The latest addition to the MCU is Thunderbolts, which follows Bob aka The Sentry, a storied character in the Marvel Comics, especially with his power of a billion suns and the dark alter-ego The Void. Yet, in Thunderbolts, we see the Sentry not as an Invincible superhero or the next Iron Man, but as an individual struggling with loneliness, substance abuse, and delusions of grandeur, among other things. And we see another perspective on the isolation, lack of family and purpose that can cause in the character that opens the story for us- Yelena Boleva. And then we see The Void, with his power and its dark artistic origins as well as how the movie visually demonstrates the Void’s takeover of NYC. It is no wonder this movie on the power of community, friendship, and being part of children’s soccer team came out during May aka Mental Health Month, because regardless of whether it is a good depiction or not, many would agree that the movie deals with mental issues that plague Gen Z a lot. We mentioned loneliness, trauma, and feeling like there’s no purpose to their actions, right?
But this isn’t the first time the MCU has battled the demons inside while punching the antagonists outside. We see therapy and how it helps Bucky Barnes heal. We see Peter Parker battle loss, and Wanda Maximoff in Wanda and Vision took us through the stages of grief and letting go. While it might not be as obvious as Thunderbolts*, all these works added an emotional depth to the MCU. Yet, we cannot speak of mental health depictions in the MCU and not mention a show which took the internet by storm- Moon Knight.
Moon Knight’s Praise-Worthy Portrayal of Steven and Marc
DID, or dissociative identity disorder, has not had a good history of depiction in Hollywood. It is either used as a scare or a joke by teams who do not understand the realities of being in a system. But Moon Knight was different. Verywell Mind even mentions what it did right, the presence of the host personality, the awareness of other personalities’ existence, the impact of media, and how the personalities eventually communicated. Showing DID as something that isn’t inherently violent was another plus. But more than anything, a scene that touched viewers is Marc and Steven’s acceptance of each other. It was a cathartic moment where they acknowledged the hurt, according to some, came to terms with it and their (Marc and Steven’s) presence in their life, and fought to be safe together.
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While Marvel’s MCU is known for its aliens and big fights, the movies that work best, touch the audience’s emotions. Whether that be the strong threat of friendship in Winter Solider, the inclusivity of Black Panther, or the hope of Thunderbolts and Moon Knight. Perhaps, we are seeing a new era of the MCU, where Iron Man would get a therapy session with someone other than a sleeping Bruce Banner.
An era of Marvel where the fights are external and internal. How does that sound? To this MCU fan, that feels like a great move…if the team and writers behind these beloved movies and characters can do justice to the complex issues they’re bringing to the screen and not accidentally cause more harm and flame the fans of stigma. As we all know, with great power comes great responsibility.
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