Thunderbolts*: parents' guide
Best for ages 13 and up. Rated PG-13 for strong violence, language, thematic elements, and some suggestive and drug references.
A darkly funny Marvel team-up that is really about depression, regret and loneliness, best for young teens who are ready to talk about mental health. The misfit heroes carry heavy pasts: a recurring flashback shows a girl lured into the woods and shot, a boy watches his father beat his mother, and one character is a former meth addict shown high. Expect plenty of gunfire and fighting, about a dozen s-words plus one f-word, and no romance. The frank look at trauma and despair makes it richer than most superhero films, and heavier.
What's in it
Violence
ModerateFrequent fights, gunfire, explosions and a helicopter crash with many deaths. A masked fighter is shot in the head with a little blood, a woman is choked, girls in training are whipped, and in a flashback a young girl is shot off-camera by an assassin.
Language
ModerateAbout 13 s-words, plus "bulls--t," "a--hole," "pr--k," "d--k," "bitch" and "goddamn," and frequent use of God's and Jesus' names as exclamations. New Zealand's classifier and Kids-In-Mind each report one f-word, which other guides don't mention.
Sex and nudity
NoneNo sex, nudity or romance. The only skin is a dad lounging around his apartment in boxers and a T-shirt.
Drinking, drugs and smoking
StrongOne character admits to a meth addiction, and a flashback shows him high and beating passersby with a sign. Yelena drinks alone to numb her sadness and is shown slumped beside empty bottles. Adults also drink socially.
Scary or intense scenes
ModerateA shadowy force turns people across New York into dark silhouettes, and characters are trapped inside rooms of their worst memories. Repeated flashbacks of child abuse and a mother beaten at home are upsetting.
Sensitive topics
- Domestic abuse
- Child abuse
- Death of a child
- Addiction
Worth talking about
Yelena and Bob describe an emptiness nothing seems to fill, and the film suggests that being honest with others is what helps. Who would you talk to if you felt that way?
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Checked October 13th, 2026 against Common Sense Media, Plugged In, the MPA, moviemom.com, Wikipedia, classificationoffice.govt.nz, bbfc.co.uk, childrenandmedia.org.au, movieguide.org. The age is our judgment, not an official rating, and every family draws its lines differently: read the notes, not just the number. Spotted something we missed? Tell us. How we rate.