“Thunderbolts” tackles relatable themes

The team of highly trained assassins and ex-villains are up against the most powerful being to exist: the Void. He’s in the midst of turning the citizens of New York City into a black abyss as he transports them into the mental state of their worst fears, and manipulates their minds to re-live their lifetimes’ biggest regrets. With the Avengers gone, the Thunderbolts don’t know what to do as the emptiness spreads across New York City, engulfing it in nothingness. The Void is too powerful and cannot be stopped, when suddenly in a vulnerable mental state, Yelena Belova willingly steps into the expanding black abyss—no one knowing why.

The “Thunderbolts” movie is full of sensitive scenes just like this one that audiences struggling with the feelings of loneliness and emptiness can relate to. In the overall picture, one might argue that this Marvel film is just like any other “Avengers” or superhero movie—it has a group of heroes with the goal of fighting off an antagonist. 

But the “Thunderbolts” movie has so much more depth and emotion than that. Yelena Belova, Bucky Barnes, John Walker, Ava Starr, and Alexi Shostakov are a group of highly trained assassins who have killed a great amount of people. They are “anti-heroes”—not a team of mighty crime-fighting superheroes who can do no wrong. They are real people who cannot fly, shoot lasers out of their hands, or shapeshift. Like any other human, the Thunderbolts have all done bad things throughout their lifetimes that they deeply regret and will forever live with. They’ve pushed off the unaddressed emptiness, masking it with their actions of “helping” the world, but eventually, the lonely feeling of being trapped in a void catches up to everyone, and nothing can be done to escape it. 

The Thunderbolts are different from the typical superheroes you would see in comics or other movies—they are vulnerable people that many can relate to, which is why this movie is far better than many others. When an audience can relate to a movie, it deepens their empathy for the characters because they know with personal experience how it feels to be in their position. The Thunderbolts can be viewed as humans instead of comic characters due to their emotional connection to the viewers—a connection that a typical superhero cannot make. 

Overall, the “Thunderbolts” movie has done an amazing job with creating that personal bond with their target audience. I highly recommend for someone who is a superhero movie fan to give this one a watch as it will open their perspective and teach them that heroes can also be normal people struggling with their own issues as well.

“Not super. Not heroes. Not giving up.” This authentic film gives people the motivation to keep pushing through, even if they feel like they’re alone and can’t keep going any longer.