"MCU Star Challenges Thunderbolts Skeptics: 'Prove Me Wrong'"

Wyatt Russell, known for his role as U.S. Agent in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is determined to silence the skeptics of the upcoming Thunderbolts film. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Russell emphasized the collective drive among the cast to transform the movie into a standout success, leveraging his own background in ice hockey as a testament to his competitive spirit.

"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. His athletic past fuels his determination to prove wrong those who doubt the film's potential, 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 unlike other Marvel films, it does not follow the traditional path of building on 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 explained.

The film boasts an ensemble 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.

Russell further elaborated on the diverse backgrounds of the cast, emphasizing their varied paths to success. "There are no characters in this film, really, that have their own stuff in the Marvel universe that much," he said. "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 highlighted the unique journeys of his co-stars: "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 shared his career struggles before securing his pivotal role as the Winter Soldier in the MCU. In a conversation with Vanity Fair, Stan recounted how a $65,000 residuals payment from his role in Hot Tub Time Machine was a lifeline before he portrayed James "Bucky" Barnes in the original Captain America movie. Stan played antagonist Blaine in the 2010 American 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 subsequent films, including 2014’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier, 2016’s Captain America: Civil War, the Avengers movies, and this year’s Captain America: Brave New World. He is set to return as the superhero in next month's Thunderbolts. Additionally, Stan's name appeared in Marvel’s Avengers: Doomsday cast reveal, indicating that Bucky and other Thunderbolts members, including John Walker, will continue to be integral to the MCU.