no reason to trust each other, but they’re going to have to if they want to get out of it. So, there was that sequence from Toy Story 3 where Lotso betrays them, it had Mission: Impossible 4, Ronin, Reservoir Dogs, and The Breakfast Club. None of those are like, “This movie should be like that movie,” which is how it always comes out online, but I think just finding scenes that had that inherent tension was kind of a north star for where we wanted the story to go.”

—Thunderbolts* director Jake Schreier on what films inspired this story.

Even though the MCU has had a mixed reputation post-Avengers: Endgame, it seems like Thunderbolts* is the perfect step in the right direction. The film is currently sitting at 88% rating on Rotten Tomatoes with 249 reviews from critics at the time of writing; the previous MCU installment, Captain America: Brave New World, has a 48% critic rating on the site.

Check out the full interview below.