NFL
By: Rick O’Donnell
Now that the Thunderbolts* movie has been out for a bit, we can confidently discuss it without feeling like it’s being spoiled. With that being said if you haven’t seen it yet, then this article isn’t for you. It would be wise to see it first and then revisit it at a later date.
Since its release, Thunderbolts* has gained a ton of attention. Most often, it’s positive, but there are still a few trolls who aren’t having it. To each their own if you don’t like the movie, but it accomplished something the more recent movies haven’t. As a matter of fact, it may have achieved something the rest of the MCU hasn’t either, a return to comic book staples.
While too many of the more passionate fans on the internet will call out anything having to do with morals as “woke”, this movie is anything but. At their very core, comic book movies have always had a sense of morals. They’ve always blurred the line between make-believe and real emotion. The majority of comic book characters in their history, at one time or another, represented a personification of real human emotions, something Thunderbolts* brilliantly portrays on the big screen.
Now, if you’re looking for the cookie-cutter beat ’em-up film that was the first few phases, then yeah, maybe this movie was just “mid” and you were disappointed. On the other side of the coin, is the weight of this movie and what it represents, depression and mental health.
What Marvel and the MCU attempted to do with Thunderbolts* is bring back the raw emotion that superheroes often represent. Yes, there have been emotional scenes and deaths throughout the over 17-year run, but those moments were set up by the story and not the characters. The real emotion comes from the characters in this movie.
Depression and how each character moves on is the driving force in this story. It goes beyond the bad guy and their evil plot and the good guy trying to stop them. These characters actually represent that relatability that often connects to the audience. There aren’t too many people who can’t recall when they were at their lowest. Superheroes have always told the stories of the common man despite having other worldly powers.
That’s what Thunderbolts* brings us back to: Yelena being adrift, Alexei being alone now that both his children have moved on, and both characters dealing with the loss of Natasha and how it drove them apart. These are the true battles, not the fights. The battles from within are what make a hero a hero.
Anyone can write a movie about a superhero with powers beating up a villain. You can make it as grand of a stage as the MCU has. However, it is a rare moment for these types of movies to pull off these themes without drifting too far into their “cheesy” moments. More often than not it comes off as disingenuous. So maybe from some perspective, Thunderbolts* is just okay. For those who have dealt with grief and depression, this movie will stick with you more than the others may.
