Tell me if you’ve heard this one before: a group of charming antiheroes with varying degrees of “super” qualities band together to form a team under the direction of a shadowy government organization. No, it’s not the Suicide Squad. What if said motley crew find themselves protecting the citizens of New York City from the flying debris and collateral damage of an all-powerful sky-bound entity? Nope, not the Avengers, either — or not quite, at least.

Déjà vu times two is understandable when it comes to this brand-new darkly merry bunch, known, for now, as the “Thunderbolts*.” Their assembling is the new direction of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (now a whopping 36 films deep) even if it feels, at times, like familiar territory rather than uncharted waters.

Jake Schreier directs the film, written by Eric Pearson and Joanna Calo, which also serves as a stand-alone picture for Yelena Belova, Black Widow’s spunky little sister, played with punky pluck by Florence Pugh. Her performance of Yelena, also trained as an assassin in the Red Room, was worth the price of admission for “Black Widow,” and her return also means the appearance of David Harbour as Alexei, aka Red Guardian, her father figure and the washed-up Soviet version of Captain America.

Passing knowledge of “Black Widow” as well as the new iterations of Captain America (“Brave New World,” “The Falcon and Winter Soldier”) are helpful, as once again, this MCU film is knit together with characters and lore from various film and television properties. But the spine of the narrative is Yelena’s existential crisis, as she struggles to locate a sense of purpose while ruminating on her violent past. As a scrappy mercenary, she struts and snarls through her tasks, though her heart’s not in the work.

Florence Pugh, left, Wyatt Russell, Hannah John-Kamen and David Harbour in Marvel Studios’ “Thunderbolts*.” (Marvel Studios/TNS)

Pugh could make anything compelling to watch on her own, but she excels bouncing off other characters too. The first hour of “Thunderbolts*” is a fun showcase for what has always been the strength of the MCU: the banter and rivalry and jockeying for position between supercharged heroes and villains, whether in the halls of Congress or between murderers-for-hire.

Schreier presents this in a sleek yet grounded style, with an emphasis on practical effects and stunts, slick fight choreography and dialogue that’s funny but never too sarcastically quippy, foregrounding Yelena’s emotional journey. She finds herself on “one last job” at the behest of embattled CIA director Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) that turns out to be much more complicated than advertised, and lands her in a sticky situation with the rest of the soon-to-be Thunderbolts team.

These scenes are a joy to watch, with a nagging mystery swirling the center thanks to a wholly unexpected new arrival (Lewis Pullman), comic relief courtesy of Harbour and some beautifully executed action sequences. A motorcycle chase in the desert featuring freshman congressman/reformed baddie Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) is breathtaking, and nods to classic ‘80s action movies. It’s entertaining, paced well and looks great. If only it could sustain that groove the entire time.

Unfortunately, “Thunderbolts*” falls victim to a classic MCU third-act trap: the all-powerful villain is simply too powerful. When the ante is so up, the only way Pearson and Calo can save the day is to take a wild tack into a metaphysical realm that ultimately reads more after-school special than plausible problem solving. There is is a powerful message about self-worth and relying on others for support for a group of people who are variously referred to as “losers,” “trash” and “evidence” of de Fontaine’s extrajudicial overreach, but do the MCU movies have to be about trauma too? Horror has already run through that theme and back around, so it’s a bit hard to take seriously.

For DC’s Suicide Squad of supervillains, their ultra-snide attitude never wavered. As cheeky as our MCU heroes can be, there’s always an inherent earnestness at play, and that is the source of the tonal wobble that bedevils the otherwise strong “Thunderbolts*.” These antiheroes are never really allowed to be all that “anti,” and where’s the fun in that? Pugh does single-handedly hold it together through sheer charm and steely determination, and if this is the new direction of the MCU, we could be in worse hands than hers.

‘Thunderbolts*’

2.5 stars (out of 4)

MPA rating: PG-13 (for strong violence, language, thematic elements, and some suggestive and drug references)

Running time: 2:06

How to watch: In theaters on Friday, May 2

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Chip’s Clubhouse on Snelling Avenue has quietly closed.

Former co-owner Tara Coleman, who still owns Hot Hands Pie and Biscuit next door, said there was a sign on the door Thursday morning announcing the closure.

Coleman and former co-owner Gina Mangiameli, who is now the head of Surdyk’s prep kitchen, quietly sold the business in February of 2024 to chef Nik Donaker.

Attempts to reach Donaker have been unsuccessful, but the decision must have been sudden, as the business website is still up and appears to be taking orders, and there’s no sign of the closure on the restaurant’s social media pages.

Chip’s was known for its excellent double-smash burger; creative cocktails, originally crafted by barman Tim O’Leary; and a frequently changing menu of comfort foods.

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Three people were injured in an early morning shooting in a St. Paul apartment Thursday.

Officers responded to the shooting in the Payne-Phalen neighborhood about 2:10 a.m. and heard a commotion inside an apartment, said Sgt. Toy Vixayvong, a St. Paul police spokesman. They found a man was shot in his buttocks and woman shot in her back in the building on Aguirre Street and Payne Avenue.

A witness said a group came to to the apartment, talking turned into an argument, and someone pulled out a gun and started shooting, according to Vixayvong.

St. Paul Fire Department medics transported the two from the apartment to Regions Hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Soon after, a man arrived at another hospital with a gunshot wound. He also was shot at the apartment and police arrested the man after he was treated, Vixayvong said.

Thursday’s incident brought the number of non-fatal shootings in St. Paul to 16 this year, compared with 26 at the same time last year, according to police department statistics. St. Paul police started a Non-Fatal Shooting Unit last year, with the aim of putting more investigative work into solving such cases. The police chief has said that work is a major contributing factor to a decline in shootings.

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By SOPHIA TAREEN

CHICAGO (AP) — From worker rights rallies to marches for social justice, activists around the globe kicked off May Day demonstrations on Thursday.

In some countries, it’s a public holiday honoring labor, but activists planning marches in the United States say much of their message is about fighting back against President Donald Trump’s policies targeting immigrants, federal workers and diversity programs.

Thousands are expected at demonstrations from Tokyo to Chicago. In some parts of the U.S., though, fear sowed by the Trump administration is expected to keep some immigrants home.

“Everybody is under attack right now,” said Jorge Mujica, a longtime labor leader from Chicago, where May Day rallies historically have had a large turnout.

What is May Day?

The roots of May Day, or International Workers Day, stretch back over a century to a turbulent and pivotal time in U.S. labor history.

In the 1880s, unions pushing for better workplace conditions began advocating for an eight-hour workday with widespread demonstrations and strikes. In May 1886, a Chicago labor rally turned deadly when a bomb was thrown and police retaliated with gunfire. Several labor activists, most of them immigrants, were convicted of conspiracy to incite violence among other charges. Four were hanged.

Unions later recommended that the workers be honored every May 1. A sculpture in Chicago’s Haymarket Square commemorates them with an inscription that reads: “Dedicated to all workers of the world.”

May Day rallies and riots

May Day marches, rallies and riots have taken place worldwide in recent years as unions push for better rights for workers, groups air economic grievances or activists call for an end to the war in Gaza.

While most demonstrations have been peaceful, there have been clashes with police.

Last year, police in Paris fired tear gas as thousands of protesters marched through the French capital, seeking better pay and working conditions. In New York City, May Day demonstrations coincided with rising tensions at college campuses over pro-Palestinian student encampments, resulting in numerous arrests.

This year, organizers in numerous cities, including New York, are calling for unity across many causes and groups.

“We’re organizing for a world where every family has housing, health care, fair wages, union protection, and safety — regardless of race, immigration status, or zip code,” the American Civil Liberty Union of New York said in a statement.

Other notable U.S. demonstrations include a workers rally at Philadelphia City Hall with Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and demonstrations at the Colorado State Capitol and in Los Angeles, Seattle and Washington, D.C.

May Day immigration marches

While labor and immigrant rights are historically intertwined, the focus of May Day rallies in the U.S. shifted to immigration in 2006. That’s when roughly 1 million people, including nearly half a million in Chicago alone, took to the streets to protest federal legislation that would’ve made living in the U.S. without legal permission a felony.

Crowds for May 1 demonstrations have since dwindled with advocacy groups splintering and shifting activism arenas such as voters rights.

This year in Chicago, organizers say activism starting Thursday will last until Cinco de Mayo with boycotts and walkouts. Their focus is workers’ rights but also rising anti-immigrant rhetoric from Trump’s administration.

Organizers acknowledge a chilling effect on immigrant communities since Trump has cracked down on enforcement, especially in so-called sanctuary cities including Chicago. They’re expecting lower numbers of immigrants but are expanding their outreach to more unions, including for teachers and nurses.

“There’s a lot fear out there,” said Omar Lopez, a longtime Chicago organizer.

Who celebrates May Day?

In some countries, May Day is a public holiday for workers, including France, Kenya and China, where it lasts five days. In Russia, Communist-led May Day celebrations were once massive affairs.

It’s also a traditional spring celebration that’s observed in ways that don’t involve marching in the streets or civil disobedience.

In Hawaii, May 1 is called Lei Day, which isn’t an official holiday, but a statewide celebration of the Hawaiian culture and the aloha spirit through the creation and giving of lei — usually a necklace of flowers.

Elsewhere, people mark the holiday by leaving May Day baskets filled with gifts and flowers on the doorsteps of friends. The city of Annapolis, Maryland, is set to hold its 70th May Day Basket Competition, where residents and businesses outdo each other for the best floral arrangements.

“It’s our community’s way of saying goodbye to winter and welcoming the beauty and energy of spring,” Annapolis Mayor Gavin Buckley said.