All Marvel movies should end in a group hug
Thunderbolts* is here and while we’re all talking about the true meaning behind the asterisk, there is one aspect of the movie that I love very dearly: The way it ends.
During the span of their time together, Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) checks in on Bob (Lewis Pullman) every chance she gets. If anything, she’s not even doing okay herself but she still makes sure that he knows he has someone to talk to. It’s a central part of the film but also plays into what Alexei (David Harbour) says about Yelena.
When she opens up about how lonely she feels, he says that when she was a kid, she wanted to be there for people to count on. That’s why she wanted to be the goalie on her peewee soccer team. But Yelena’s care for others led to one of the best endings to a Marvel movie.
In the big final battle, Yelena goes into the Void (aka Bob’s darker side) to try and save him. She has to fight off her own demons and the rest of the “New Avengers” all come in after her, reaching Bob and trying to help him overcome the Void and come back to himself. Instead of the team all fighting the Void, as Bob is, they realize that that’s not really what he needs: A hug.
Yelena tells him that she’s there and while the rest of the team are pulling Bob off of the Void, it ends up with all of the Thunderbolts grouped together in what looks like a beautiful hug. And sometimes, you can end a movie with a group hug!
Thunderbolts* ends not with a bang, but a soft hug
Marvel doesn’t shy away from making sure characters have emotional arcs. We’ve seen characters like Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) address his anxiety and his depression, we’ve watched our heroes struggle, and yet most of the movies have ended in a big final battle that brings them to a thrilling end. Thunderbolts* does that but changes up how these heroes defeat “the big bad.”
If Thunderbolts* had ended with a normal battle, I still think it’d be great. But I do love that the movie ends up having a softness to it as Bob cries in Yelena’s arms. The Void could have thrown tables, forced this team of people to all use guns and force, but instead it allowed us to understand that even when we feel completely alone, someone is there to give us a hug we need.
It was a perfect blend of action meets softness for me. Yelena still had to run and jump over flying furniture and there was a lot still happening in that moment but the entire team ended up lying in a pile on top of each other all tangled in a sort of hug and it made me really happy to see. Maybe the New Avengers will be a lot more cuddly with each other but also my favorite moment of Endgame is when all the original Avengers are lying in a pile together so this shouldn’t be that surprising.
(featured image: Chuck Zlotnick/Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
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