Marvel Studios’ newest film release “Thunderbolts*” presents a team of unlikely enhanced or trained individuals that come together without a real villain influence in the fight. Each character’s main conflict is personal turmoil that holds them back from what they could do in the world. The plot of the film enhances these character conflicts and binds the team together as a family while overcoming depression.
Florence Pugh plays Yelena Belova, experiencing feelings of grief and not knowing what her real purpose is after losing her sister, Black Widow. Yelena serves more of an unsung leader role to the group whenever they start working together. The opening scene shows Yelena contemplating her place in the world and claims that she is alone, which plays out into the plot of the film.
If anyone deserves the role of antagonist, it’s the head of the CIA, Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus. The Thunderbolts would never have formed without Valentina placing the individuals together at an off-site facility filled with evidence that could ruin her political standing. She also put them together, hoping they would kill each other and tie up her loose ends.
Lewis Pullman plays a man of many names: Robert Reynolds, Bob, Sentry, and Void. Throughout the film, we see that Bob had a rough life wrought with abusive parents, drug abuse, and dead-end jobs. His saving grace turned out to be when he was approached with a drug that would make him a superhero, giving him a life better than he’d ever imagined.
Bob wakes up disoriented to four of the assumed-to-be Thunderbolts team, finding a way to escape Valentina’s death trap. Bob provides a way for the crew to escape from Valentina and her team of soldiers. His act of courage earns the respect of Yelena and the other team members.
Wyatt Russel plays John Walker, otherwise known as the “wannabe” Captain America. He similarly has a haunted past as Yelena. John is the first to experience the power Bob has and foreshadows what Bob’s power exactly does.
Yelena’s dad, Alexei Shostakov, otherwise known as the Red Guardian, is played by David Harbour. He has an equally haunted past knowing that he turned his daughters away at such a young age. He provides encouragement for the formation of the team and gives Yelena solace in her struggle to find a new purpose.
Bucky Barnes, played by Sebastian Stan, is the one who convinces the team to work together by highlighting the bad that Valentina has planned. He’s able to have intel on Valentina’s plans by his newly found political power seat.
While I say Valentina is the antagonist, she holds little power if any due to her political work and standing with the CIA. Bob, who holds the new title of Sentry, got his powers and fell victim to Valentina’s seduction to help her. Bob’s susceptibility did not last long as he realized the true potential his new power holds and even claims himself to be God-like.
The movie feels like the real antagonist is just depression. The Void is another alter ego of Bob but plays the common conflict that the characters are experiencing. The power that Void holds both literally and metaphorically resembles depression by sticking the victims in a memory loop that holds trauma.
Yelena overcomes her depressed state and shows Bob the right way to handle it with the rest of the team instead of beating it down. The team shows that anything done together with a family can be overcome, resembling the theme that the original Avengers has held for over a decade now.
“Thunderbolts*” is a great addition to the Marvel Studios franchise and examines themes of depression with power. These villains-turned-heroes show that acting as a unit is harder than you think, even for enhanced individuals.