Bloodshot

Those microscopic nano-bots that repair any injury or damage received in battle means Bloodshot is nearly invulnerable. Nearly. The only thing that doesn’t seem to heal is his heart over the tragedy and loss of a loved one. In a way, he’s like the Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz… if the Tin Man was a badass assassin.

While the Marvel Cinematic Universe was launched on the magnetic charisma of Robert Downey, Jr. as Tony Stark, the Valiant Cinematic Universe may now rest on the shoulders of Vin Diesel. And there’s no denying that Diesel has an action star charm that compares to no other actor. We need only look at the XXX series and The Fast and the Furious film saga for examples of how he can rise above an average movie. And the fact that his charm transcends into the voice-acting realm in the embodiment of characters like Groot in the Guardians of the Galaxy and The Iron Giant make a compelling argument for how Bloodshot could lead to the launch of a Valiant Cinematic Universe.

“…comic books as a medium would not have lasted this long if they weren’t constantly innovating.”

Let’s face it, Vin Diesel’s films combined have undeniably resulted in billions of dollars at the box office. I’m certain that when Iron Man first debuted that we could not have predicted that it would result in a series of 20+ films over a decade. The MCU formula seems to be more focused on family-friendly entertainment, and I’ve always felt that Valiant Comics were much more adult in nature. I’m hoping to see Valiant make more sophisticated and nuanced comic book movies. That is, so long as they don’t forget the fun.

The bottom line is that Bloodshot is a promising kick-off to a new type of comic book cinematic universe. It’s not Marvel, nor is it DC, and it shouldn’t be. It’s an entirely new direction, and for that, I’m excited. I definitely want to see what happens next. And any movie that leaves me wanting more has already scored a massive win. So stop your whining and give Bloodshot a shot.