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 recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Russell expressed his and his co-stars' commitment to transforming any doubts into admiration through their performance and dedication.

"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, emphasizing a collective ambition to exceed expectations. Drawing from his ice hockey background, Russell is motivated to silence critics who might dismiss the film 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 highlighted a unique challenge of Thunderbolts: it's not a "primed movie" in the traditional Marvel sense. Unlike the Avengers, whose individual origin stories paved the way for their team-up films, the characters in Thunderbolts—often referred to as anti-heroes—do not have their own established solo movies. This aspect, according to Russell, adds to the film's allure and challenge.

The cast of Thunderbolts includes notable names 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 as John Walker / U.S. Agent. Russell noted the unique position of the film within the MCU, saying, "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 also shared insights into the diverse career paths of the cast, underscoring that many of them, including himself, Harbour, Stan, and Pugh, have built their careers outside of Marvel's shadow. "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 ImagesIn a related development, Sebastian Stan, who plays Bucky Barnes, recently shared his career struggles before joining the MCU. In an interview with Vanity Fair, Stan revealed that a $65,000 residuals payment from his role in Hot Tub Time Machine was crucial in sustaining him before he landed the role of James "Bucky" Barnes in Captain America: The First Avenger. Stan, who played the antagonist Blaine in the 2010 comedy, subsequently starred alongside Chris Evans in the 2011 superhero 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 has since reprised his role in several MCU films, including Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, multiple Avengers movies, and the recent Captain America: Brave New World. He is also set to appear in the upcoming Thunderbolts film. Additionally, Stan's name was included in the cast reveal for Marvel’s Avengers: Doomsday, indicating that Bucky and other members of the Thunderbolts, including John Walker, will continue to play significant roles in the MCU.