Wyatt Russell, known for his role as U.S. Agent in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is determined to silence the skeptics regarding the upcoming film Thunderbolts. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Russell highlighted the cast's collective drive to defy expectations and create something exceptional.
"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 explained. He drew confidence from his athletic background in ice hockey, expressing a desire to prove wrong those who might dismiss the movie prematurely. "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 pointed out the unique challenge of Thunderbolts, noting that unlike other Marvel films, it does not follow characters with established origin stories. "Thunderbolts presented a challenge because it is not a 'primed movie.' By that, I meant 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," he said.
The Thunderbolts cast includes notable actors such as 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 himself as John Walker/U.S. Agent.
Russell emphasized the film's focus on lesser-known characters within the Marvel universe. "There are no characters in this film, really, that have their own stuff in the Marvel universe that much," he remarked. "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.'"
He also shared insights into the diverse career paths of the cast members, highlighting their varied experiences before joining the MCU. "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 discussed his career challenges before landing the pivotal role of the Winter Soldier in the MCU. In an interview with Vanity Fair, Stan revealed how a $65,000 residuals payment from his role in the 2010 film Hot Tub Time Machine helped him during a difficult 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."
Following this, Stan reprised his role as Bucky Barnes in several MCU films, including Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), Captain America: Civil War (2016), various Avengers movies, and the recent Captain America: Brave New World. He is set to return as the Winter Soldier in next month's Thunderbolts. Stan's continued involvement, along with other Thunderbolts members like John Walker, suggests a lasting presence in the MCU.
