Marvel’s Thunderbolts* is bringing unexpected emotional territory to the studio’s established universe, according to key cast members Sebastian Stan, Wyatt Russell, and Florence Pugh.
Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes returns with a surprising new role. Having entered politics after the events of Captain America: Brave New World, Barnes now serves as a congressman. Stan compared Bucky’s situation to a retired athlete still participating in team culture without being an active player. His new role offers him a way to monitor Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, though old habits soon resurface. “He realizes, ‘I can just do this in my way, the way that I’ve always done it,’” Stan said.
Wyatt Russell’s John Walker faces his own internal battles in Thunderbolts*. Early scenes reveal Walker’s carefully constructed image falling apart when confronted by Bucky. A vulnerable moment with Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova offers new insight into the character first seen in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
Russell said the film’s approach moves away from the large-scale threats typical of earlier Marvel entries. Instead of battling an external villain with global consequences, the characters are dealing with internal conflicts and mistrust among themselves. “This is a bunch of people who have main character syndrome, and they have to come together as one team. They’re thrust into an environment where they have to be a team, but they don’t want to be,” Russell explained.
Russell emphasized that many of the actors built their careers outside the typical blockbuster structure, bringing a different dynamic to the production. “Most of us didn’t make it by doing this. Sebastian had a whole career before Marvel. Florence, same thing,” he said. That shared experience shaped the way the ensemble approached the material, with an emphasis on personal authenticity.
Florence Pugh’s portrayal of Yelena Belova has drawn attention for its emotional depth and physical daring. Pugh insisted on performing a dangerous jump off the second-tallest building in the world during one of the film’s major stunts. Speaking at the Los Angeles premiere, she explained how adopting Yelena’s mindset helped her push through the fear. “In that scene she’s not supposed to be scared, she’s supposed to just be, like, chilling up there. So I had to just pretend like I was her,” Pugh said.
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Pugh also spoke about the responsibility actors feel toward enriching their characters beyond what is written. “It’s really what you add to it in the last 20% that actually makes every character that any actor plays,” she said, reflecting on the creative process that allowed her to shape Yelena’s return to the screen.
Director Jake Schreier fostered a highly collaborative environment during production. Stan described the set as open to input from the cast, with actors encouraged to suggest ideas and nuances for their characters. Contributions from Lewis Pullman, David Harbour, and others helped give the group dynamic more texture, building a version of Thunderbolts* that sets itself apart from other Marvel films.
Thunderbolts* features Stan, Russell, Pugh, Pullman, Geraldine Viswanathan, Harbour, Hannah John-Kamen, Olga Kurylenko, and Louis-Dreyfus. The story centers on a team of misfits forced together under questionable leadership, confronting personal and shared demons as they navigate a dangerous mission.
The film arrives in theaters on May 2.
