I Recently Started Focusing On My Mental Health, So Thunderbolts* Hit Me Hard (In The Best Way)

Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for Marvel’s Thunderbolts*I’ve been trying to focus on improving my overall mental health this year, and Marvel’s new Thunderbolts* surprisingly hit me hard (in a good way). Featuring a surprising message about the darkness we can all carry and the struggle against one’s inner demons, Thunderbolts* has been applauded for its character-driven plot and themes in some pretty fascinating ways. While I was excited and optimistic about the movie going in, I certainly wasn’t expecting the movie to emotionally get me nearly as much as it did.

Thunderbolts* may seem, on the surface, as if it’s just another anti-hero ensemble movie. Indeed, comparisons have frequently been made between the Thunderbolts and DC’s Suicide Squad. However, just like James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad, which also featured some great heart and deep character moments amid its chaotic action, Thunderbolts* follows suit and arguably goes further with its incredibly relatable message, one that fully resonated with me as I’ve been working to improve my mental health in 2025.

Thunderbolts* Is A Surprising (And Entertaining) Exploration Into Mental Health

Tackling Tough Subjects Like Regret, Depression, Isolation, and More

Thunderbolts* is certainly not the first MCU movie to deal with heavy topics regarding depression and mental illness. Iron Man 2 saw Tony Stark facing his own mortality with some pretty negative and abusive reactions in response, and Iron Man 3 saw Stark suffering from panic attacks and PTSD (not to mention Jessica Jones). Bruce Banner struggled with depression and suicide, while WandaVision covered multiple stages of grief and loss. Thunderbolt Bucky Barnes himself was in therapy in Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

It’s not exactly new territory for the MCU to give their characters dimensions and experience a range of hardships and mental struggles. It’s part of what makes them so engaging and relatable. However, what arguably makes Thunderbolts* stand apart is just how central its themes and overall message surrounding mental health are. The movie also provides solutions for when you’re at your lowest and struggling to fight inner darkness on your own.

As we meet Bob Reynolds aka Sentry and reunite with Yelena Belova, Red Guardian, John Walker, Ghost, Bucky Barnes, most of the new MCU roster are either facing major struggles and acting like they’re okay, or they’re all too familiar with just how low one can get due to past traumas and regrets. The culmination of the movie isn’t just a superhero fight in New York City. It’s about a group of similarly struggling people who manage to come together to resist their own darkness (even when one of their inner demons, Bob’s, forces the whole of New York to re-live their darkest shames and traumas.

“I’m Fine” – Thunderbolts* Recurring Motif Is Something That’s Sadly All Too Relatable

It’s Okay To Admit When You’re Not Okay And Need Some Help

It’s remarkable how many times the phrase “I’m fine“, “It’s fine“, or some variation is heard in Marvel’s Thunderbolts*. Yelena wonders if she’s just bored at the beginning of the movie before finally confronting her own struggles and feelings of purposelessness by the movie’s end, with help from Alexei (who similarly pretended he was fulfilled). John Walker pretended like things with his family hadn’t fallen apart. Likewise, Sentry’s darkness, past traumas, and struggles with intense mental illness were so vast that they took a life of their own as The Void after Bob receives powers from Val and the OXE Group.

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Thunderbolts* ending sees Bob trying and failing to defeat the Void by himself, attempting to physically beat his own darkness on his own with little success. Likewise, the fact that the Void is only defeated until the rest of the Thunderbolts come around Bob to help and offer support is huge.

Whether it was with Bob and all the Thunderbolts or with Alexei and Yelena just before the Void claimed New York, Thunderbolts’ message is clear: it’s okay not to be okay, and more often than not, the best thing we can do is to seek help beyond ourselves. We can find support in those who love us and could and should accept help when it’s genuinely offered. It’s far easier to fight inner pain and deep mental lows when we’re not doing it alone in an isolated vacuum.

Thunderbolts* Personally Messed Me Up (In The Best Way Possible)

The Movie’s Message Really Resonated With Me

Whether it’s obsessing and doom-scrolling in response to negative current events, sporadic feelings of low self-worth, purposelessness, or regrets over mistakes in the past, I’ve had my share of low moments in my personal life, just like most people. “I’m fine” and “Everything’s fine are phrases I also know too well, ones I’m trying to use less by instead admitting when I’m having a hard time, relying on family, friends, and faith rather than wrongly believing I can squash it down, ignore, or thinking I can handle it all on my own.

I’d already been working on making more of a positive effort on my mental health before I saw Thunderbolts* opening night. Seeing these MCU characters experience similar stages of positive development was something that naturally resonated with me on a level I was not expecting that Thursday in the movie theater. It certainly enhanced my viewing due to my own recent experiences, and I found myself deeply moved by the overall story.

I Can’t Wait To See The New Avengers Again

Doomsday and Secret Wars Aren’t That Far Away

Thanks to the end of Thunderbolts and its post-credits scenes revealing that the Thunderbolts have become the New Avengers, I truly can’t wait to see them in action again in the MCU’s future. They’ve very much evolved into a found family, and it’s clear that they’re going to be an ongoing team heading into Avengers: Doomsday and beyond. I also love that the New Avengers reveal is more than a cool twist: it embodies the movie’s message that the emptiness of the “void” can be resisted via human connection, a means of generating new purpose and meaning just as the Thunderbolts have, becoming New Avengers.

Marvel’s Thunderbolts* is now playing in theaters from Marvel Studios.

Thunderbolts*

8/10

Release Date

May 2, 2025

Runtime

126 Minutes

Director

Jake Schreier

Writers

Eric Pearson, Joanna Calo

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