Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for Thunderbolts*.Spider-Man’s iconic “great responsibility” line gets a different meaning in Thunderbolts*, courtesy of Valentina Allegra de Fontaine’s shady MCU plans. Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Valentina Allegra de Fontaine is a shadier version of Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury. Whereas Nick Fury assembled the Avengers so the could fight the battles that regular humans never could, Val searches for the Avengers’ replacement with the sole purpose of repairing her public image and gaining control over the world’s next powerful heroes.
Unlike most MCU entries, Thunderbolts* doesn’t feature many explicit references to other projects and characters. Thunderbolts* instead presents a very self-contained story centered around its titular anti-heroes and Robert Reynolds’ inner conflict. On the other hand, Thunderbolts* also raises questions about all other New York characters’ whereabouts, as heroes such as Spider-Man and Wong should have at least noticed Sentry’s attack on the Watchtower. Beyond that, Thunderbolts*‘ connections to other Marvel heroes are more subtle.
Spider-Man’s “With Great Responsibility” Lesson Is One Of Marvel’s Most Iconic Ever Lines
Spider-Man Embodies The Unbreakable Balance Between Power And Responsibility
Few lines of dialog are as iconic as “with great power comes great responsibility”, repeated in several versions of Spider-Man’s story in comic books, movies, animated shows, and video games. In the MCU, Peter Parker suggests Ben Parker gave him this piece of advice off-screen some time before Peter Parker joins the Avengers in Captain America: Civil War, telling Tony Stark, “When you can do the things that I can, but you don’t, and then the bad things happen… They happen because of you.” Ben Parker has never appeared on-screen in the MCU, but Peter seems to understand that his superpowers come with the burden of heroism and sacrifice.
Related
Sentry vs. The Avengers: Who Would Actually Win?
Thunderbolts* introduces Lewis Pullman’s Sentry as one of the MCU’s most powerful characters, virtually on the same power level as all the Avengers.
A few years after Peter Parker first references to this lesson, Spider-Man: No Way Home sees the Green Goblin betray Aunt May and kill her with his glider. Aunt May delivers an even more accurate version of the “great responsibility” line than Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man, Marc Webb’s The Amazing Spider-Man, and the Russo Bros.’ Captain America: Civil War. As Peter Parker realizes Aunt May put her life on the line for the greater good, May tells Peter, “With great power there must also come great responsibility.”
Thunderbolts* Flips Spider-Man’s “Great Responsibility” Lesson On Its Head With 1 Cold Villain Line
Val Seeks Power With No Responsibility
In Thunderbolts*, Valentina Allegra de Fontaine rushes to find a replacement for the Avengers in order to prove she can lead the world’s next era of superheroism. Val plans to destroy all proof of her failures and eliminate her assassins — which she considers loose ends — and present Sentry, an all-in-one Avenger. Justifying her actions, Val says, “righteousness without power is just an opinion,” which encapsulates Val’s approach to power. According to Val, anybody could try to be a hero, but only truly powerful people like herself or a godlike super soldier can make a real difference.
Related
Thunderbolts* 2: Will It Happen, Which Cast Members Could Return And Everything We Know
With Thunderbolts* whipping up a storm among franchise fans, many may now be wondering if the latest MCU movie is gearing up for a sequel.
What Val doesn’t take into account is that power demands responsibility, sooner or later. And just like Spider-Man is unable to protect all his loved ones regardless of how hard he tries, Val’s plans end up backfiring. Val’s attempt to eliminate her assassins only brings them together, and her attempts to create an invincible super soldier awaken a dark entity that almost consumes New York permanently. Val is lucky, though, as Sentry doesn’t kill her, the Thunderbolts manage to stop the Void, and the heroes decide to cooperate with her as the New Avengers in Thunderbolts*‘ ending, instead of making her answer for her actions.
The Thunderbolts* Line Explains Exactly Why Valentina Is So Ruthless
Thunderbolts* Reveals Where Val’s Thirst For Power Comes From
The Void reveals that a young Val witnessed a man murder her father, apparently over an unpaid debt. Val’s feeling of powerlessness as a kid must have led her to seek any kind of power growing up, hence why Val seems so jealous of Wakanda’s vibranium in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and why she’s so desperate to be celebrated as the creator of the Sentry program in Thunderbolts*. For Val, power isn’t synonymous with responsibility, but with control. More than fame, money, and influence, the feeling of holding great power quenches Val’s fear of uncertainty and weakness.
While Val gains great power with no responsibility in Thunderbolts*, she may not be able to escape the consequences of her questionable actions for long
Val turns things around in her favor at the end of Thunderbolts* when she claims the team’s victory as her own. She even transforms the scrappy Thunderbolts into the New Avengers and somehow convinces all members of the team to stay together fourteen months after their battle with the Void, as shown by Thunderbolts*‘ post-credits scene. But while Val gains great power with no responsibility in Thunderbolts*, she may not be able to escape the consequences of her questionable actions for long.
Thunderbolts*
8/10
- Release Date
-
May 2, 2025
- Runtime
-
126 Minutes
- Director
-
Jake Schreier
- Writers
-
Eric Pearson, Joanna Calo