“I’m here, you’re not alone,” a unique message that no one would say is taken from a Marvel movie. The superhero production company that made children enjoy and dream is back in fashion, and it is back for adults as well. Best of all, it is not all explicit scenes and violence (which it is) but beyond the action and drama, there is a deeper message for the rest of the world. 

Thunderbolts, directed by Jake Schreier and starring Florence Pugh and Sebastian Stan among others, goes beyond entertainment and is much more than just another new Marvel Studios movie. Right from the start, it strikes a brilliant balance between UCM humor and unusual emotional darkness. It is probably one of Marvel’s funniest films but also one of its most serious. Direct, intimate, unexpected. 

At the heart of it all is Yelena, played masterfully by Florence Pugh. Marvel gets it right in building the story around her: she mixes vulnerability and sarcasm with a naturalness that eats up the screen. Every scene with her carries weight, emotion and anchors a plot that could have been lost among so many twists. 

The villain, surprisingly, is a random guy named Bob and it works. We do not know exactly if he is a god or a monster; what we do know is that he is a human being capable of bringing out the traumas of the protagonists. His presence makes the heroes fight not only against him, but against themselves, which is again, brilliant. 

After the introduction, the film gives no respite. Action, plot twists, tension and drama. Although, most importantly, it is not empty. Thunderbolts is about grief, about mental health and about learning to ask for help. All without being preachy or missing a beat. 

The film is a kind of new beginning. After years of uneven deliveries, this is the light at the end of the tunnel. It feels like a return to basics: characters with real conflicts, stories with soul and a clear vision. Hope is tangible again in the UCM. 

While Thunderbolts is its own story, it also leaves hints of what is to come. If this is the direction Marvel will take, the future of the Fantastic Four and the entire universe looks much more promising. 

With humor, emotion and an unexpectedly human message, this is not just another superhero movie. It is a reminder that, even in the most chaotic of times, it is still important to look each other in the eye and say, “I’m here, you’re not alone.”