Bob Reynolds - Blog Posts

So, I wrote a Thunderbolts* fanfic if anybody wants to check it out!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/65488000

This right here. Don't infantilize him, please.

I want to talk about Bob.

I want to talk about Bob and how fandom treats characters with mental illnesses, because I’m already seeing this shit.

Spoilers below the cut.

His arc is so good, and yet some people are really just focusing on making him into “UwU babygirl” material. I know, this is tumblr, home of the babygirlified characters.

But there’s heavier context here. We’re talking about someone who survived an abusive childhood and overcame the addiction he used to self-medicate for a wildly unrepresented/stigmatized illness.

His memory loss is not cute. It’s traumatic. He’s traumatized.

Yes, it’s important that he absolutely can be seen as a love interest, as a favorite blorbo, as a comfort character. In fact, I think he will be for many people with mental illnesses. His story resonates.

But there’s a systemic, historic pattern of treating mentally ill folks as children, or incapable.

The situation with Valentina is a metaphor for conservatorship. She handles him, makes decisions for him, all while talking down to him.

Don’t let fandom do that to him, too.

GIGGLING THIS IS SO REAL

If mentally unstable why pookie shaped?

no because it’s really really important to me that in a world where we’re so used to the heroes punching and shooting their way to victory, thunderbolts* went out of its way to show us that the void is still very much a part of bob, and bob is their friend, so they’re going to accept every facet of who he is and give him a soft place to land, even if that means they’ll have to be the ones to pull him back from the darkness every single time. because that’s what friends family will do for each other, no questions asked.

THIS THIS THIS.

ah yes i remembered the other thing i was thinking about after my second thunderbolts watch (spoilers)

this was more just me piecing things together, but

that whole final scene in the lab was spectacular. i like how the movie makes you believe that bob is fighting his depression and he is putting an effort into recovery by standing up to the void, but as he starts beating up the void, you see that he is losing control. he is beating himself, he is punching himself.

the void will always be a part of him, his mental illness with always be a part of him. so when he fights it, he’s fighting himself, he is hurting himself. all those hints of him thinking he makes everything worse, he’s letting it all out, he’s exploding (which is what happens when you ‘push it all down’ like yelena suggested), and i really relate to this. when he lost control, he started hurting himself. a lot of representation of mental illness shows people externalizing and hurting other people, but internalizing is very real too, when the person loses control and hurts themself. that’s what bob was doing

turns out, as he is ruthlessly punching the void, it’s only hurting him more. the darkness is spreading through him and overtaking him, showing that the whole action of shoving your pain down is dangerous, because it always bubbles up and comes out worse than it would have before. it ends up hurting more, it’s more dangerous and terrifying than it would have been. the more you feed into the darkness, the more it hurts you. that’s why bucky said “this isn’t right”, because bob is hurting himself, he isn’t healing. that’s also why yelena said “you’re giving him what he wants” because when you hurt yourself, you’re giving the depression what it wants, you’re feeding it. that’s why the void just kept smiling and laughing as bob hit him.

one of the main themes of this movie is basically it’s fucking hard, but you have to keep fighting, you have to keep fucking trying. so i like that the movie has you realize that bob fighting that dark and dangerous side of him only hurts him more. his mental illness is part of who he is, the goal is just to find a way where he isn’t defined by his illness, where he can find a way to live with it and still thrive. that’s an incredibly important message, that mental illness and disabilities are not necessarily something to be fought off, they are something you need to learn to accept and live with, because it’s a part of you.

NO BECAUSE ONCE I FINISH MY ANALYSIS (I'M ON 8 PAGES AND I JUST FINISHED THE SUMMARY OF HIS PLOT) IM GONNA WRITE SOME

my writer's block fading after watching thunderbolts* & fall in love with bob:

I LOVE THIS SM YOUR ARTSTYLE IS SO CUTE OP

say hi to bob

I'm collecting Void edits and fanart like Pokémon istg

YESYESYESYES THE VOID EDITS AND FANART ARE APPEARING, EATING THEM ALL. MINE NOW

FOAMING AT THE MOUTH I LOVE THIS

"It's no use fighting."

30.04.25

Man thunderbolts was really good, didn't think a day would come when I'd willingly go to the cinema to see a marvel movie again lol

not sure how the highlight on Sentry is for you viewing this, switched between 3 different screen and its either too light/too dark/just in the middle lol

god this movie has me in a chokehold, my heart is like

in a cage

And it’s this movie

….currently in the theatre waiting for end credits. As we speak

As someone who has a bipolar parent and is bipolar themselves, Bob is SUCH an important rep of us. This is SO important to keep in mind. Bob is more than just a silly little guy. He's a grown man with severe trauma and a disorder that millions of people across the globe have too. He can still be the silly guy, just don't infantalize him or take away the disordered parts of him. REAL Bipolar people can't do that. We can't take the disorder out of us.

I want to talk about Bob.

I want to talk about Bob and how fandom treats characters with mental illnesses, because I’m already seeing this shit.

Spoilers below the cut.

His arc is so good, and yet some people are really just focusing on making him into “UwU babygirl” material. I know, this is tumblr, home of the babygirlified characters.

But there’s heavier context here. We’re talking about someone who survived an abusive childhood and overcame the addiction he used to self-medicate for a wildly unrepresented/stigmatized illness.

His memory loss is not cute. It’s traumatic. He’s traumatized.

Yes, it’s important that he absolutely can be seen as a love interest, as a favorite blorbo, as a comfort character. In fact, I think he will be for many people with mental illnesses. His story resonates.

But there’s a systemic, historic pattern of treating mentally ill folks as children, or incapable.

The situation with Valentina is a metaphor for conservatorship. She handles him, makes decisions for him, all while talking down to him.

Don’t let fandom do that to him, too.

The Thunderbolts* (new avengerz) having some fun for once :] ft. tired/stressed Bucky

(Alt version below)

Quick Bob sketches!

▹ — While I understand the portrayal as bob as some wet cat boyf in x reader fanfic , thunderbolts fanfic , etc (which yes he is a wet cat man i agree ! ) . I feel like presenting him as someone who can’t do anything himself and needs to get constantly babied is kinda the opposite of the point of the movie . 

▹ — I love the idea that everyone is trying to help him , show him immense amounts of affection , and that the team is trying to make sure that he is doing okay mentally and that he isn’t getting triggered but .. !  I feel like it would get to a point where he does finally snap and tell the team that he IS doing better and he can start doing little things himself(like washing the dishes, you got this baby ) . 

( Or in a fanfiction sense going outside of the tower and finding love by himself ? Just an idea .. )

▹ — But idk honestly this is just an idea coming from slightly similar experiences , I would love to see more posts coming from people with mental health disorders talking about stuff like this because I think it’s so interesting how they wrote him !!

▹ —And bob writers keep doing what you’re doing you’re doing amazing sweetheart 🫶

got bit by the sentryagent bug and now im freaking gay

they would meet in doomsday after they both end up captured by doom. they bond into friends while imprisoned and find away to escape together using one of doom’s lackey’s ships.

they stick the ship on autopilot, praying they’ll be home to continue the fight sooner than later.

bob accidentally looks into one of loki’s memories and loki ends up opening up about his past; the fact that he was a villain for a long while, his upbringing to some extent, and then the fact that he’s actually a frost giant.

bob says he can understand what it’s like to grow into a better person and feel ashamed about your past and begins talking (although a little more shrewdly) about his own past.

after the two are done exchanging memories, bob asks if he can see loki’s true form, after all loki has already seen bob as void “so there’s nothing to worry about”.

loki pushes back until eventually he changes his mind and removes his human disguise. to his surprise instead of being scared bob just admires the markings and ridges on loki’s skin, he’s never seen a frost giant before.

bob runs his fingers across loki’s skin until he reaches his face. his thumb glides across loki’s forehead, then nose, focused genuinely in awe and wonder, that is until he reaches loki’s cheeks and suddenly realises what he’s doing, how close their faces are, how warm the air has become.

a bloop sounds from the command board of the ship. they’ve reached earth’s solar system.

bob embarrassed and thankful for the notification giving him an escape, leaps up to check the ships auto pilot. loki returns to his human form and makes his way to the captains seat, gently swatting bobs hand away (lets be honest his ass doesn’t know shit about driving a spaceship), and turns off autopilot.

the two don’t speak much for the rest of the trip, but in the back of their minds they know, it’s going to have to be discussed sooner or later…

bob/sentry/void x loki

bob with the power of a million exploding suns, loki a frost giant with the powers of mischief

call that fire and ice

bob/sentry/void x loki

bob with the power of a million exploding suns, loki a frost giant with the powers of mischief

call that fire and ice

I was immediately obsessed the moment he showed up on screen. Lil guy and his inner demon/god that just needs a hug ❤️‍🩹