This article contains spoilers for Thunderbolts*
Marvel’s latest addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is Thunderbolts*. The film follows a group of mercenaries who were each hired by CIA Director Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) to assassinate each other. Once they–Yelena Belova A.K.A White Widow (Florence Pugh), John F. Walker A.K.A U.S. Agent (Wyatt Russel), and Ava Starr A.K.A Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen)–realize they were all set up, they band together to take her down. Along the way, they meet recent congressman Bucky Barnes A.K.A The Winter Soldier(Sebastian Stan) as well as Yelena’s dad, Alexei Shostakov A.K.A Red Guardian (David Harbour), and Bob (Lewis Pullman), a civilian in a hospital gown with amnesia. After realizing that Bob was the only surviving member of an experiment to give people superpowers, Valentina kidnaps Bob to train him. She helps him control his newfound powers and he protects her when the mercenaries, whom Red Guardian has dubbed The Thunderbolts, come to arrest her. They fight him, but are greatly outmatched. Valentina proceeds to subdue Bob, whom she has named The Sentry, which releases the dark side of his powers; The Void. The Void (also Lewis Pullman but now completely engulfed in shadow) unleashes his rage and starts spreading shadows across New York City, seemingly vaporizing people instantly. Yelena runs into the shadows, where she has to fight through her memories of childhood trauma until she inevitably finds Bob sitting in a room alone. He explains that when he feels hopeless and out of control, The Void takes over. The rest of The Thunderbolts arrive in the nightmare/trauma realm inside the shadows. They all help Bob fight for control against the Void, but realize quickly that fighting is only feeding fire to the flame, and that the Void wants Bob to embrace his anger. They all comfort Bob, hugging him and telling him that he’s not worthless and reassuring him that they want him there, which breaks The Void’s control over Bob as The Void was fueled by hopelessness. After exiting The Void’s realm, The Thunderbolts go to arrest Valentina, who uses the situation and press to lure them onto a stage, where she formally announces them as the New Avengers.
Thunderbolts* isn’t a superhero film. It’s about found family. It’s about redemption. It’s about how we are not defined by our past mistakes, but how we move past them. All these themes are conveyed through flawed but ultimately well-intentioned characters. Yelena is feeling depressed and burnt out because she never properly coped with the death of her sister, instead attempting to throw herself into her work. Walker at one point was too fixated on publicity and fame, and that led to him losing his family and murdering an innocent civilian. Alexei is past his prime and he misses being a symbol to his people. Even Bob and The Void are symbolic of how once you’re in a bad place mentally, aggression and anger only make things worse. The Void is symbolic of an unhealthy coping mechanism.
The film is full of tiny moments between characters that show their history and relationships. Near the climax of the film, for example, Yelena and Alexei are talking and Yelena gets upset at her dad because he hasn’t reached out since their loved one’s death. Alexei thought Yelena needed space and wouldn’t want to see him, but she actually just wanted him to be there for her. Alexei responds with “I may be late, but I’m here now.” It’s an incredibly touching moment between father and daughter that shows that they both wanted each other’s companionship but neither of them verbalized it. There’s another moment, just after Bucky finds The Thunderbolts for the first time and he subdues them, saying they’ll have to testify. Walker decides to be straight with him, acknowledging their rough history that occurred in the show Falcon and the Winter Soldier, saying that despite their past and differences they need to work together. You don’t necessarily need to watch a ton of MCU projects to understand this one, but you are absolutely rewarded for knowing these characters’ past with each other.
The film, which as of its opening weekend has been redubbed The New Avengers in all promotional material, was amazing. I can admit I was skeptical of this lineup for a team movie, as there isn’t much diversity in capabilities between three super-soldiers (Red Guardian, Winter Soldier, and U.S. Agent) and three assassins (White Widow, Taskmaster, and Ghost,) but I was blown away. What the team lacks in power they make up for tenfold in chemistry, relatability, and heart. This is the start of a new era of the MCU. It is not only my favorite MCU movie, it is absolutely my favorite movie of all time. A 10/10 masterpiece.
