Wyatt Russell, known for his role as U.S. Agent in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is determined to silence the skeptics surrounding the upcoming Thunderbolts film. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Russell expressed that he and his co-stars are motivated to challenge any preconceived notions that might deter audiences from watching the movie. He drew a parallel to his background in ice hockey, which he believes has prepared him well for this task.
"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 further emphasized his athletic background, saying, "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 is not a "primed movie." Unlike the Avengers, whose members had their own origin stories leading into their team-up films, the characters in Thunderbolts are anti-heroes without such established backstories. The film stars 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.
"There are no characters in this film, really, that have their own stuff in the Marvel universe that much," Russell explained. He emphasized that Thunderbolts focuses on "misfit types," a challenge embraced by director Jake Schreier and the cast, as encouraged by Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige.
Russell also touched on the diverse career paths of his co-stars, noting that many did not achieve fame through Marvel initially. "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 insights into his career struggles before landing the pivotal role of the Winter Soldier in the MCU. In a conversation with Vanity Fair, Stan revealed that a $65,000 residuals payment from his role in Hot Tub Time Machine was crucial in sustaining him before he portrayed James "Bucky" Barnes in Captain America: The First Avenger. Stan played the antagonist Blaine in the 2010 sci-fi comedy and later starred alongside Chris Evans in the 2011 film.
"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 subsequent films, including Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), Captain America: Civil War (2016), various Avengers movies, and this year's Captain America: Brave New World. He is set to return as the Winter Soldier in next month's Thunderbolts. Additionally, Stan's name was included 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.
