When I saw the “”Thunderbolts*”” trailer last year, I was excited considering that it seemed very fun. But, as I watched “Thunderbolts*” on opening night, I was surprised at how deep the movie was. There were serious conversations about mental health, grief, and how to move on with your life. Although I do have my problems with it, in general, I did really like it.
One aspect that “Thunderbolts*” really shines at is developing the main characters. For starters, despite being marketed as a “team” film, it really was Yelena’s movie. If you are unaware of who Yelena is, she was introduced in “Black Widow” (2021) as Natasha’s younger sister. Since then, she also made an appearance in the Disney+ show, “Hawkeye.” However, now as the main character, Florence Pugh puts on an amazing performance. After Natasha’s death in “Avengers: Endgame” (which, if that’s a spoiler, you should be ashamed of yourself; that movie came out six years ago), Yelena feels listless and broken. Her pseudo-father, Alexei Shostakov (also introduced in “Black Widow”), recommends that she become a hero. From that decision, she is put on a collision course with John Walker (previous Captain America in “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier”), Ava Starr (antagonist from “Ant-Man and the Wasp”), Taskmaster (semi-antagonist from “Black Widow”), Bucky Barnes, and the strange Bob. This motley group of antagonists must overcome Valentina’s machinations and save New York.
Speaking of Bob, it should be mentioned how interesting his character was. I think that it was one of my favorite interpretations of mental health that Marvel has ever done. Too often, grief and self-loathing in Marvel can be treated as a pun. For example, in “Avengers: Endgame,” Thor’s grief over losing his brother and his kingdom becomes a simple fat joke. Thus, I had very little hope of a comprehensive, realistic outlook of mental health in a Marvel movie.
“Thunderbolts*” proved me wrong. The villain of the film (if you can really call him that) is Void, Bob’s darker half; filled with all these emotions of self-hatred and pain. The way they defeat Void? Group hug. To be fair, for a moment, it felt like I was watching “My Little Pony” and they needed to save the day with the “power of friendship!” But, at the same time, there couldn’t have been a better way to defeat the darkness of Void. With support, and with love.
Although I think I could write an entire essay on every character in “Thunderbolts*”’s development, in particular, I would like to talk about John Walker. I absolutely hated this character in “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.” He carried Steve’s shield and called himself Captain America despite having none of the attributes that the original Cap possessed. Thankfully, “Thunderbolts*” didn’t try to take away how much of a jerk he was, but capitalized on it. Somehow, he even became a kind of likable character to me.
This movie wasn’t perfect, though. I had some issues with the pacing and some other tiny aspects. But my main problem was with the treatment of Taskmaster. She was marketed as a member of the Thunderbolts team, however, she was killed by Ghost (Ava Starr) in literally 20 minutes. She shows up and then dies. It felt so strange. I understand why they did it; in the comics, Taskmaster was a man. When “Black Widow” came out, certain parts of the fanbase were upset that she was a woman in the MCU. Which is just… ugh. It frustrates me because all those types of fans could see is her gender, when really, if they looked more in-depth, they could’ve seen that Taskmaster had insane potential! Her story was really interesting! This development worries me, as I’m concerned that Marvel will start appealing to the loud-mouth minority of fans. These man-children also don’t like Captain Marvel, Ms. Marvel, or any female that actually has a personality. Oh, and God forbid if she’s not conventionally attractive. The upcoming “Avengers: Doomsday” only five characters of the announced twenty-seven starring are women. Five! One, two, three, four, five! That’s not even 20% of the cast list! To me, personally, it feels like a regression. Seeing less representation for girls makes me so aggravated, because I grew up on the first Black Widow: Natasha Romanoff. I loved her character – don’t get me wrong – but for the first four movies she appeared in, she wasn’t allowed to have a personality beyond looking hot and shooting guns. It is just so very disappointing that Marvel seems to be caving to the demands of the sexist losers.
But, who knows? Maybe Marvel is just messing with me, and I’ll wake up tomorrow to see more than five women starring in “Doomsday.” And, I really enjoyed “Thunderbolts*”. I’m interested to see how these six behave as the New Avengers. I’m even more excited to see where these stories go! You can bet on me being there for the next Marvel movie on opening night!
