Thunderbolts*: An Asterisk for Mental Health Awareness
Michael and I ventured to the Malta Drive-In last month to watch the new Marvel movie, Thunderbolts. It was a special evening for the CSEA, or Civil Service Employee Association, allowing its members to enjoy a night at the movies for appreciation month. If you have not been to a drive-in movie theater recently, it is a wonderful treat to the nostalgic past.
At the entrance, we were given a $10 voucher for snacks at concessions and drove near the front of the lot closest to the screen. We had brought our portable radio to tune into the audio for the movie, but I found out that the theater rented portable radios at concessions with an ingenious system. Each participant would have to relinquish their driver’s license as collateral until the radio was returned. Tuning into a specific radio station to hear the audio for the movie is a nearly forgotten tradition that, more than a couple decades ago, was a common occurrence. Nowadays, drive-in movie theaters are becoming rare. If you happen to live near one, be sure to head there frequently and utilize their concessions to allow the magical experience to continue into the future.
Once we parked and grabbed popcorn, soda, and candy, we unfolded our chairs, relaxing in front of the car as the sun started to set. The bright picture on the screen illuminated the movie, as the darkness settled around. The sense of foreshadowing from the setting sun was not apparent at the time, but as the movie played out, it became even more chilling. We are shown the main character of the Yelena Belova, played by Florence Pugh, destroying a laboratory in Malaysia on behalf of CIA Director Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus, to conceal her involvement with the O.X.E. Group's "Sentry" superhuman project. It was created by Valentina as an alternative to the Avengers, but it has landed her in trouble with the Federal government, as she is involved in an impeachment hearing.
After Yelena was successful at destroying the laboratory, Valentina tasks her as well as three other superhumans separately to a covert O.X.E. facility under the pretense of killing thieves. After a momentary bout of confusion and fighting, they realize that Valentina meant to destroy them all in a locked incinerator. They manage to escape, aside from Taskmaster played by Olga Kurylenko who was killed in the ensuing chaos. One new person was saved; a man named Bob Reynolds, played by Lewis Pullman, who was released from a suspended animation pod in the room.
Bob was wearing a hospital gown, appearing startled and confused at his current predicament. In due time, the team will learn his true powers, along with a whirlwind of emotional and surreal scenes in the film. Superhumans Yelena, Ava Starr, and John Walker, manage to escape from the covert facility, despite heavy military presence. Bob, however, is revealed to have a power of indestructability and flight, as he withstands hundreds of bullets fired by the military and flies into the air. Bob faints while in the air, falling back down to Earth, where Valentina realizes that her Sentry project has worked.
She brings Bob to the former Avengers tower, where she divulges his new abilities and offers a chance to succeed beyond his wildest imaginations. But he reveals his own mental struggles with loneliness, trauma, and depression, that precipitated his journey to undergoing the experimental Sentry project. His traumatic past has caused him to feel a growing sense of darkness inside himself. This darkness has an air of foreboding, as Valentina convinces him to become her knew superhero, Sentry.
Valentina invites Yelena, Ava Star, and John Walker to the top of the Avengers Watchtower, where she intends for Bob to kill them all before revealing Sentry to the public and wiping away any impeachment hearings. Unfortunately for her, the confrontation goes sideways as Bob understands how powerful he has become from the Sentry project. Before he can destroy Valentina, her assistant activates a hidden “kill switch” in Bob, causing the emergence of the Void.
The Void, the dark persona of Bob, embodies the physical representation of his depression and trauma. It is terrifyingly portrayed, as it begins engulfing the surrounding city in darkness, trapping each person in pocket dimensions that represent a harrowing memory. The pocket dimensions illustrate that all of us struggle with past experiences, signaling that we are never alone. Yelena realizes the only way to defeat this foe is to enter through the darkness, where she travels into her own and Bob’s subconscious memories.
Yelena overcomes her traumatic experiences as a Black Widow from Russia, where she was trained as an orphan to become an assassin. Following that, she finds Bob in a recreated version of his childhood bedroom, where he is hiding from the past abuses of his father. Bob had made a sanctuary from his abuse, but the darkness soon overcame his subconscious as Yelena, him, and the rest of the team are transported to Malaysia at the Sentry lab. Bob had volunteered for the Sentry project in Malaysia, believing that it would help him overcome his depression and substance addiction.
Recovery from depression is a long process, usually involving medication, therapy, and daily mental and physical exercises. It is a difficult path, which is why some might use substances that provide a hasty remedy. Unfortunately, that could exacerbate mental health problems if the root causes, like childhood trauma or stress, are not rectified. Bob thought that volunteering for the Sentry procedure would rid the darkness from his mind, but it only prolonged the internal pain. One of the first steps on the path to recovery, as demonstrated by the rest of the team, is a genuine hug. It acknowledges that we are never alone, and it provides the strength to push through the, at times, debilitating symptoms of depression.
Bob regains control of his subconscious and defeats the Void, bringing light back into the world, with himself feeling a bit lighter as well. Valentina surreptitiously stages a press conference, introducing the team as “The New Avengers”, as the credits begin to roll. But of course, given the Marvel tradition, there is a special scene after the credits with an exciting revelation.
As a Marvel film, I appreciated the unique way of bringing together a disparate group of people that finds a common enemy. Sometimes the folks we distrust at first will eventually become important to us. This film also helps illuminate audiences about the horrifying, though supernaturally depicted, effects of depression. It also provides an uplifting message of friendship and recovery, something that is wonderful to see on screen. If you or anyone you know are under the throes of depression, there is hope. You are never alone. Become the superhero you want to be in the world.
Once the film ended, we packed up the car and headed home, thoroughly appreciating the nostalgic drive-in experience. There are two in the upstate New York area: the Malta Drive-In and the Glen Drive-In, with each offering two screens and plenty of open parking.
