The Jacked Up Avengers

Why Marvel’s "Thunderbolts*" Is a Must-Watch for Anyone Who’s Ever Felt Broken, Used Up, or Unredeemable

Let’s get one thing straight: I didn’t expect to walk out of Thunderbolts* feeling seen.

Entertained? Sure. Impressed by action sequences? Of course. But convicted, inspired, and even… emotional? That caught me off guard.

If you’ve read The Jacked Up Life, you know it’s not a book about lives wrapped in shiny paper with a perfect bow on top. It’s messy. Honest. Full of wreckage and regret. But it’s also drenched in grace, hope, and the raw beauty of rebuilding from the rubble. And that’s exactly why Thunderbolts* hit me hard—in the best way.

Not Your Grandma’s Avengers

If you’re expecting squeaky-clean heroes in polished armor with noble speeches, this isn’t that.

Thunderbolts* is a movie about the misfits. The screw-ups. The ones with dirt under their fingernails and blood on their knuckles. It’s about people who’ve done things they can’t undo and carry baggage they don’t know how to drop. Sound familiar?

They’re not the ones you put on cereal boxes or in Sunday School illustrations. And yet, they might be the most relatable “heroes” Marvel has ever assembled.

Why?

Because they’re us.

Grace in the Grey

The beauty of Thunderbolts* isn’t just in its thrilling pace or surprisingly good humor—it’s in its honesty. Each character is wrestling with their past, with shame, with the fear that they’re irredeemable. And while the MCU has always flirted with redemption arcs, this film dives in deep.

There’s no magical moment that fixes everything. No cosmic reset button. Just real people (okay, sometimes enhanced people) trying to figure out if they’re more than their mistakes.

That’s the beating heart of The Jacked Up Life too.

Shame Says You’re Finished. Grace Says You’re Rebuilt.

In the book, I write that “shame tells us we’re beyond repair, but grace specializes in restoration.” That could be the tagline for Thunderbolts*. Every team member has cracks in their foundation. But instead of tearing them down, those cracks become the very evidence that something stronger is being built underneath.

They’re not powerful because they’ve never failed. They’re powerful because they’ve stood back up.

That’s what makes them heroes.

A Movie for the Messy

If you’ve ever looked in the mirror and thought, “I’m too far gone”—go see Thunderbolts*.

If you’ve ever carried a past that still whispers, “You’re disqualified”—go see Thunderbolts*.

If you’ve ever wondered whether God can still use you after all you’ve done—read The Jacked Up Life… and then go see Thunderbolts*.

It’s not a perfect film, but that’s the point. It’s for imperfect people trying to write a better story with what they’ve got left. And somehow, that’s more heroic than perfection ever was.

The Jacked Up Avengers

We don’t need more polished idols. We need more honest icons. People who don’t hide their scars but use them to show others the way out of shame and into grace.

That’s what these Thunderbolts are.

That’s what I hope The Jacked Up Life helps you become too.

So grab your popcorn, take a seat, and let the most unlikely team in the Marvel universe remind you:

Your past may explain you, but it doesn’t define you.

Have you seen Thunderbolts* yet? Drop your (spoiler-free!) thoughts in the comments—and share this post with a friend who’s feeling a little jacked up. They’re in good company.