A Geeky Guy's Guide to the Deeper Meaning of Thunderbolts*

A few months ago, I wrote about how much I loved Thunderbolts* after seeing it on opening night in the theaters. I then saw it again two days later. Yesterday, I watched for a third time. I'll most likely watch it again at some point this month. I seem to love it even more every time I watch it. In that post, I also said I would wait before I wrote about the underlying meaning of the move. Well it has been 4 months and it is available on streaming now so if you haven't seen it yet, go watch right now and then come back.

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Thunderbolts* is fun, exciting, action-packed and hilarious Marvel movie. It is also one of the best allegories for mental health that I have ever seen. That is why I will keep coming back to it. The United States is going through a mental health crisis right now. It is especially bad for teenagers... who happen to be the group that I teach. I see kids suffering every day. I do my best to support them but I only see them for 48 minutes a day while I am teaching 20 something other students. These kids 9and many adults) need to seek treatment for their mental health they way we have been accustomed to seek treatment for our physical health. But sadly, there is still a stigma surrounding mental health and effective treatment. Too many people suffer in silence. That is why movies like Thunderbolts* are so important right now. This movie not only shows that strong people (even some who are super human) have mental health needs, but that there is hope. Kids need to see those two things. They are not weird, stupid or broken for needing help with their mental health, just like they are not weird, stupid or broken if they need help treating a broken bone. And just like their are casts for broken bones, there are things one can do to treat their mental health issues.

The movie is chock full of scenes and quotes that scream "It's OK not to be OK... but it is not OK to suffer in silence." In fact the opening scene (in between cracking jokes and kicking ass) shows Yelena, portrayed by Florence Pugh, talking about how lost she feels. She then seeks out her father for support. It goes incredibly poorly but she does not give up.

Later, Yelena delivers a monologue that hit home with many people who suffer from depression and anxiety. She tells her father "Daddy, I'm so alone. I don't have anything anymore. All I do is sit, and look at my phone, and think of all the terrible things that I've done, and then I go to work, and then I drink, come home to no-one, and I sit and think about all the terrible things I've done again and again and I go crazy!" We have all made mistakes in our lives. Sadly many of us relive those things far more often than reliving the good things we have done. That takes a toll and it takes time and effort to stop. But it can be done. Bucky echoes this sentiment when he says, "Look, I've been where you are. The past doesn't go away. So you can either live with it for ever, or do something about it.".

Perhaps the best example of mental health issues in Thunderbolts* is that the real villain is the darkness who lives in side of Bob... or inside of all of us. Many of us have a tiny little voice in us that tells us we are not good enough or that we will fail. Some people have learned to challenge and silence that voice. Unfortunately, some have a voice that is gigantic and too monstrous to silence on their own. But as Yelena says, "We can't stop him alone. No one can. But we can find a way together." And this is what people suffering from metal illness need to hear. They need to hear that darkness can be defeated, but they need help to do so. They need to surround themselves with people who are good for their mental health rather than toxic people.

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The movie is so full of mental health allegories that I could probably write for days. I mean the entire villain is an allegory for bipolar disorder. Every character has suffered from PTSD. They are all trying to mask the pain of their pasts. And they are all in a different phase of healing. Some have just started and others are making it through one day at a time. But they keep pushing. This is never more obvious than in the final act in Bob's "House of bad memories". There is an old saying that goes, "When you are going through Hell... keep going." It means that when your life is the hardest, you don't give up. You keep going to push through and get out of that Hell. And that is literally what the characters do in that house. I was simply blown away.

I love sci-fi, comic book and adventure movies. Every once in a while there is a scene that transcends the popcorn eating joy I feel while watching. When Captain Kirk's dad saves the ship while he hears his newborn son James Tiberius Kirk being born is one of them. My favorite is when Han Solo walks out onto the ledge, without his blaster, in an attempt to to save his son Ben. Both of those show heroes being vulnerable. They aren't saving the day with strength and weapons. They are using their hearts. One of the final scenes of Thunderbolts* has now been added to that list. Yelena asks her dad to make a final push to set her free. She leaps, spins, and flips to avoid a ton of deadly obstacles so she can reach the villain and... hug him. Was it cheesy? Yep. But it was also beautiful. And I would imagine that many people who have been supported through their trials with mental health issues would agree.

I freaking love this movie!

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