Kuala Lumpur: Malaysians have reacted positively after Merdeka 118, the second tallest tower in the world, located in Kuala Lumpur was featured in Marvel Studios' latest superhero film Thunderbolts in its premiere showing in Malaysian cinemas yesterday.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, this marks the first time that the 678.9-metre-tall skyscraper, owned by Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB) through its subsidiary PNB Merdeka Ventures Sdn Bhd, was selected as a location for a Hollywood film. Many Malaysians expressed their pride by leaving comments like "Malaysia shining bright," "Malaysia goes global," and the signature cry "Malaysia Boleh!" on various social media platforms.

Marvel Studios had previously shared behind-the-scenes footage of Thunderbolts star Florence Pugh jumping from the top of Merdeka 118, which captured the attention of fans, especially those from Malaysia. The positive sentiment strengthened after the premiere, with Malaysians leaving comments on social media platforms. TikTok user ApiZ posted, "Feel proud that Malaysia's name is part of an international movie."

The pride was summed up by Malaysian Saiful Nizam's direct comment, "I'm proud to be Malaysian." Local film reviewer Shahril Izzat Rosli, known as Shahril Pencinta Muvee, expressed similar sentiments to Bernama, noting the significance of seeing a national landmark in an international movie. He highlighted the repeated mention of Malaysia and Kuala Lumpur throughout the film as a point of pride.

Shahril pointed out that Marvel film fans who were previously unaware of Malaysia would indirectly become familiar with it, especially with an anti-hero character being created in a lab in the country, according to the film.