The Unexpected Heart Behind the Misfit Team Up

Aiden saw the movie on opening weekend. We missed it due to being busy with Wizard of Oz. However, we made plans to go as soon as possible. The plans changed from weekday to weekend, included (then uninvited) Liam’s girlfriend and Christine, and continued to push back until we finally saw Thunderbolts* yesterday evening. And, even that looked to be in some peril!

I suppose the chaos of putting together the plans aptly matches the overall vibe of the film. I don’t care much about spoilers, as you all know, so that wasn’t a consideration. But, as time wore on Liam (and even I once or twice), cried, “By the time we see this movie, it won’t even be in the theaters!” Hell, even a couple of days ago, Chris and Jason texted about playing some cards yesterday. But, I held firm and went with Liam and Quinn to see the movie.

The Team

My introduction to Thunderbolts (as many of my anti-heroes) came during the Warren Ellis run with Norman Osborne. So, when they announced the lineup, I wondered how they might build this team of second tier heroes from some of the more maligned Marvel projects.

Yelena/Black Widow: They introduced her in Black Widow, where she unquestionably stole the show. Unfortunately, Covid timing killed the vibe of the movie, but anyone who watched the movie knew that Pugh had the chops to carry a film, especially one built to her strengths.

Red Guardian: Also brought to life during Black Widow, Harbour brought the chaotic but loveable dad energy that he perfected on Stranger Things. He continues that journey in this film, acting as the fraying knot that holds this whole group together.

Bucky: A B-lister who found himself written to the A-list and then put back on the bench after Falcon and Winter Soldier, some wanted him to take up the mantle of Captain America. True to the comics, they gave it to Sam (and I don’t care what you fuckers say, that was a damn good movie) so Buck went about changing things his own way. You can see Cap’s influence on him.

USAgent/”Captain America”: A main plot to Falcon and the Winter Solider (another project that got whacked by Covid and other real life issues), USAgent shows what can go wrong when the super soldier’s flaws threaten to defeat him.

Ghost: Introduced during Quantumania (another movie I enjoyed) Ghost gets slightly more significant screen time here. But, she still takes a back seat to the other members of the team. As Yelena said, “She killed a lot of people then was killed. Just like all of us one day.”

Other Characters

Our favorite character once we finally saw Thunderbolts* has to be Bob. When I first saw the character, I thought he was Hydra Bob. Without giving too much away (yes, I will repect spoilers this time) they give him

a much better fit with this story. Julia Louis Dreyfuss gave us quite a treat as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, the creator and de facto leader of the team. Taskmaster makes an appearance. That is all. I get it. No spoilers.

The Story

Being the Thunderbolts, these characters need to come together in a less than heroic scenario to serve a heroic purpose. de Fontaine gives them that push, bringing together Ghost, Widow, USAgent, and Taskmaster before they run into Bob. Red Guardian learns of de Fontaine’s plan and comes to the rescue. Bucky also comes to the “rescue.” And the core team forms.

Bob turns out to be more than expected and forms a bond with the members of the team. When de Fontaine twists things to her own benefit, the team starts to fall apart before they realize that they’re all they (and the world at large) have to stop what’s happening. Spoiler Alert: The “good guys” win and so, of course, does de Fontaine.

Themes

Family and the ties that bind: I often say, “family is nothing but blood.” That sometimes rubs my wife the wrong way. What I mean is basically the old, “you can choose your friends, but not your family.” Well, fuck (we’re now rated “R” for this article) that. You can absolutely choose your family. If the people you’re born with aren’t serving you, ship them and find ones that do. If your family shuns you for your identity, there are others who will welcome you. This movie functions solely on this propositiono and Red Guardian helps everyone remember that.

Mental Illness: Depression. Bipolar disorder. Generational trauma. The movie deftly deals with all of these in a purposeful and heartfelt way. They show how these conditions steal joy from people in a very real way. They also show how genuine human connection can help fight these. However, it stops short of falling into the trap that you can “cure” yourself simply by reaching out. You also may need professional therapy and/or medication.

Politicians and political influence: Keeping with the counter culture history of comics (they’ve always been “woke”, you’re just now an idiot), government in the MCU exists solely to enrich themselves and keep the people under their thumbs. Sure, they dress it in a veneer of “helpful” or “good intentions”, but that’s all window dressing for their greed and corruption.

The Verdict (We finally saw Thunderbolts*)

As time went on, I found myself waffling a bit and willing to wait until streaming to see the movie. However, I’m now thrilled that we finally saw Thunderbolts*. Like Guardians of the Galaxy, the movie spoke to me on a deeper level than some of the others and I put it in my top 10, possibly top 5 MCU movies right now. If you get a chance and haven’t already, see the movie in the theaters. You won’t regret it.