Fight the demons, save the world

The cast of Thunderbolts* is happy with the superhero movie's exploration of mental health issues and hopes it will resonate with viewers facing similar challenges

- Alison de Souza

LOS ANGELES - The latest Marvel Studios movie features a band of misfit heroes who are all wrestling with inner demons as they try to save the world.

Opening in Singapore cinemas on May 1, Thunderbolts* follows a group of disillusioned supersoldiers and assassins from previous titles in the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), John Walker (Wyatt Russell), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen) and Red Guardian (David Harbour).

Betrayed by corrupt Central Intelligence Agency director Valentina (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), they team up to defeat her nefarious plan, but are forced to confront the darkest chapters of their pasts.

In a recent Zoom press conference, the actors praised the movie's frank exploration of depression, hopelessness and other mental health issues.

English actress Pugh, 29, sets the tone in a chilling opening sequence where her character, a skilled assassin, leaps from Kuala Lumpur's 678.9m-high Merdeka 118 - the world's second-tallest building - while narrating her darkest thoughts.

"With the voice-over, it did feel like she was stepping off a building as if she was taking her own life.