Thunderbolts* is about a team, but it definitely has a center of gravity. Florence Pugh first played Yelena Belova in Black Widow, the solid 2021 Marvel Cinematic Universe offering that was an overdue showcase for Scarlett Johansson, and notably returned to character in the television series Hawkeye. Yelena is a tricky figure in these page-to-screen adventures. She’s clearly set up to be the cool badass in the room, ruthless and tough as she dispatches whatever foes are between her and her goal. She’s also prone to wry wisecracks and incongruously innocent wonderment, all while carrying the burden of childhood trauma from the forced Russian training that made her into superspy assassin. Officially, Yelena doesn’t have enhanced abilities. Pugh’s superpower is that she can deftly handle all the opposing factors of this character.

At the beginning of Thunderbolts*, Yelena is worn out by all the shadowy mop up jobs she’s been doing for Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who’s added a Tulsi Gabbard streak of white to her hair for her latest turn in the role), the villainous head of the CIA. Yelena’s plan to exit her unseemly line of work just happens to coincide with Valentina’s decision to eliminate the various operatives who’ve dirtied their hands for her. This band of buggered includes John Walker (Wyatt Russell), the Ant-Man and Wasp foe known as Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), and the weapon-wielding woman who calls herself Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko). In short order, these illicit agents who were pitted against each other choose instead to team up. Along the way, this misfit crew expands to include: Yelena’s pop, best known at the Red Guardian (David Harbour); the MCU’s primary hard luck case, Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan); and an anxious sad sack named Bob (Lewis Pullman).

This particular Marvel Studios romp is closer, blessedly so, to the more modest threats of Spider-Man: Far From Home than the multiverse-mucking shenanigans of Spider-Man: No Way Home. Yes, the final challenge that must be overcome implies all of humanity falling before its metaphysical sprawl, but it still feels like a manageable task rather than rebinding a bunch of stray realities or stopping the galaxy itself from collapsing into nothingness. That lesser scale leaves more room for the clever character-driven interactions that have always led to Marvel’s strongest films (and comics, for that matter). In addition to Pugh’s invaluable acting, just about every major member of the cast has at least one nice moment.

The story of Thunderbolts*, credited to Eric Pearson, is fairly sound. It’s the screenplay, co-credited to Pearson and Joanna Calo, that falters. Too many of the gags need a punch-up, and the central metaphors about lingering trauma and depression that drive the film get a little muddled (and lack the jarring rawness that distinguished the consideration of PTSD as one of the few strengths of Iron Man III). Still, at least the filmmakers are trying to shape the story around a more intricate frame. Except for one overhead view of a fight scene, director Jake Schreier is more workmanlike than inspired, which is probably what Marvel is looking for after giving wider artistic latitude to the likes of Chloe Zhao and Nia DaCosta made many of the studio’s opinionated fans wrinkle their noses in distaste. Shreirer clearly surveyed what he had in front of him and decided to emphasize the best of it and not risk overreach that could upset the balance. It’s a choice that’s underwhelming and understandable at the same time. Sometimes, the best strategy is to just go where the Flo takes you.