Thunderbolts star says “it’s time to make a good Marvel movie”

Thunderbolts star Wyatt Russell – who plays John Walker in the forthcoming MCU flick – says he’s ready to shoot the film, and that “it’s time to make a good Marvel movie.”

Marvel has had a rough time at the movies in 2023. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was a success. But Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and The Marvels were both critical and commercial failures.

Meaning there’s much riding on the next few MCU efforts. Deadpool 3 and Captain America: Brave New World are the next Phase V movies. While Phase VI is due to kick off with Fantastic Four.

Then it’s the turn of Thunderbolts, a star-studded team-up movie that combines heroes, anti-heroes, and the odd villain.

Thunderbolts star says “it’s time to make a good Marvel movie”

Wyatt Russell reprises his role as John Walker/US Agent from The Falcon and the Winter Soldier in Thunderbolts, and while promoting new series Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, he hinted at what to expect from the movie.

“It’s not a straightforward Marvel movie as you’ve seen in the past,” says Russell, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter. “I think that it’s gonna be a lot of fun but I think it will be something that hopefully Marvel fans will look at and go, ‘Oh OK, this is a little different, let’s go hard at it.’

“As far as how we are approaching it, it’s time to go to work a little bit, it’s time to make a good Marvel movie so let’s do that and work hard at it and don’t take things for granted.”

Russell admits that he hasn’t yet read a finished script, but has faith in the approach, as well as the film’s director, Jake Schreier.

“I have confidence it’s gonna be good. I know everybody is sort of on this Marvel train right now of things not going so well… I know Jake so well and I know how smart Jake is and how much he cares about making something interesting and different and utilizing everyone’s talents to the best of their ability. And the story that I think they’ve come up with is really interesting.”

Thunderbolts stars Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, David Harbour, and Harrison Ford, with the movie set to hit screens on July 25, 2025. Though with the shoot delayed due to the writer and actor strikes, that date might be pushed back.

For more Marvel coverage, head here, and check out some of our other superhero hubs below:

The Batman Part II | Joker 2 | Deadpool 3 | Fantastic Four | Avengers: The Kang Dynasty | Avengers: Secret Wars | Marvel Zombies | Agatha: Coven of Chaos | Daredevil: Born Again | Blade MCU | Captain America 4