A Review: “Thunderbolts*” — Is Marvel Really Back?
The short answer? Marvel never left. Not really. At least after Endgame. But in recent years, the lineup just hasn’t been all that exciting — at least to me. A few major releases with Spider-Man: No Way Home, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Black Widow, and most recently, Captain America: Brave New World. No fan-hungry press tours that churn out countless fan edits. A a handful of shows, and then some movies sprinkled in. But Marvel never left, but simply stayed quiet. It was nurturing projects that weren’t garnering mainstream attention, but contributing to something greater.
And this is something greater.
Disclaimer: Light spoilers below!
Thunderbolts lures all of the mainstream Marvel fans — not just the diehard Marvel fans — back into theaters. The movie carries big Avengers energy, which makes sense: this main cast is to become the next Avengers. Well, maybe. That’s to be determined. (Hence the asterisk.)
The cast. What a cast. Marvel has been assembling this team for years, so it’s not just picking and choosing actors in the recent zeitgeist. They brought Yelena and Alexei (from Black Widow), the Shein version of Captain America (from The Falcon and the Winter Soldier), Ghost (from Ant-Man and the Wasp), and the beloved Bucky Barnes (Do I really need to list out the titles he’s been in?) together, sort of. Am I forgetting anyone? Oh yeah, Bob. There’s Bob, the new character that gets introduced as the … Well, did I say I was going to include spoilers? Yes. Bob gets introduced as a beloved character, or at least beloved to me — and introduced as the film’s central antagonist. Or maybe not antagonist — more like a man wrestling with the darkest parts of himself. His dark side, or his depression and the unruly, uncontrollable emotions.
Side Note: Also not a part of the main Thunderbolts, but Julia Louis-Dreyfus, once again, plays a vice president — only this time, she’s slightly chaotic evil. Geraldine Viswanathan plays her assistant, who I may be rooting for in the next movie? Either way, I hope to see her in upcoming Marvel projects, much like how I was low key rooting for Cobie Smulders in the OG Avengers movies.
Depression. That’s a good word for summing up this movie into one word.
This movie leans in hard into themes of mental health and emotional isolation not just through Bob, but across the entire team. Florence Pugh, who plays Yelena, delivers more than one speech on grief and loneliness she faces (especially after the passing of her sister, whom she just reunited with recently). I’ve always admired Florence Pugh as an actress — she’s quickly becoming one of my favorite actresses in any project. She continues to prove her incredible range in her repertoire. Her in a Marvel project surprised me, only a little, but it proves her ability to bring gravity to any character she plays. I’m excited to see more of her in upcoming projects.
With depression, comes Bob. His depression isn’t just a character trait — it’s the central conflict. As he grapples with his inner darkness (literally and metaphorically), the film builds to a showdown not just between good and evil, but between community and isolation. This movie struck a chord within me as I was watching this movie for the first time. (I plan to see it more than once.) Yes, this movie largely ignites conversations about mental health and depression, but it also reinforces this idea of belonging. We see it with Alexei and Yelena, in that one branch, but we also see it in general with the rest of the group. Each superhero (or villain, in their own individual storylines) has felt lonely and alone. They have felt this intense lack of belonging — that’s often the case with superheroes and villains. These six humans know the pain that comes with isolation. When they come together, when this story brings them together, we see a group form. As much as they try to get away from each other, or deny that they don’t want any part to play in a group setting, they end up sticking together. For each other. They develop this bond.
This sentiment wraps up at the climax of the movie, a visually and emotionally powerful scene, showing Bob fighting his inner demon, the main villain/antagonist of the movie, or Century, as Valencia (played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus) has called him. As Bob is fighting Century, or as I remind you, the darkness within himself, we see Bob chip away bits and pieces of his human self and become the very thing that he’s fighting: the darkness that his inner demon is made up of. Yelena and the others, who are being blocked by Bob’s own inner demon (and by scraps of the walls of the lab), notice this and with every ounce of strength that they have, race to Bob to stop him from succumbing to the darkness. It shows a powerful message that you are not alone in facing your inner thoughts, your inner demons, this depression that comes with isolation and loneliness. Century’s darkness plunged not only Yelena and the rest of the Thunderbolts into their own darkness, but the entire city of Manhattan. The scene of the group stretching their arms around Bob, comforting and shielding him from the darkness that is slowly taking over him, shows this powerful sentiment that you are not alone, that we are wired for community, and that community is essential to our well-being.
Their presence, their refusal to let him go it alone, reinforces one of the most resonant messages of the film: you don’t have to face your demons alone.
What makes this movie so special? It’s not just another superhero movie, although one can argue that you are in fact going to see a superhero movie. For those who may not be fans of superhero movies, it’s a story about people who are broken, grieving, lonely — and who find belonging in each other. They resist the urge to isolate, even when every instinct tells them so. They form a makeshift family. And in doing so, they find strength. There is so much more in this movie about mental health, depression, loneliness, and more around those conversations. Other people are more well-versed and nuanced in reviewing this movie from their expert points of view.
Besides the main theme of the movie, the movie was just good. No, better than good. It was great, it was show-stopping, it was heart-pounding. It achieved the movie’s purpose: to bring these humans, who have faced intense feelings of isolation and depression, together for multiple purposes: to save each other and to save the day. I found myself laughing, crying, and occasionally gasping out loud. The cinematography is immersive and intense — there were moments I forgot I was even watching a Marvel movie. The visuals were stunning. The action sequences are sharp and kinetic. That motorcycle scene? Unbelievable. I was shaking from excitement. A few other scenes like that had my jaw dropped to the floor. The writing strikes a great balance between humor and heart — all the best Marvel projects, in my opinion, have enough humor and banter sprinkled in. I was on the edge of my seat throughout most of the movie.
Overall, the movie was one of the better Marvel projects in recent years. I was a huge fan of Captain America: Brave New World (in contrast to popular reviews), but if Marvel continues to be on the uphill again with this latest release, I am very excited to see what’s in store for us.
Rating: 4.5/5