Is it possible to own someone like Val?

Thunderbolts was peak cinema until the New Avengers reveal. From then on, it was too much telling and not enough showing. I got absolutely nothing from the movie that showed me Val was no longer a threat. Even worse, she tried to kill 3 team members by playing them against each other (Yelena, Ghost, John) and took credit for another's work (Bucky). When people revenge quit for lesser reasons, I have no idea why any of these people would want anything to do with Val. Does anyone else feel the same way?

I'm sure Sam said this to Bucky in between the end of the movie and post-credits scene. As an aside, as a someone who lived their friendship in FAWS, it upsets me that this scene tells of they fell out while all the context is offscreen.

https://preview.redd.it/4kaudguzdn0g1.png?width=640&format=png&auto=webp&s=27428e1820cdecee97e20166ae0627ea427cc87c

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Commentaires

Hippo_in_limbo2025-11-11 16:44

it’s political blackmail.

rubyschnees2025-11-11 16:45

> Thunderbolts was peak cinema until the New Avengers reveal. From then on, it was too much telling and not enough showing

that was literally the last scene of the movie

Swimwithamermaid2025-11-11 16:51

Right? I’m so confused by this post.

pennygirl1082025-11-11 16:47

Val working with the thunderbolts is beneficial to her image and even keeps her out of prison, where if she turns on them then she will suffer consequences. It’s sort of like the scorpion and the frog. Val could betray or sabotage them but it would be harmful to her to do so. She is an incredibly cunning person, so she can be a helpful figure on the thunderbolts team if she sees something in it for her.

BatmanForever232025-11-11 16:51

>I got absolutely nothing from the movie that showed me Val was no longer a threat

If Val pulls any shit, the Thunderbolts\* can instantly end her political career with everything they know and thus everything she's spent her life working toward. Like... that's pretty basic connecting the dots.

Captain_Marvellete2025-11-11 16:57

I get the idea but I have a hard time believing they can do that to Val.

bpdish852025-11-11 17:05

She tried to kill three of them because they were loose ends that could destroy her political career and get her landed in prison. One is walking evidence - that she admitted to, on record - of human experimentation, and one is a politician (questionable at the end of the film, but def. with contacts and associations) who was working on gathering evidence to bring her down.

I mean, in the real world that'd probably amount to fuck-all based on our current timeline, but it seems to be leverage enough in the MCU.

BatmanForever232025-11-11 17:51

... why? She's guilty of multiple attempted murders, human experimentation, conspiracy to do fuck even knows - but yeah, this Redditor doesn't buy it so it must be the movie's fault and not just an astonishing lack of media literacy.

PotentialAnt96702025-11-11 22:00

She's also highly connected and wealthy. Her political career is pretty secure.

BatmanForever232025-11-11 22:03

Not when her human experimentation programs are exposed.. did you miss the part of the movie where the Thunderbolts are literally heading to testify against Val, until the Void takes over? It's presented as a realistic and credible threat to her career - it is by no means, to anyone who paid attention to the movie, secure.

icorrectpettydetails2025-11-12 15:14

The entire driving force of this movie is that her political career is in major jeopardy.

odiin17312025-11-11 16:54

Yeah, it's called slavery.

50mgFilmCoat2025-11-11 17:00

I’m so confused on what you wanted them to “show”? Its pretty explicit that the team is blackmailing her; they get the be The Avengers or she goes to prison for everything she’s done. It’s the final 5 minutes of the movie really not sure what you were expecting?