Marvel Cinematic Universe star Wyatt Russell, renowned for his role as U.S. Agent, is determined to prove skeptics of the upcoming Thunderbolts film wrong. In an insightful conversation with The Hollywood Reporter, Russell highlighted the collective ambition of the Thunderbolts cast to transform any doubts into a testament of their dedication and skill.

"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 remarked, emphasizing the team's unified goal. Drawing from his own athletic background in ice hockey, 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 elaborated on the unique challenge presented by Thunderbolts, explaining that it's not a "primed movie." Unlike the Avengers franchise, where characters have their own origin stories leading into the main films, Thunderbolts features a cast of anti-heroes without extensive individual backstories in the Marvel Universe.

The film boasts an impressive lineup, 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, of course, 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 noted, emphasizing the film's focus on "misfit types." He praised Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige for the challenging task he presented to director Jake Schreier and the cast, which they eagerly embraced.

Russell also touched on the diverse career paths of his co-stars, noting that their journeys to Thunderbolts were varied and rich. "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 own career struggles before landing the pivotal role of the Winter Soldier in the MCU. Speaking to Vanity Fair, Stan revealed how a $65,000 residuals payment from Hot Tub Time Machine was a lifeline during a tough period. He played the antagonist Blaine in the 2010 sci-fi comedy before starring alongside Chris Evans in 2011's Captain America: The First Avenger.

"I was actually struggling with work," Stan confessed. "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 continued through Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), Captain America: Civil War (2016), several Avengers films, and this year's Captain America: Brave New World. He is set to reprise his role in the upcoming Thunderbolts. Additionally, Stan's inclusion in the cast reveal for Marvel's Avengers: Doomsday suggests that fans can look forward to seeing Bucky and other Thunderbolts members, including John Walker, in future MCU projects.