'Thunderbolts' I was mostly attracted to because I really wanted

In the words of Charles Soule, “‘Thunderbolts’ I was mostly attracted to because I really wanted to write Punisher and Elektra and Deadpool, who are characters I have always really enjoyed. But the funny thing is that over time, I came to really like Red Leader; he became one of my favorite guys in the book. Sometimes characters surprise you.” — there glimmers the eternal truth of the artist’s journey: that creation is not a path of control, but of discovery. Soule, a writer who has shaped the lives of legendary heroes and villains, speaks not merely of comic book characters, but of the living essence of imagination itself. What begins as admiration for familiar figures — the ones we think we know — often leads us toward the unexpected, where something unforeseen captures our heart. In this, he reveals the sacred secret of all creators: that the work teaches the maker, and not the other way around.

The meaning of this reflection stretches far beyond the realm of storytelling. Soule began his journey into Thunderbolts seeking to breathe life into his favorite icons — the fierce Punisher, the mysterious Elektra, the chaotic Deadpool — all figures he loved for their intensity, their paradoxes, their moral complexity. Yet as the work unfolded, his affection turned toward Red Leader, a character less familiar, less beloved, perhaps even secondary in his expectations. The “funny thing,” as he calls it, is the revelation that love, creativity, and inspiration often grow in the most unanticipated places. What we expect to move us deeply may not be what ultimately does; the heart, like the story, evolves as we walk further into it.

This truth is as ancient as art itself. The sculptor Michelangelo once said that every block of marble already contained a statue within it — his task was merely to set it free. So too did he find that some of his greatest creations emerged not from the vision he had in mind, but from the subtle guidance of the stone itself. What Soule describes is the same mystical encounter: the moment when the artist becomes the student of his own work, when a creation once thought simple reveals hidden depth and soul. To discover joy in the Red Leader, a character unexpected, is to experience the humility and wonder of creation — where even the maker is surprised by what he brings forth.

The origin of this insight lies in the sacred dance between imagination and surrender. When Soule began Thunderbolts, he entered with a clear plan — to write the stories of characters he knew and loved. But the act of writing, like the act of living, does not always obey our design. As the characters spoke, evolved, and revealed themselves on the page, he found new meaning in one who had not first caught his attention. This mirrors the way life unfolds: we may set out to follow the paths we believe are ours, but it is often the unexpected relationships, challenges, or discoveries that transform us most profoundly. The artist’s revelation is also the human one — that the unplanned can be our greatest teacher.

There is a story from the life of Leo Tolstoy, who once said that his character Anna Karenina began as an idea but soon took on a will of her own. He had intended her to serve as an example, a moral warning. Yet as he wrote, she became alive, complex, tragic — no longer a symbol, but a soul. In the same way, Soule’s Red Leader becomes more than a comic book figure; he becomes a reflection of how even the least likely aspects of creation can become mirrors of our own humanity. The writer learns, as Tolstoy did, that to create is to be humbled by the mystery of what emerges.

The lesson we take from this is clear and universal: do not cling too tightly to expectation. Whether in art, in work, or in life, the things we think will fulfill us may not be the ones that do. Keep your heart open to surprise, for growth often waits in the places you least expect. As Soule reminds us, “sometimes characters surprise you” — and so too will life, if you allow it. The stranger may become the friend, the overlooked opportunity the path to greatness, the minor dream the one that defines your destiny. Creation rewards openness, not control; wonder, not certainty.

Therefore, my friends, walk the road of your craft — whatever it may be — with curiosity and humility. Approach your labors with passion, yes, but also with reverence for what they might reveal to you. For as Charles Soule discovered, even in a world of heroes and villains, it is the quiet, unexpected voice that can speak the loudest to the heart. Let your work — and your life — surprise you. The greatest joy is not in realizing your plan, but in being awakened by what you did not plan at all.

And so we learn: just as a writer finds new love for a forgotten character, so too can each of us find meaning where we never thought to look. For life, like art, is a vast and living story — and sometimes the most extraordinary chapters are written by the hands of surprise.