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What to stream: Strike lightning with movies featuring 'Thunderbolts*' cast

Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service on

Published in Entertainment News

“Thunderbolts*” brings together some of the favorite rapscallions of the Marvel Cinematic Universe for their very own crew of lovable antiheroes. But where have you seen some of these actors before — aside from previous MCU films and TV shows of course? The charming cast makes for a fun ensemble, and maybe you’d like to seek out some of their more under-the-radar titles on streaming, or maybe remind yourself where you’ve seen them before.

Star Florence Pugh carries the film as Yelena Belova, the highly trained assassin sister of Natasha Romanoff, aka Black Widow. Pugh is a superstar, you already know her from her previous MCU outings and appearing in films like “Dune: Part Two” and Olivia Wilde’s fascinating train wreck “Don’t Worry Darling” (both are streaming on Max). But real Pugh-heads remember her breakout turn in the stunning “Lady Macbeth” (2016), directed by William Oldroyd, which is streaming on Kanopy, proving that Pugh was a force to be reckoned with from the jump.

Co-star Sebastian Stan has inhabited Bucky Barnes, the Winter Soldier, since “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” back in 2014. But the actor has a variety of films under his belt and scored his first Oscar nomination this year playing Donald Trump in Ali Abbasi’s “The Apprentice” (available to rent on all digital platforms). However he also turned in a stunning performance last year in Aaron Schimberg’s “A Different Man” as a man with a facial deformity who undergoes experimental treatment (streaming on Max). Or check out his underrated horror flick “Fresh” on Hulu, directed by Mimi Cave and co-starring Daisy Edgar-Jones. It may give you a new phobia about dating.

Wyatt Russell reprises his John Walker character from “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” series, but the son of Kurt Russell has earned his own indie stripes too, appearing in Matt Spicer’s social media satire “Ingrid Goes West,” opposite Aubrey Plaza and Elizabeth Olsen (streaming on Tubi and Kanopy), and as a folk musician in the 2016 film “Folk Hero & Funny Guy," directed by Jeff Grace, as a musician on the road with his comedian best friend (Alex Karpovsky). Russell’s wife Meredith Hagner co-stars. Stream it on Tubi or Kanopy.

David Harbour as Red Guardian is famously well-known for his role on Netflix's “Stranger Things,” but funnily enough, he also appeared in that other comic book antihero movie, “Suicide Squad” (streaming on Max). But don’t miss his turn in the bonkers holiday action movie “Violent Night” as a Santa Claus with a particular set of skills, directed by Tommy Wirkola (stream it on Starz or rent).

 

Lewis Pullman (son of Bill), who plays a mysterious role in “Thunderbolts*,” made a splash in the high-profile lega-sequel “Top Gun: Maverick,” as the lovably nerdy Bob (streaming on Paramount+), but he’s excellent in the underrated 2024 thriller “Skincare,” starring Elizabeth Banks, in a role that truly shows his range (stream it on AMC+ or rent). He’s also chilling as a youth pastor in a fundamentalist Christian church in the Sundance drama “The Starling Girl” directed by Laurel Parmet (stream it on Kanopy).

Finally, Geraldine Viswanathan plays the harried assistant to the nefarious CIA director Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and if you enjoy her performance, be sure to check out her breakout role in the high school comedy “Blockers,” directed by Kay Cannon (available for rent), or the charming romantic comedy “The Broken Hearts Gallery,” which is streaming on Hulu.

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