A review of the latest film from the Marvel Cinematic Universe

For a long time, for various reasons, I hadn’t had the chance to go to the cinema until last weekend (May 10th), when an opportunity arose, and I watched the movie Thunderbolts (New Avengers). After the end of the “Infinity Saga,” which concluded with “Endgame,” the Marvel film series experienced a sharp decline. Confusing storylines and superficial characters ultimately led Marvel to shift its new phase from the predetermined plan where “Kang the Conqueror” was to be the main villain towards the epic comic storyline “Secret Wars,” changing its main villain to “Doctor Doom.” (If you’re curious about this character, you can listen to the excellent Herolic podcast by Faeghe Tabrizi about him.)

For this reason, I went to see a film based on a group of supporting characters from previous Marvel films and series with very low expectations. However, I was very pleasantly surprised.
The film was on a higher level technically and artistically compared to post-Infinity Saga films. Still, the main reason for my satisfaction wasn’t just the acting, special effects, or story of heroes. The screenwriters, in this story, dared to delve into deeper layers of character instead of – or at least alongside – repeating the usual hero-villain narrative or the gathering of a mismatched group to achieve a common goal.

Spoiler Alert
From this point on, this writing may reveal parts and plot developments of the story.

The film’s story and narrative were perhaps, more than anything, a meditation and reflection on phenomena such as darkness, emptiness, depression, and their interrelation.
Although the story focuses explicitly on the relationship between Yelena and her father (Red Guardian) and their interaction, the film’s main character (Bob or Sentry/Robert Reynolds) represents a human who falls into the trap of a crucial and fundamental question. If a correct answer isn’t found, it opens the gates to a black hole whose end is endless emptiness and darkness, engulfing not only the individual but the entire world. As Viktor Frankl writes in his famous book “Man’s Search for Meaning,” the search for meaning is the primary driving force in human life. If an individual fails in this path, they fall into an existential vacuum that paves the way for psychological collapse.
All characters in this story have a background and experiences that have affected their entire lives. Every night, in their nightmares, they relive that incident in an endless, repetitive cycle, unable to break it and escape. That’s why it doesn’t matter what powers they have or what they do; at the end of the day, they ask themselves, “So what?”
Indeed, this experience of stasis, aimlessness, and loss of meaning closely resembles what psychiatrists define as clinical depression. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), the main symptoms of depression include loss of pleasure, feelings of worthlessness, inability to concentrate, and recurrent thoughts of death – signs clearly and intensely visible in Bob’s character, with the main character (Bob/Sentry) being the epitome of this symbolism and behaviour. He, who, until now, no character in the Marvel universe has possessed such boundless power, has stepped into this world from the heart of disaster, calamity, abuse, and torment. Like all of us, he grapples with his inner demons.
If Yelena is struggling on the verge of falling into this endless abyss of darkness, Bob has already fallen into it. Like falling into a deep black hole, this fall has brought him to such a state of emptiness that his darkness consumes everything it touches.
At the end of the film, we see that his victims, turned into lifeless shadows by his hand, were not dead. They had merely sunk so deep into the dark trap of depression, aimlessness, and emptiness that they were no different from the dead, with only a shadow of them remaining on the world stage. Perhaps this is another expression of what Aaron Beck states: depressed individuals suffer from a triad of negative thoughts about themselves, about the world, and about the future. In this view, the world is dark, and the future lacks hope – the very image Bob is trapped in, dragging the world into darkness with him.
But what is the path to salvation?
Bob, like you and me, cannot escape this abyss alone or with mere reprimands, advice, or pre-prepared words from those lounging comfortably on the shores of safety. He needs people who will step into the darkness to save him.
This is the path that Swiss psychologist Carl Gustav Jung suggests for actual psychological growth, writing: “One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious.”
And only someone who has tasted that bitterness and darkness can step into this endless darkness with the hope of not being destroyed.
The “heroes” who willingly step into the dark shadow of Bob’s character are by no means angelic. They are not virtuous, not role models, not heroes. They are troubled, lonely characters on the verge of collapse who have now found a new purpose for salvation: rescuing another from the deep, dark, destructive, and world-consuming abyss of depression and aimlessness.
Those who can step into this realm to save the one lost in darkness are not strangers to it.
The presence of these companions, who try to confront their deepest fears to save someone they should have considered their enemy, gives hope of confrontation to the one lost in thoughts and the hidden layers of a melancholic, dark mind. But the path to salvation from the black world of depression and inaction is not simple. They must step from the relatively safe attic into the darkest and most terrifying passages of the house where the mind is imprisoned, ultimately accompanying the person not by denying the darkness but by confronting it head-on.
Here, the film’s story symbolically presents one of the most beautiful narratives of salvation. In the final stage of confrontation, the companions, half-hopeful and half-despairing, cannot intervene. But when the one who wants to return to life begins to fight, instead of confronting, accepting, and forgiving themselves, they resort to self-harm, see justice in revenge, and consider the only way to value themselves is by destroying another – which here is a part of their being – darkness infiltrates them. We cannot eliminate darkness by taking revenge on it; instead, we let it inside ourselves. As Nietzsche warns in “Beyond Good and Evil,” he who fights monsters should see that he does not become a monster; for gazing long into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you – something Bob is on the verge of experiencing.
Here, the final help from the companions must assist the fighter who wants to return to life. In their last and most heroic confrontation, instead of helping the captive character (Bob) destroy his dark side, they prevent him from falling into the trap of self-victimization, revenge on himself and consequently on others, so that darkness does not merely transform from one form to another.
Thus, just as the film “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” became a statement on the post-Snowden era of government surveillance, Thunderbolts unexpectedly tells one of the deepest stories in the Marvel universe, focusing on the complex layers of the human mind. For some audiences, this angle might make the film more appealing than the usual story of heroes versus villains.

⚠️ Important Reminder: If you are in darkness, you are not alone
If you or someone close to you is experiencing feelings of depression, emptiness, anxiety, or self-harming thoughts, it’s essential to know that these feelings are real, but there is always a way to get help. Seeking help is not a sign of weakness but a courageous step towards liberation and recovery.
In Canada: You can call 988 — this free and accessible number is active nationwide for mental health crises and suicide prevention (24/7, in English and French).
Also, use the Wellness Together Canada website for online chats with counsellors, mental health assessments, and free therapeutic services.
In Iran: Counseling line 1480 (State Welfare Organization): Free, confidential, and available nationwide.