Wyatt Russell, known for his role as U.S. Agent in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is determined to defy skeptics of the upcoming Thunderbolts film. In a conversation with The Hollywood Reporter, Russell expressed his and his co-stars' collective desire to transform any negative perceptions into a showcase of their talent and dedication.
"We came to this as a group of people who were like, 'Let's make this our own thing, let's make it great and let's make people put their foot in their mouths,'" Russell stated. He drew confidence from his background in ice hockey, eager to prove wrong those who doubt the film's potential. "I have a little bit of an athletic background, so I was like, 'Yeah, I want to make you eat your words if you’re like, this movie’s going to blow, I don’t want to go see it.'"
Russell highlighted the unique challenge presented by Thunderbolts, noting that unlike other Marvel films, it doesn't follow the traditional path of origin stories leading into a team-up. "Thunderbolts presented a challenge because it is not a 'primed movie.' By that, I mean that its superheroes—or anti-heroes in this case—do not have their own origin movies that lead into Thunderbolts, as the hugely successful Avengers benefited from."
The film boasts a star-studded cast, including Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes, Olga Kurylenko as Antonia Dreykov / Taskmaster, Lewis Pullman as Bob / Sentry / Void, David Harbour as Alexei Shostakov / Red Guardian, Hannah John-Kamen as Ava Starr / Ghost, and Wyatt Russell as John Walker / U.S. Agent. Russell emphasized the eclectic nature of the team, saying, "There are no characters in this film, really, that have their own stuff in the Marvel universe that much. It’s not Captain America, it’s not Thor, it’s not Iron Man, it’s not the Avengers. [Thunderbolts] is more of these misfit types."
He also spoke about the diverse career paths of the cast, many of whom had established themselves in varied roles before joining Marvel. "I don’t want to speak for everybody, but most of us didn’t make it by doing this. Everybody didn’t come to this as a young person and make it this way. I did weird TV shows for a million years, and David [Harbour] has been acting on Broadway [since 2000]. Sebastian had a whole career before he joined Marvel, and while he’s been a part of it for so long, he’s also done so many incredible things outside of Marvel. It has not defined him. Florence, same thing."
The Thunderbolts: The Tumultuous History of Marvel's Twisted Super-Team
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Earlier this month, Sebastian Stan shared his own career challenges before joining the MCU as the Winter Soldier. Speaking to Vanity Fair, Stan revealed that a residuals payment from Hot Tub Time Machine helped him during a financially tough period. "I was actually struggling with work," Stan said. "I had just gotten off the phone with my business manager, who told me I was saved by $65,000 that came in residuals from Hot Tub Time Machine."
Stan's role as Blaine in the 2010 film was followed by his portrayal of James "Bucky" Barnes in Captain America: The First Avenger alongside Chris Evans. He has since reprised his role in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, the Avengers films, and Captain America: Brave New World. Stan is set to return as the Winter Soldier in the upcoming Thunderbolts and was also mentioned in the cast reveal for Marvel’s Avengers: Doomsday, indicating that Bucky and other Thunderbolts members, including John Walker, will continue to be significant figures in the MCU.
