Thunderbolts
Hey Everyone, and welcome. Today, we will be talking about the film Thunderbolts*. Fun Fact: The building in the opening scene is the Merdeka 118, which is the second-tallest building in the world, and Florence Pugh actually jumped off it for the stunt at the beginning of the film. This movie came out in 2025 and stars Florence Pugh, Lewis Pullman, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus and was directed by Jake Schrier. So, without further ado, let’s get right into it.
Thunderbolts follows a group of secret operatives who find out they have been set up to kill each other to cover up the exploits of their boss, Valentina. They uncover something called the Sentry Project mixed in with stuff Valentina was trying to destroy, and try to figure out how to stop her and learn more about this mysterious experiment.
Thunderbolts is a drama-filled superhero action movie. It has similar vibes to The Bad Times at the El Royale, Wandavision, or Power Rangers, the 2017 movie.
Thunderbolts is the end of Phase 5 for Marvel, which started with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. If there is a superhero movie I will watch, and lately I keep hearing how people miss old Marvel or Marvel has fallen off post End Game, which I don't think is true, there are some hits and there are some misses, and this movie, without a doubt, is a hit. Honestly thought this movie would be like the suicide squad, but it's more of a team-up up similar to Guardians of the Galaxy or Power Rangers, where they are very different people who happen to come together to work as a team, vs being forced to by an outside entity with the risk of being killed. The cast is filled with some great actors who were perfect for the more dramatic aspects of this film, which really let them show off how versatile they are. Also, after watching the movie and going online, I guess there are some people who are suddenly Taskmaster fans.
This movie works for me because they don't try to mash in so many other stories. Like Ross comes up, and other small details are mentioned, but if someone didn't watch prior movies or forgot something, you would still be able to keep up. I think that's what's good and bad about the MCU because you have movies like this that feel contained and tell their own stories that don't feel like its juggling too much, but then you have movies like Captain America: Brave New World, which takes on so much that they haven't brought up in years, which makes the movie a mess because the story is trying to encompass too much. Thunderbolts reminds me of Captain America: The Winter Soldier or Spider-Man 2 in the vain that it just feels so contained and gives much more depth into the characters' personal lives vs them just constantly going after some threat.
Thunderbolts was released in May, which also happens to be Mental Health Awareness month, and boy, does this movie address mental health. This movie has this message about addressing your past and your mental health instead of pushing it down, which made it feel like a therapy session. I've cried and teared up in superhero movies before, generally happy tears, but this movie brought out so many sad tears, seeing how everyone was doing so poorly with their mental health, and while it's not a competition, seeing Bob made me extremely sad. I think Bob may have borderline personality disorder or BPD stemming from his trauma with his abusive dad, Yelena is not feeling fufilled in her line of work which is just a distraction from her actually facing that her sister is dead and how she is lonely, John Walker constantly sees himself being compared to Captain America and is so focused on how others see him which ruined his marriage, Ghost is haunted by being a test subject since being a child, and well we know Buckys trauma. All these people realize throughout the film that they need to address the pain that they have experienced before they can move forward with their lives, instead of pushing it down because it's holding them back. I love how they bond from their trauma, and it's like a nice reminder that sometimes someone reminding you to address your mental health is helpful, because you may think what you are doing is normal, and it's actually very destructive. So if you are struggling, please seek help.
I feel like I really connected with Yelena, who doesn't feel fulfilled. This was part of the reason I started doing YouTube in the first place, not feeling fulfilled in what I was doing. In the film, Yelena is trying to get out when she agrees to one last mission, which almost gets her killed. When they meet Bob and she touches him, she is transported back to her first mission, where she lured a young girl who was killed, which still haunts her. She feels alone, drinks to forget, and it's all wearing her down. While she feels some type of love towards Alexei, she also has anger with him for not being supportive. It was sad to see that it is something she remembers, and the trauma has just piled up. When she meets Bob, she tells him they just push down the trauma, and she really thinks that is working, but seeing Bob do the same makes her realize that it's not working. She is the first person who is really nice to Bob which you can tell he really appreciated. She ends up being forced to face her trauma in order to help Bob deal with his, and through her self-sacrifice, she encourages the others to follow suit, and they all face their trauma and help Bob. She truly was the heart of the film.
Sentry is so powerful, like he's indestructible, can fly, telekinetic, superstrong, and has heat vision. If you didn't think this was enough, after he is supposedly killed, his alter ego, called the void, comes out, who is like a shadow and casts a shadow that makes people relive their trauma. I loved how he's introduced and you don't know anything about his powerset, and neither does he, and then when we find out he's indestructible and can fly, we realize that he can't control it. His story shows how predatory medical trials can be, especially with government involvement. Like this man clearly was not doing well when they found him, as they discussed his mental health and drug use in the past, but they still turned him into this weapon, cause who cares about him when they can have a super duper powered person. I love how when the heroes fight him, they realize he's too strong and give up instead of fighting til he eventually kills them. I also love how he told Valentina, Why would I listen to you like I'm all powerful and you aren't. I'm glad in the end they helped him and he realized they are on his side.
When Valentina and Mel attempt to kill Sentry, they inadvertently release the Void, who sends people to this shadow realm to replay their worst regrets. Even though I knew this was coming, I love that they hinted at it with the Marvel logo as well as the use of shadows in different parts of the movie, like when Yelena breaks into the lab to blow it up. It's some nice easter eggs to hint at what's to come, and if you didn't catch it, now you can go back and see it and be surprised by it.
Bucky is still a badass, and I'm glad they highlighted that because in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, I felt they forgot that sometimes. I do want to know more about his decision to become a senator and how people actually agreed to it. I would love to get a miniseries or movie that either shows his past doing missions for Hydra or how he overcame that, and how he has to face the ghost of his past, but also love the mysteriousness about him. I think sometimes the stuff he's in forgets he is an OG supersoldier, so I'm glad this one didn't. Also, I'm glad they got him a new wig in the post-credit scene; he went from emo and depressed to luscious and happy.
John Walker, aka Junior Varsity Captain America, is a character I have hated since The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and I feel like Marvel is trying to get me to like him, but I really don't, and don't know if I will. All these characters have killed people but i think the difference is that he killed a person who was fighting for the rights of refugees and i know the guy also did bad things but its like you had enough power to stop him without killing him yet you did and then you tried to justify what you did and play the victim. In this film, they all kind of rag on him, especially Ghost, which was lovely to see because he deserves it. I was even more upset that he was constantly ragging on Bob, who is just sweet and innocent. One thing that made people probably a bit sad was when Yelena realizes that his family has left him and he is faking being ok but coming off as this asshole. They give him a bit of redemption by having him tell Yelena to stop ragging on her dad, which I think she shouldn't do, and if there's anyone who knows about being a bad father, it's him. When shes going around expressing her anger hes kind of a smart ass like ok what are you going to say about me which pissed me off and then she says “ You know you’re a piece of trash Walker, so does your family” which i honesly think he needed to hear and it shut him up. I think it will take more for them to make me like this character, but this film is a first step.
Building up a team can be hard; you have to find the right people, then decide if the movie will start with them as a team or show them becoming a team. In this film, they originally join up because of a common enemy, but later realize it's nice to have backup and not be alone, and become a family. I love how they came together wasn't because they had to stop some big villain, but really just to get answers. While I thought Valentina would bring them together, I thought it would be more like her running the team, not her trying to get rid of them. I love how all these people are mercenaries who are used to fighting and killing to survive, and they're great at that, but the forces everyone to reconsider how they are going through life and if it is the best way to handle it. The scene of them saving people on the street reminded me of the Avengers, not just because of the callback to Captain America throwing Nat, but also because they worked together so well, but this time they weren't arresting the villain, but instead trying to get him to understand that he is not his trauma, and his trauma is making everyone else get stuck in their own worst nightmare. I love that in the end they become the new Avengers, and Yelena tells Val that they own her, considering they know her secrets, she tried to dispose of them.
My favorite part of this movie is when Bob is attacking the void, thinking that it will take it out, but it's slowly taking over him. I think throughout the movie we see that violence is not going to solve their problems, and this moment sees the other characters realize this too. They all have been brought up being violent and have been praised for it, and while they are trying to un learn that, this scene really helped them see how that's not the answer, and for Bob, especially, he needs to actually break that cycle of violence. We see Alexei finally give Yelena the help she needs in the moment, and the rest of the team, starting with Yelena, embrace Bob and get him to stop fighting the void, and they all find this sense of family in this moment. Everything that had happened in Bob's life stemmed from his childhood, his drug use, and his volunteering in this study, so to have a random group of people give made him feel safe and cared for was a beautiful thing to see.
Thunderbolts or The New Avengers was a great entry for the MCU. The film addresses some heavy topics surrounding mental health and balance that nicely with the action and ensure the movie is paced well. I think Lewis Pullman, Florence Pugh, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus have some standout performances, but all of them are great. I'm excited to see what happens with this team and hope they continue to support each other and feel supported, because I can only imagine they will need each other for what comes next.
