The Thunderbolts are not your typical team of heroes. Nor are they one of the teams that a casual fan would think of when they think of Marvel, and for good reason. Depending on which iteration they are or who’s on the team, the Thunderbolts might not even be heroes at all. They could just be villains pretending to be heroes or outright villains. So when Marvel started dropping hints that the Thunderbolts would be coming to the post-Endgame MCU, people were likely skeptical. They had managed to take lesser-known teams like The Guardians of the Galaxy and make them into household names, but could Thunderbolts* do the same? Especially when this time around, it wasn’t just about a team of misfits, but people who hit rock bottom? Much to everyone’s surprise, though, Thunderbolts* manages to do exactly that.
And it does it while also handling some of the most emotionally mature subjects one could hope to see in a superhero movie.
The entire story of Thunderbolts* gets kick-started by Contessa Du Fontaine, the head of the CIA and the Anti-Nick Fury. Whereas Fury did shady things for the greater good and assembled the Avengers, Fontaine assembles several antiheroes and criminals together…to kill them. Because she’s in trouble with the law and is trying to get rid of everyone and everything that could be used to bring her down. But in doing so, they wind up attracting the attention of Bucky, and worse, stumble upon…Bob.
Uh-oh.
The Thunderbolts* are not Heroes…they’re Anti-heroes
From the outset, Thunderbolts* makes it clear that most of the people who end up forming this team aren’t heroes. They’re rejected, washouts, and people whose lives are not going the way they want. In the first scene alone, Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova monologues about how empty and without purpose her life feels. Like it or not, that is the threat that ties each of the Thunderbolts together as the film explores just how miserable they are in life. They’ve all done things they’re not proud of and had things done to them that they hate, and that’s left them bitter about life. Even Bucky, the most heroic and well-adjusted of the impromptu group, has undertones of not being happy with his life. They’re all dealing with these feelings of worthlessness and desperately want to prove they’re not losers.
And no one in the film personifies this need for approval and feelings of worthlessness better than…Bob.
Bob. He’s What Homelander Wants to be
From the moment he’s introduced as this confused, seemingly in-over-his-head guy, Bob, played by Lewis Pullman, serves as the heart of Thunderbolts*. Casual movie-goers might know who he’s supposed to be, and the film makes plenty of jokes about his random inclusion, but once he’s talked into becoming the Sentry, the jokes stop. Marvel must have taken some cues from Antony Starr’s portrayal of Homelander, because as the Sentry, Bob carries all the confidence and instability of the corrupt version of Superman. And when the Void arrives? It is like looking at the embodiment of the despair that everyone faces at some point in their lives.
The Sentry has always been a character whose history is defined by his insecurities and unstable mental health, but Thunderbolts* does a great job of bringing that to the big screen. Some of the film’s most poignant scenes are because of the Sentry’s powers as they force people to relive the worst moments of their lives. Even Fontaine, the one responsible for creating the Sentry, is left visibly shaken after experiencing this for herself. While Bob might not be fit to be a hero as he is, though, that doesn’t change the fact that he remains an overall good person. Truthfully, each member of the Thunderbolts can be considered a good person. All they need is the chance.
A Very Nice Film, Indeed
Thunderbolts* doesn’t hide the fact that it’s not going to be the next Avengers, no matter what Fontaine might say. It’s not trying to re-tread old ground. It’s trying to tell its own story about a bunch of antiheroes trying to do good. And while it may not be as flashy as any Avengers film, it does manage to match the best of Marvel in terms of comedy and emotional depth. In a nutshell, it’s a movie about redemption, and everyone loves a good redemption story. Plus, the actor’s do manage to bring a lot to their characters, from Red Guardian’s bombastic nature to Yelena’s self-loathing, you can tell they’re giving it their all. And isn’t that what life is about?
Also, when you find out what the asterisk is meant to be, you will laugh.
