MCU Star Challenges Thunderbolts Skeptics: 'Prepare to Be Proven Wrong'

Wyatt Russell, known for his role as U.S. Agent in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is determined to prove skeptics of the upcoming Thunderbolts movie wrong. In a conversation with The Hollywood Reporter, Russell highlighted the collective drive among the Thunderbolts cast to defy any preconceived notions that could deter audiences from watching the film. He credits his background in ice hockey for instilling the resilience needed to tackle such challenges.

"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 further emphasized his athletic background, expressing a desire to prove doubters wrong: "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 that Thunderbolts presents a unique challenge as it is not a "primed movie." Unlike the Avengers series, which benefited from the individual origin stories of its heroes, Thunderbolts features anti-heroes who have not had their own standalone films leading into this project.

The film boasts a stellar 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 reprising his role 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 noted. He stressed that Thunderbolts focuses on a group of misfits, a challenge embraced by director Jake Schreier and the cast, encouraged by Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige.

Russell reflected on the diverse career paths of his co-stars, emphasizing that many had established themselves 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

View 11 ImagesEarlier this month, Sebastian Stan shared his career struggles before landing the role of the Winter Soldier in the MCU. In an interview with Vanity Fair, Stan revealed that a $65,000 residuals payment from Hot Tub Time Machine was a lifeline before he played James "Bucky" Barnes in Captain America: The First Avenger. Stan portrayed antagonist Blaine in the 2010 science fiction 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 Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), Captain America: Civil War (2016), several 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 involvement was confirmed in the Marvel’s Avengers: Doomsday cast reveal, indicating that both he and other Thunderbolts members, including John Walker, will continue to be significant figures in the MCU.