Marvel’s Thunderbolts* shines a light on men’s mental illness

Thunderbolts* shows progress on depictions of men's mental illness, but doesn’t quite escape old tropes.
Lewis Pullman as Bob Reynolds in Thunderbolts. Image: Marvel.

By Emily Baulch, University of Sydney

Thor’s depressed in Avengers: Endgame. Tony Stark has panic attacks in Iron Man 3. Peter grieves in Spider-Man: No Way Home.

Bob turns to Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) for help. Yelena understands, saying ‘that darkness gets pretty enticing’. As she struggles to describe the feeling, Bob supplies the word: a void.

Unlock Padlock Icon

Unlock this content?

Access this content and more