Skeleton Crew Episode 5 Is A Taste of What’s To Come in Thunderbolts*

Skeleton Crew Episode 5 Is A Taste of What's To Come in Thunderbolts*



Summary

  • Thunderbolts* and Skeleton Crew share similarities in unlikely group dynamics.
  • Skeleton Crew episode 5 hints at Thunderbolts* tone with action-packed heists, alliances, and humor.
  • Director Jake Schreier has proven he can handle major pop culture franchises with care and respect.

Thunderbolts* is one of the major Marvel Studios releases on the calendar for 2025 and trailers have given some idea of what to expect. However, a recent Star Wars episode provides a further taste of what’s to come from director Jake Schreier in Thunderbolts*.

Star Wars: Skeleton Crew is a surprising new series out of Lucasfilm’s galaxy, far, far away. The action-adventure series wears its inspirations clearly on its sleeve, with comparisons drawn to E.T. and The Goonies. The series follows a group of children who are swept up in a galactic adventure when they commandeer an old ship and must try and find their way home. Star Wars: Skeleton Crew has recruited several big-name directors for its episodes including Jon Watts (Spider-Man: Homecoming), David Lowery (The Green Knight), and the Daniels (Everything Everywhere All at Once). Episode 5 titled ‘You Have A Lot to Learn About Pirates’, was directed by Jake Schreier, and it may indicate what to expect from the director’s next major project, Marvel’s Thunderbolts*.

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Thunderbolts and Skeleton Crew Share Similarities

While Thunderbolts* and Skeleton Crew are from two very different cinematic universes, they do share some similarities. Skeleton Crew is about an unlikely group of children being swept up in a galaxy-spanning adventure with ramifications bigger than they realize. Thunderbolts* follows an unlikely group of villains and anti-heroes who are forced together to undertake high-risk tasks for the government (which will probably also have bigger ramifications than they realize).

Both projects are also a departure from the mold of their respective cinematic franchises. Skeleton Crew is a fun-loving coming-of-age adventure story that puts the focus on a younger set of characters. Thunderbolts* meanwhile is basically the equivalent of Marvel’s Suicide Squad, with the movie being something of an antithesis to the Avengers movies by focusing on non-traditional heroes from different MCU projects. In both instances, Schreier has been brought on board to share his particular vision and set of skills for each franchise and the way his Skeleton Crew plays out gives some interesting insight into Thunderbolts*.

Skeleton Crew Episode 5 Could Hint at Thunderbolts*’ Tone

Skeleton Crew’s fifth episode saw Jod and the children arrive on Lanupa, a luxury planet, where they bribe the staff and impersonate a group of wise elders to infiltrate the resort’s high security. The group’s goal is to find Captain Rennod’s stash, with the hope that it will include coordinates for the children’s home of At Attin. Along the way, Skeleton Crew draws on many tonal inspirations such as Indiana Jones and Pirates of the Caribbean to craft an action-packed adventurous episode. Skeleton Crew’s fifth episode has a bit of everything. It is a heist episode with whimsical humor, unexpected betrayals, and treasure hunting.

This isn’t to say that Thunderbolts* will include all of these elements, but a balance of tone, genre, and character is the main facet that Schreier expertly handles here. Thunderbolts* will likely also see its group of heroes infiltrate unwelcome scenarios where they are forced to overcome their differences to get the job done. The mixture of action, stakes, and humor that is instilled throughout Skeleton Crew’s fifth episode is a promising sign of how the group dynamic will be handled in Thunderbolts* and also indicates that the movie will lean into the humorous moments between its characters along with plenty of alliances and betrayals.

Jake Schreier Knows How to Handle Major Franchises

Before landing directing roles on Star Wars and Marvel projects, Schreier was best known for directing the Emmy Award-winning series Beef and the coming-of-age film Paper Towns. The director has since been handed the keys to two of the biggest pop culture kingdoms. In 2023, Schreier shared his thoughts on handling Marvel and Star Wars projects with Screen Rant, revealing he enjoyed how many different artists were able to share their love and ideas for the respective franchises:

“I think when you’re coming from smaller projects you really have to kind of pick an idea and stick to it and make it work. What’s so exciting about these worlds is you get to explore a little bit more, and you get to maybe be wrong and step back, or adjust things or take a different perspective on what something should look like, or what world do you want to go into. That’s just such a luxury to have, and to see how many people have so many different ideas to it, and when they bring that kind of love for those worlds. If you can harness that. That’s just been very, very fun over the last year or so.”

If Skeleton Crew Episode 5 is anything to judge by, it’s clear that Schreier is adept at coming into an established franchise and handling it with care and respect. Skeleton Crew’s fifth episode is one of the best in the series to date and adds a unique flavor whilst also fitting the style and tone of the rest of the series. This is a good sign for Thunderbolts* and will hopefully allow for an enjoyable entry that furthers the MCU but also allows for a unique tone and character dynamic.

Thunderbolts* will be released on May 2.

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