Thunderbolts* (2025)

The Widows, much like Yelena, know no other life other than this one of assassination, espionage, and mercenary work. It was only natural for them to fall back into that line of work when any sense of a "normal" life feels foreign and unfamiliar to them. For Yelena, it hits home harder knowing that the one "real" thing in her life - her family with Melina, Alexei, and Natasha - was a farce and another lie that fed to them by the Red Room, despite finding the means to bond as a family regardless.  

Losing Natasha hurts Yelena even more, especially after finding out the truth from Clint Barton. There's no one to hunt down for revenge. No one to beat up unleash your vengeance upon. Yelena has to live with the fact that Natasha choose this end of her story for herself - all to save her and so many like her that were lost during the Snap. I can definitely relate knowing that a loved one/family member has moved on from this world and you are left wondering what should you be doing and whatever you are doing is worth them not being here anymore as you don't want to let that person down. It's a crippling self-inflicting burden to place onto one's shoulders, but that is one of many things the mind will do us. 

The greatest gift that this film gives viewers is seeing her continue her journey through navigating her trauma, addressing and acknowledging her own mental health, while applying that knowledge to aid others. 

Real or not, Alexei is still there for his daughter just like he was there for his family as a whole in Black Widow (2021). He is still beaming with pride over his daughters achievements - for the Natasha's achievements as a member of the Avengers, leading to her ultimate sacrifice and Yelena's contributions to national security while working for Valentina to her change of heart that led her to aid Bucky Barnes in taking her down. He isn't without his faults, but he immediately raced to her aid after eavesdropping on Valentina's plans to betray Yelena and her unlikely allies. Alexei has a heart of gold and definitely shines in the scenes that he shares with Yelena. He takes pride in raising two very capable, strong women. 

In this film, I thought it was a nice touch to show the mental trauma/angst that Walker is living with. There was that brief moment where he contemplated with suicide (this is heavily implied in that scene where he's looking down the empty elevator shaft) after his flashback due to exposure to Bob's powers early into the film. It's not hard to see that he considered just ending it all by jumping down that elevator shaft. Walker's mental illnesses are magnified after taking the super soldier serum, making his inadequacies even more apparent. That's what makes that explosion of his stress that included but wasn't limited to the world's eyes being on him at all times, the fear of not being strong enough (mentally and physically) for the role, his anger that no one was willing to give him a chance to live up to Steve's name, the feeling of being suspended in a space of inadequacy which led to him breaking underneath the weigh of a name so strong that he had no choice but to break under the pressure - much like anyone would. 

Serum or not, Walker struggles with the same burden that Sam Wilson is coping with on a regular basis - an above average man trying to live up to the greatest man to ever live in the Marvel Universe - something nobody can do. Much like his comic book counterpart, John Walker is a good soldier, but he'll never be a good Captain America. 'Nuff said. 

This film does a great job of showing that Walker is still struggling with finding an identity for himself since the title/mantle of Captain America doesn't suit him at all. Fortunately for him, he finds himself surrounded by other former soldiers, assassins, and mercenaries who are all looking for the same purpose for their lives. The biggest takeaway for this character in this film is that he's continuing to try to do better than he did previously and that's all we could really ask for from this character. 

It's amazing to me that people call themselves fan of the MCU but never took the time to watch The Falcon and the Winter Soldier on Disney+ but at the same time, it explains the gap in awareness and familiarity with Sam Wilson's transition into becoming Captain America in Brave New World and why that film was frowned upon by so many people. Those individuals didn't want to do the "homework" to understand that film better. 

This was the defining moment for Bucky and Sam's friendship and highlights the trauma that both of these characters are dealing with. A lot of people give Sam shit for his reaction to Bucky pouring out his soul about why he feels so passionate about Sam giving away the shield at the time, but they fail to see his stance as a man of color, especially without the accompanying context from the rest of this series. Bucky feels the responsibilities of what ideals his best friend lived by and what that shield represents. In comparison, Bucky (and even Steve Rogers himself) failed to realize the massive burden that they put on Sam Wilson's shoulders being a man of color being entrusted with the shield. America, whether it be in fiction or reality, isn't ready to accept a Captain America of color. We are seeing that playing out in 2025 if you need any more proof. 

In Bucky's case, he fears that if Steve made the wrong choice about Sam, then he fears that Steve made the wrong choice(s) about putting his life and his reputation on the line to save him - a formerly brain-washed H.Y.D.R.A. assassin. In that same vein, this film sees Bucky seeing a lot of himself in the members of the Thunderbolts since they all share a similar past as hired guns/mercenaries and assassins. These are all people who haven't known any other life but the horrors of the battlefield. At the same time, he can identify with them all being manipulated and used like puppets by Valentina and offer the means for payback. 

My only knock with Bucky's arc in this film is that it feels like we're missing some context in terms of what happened from the events of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and this film. How did Bucky end up being a Congressman? How did his friendship/relationship with Sam Wilson become strained? Does this explain why he wasn't more hands on to aid Sam in Brave New World? There's far too many questions than answers here and it's a shame that we don't have another season of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier to look forward to that would/could possibly fill in the gaps. 

I think it is pretty foolish to completely dismiss this character from contributing to the importance of this film's theme and impact. Let's not forget that Antonia Dreykov was a Black Widow just like Yelena who was brainwashed and used like a puppet. She knew no other life than this one where she was merely a tool or better yet, a weapon, to be used to eliminate the enemies of others. She was a blank slate, who would be easily and quickly forgotten if she didn't find a purpose. Seeing Antonia again was constant reminder for Yelena to find her calling and not end up in the sad state of affairs where Antonia ended up in this film's opening act. Ghost gunned her down without remorse and in the next scene, Ghost and Walker were looting her corpse for weapons and ammunition as if she was a common goon in your typical shooter video game. If it couldn't be any sadder in terms of Antonia's fate, I guess viewers and her fellow former Widows could take solace in the fact that Antonia was able to die after choosing her own profession instead of being trapped to serve her father as a mindless slave. At least we were able to get one bad ass fight scene from her before she bit the dust. 

Mel

At first glance upon my first viewing of the film, I thought Geraldine Viswanathan's Mel was Iman Vellani's Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel undercover or something. I quickly realized that this was a false assumption and figured that she had to be a tongue-in-cheek reference to Melissa Gold AKA Songbird (formerly known as the supervillain called Screaming Mimi found in Marvel Comics). Songbird was one of the founding members of the Thunderbirds in Marvel Comics, who were a team of former D-list villains posing as heroes before having a genuine change of heart to do good much to the behest of their former leader Baron Zemo/Citizen V. 

This iteration of Mel is no hero nor villain by any margin. She is merely Valentina's secretary who has a change of heart by the end of the film to aid Bucky Barnes in providing intel on Valentina's unsavory actions to help bring her to justice. She was allegedly a teenager when the Avengers saved New York City and was inspired to find a line of work that would serve/protect the people, hence why she went along with working for Valentina. If she ends up being Songbird down the road, I guess they did enough of a good job to leave her as a blank slate to do something with her later. Otherwise, her character was unforgetable as Shira Haas' Sabra in Brave New World. 

When the Sentry/Void were first rumored to appear in this film, I was amused by reading comments and complaints online about how absurd it was for this group of assassins and soldiers were essentially bringing knives and pistols to a fight against Marvel Comics' literal equivalent to Superman. Let's not forget that Norman Osborn had this dude eating out of his hand off the promise of food from Five Guys of all places. 

All jokes aside, I found it compelling that Bob would connect to Yelena the most. Some might see it as cheesy while others could see it as poetic, but from the start of the film, Yelena described her life was void of purpose and meaning, leaving her searching for a higher calling. Anyone who has lost loved ones can identify with that void and pain of loss. You want to drown yourself into your work, hoping that it will fill that void and it will eventually go away, but it doesn't leaving you searching for something else to make you feel complete. Yelena found that purpose by connecting with Bob and helping him realize that he doesn't have to suffer alone - he has friends, he has the rest of the Thunderbolts* to lean onto to help him ward off the Void whenever he rears his ugly head, no matter how many times it takes. 

Valentina Allegra de Fontaine

Ever since Valentina Allerga de Fontaine was first introduced in Falcon and the Winter Soldier, I was in love with this character. In the wake of Nick Fury falling to the wayside and background due to his role being lessened following the events of the Infinity Saga coming to a close (despite appearing in Secret Invasion), I felt that Marvel Studios needed another figure in that type of role to act as a master manipulator to these superhero types. Val comes across as a much more "charming" version of DC Comics' Amanda Waller, despite being just as cunning as Nick Fury himself. She is a character that Marvel Comics can get a lot of mileage out of given her comic book history and the talented actress they have playing her with Julia Louis-Dreyfus in the drivers' seat. It is pretty telling that even Marvel Comics has a lifemodel decoy version of Val and the Winter Soldier/Bucky Barnes working together to form a new version of the Thunderbolts currently while the real Val is acting as Citizen V to hunt them down. I doubt the Marvel Cinematic Universe is going to go that route, but I am eager to see where they go with this character. 

Valentina is one of those authorative characters that remind me of Cecil Stedman in Invincible where the ends justify the means to get there. She is passionate about keeping the world safe, even if it means throwing as many bodies at a problem until it is resolved - including if those pawns are former villains and mercenaries. Valentina's presence in this continuity reminds me that the MCU missed the boat in terms of introducing Abigail Brand to be in charge of S.W.O.R.D., but I guess they want to save her introduction for down the line. We already saw this continuity waste Victoria Hand in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., which is ironic in the sense that Victoria Hand had a role to play on Steve Rogers' version of the New Avengers in Marvel Comics - a decision that I could see Bucky Barnes taking with Val in this continuity. By the end of this film, Barnes and the rest of the Thunderbolts have enough dirt on Valentina's shady dealings to expose her, but her position and insight could prove fruitful in the long-term, especially when it comes to her political and business connections. 

Due to the Void's powers, viewers were able to get an insight into her backstory, specifically the instance where she witnessed her father's death as a child. She unwillingly led her father's murderer to kill him right in front of her, causing her to develop an obsession with maintaining control and avoiding any loss of power. This explains the drastic actions she takes to assert and maintain her position as the director of the C.I.A. and protect the United States by any cost. We saw how far she was willing to go to ensure the success of this objective by recruiting the Thunderbolts for her black ops missions (including the assassination contract from Eleanor Bishop to kill Clint Barton) under the front of the O.X.E. company and even exposing her ex-husband, Everett Ross, as a traitor for aiding the Wakandans during the events of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.