Wyatt Russell, known for his role as U.S. Agent in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is determined to prove skeptics wrong about the upcoming Thunderbolts film. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Russell expressed that he and his co-stars are motivated to exceed expectations and create a memorable movie.
"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 athletic background in ice hockey, emphasizing his desire to turn doubters into believers. "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 of Thunderbolts, noting that it doesn't follow the traditional Marvel formula of building off origin stories. "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 an impressive 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 pointed out that these characters are less established in the Marvel universe, describing them as "misfit types."
"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. And that challenge that Kevin Feige gave Jake [Schreier] and this particular group of actors, it was like, 'Hell yeah,'" Russell explained. He also highlighted the diverse career paths of the cast, noting that many had established themselves outside of Marvel before joining the franchise.
The Thunderbolts: The Tumultuous History of Marvel's Twisted Super-Team
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Earlier this month, Sebastian Stan shared his career struggles before landing the pivotal role of the Winter Soldier in the MCU. In a conversation with Vanity Fair, Stan recounted how a residuals payment of $65,000 from Hot Tub Time Machine was a lifeline before he played James "Bucky" Barnes in the original Captain America movie. Stan portrayed the antagonist Blaine in the 2010 science fiction comedy and later starred alongside Chris Evans in 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger.
"I was actually struggling with work," Stan admitted. "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 reprised his role in Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), Captain America: Civil War (2016), various Avengers films, and this year’s Captain America: Brave New World. He is set to return as the Winter Soldier in next month’s Thunderbolts. Stan’s inclusion in Marvel’s Avengers: Doomsday cast reveal suggests that Bucky and other Thunderbolts members, including John Walker, will continue to play significant roles in the MCU.
