How ‘Thunderbolts*’ has a positive message of mental health

Before I start on this account of the “Thunderbolts*” movie, I have to warn that there will be spoilers.

If you haven’t watched it, please come back when you have.

Right from the first scene, the idea of having a void in her life, Yelena, played by Florence Pugh explores the concept of depression.

As a survivor of depression, I felt very comforted with this film.

When I was a teen, I dealt with my depression in both positive and negative ways, and as I got older I realized how important family and friends are to surviving dark moments of our lives when all seems lost.

In the beginning, three of the movie’s characters realize they are about to be burned alive like trash. This is a story about castaways, not the perfect heroes we are used to seeing on screen. 

They are stuck in a facility with a stranger who calls himself Bob, played by Lewis Pullman. When they are trying to escape, Bob offers to stay behind, even knowing he might die, because he doesn’t think he matters. 

But Yelena recognizes the void in him (not just the actual evil Void character inside him) because she has also felt it and refuses to leave him behind. It is her devotion to his right to exist that keeps reaching out to him even as he is swallowed by the Void later on in the film. 

Even though it seems like the Void has eliminated Yelena, the rest of the Thunderbolts team decide to go after her. It is then they are each confronted with their past traumas and they walk through in order to get to Bob. 

Bob tries to beat the Void, but they realize it’s only making him stronger. That is the representation of how sometimes we can respond to depression with anger, but it only consumes us further. 

When they fight and push through, they are able to reach Bob and embrace him, showing that they are there for him, and it is only then that Bob can finally let go of the Void and come back to reality. 

It is the best representation of depression that I have ever seen in a film.  

Even with all their imperfections, past traumas and insecurities, they become a team when they realize they need each other and when they can finally see the potential to help those around them. 

Therapists recommend a gratitude journal because it helps to take an account of everything that people can be grateful for, and it can help us feel less alone. 

In the beginning, each character was alone, resentful and angry at the world for getting dealt the wrong hand too many times. 

But once they all realize they share a dark past, they stop feeling alone and they start being on a road to recovery. 

Resilience is on the other side of the rainbow, past the darkness. And that is where they find themselves in the end, more or less of course, because they still have to deal with La Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine. 

That is essentially what makes this movie so different from other superhero films. 

Now that we’re in May, which is Mental Health Awareness month, do yourself and your loved ones a favor and give that one person you are thinking about a call. They might just be happy to hear from you.