The Marvel Cinematic Universe officially kicked off in 2008 with Iron Man, and is still going strong nearly two decades later with its 36th feature film, Thunderbolts, opening in U.S. theaters on May 2.

The answer, of course, is that “Thunderbolts” has no more indie cred than “Avatar.” What it is, though, is the best Marvel movie in years. “Thunderbolts,” about a group of MCU rejects who band together after CIA director Valentina Allegra de Fontaine ( Julia Louis-Dreyfus ) tries to erase them and their covert program,

It's been a pretty tough couple of years to follow the Marvel Cinematic Universe on the big screen. Earlier this year, Captain America: Brave New World tried recapture the political thriller magic of the same sub-franchise's 2014 film The Winter Soldier,