Thunderbolts*

Story

Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) is sent on a mission to destroy critical evidence against Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), who is facing an impeachment trial as director of the CIA. While on the mission, Yelena meets ex-Captain America John Walker (Wyatt Russell) and Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen). They also meet an amnesiac and mentally unstable man named Bob (Lewis Pullman), who’s unsure of how he got where he is.

After a brief fight, they realise that they are the evidence that Valentina wants to dispose of, so they team up to take her down.

As they try to escape, the group is caught by Valentina and her soldiers. Bob sacrifices himself so the group can get away. He miraculously survives being shot but is captured by Valentina. It turns out that Bob was the subject of human testing to create a superhero. Valentina now convinces him to take up this role, and he becomes the Sentry.

Alongside Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) and Alexei Shostakov (David Harbour), the escapees form a group. They call themselves the Thunderbolts and set out to rescue Bob. Unfortunately, Bob’s mental health struggles overtake his superhuman form and he transforms into the Void.

The Thunderbolts try to fight the Void with force but come to realise that support and belief in each other are the only ways to battle mental health difficulties.

Themes

Crime; alcohol dependence; death; family breakdown; war; mental health

Violence

Thunderbolts* has some violence. For example:

Yelena fights a bodyguard and knocks him unconscious with a punch to the face.
Yelena fights a scientist who shoots himself in the head while trying to hit Yelena, who has him in a chokehold from behind.
Yelena blows up a laboratory within a multistorey building.
Yelena fights some future Thunderbolts. She uses weapons including guns and shields. Taskmaster is shot in the head by Ghost and dies.
Valentina orders the killing of the Thunderbolts and tries to incinerate them in a vault.
In a flashback to her childhood, Yelena witnesses an older man shooting a girl in the head.
American soldiers open fire at Bob, aiming to kill him. He isn’t hurt because of his superpowers.
Alexi throws a Molotov cocktail at an American armoured vehicle.
Bucky uses explosives to blow up several armoured vehicles, before overturning the limousine the Thunderbolts are driving. He apprehends them and ties them up.
The Thunderbolts drive a vehicle through the side of a building where Bob is being held. They punch, kick, whip and stun some soldiers.
The Thunderbolts fight Bob, who is now the Sentry. He overpowers them, throwing them against walls and ceilings as they try to shoot and stab him.
Valentina’s assistant activates a kill switch to kill Bob, but it fails.
Bob becomes the Void. He starts ‘voiding’ soldiers, which means erasing them from existence. Then he voids civilians, including children. Finally, he sends out a shadow of void across the city, erasing anyone in its path.
The Thunderbolts fight the Void inside the ‘dark realm’, which is a physical manifestation of Bob’s inner darkness. They can’t defeat him with force. Instead, they help Bob realise he doesn’t have to fight his mental battles alone.

Sexual references

There are no sexual references in Thunderbolts*.

Alcohol, drugs and other substances

Thunderbolts* shows some use of substances. For example:

Alexi and Yelena share a drink, possibly whisky.
Alexi takes a swig from a vodka bottle before using it as a Molotov cocktail.
In a flashback, Yelena is shown unconscious after drinking alcohol.
Valentina drinks champagne during a political gala.
Bob tells the Thunderbolts he was a meth addict.

Nudity and sexual activity

There’s no nudity and sexual activity in Thunderbolts*.

Product placement

The following products are displayed or used in Thunderbolts*: Wheeties, Cheerios, Almond Breeze, Chex, Tide, Xbox and Barbasol.

Coarse language

Thunderbolts* has some coarse language.

Ideas to discuss with your children

Thunderbolts* is the latest addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The action movie features an antihero cast from several TV shows and movies, including Black Widow, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Ant-Man and the Wasp.

Because of its violence, themes and coarse language, Thunderbolts* is best suited to viewers over 15 years. We recommend parental guidance for children aged 14-15 years.

The main villain in Thunderbolts* is a personification of mental health struggles, and the movie’s themes revolve around this issue. The movie suggests that mental health difficulties aren’t something that you can ignore, repress or handle on your own. It also suggests that you can be a superhero by supporting and helping the people around you.

Thunderbolts* is also interested in the idea of goodness. It suggests that a person isn’t programmed to be good or evil or defined by their past actions. Rather, it suggests that it’s never too late to change and be the best person you can be.

Values in Thunderbolts* that you could reinforce with your children include teamwork, family, perseverance, support and empathy.

Thunderbolts* could also give you the chance to talk with your children about real-life issues like mental health and addiction and how these things affect each other. You could talk about:

what to do if you’re experiencing mental health problems
how to know when family and friends might need support.