"MCU Star Challenges Thunderbolts Skeptics: 'Prepare to Eat Your Words'"

Wyatt Russell, known for portraying U.S. Agent in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is determined to silence the skeptics of the upcoming Thunderbolts movie. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Russell emphasized that he and his fellow cast members are eager to defy any negative expectations surrounding the film. Drawing from his background in ice hockey, Russell expressed a competitive spirit, stating, "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.'" He added, "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 Avengers, the characters in this film do not have prior origin stories to draw audiences in. He explained, "Thunderbolts presented a challenge because it is not a 'primed movie.' By that, I mean 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."

The cast of Thunderbolts includes 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. Russell pointed out, "There are no characters in this film, really, that have their own stuff in the Marvel universe that much. 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."

He praised the creative direction set by Kevin Feige and director Jake Schreier, saying, "And that challenge that Kevin Feige gave Jake [Schreier] and this particular group of actors, it was like, 'Hell yeah.' 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 insights into his career struggles before landing the pivotal MCU role of the Winter Soldier. Speaking to Vanity Fair, Stan revealed that a residuals payment of $65,000 from Hot Tub Time Machine was a lifeline for him before he played James "Bucky" Barnes in the original Captain America movie. Stan portrayed the antagonist Blaine in the 2010 American science fiction comedy, before starring alongside Captain America actor Chris Evans in Captain America: The First Avenger in 2011.

Stan recounted, "I was actually struggling with work. 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."

Since then, Stan has reprised his role in 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 superhero in next month's Thunderbolts. Stan's inclusion in Marvel's Avengers: Doomsday cast reveal indicates that Bucky and other members of the Thunderbolts, including John Walker, will continue to be part of the MCU for the foreseeable future.