This brief reflection contains spoilers from the latest MCU movie Thunderbolts*
I keep going to movies and taking my boys with me because I love stories. And there is always a chance with a story that there might be something onto which I can grab that helps me make sense of my world. Or perhaps it will put into moving pictures that for which I have struggled to find words. These cinematic epiphanies don’t happen all the time, but you’d be surprised how often they do appear. But even I don’t think I was prepared to have one of these moments when we went to see the newest MCU installment Thunderbolts* (and, yes, the asterisk is part of the title).
Usually these superhero movies conclude with a third act CGI slugfest. Although these special effects extravaganzas can be done well, there is an element of diminishing returns when it happens in nearly every single blockbuster movie. Thunderbolts* feints in the direction of a supervillain wreaking havoc upon a city, but then it zigs where you think it is going to zag.
To stop a villainous entity known as The Void, our titular band of misfit heroes enter into a shadowy realm where this spreading darkness imprisons everyone. This place is one of shame, loneliness, and pain. Its prisoners are forced to live the worst moments of their lives over and over again; they are personalized hells. So our flawed heroes venture into hell to rescue their friend Bob. The Void is Bob’s shadow side, a product of the abuse, abandonment, addiction, and pain that Bob has experienced.
Ultimately, the Thunderbolts find their way to one of Bob’s worst moments and it is here that Bob comes face-to-face with his darkness. The Void tells Bob that he is worthless, that he doesn’t matter, and that he will always be alone. In an attempt to drive home that last point, The Void forces those who have come to help away from their conversation and traps the Thunderbolts to where they cannot reach Bob.
Thus Bob comes to believe that the only thing that he can do is violently pummel The Void. In a way, all he is doing is beating himself up and becoming one with the darkness. As the villain gleefully smiles, the shadows begin to creep up and consume Bob. It is only when Yelena and the other Thunderbolts break free, grab on to Bob, and let him know that he’s not alone that Bob is free; that all of them are free from The Void.
That scene struck a nerve with me. It reminded me of Christ, it reminded of community. I have heard that voice telling me that I don’t matter. And I have felt the arms that have reminded me that I am not alone. I am so grateful for my wife, sons, parents, brothers, sisters, and others who have held me. And as I am in this residency where some days and nights I have to enter into the personal hells of others, I pray that I can be like those people and remind them they are not alone. I pray we can all do that. Maybe by just being there with people we can keep each other from being consumed by the void.