In an ensemble film of super-powered misfits, this Thunderbolts* character will try and work their way out of an understandable depression.
Thunderbolts* is the next MCU film to be released this year, bringing together a team of former assassins and antiheroes for a new mission. Recent marketing highlights the movie's main villain, Sentry, played by Lewis Pullman, with the latest trailer offering the best look yet at his costume and dark transformation.
As excitement builds, a deeper dive is being taken into how these morally complex characters will operate as an organized force within the MCU.
This Marvel Studios Hero Is Battling Depression
Thunderbolts* will explore a more grounded and emotional side of the MCU, with Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova confirmed to be battling depression as she seeks a connection with her surrogate father, Alexei (David Harbour).
Director Jake Schreier said in the latest issue of D23 Magazine that the film will tackle themes of identity and self-worth, calling it "an emotional journey."
Confirming the mental struggles of Yelena, Schreier said that Pugh "is an incredible actress who can find that depression and make it earned," also adding that Yelena "knows that being depressed doesn't mean you can't see the dark comedy in life:"
"It's really an emotional journey. Florence is an incredible actress who can find that depression and make it earned, who also brings out all the humor we've come to expect from Yelena; she knows that being depressed doesn't mean you can't see the dark comedy in life."
Yelena isn’t the only one grappling with past trauma in Thunderbolts*, as the film explores how each character has "their own relationship to that darkness:"
"And then you get the added benefit of relationships between actors and characters who have gone there before, like her and David. They really share some of the most emotionally affecting scenes in the film. But each character has their own relationship to that darkness, and its only in meeting each other that they're able to process that."
Harbour also confirmed director Jake Schreier's vision, wanting Thunderbolts* "to feel like an indie movie in the MCU" also noting that the film "deals with a lot of depression:"
"Jake always said he wanted this to feel like an indie movie in the MCU. He would reference a lot of movies from the '90s about human relationships. At the end of the day, this film is about finding your place. It deals with a lot of depression, and also mania, in terms of thinking you are the best or thinking you are the worst. And these Super Heroes are not really heroes. They're not really wanted, and they've been discarded. Now, they're seeking to find their own footing and their own place in a world that doesn't need them."
While rising MCU star Yelena is confirmed to be battling with depression, that certainly doesn't mean she's the only one on this unconventional super-team.
The Mental Battle in Thunderbolts*
Each member of the Thunderbolts* team carries emotional scars that influence their mental battles. Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), despite being freed from Hydra's control, struggles with lingering guilt and a fractured sense of identity after decades of brainwashing and violence.
Yelena, having lost her sister, Natasha, and spent years without a stable purpose, may feel adrift, battling depression while trying to find her place in the world.
John Walker (Wyatt Russell), after being stripped of the Captain America title, could be wrestling with feelings of inadequacy, anger, and a desperate need to prove himself. Alexei (aka Red Guardian), displaced in a world that no longer sees him as a hero, is down on his luck based on the Thunderbolts* marketing.
Antonia Dreykov's Taskmaster (played by Olga Kurylenko), having been mind-controlled for years, may face severe PTSD and difficulty forging genuine human connections. As outcasts struggling with their pasts, the Thunderbolts* must not only fight external threats but also their inner demons to redefine themselves.
Thunderbolts* hits theaters on May 2.
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