Thunderbolts Is A Good Representation Of Mental Health Struggles

I saw Marvels Thunderbolts for the second time recently and what can I say it was good enough for me to see it twice. I saw it with some friends the first time but the themes and me almost falling asleep during the movie due to being tired convinced me to see it for a second time. One thing that stood out to me from the beginning was the theme of mental health in the movie and with me working in that field there was no doubt I was fully invested. The movie did a good job of illustrating the topic of mental health struggles that humans go through on the daily and the ways they cope with it.

From the beginning we see Yelena played by Florence Pugh talking about not feeling like herself. She has been trying to find purpose and fulfillment in her life ever since her sister Black Widow died. The illustration was so good that it had her jumping from the top of a building that may probably be one of the tallest in the world. This displayed the topic of suicide and how people jump when there is no more hope. People jumping from bridges, buildings, etc. is one of the leading causes of suicide because to them that is one of the easiest ways to go. Most people don't survive the fall and even if they do the impact affects them long term. Yelena is dealing with depression and loneliness because at this point it is just her.

Luckily, she is able to pull her parachute while she is falling from the building. Her struggle with loneliness and a lack of fulfillment has her completing missions which are mostly assassination ones. But the thing is after she is done, she is wondering what's next. She is not fulfilled and drinks to deal with this. This sounds familiar because a lot of people turn to alcohol, drugs, and others to deal with their mental health and escape but that mostly makes things worse. We are introduced to other characters who are also dealing with their own struggles, but I want to focus on Bobby who is one that comes out of nowhere.

No one knows who he is but later we realize how important his character will be. We learn that Bobby was an experiment made to be stronger than all the avengers combined. We are slowly introduced to his past and Bobby has been through a lot in his childhood. He talked about the darkness and loneliness he deals with and how he thinks everything is his fault. The whole movie is all of them trying to find ways to deal with their mental health and just the everyday struggles people go through. I could go more in depth but that would take me all day and I may spoil the movie along the way. All I can say is the struggles are not easy but there is always hope and there is nothing wrong with asking for help. Being there for each other is what helps this team. I highly recommend this movie and thank you to Marvel for this masterpiece. Excited to see where the next series of movies takes us.