Wyatt Russell, the actor behind U.S. Agent in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is determined to silence the skeptics of the upcoming Thunderbolts film. In a candid conversation with The Hollywood Reporter, Russell shared his and his co-stars' collective ambition to defy expectations and prove the naysayers wrong. Drawing from his background in ice hockey, Russell expressed a competitive spirit, eager to transform doubt into triumph.
"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 declared. His athletic past fuels his drive to turn criticism into motivation: "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 unlike the well-established Avengers, the film's characters lack individual origin stories. "Thunderbolts presented a challenge because it is not a 'primed movie,'" he explained, referring to the absence of solo films leading into this ensemble project.
The cast of Thunderbolts is a powerhouse, featuring 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 added. He emphasized the film's focus on "misfit types" and the creative challenge set by Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige for director Jake Schreier and the ensemble cast.
Russell also touched on the diverse career paths of his fellow actors. "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 opened up about his career struggles before securing the pivotal role of the Winter Soldier in the MCU. In a revealing interview with Vanity Fair, Stan credited a $65,000 residuals payment from Hot Tub Time Machine for his financial rescue just before he landed the role of James "Bucky" Barnes in the original Captain America film. Stan portrayed antagonist Blaine in the 2010 sci-fi comedy before starring alongside Chris Evans in Captain America: The First Avenger in 2011.
"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's portrayal of Bucky Barnes has been a cornerstone of the MCU, reprising the role in Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), Captain America: Civil War (2016), various Avengers films, this year's Captain America: Brave New World, and he is set to return in next month's Thunderbolts. Stan's involvement was also confirmed in Marvel's Avengers: Doomsday cast reveal, indicating that Bucky and other Thunderbolts members, including John Walker, will continue to be significant figures in the MCU.
