Why Thunderbolts* (2025) is Considered One Big Therapy Session
The MCU has been rocky up to this point, to say the least. Every other project they’ve released has caused fans to call the long-running franchise dead. Yet, Marvel has always managed to pick themselves back up. After Captain America: Brave New World’s mixed reception, Thunderbolts* became a true coin flip on what could determine its quality as half the characters were C-grade forgettable villains and antiheros from forgettable MCU projects (minus Bucky, Yelena & Red Guardian). Luckily for everyone, it was one of the biggest surprises in the past few years.
Yelena Belova (played by Florence Pugh) is tired and looking to retire from Black Widow work as her depression worsens. Valentina (played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus) gives her one last job to kill another assassin before her retirement. However, Valentina double-crosses Yelena, as well as her other black ops operatives including John Walker (played by Wyatt Russell), Ghost (played by Hannah John-Kamen) and Taskmaster (played by Olga Kurylenko). While trying to escape, they run into Bob (played by Lewis Pullman), who just so happened to be the only survivor of Valentina’s illegal human experiments. Now, everyone must work together to survive and take down Valentina once and for all.
This film does a really good job standing apart from the rest of the MCU by acknowledging its larger scale but also keeping its character arcs and relationships grounded. The focus is on our main cast’s traumatic past and mental health as everyone seems to teeter on the edge of The Void, especially Bob and Yelena. Their connection is one of the most human I have seen in the MCU for a while. This connection could be interpreted as potentially romantic, but that’s not what’s important. Rather, what’s highlighted is their instantaneous and deep caring for the other while they both navigate their demons.
What I’m really impressed by is the care that went into crafting Bob’s character and super hero persona, Sentry as well as his darker alter ego, The Void. For those who don’t know, Sentry suffers from schizophrenia, depression and severe anxiety in the comics. Putting those mental illnesses into a superhero brain isn’t a great combo. In the movie, Bob has severe depression, BPD, PTSD, anxiety and addiction so far while it’s unconfirmed whether or not he also has schizophrenia (but I hope that’s explored in the future). There is such an amount of grace and empathy with the writing and portrayal of these mental health conditions that you truly feel sympathy for him. Especially when The Void makes its official debut in the 3rd act being the embodiment of depression.
Something else I truly appreciate is the subversion of the villain’s defeat. Unlike in many MCU films, our main villain isn’t beaten bloody or killed. Why? Because that was The Void’s endgame: dragging everyone deeper into their own personal voids. It takes the combined efforts of all these broken people who’ve made the wrong choices to save an innocent person from making the same mistakes. This also helps make this team feel much closer than the OG Avengers in their respective debuts, since their circumstances for coming together are similar but different. Like the Avengers, the Thunderbolts get their butts kicked by the main antagonist. But they come together during the film’s climax when they realize that teaming up is much more beneficial.
It’s easy to see why so many people are drawn to Thunderbolts* as formerly forgettable characters are surprisingly memorable in their own way. Everyone can relate to the themes of mental illness and loneliness, as we all have our constant battles with our own personal demons. But as the film suggests, each battle is better with a team rather than doing it alone or just beating it down until it consumes you. It certainly makes Bob the new fan favorite comfort character with his awkward yet gentle demeanor. All of this just makes Thunderbolts* an unofficial group therapy session all Marvel fans need during a time where the world feels like a big black Void.
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