Review: 'Thunderbolts' Serves As a Powerful Cathartic Release
It's been years since Marvel has released a project with the emotional heft of 'Thunderbolts.'
Sure, we love the action. We love the vast cast of characters. For fans of a certain age, we love how these comic book movies can invoke a sense of nostalgia within us and transport us back to our youth in an instant. But, Marvel has always been at its best when it explores complex relationships between characters they’ve carefully fleshed out over time. The cherry on top is the thematic messaging that reflects the greater society. It’s something I feel they’ve let slip through their fingertips over the last several years. The projects have felt more like box-checking drivel devised for little more reason than to sell tickets. But, I’m pleasantly surprised to say that Thunderbolts gets back to those roots in an emotionally hefty film that feels far more gravitational than anything we’ve seen in quite some time.
On the surface, Thunderbolts is the tale of a group of outcasts coming together to become something greater than their selfish motives. But, at its core, it’s a harrowing metaphor for the importance of mental health. The film is carefully measured in its messaging on the subject. It doesn’t come across as particularly contrived. We’ve met most of these characters before. It’s an advancement on their development, and we know the trauma that most of these characters have faced. So, it’s only natural for this certain set of characters to face such struggles. In Thunderbolts, we see how they’re able to adjust, and eventually, overcome these issues in support of one another.
Whether it’s depression, anxiety, or even in Bob’s case, bipolar disorder, the film highlights how these afflictions can impact us. It could be the unhealthy repression of unprocessed trauma. It could be the struggle to find purpose…to be accepted for who we are…to cope with the mistakes we’ve made. These things can pile up, and if we’re not open and honest about the things we’re feeling, they can be massive obstacles for us in our quest to find and lead a happy life. No one in this movie seems like they’re in a particularly good place.
One thing Thunderbolts did that I found clever was using each character to highlight what struggling with our mental health can look like. In Yelena, we see a sort of stoic apathy towards the entirety of existence. There’s very little behind her eyes, as Alexei points out to her - just blank stares. In John Walker, we see the tough guy bit - hiding behind bravado to compensate for listlessness. In Bob, we see a struggle with addiction. He flat out admits to being on meth - damn, that’s a little heavy for a Marvel movie. In Alexei, we see how he’s let himself go in his constant reflection on the good old days and his obsession with getting back to that glory.
These are all physical tells…ways that our mental health battles…can manifest in a person. Even for Valentina. We learn through her encounter with The Void that she watched the murder of her father at an early age. Today, she’s become almost delusional as she continues to lose her grasp on control of the situation. It can take many forms and look completely different from one person to the next. But, maybe this film can provide us with a reminder to look for those signs…to check in on the ones we love. At best, shit…maybe Thunderbolts can be the kick in the pants we all need to actually go to therapy and work on ourselves.
I found Valentina’s manipulation of Bob to be another clever metaphor for the exploitation of society’s most vulnerable by those in power. But, that might be a little heavy even by my standards on this blog. I’ll just float that idea out there and let you guys go down the rabbit hole if you’d like to.
Yelena has become one of my favorite characters in the MCU. After all, she is probably the most human of the Avengers. But, she’s been through the wringer, and that’s putting it mildly. In a way, this felt like her film and a major step towards her ultimate happiness. I was a fan of 2021’s Black Widow and how it worked to really peel back the layers of our little Black Widow universe. Thunderbolts was a continuation of that, and it showed that the path to improvement isn’t always linear. Florence Pugh’s portrayal of Yelena almost felt too good for a Marvel movie. The scene in which emotions come to a head with her father on the street was phenomenal. It was a heartbreaking delivery from a character who was confessing to feeling completely alone and having no idea how to get better. Alexei showed remorse for how his own unprocessed trauma got in the way of his ability to be there for Yelena. But, he ultimately declares, “I’m here now,” in what felt like an uncharacteristically tender moment for a movie such as this.
Thunderbolts focused more on character development, messaging, and emotional depth than the recent films that feel like vehicles serving little more than to set up whatever the next project is. All in all, this movie felt like a warm embrace…like a good cry…like being told ‘it’s going to be okay’ in your darkest moment. And, yeah - a little ass-kicking and comic book fan service didn’t hurt this one.
“Whatever it is, the light is burning brighter within you…”