I Have...Questions: A SPOILER-FILLED Discussion of "Thunderbolts."

(SPOILER ALERT)

 I genuinely enjoyed Marvel Studios' latest offering: the action film Thunderbolts which featured as its protagonists mostly C-list Marvel characters.  I liked it for its strong performances, good chemistry between its actions, solid action set pieces, and its strong emotional core.  That said, it left me with a lot of questions, most of which I cannot really delve into without wading into spoiler territory, and all of which have me excited to see more of this excellent team of antiheroes on the big screen. In no particular order they are:

1.     WHAT'S IN THE SECRET COCKTAIL THAT GAVE BOB HIS GODLIKE POWERS?

For those who don't know, the Sentry came into existence at Marvel as a fake Silver Age character, a purported creation of Marvel godfather Stan Lee and the non-existent artist Artie Rosen, whose name was a mashup of two Silver Age Marvel staffers Joe Rosen and Artie Simek.  As such, his origin was as about as simple as it gets: as an anxious teen, he took a version of the super soldier serum developed by one of his professors at school, and gained the power of a million exploding suns.   MCU Bob, on the other hand, was conceived in a universe that has had quite a bit of interconnected lore, so the notion of him getting his Omega-level powers from something as generic as a secret formula not only feels simplistic but like a complete cop-out.  It's fair enough that they didn't dive into it this time around, but I hope they do eventually.

2.   WHAT IS VALENTINA'S SECRET ORIGIN?

One of Bob's many powers, the apparent ability to glimpse into a person's darkest moments, gave us some pretty interesting character moments for key characters like Yelena and John Walker. What intrigued me, though, was the glimpse into Val's traumatic past where she saw her dad get offed by a loan shark. It seems simple enough, but for the fact that it appears to have taken place a long time ago and in Italy. It sounds like some pretty decent prequel material if handled right, and I wouldn't mind seeing that story told somewhere down the line.

3.  WHO ARE SAM WILSON'S AVENGERS?

The end credits scene makes a big deal about the fact that Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes are at odds over the use by Bucky's group of the name "Avengers" even though it was basically just thrust on them Val in her desperate gamble to escape accountability.  The thing is, at the end of Captain America: Brave New World, the only "Avengers" are Sam/Cap, Falcon/Joaquin, and not-Sabra/sorta Black Widow, a trio who don't exactly qualify. Granted, there is a 14-month time jump from the end of Thunderbolts* to the end credits scene, so a lot can happen in that time.

4.  WILL MEL BECOME SONGBIRD?

Much has been said about the character played by Geraldine Viswanathan, Val's assistant named only "Mel" but whom fans are certain is a nod to Melissa "Mel" Gold, otherwise known as the supervillain-turned-superhero Songbird. It's definitely something fun to consider, given that Mel is a genuinely likable relatable character, and Viswanathan would cut a nice figure in a superhero suit. 

Well, that's about it for me. Fanboys being fanboys, I'm sure other people have plenty more interesting and in-depth questions than I do, but I'm just happy that there's finally a Marvel film worth asking questions about, for the first time in years. Long may this continue.