Recently, Deadline announced that Marvel Studios has recruited Jake Schreier as the director for a planned adaptation of the Thunderbolts comics. The gang is Marvel’s Suicide Squad, for those who are unaware. Many fans speculated on how the studio has been assembling the crew since Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ cameo in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, in which she recruited Wyatt Russell’s John Walker to her enigmatic cause.
Russell had no clue when he’d be returning to the role, even though it occurred at the end of the series. The actor previously said that “part of the way [he] approached Marvel was it’s all your final time you’re going to do it.”
So, despite the clear “carrot hanging” of U.S. Agent’s future in the series, the actor seemed to have no clue whether he would ever return.
Has his understanding of John Walker’s future altered in any way with the recent announcement of Thunderbolts?
Thunderbolts Announcement Reaction by John Walker
In an interview with The Playlist, Wyatt Russell of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier was asked what he felt about the recent announcement of the Thunderbolts movie and whether it surprised him.
Russell, who plays the anti-hero US Agent, said that “[he] truly didn’t know” and that although “[he] knows what they’re thinking of doing,” he has no clue “what’s [really] going to happen” in the end:
“No, I had no idea… You get the idea. Right? I’m not an idiot. I mean, I know what they’re thinking, but you never know when they’ll do it, if they’ll do it, or what will happen… How long has it been since I filmed that… show…? We began filming in 2019, so it’s been around three years since I played this role. It was released a year later or something, but it’s been a long time. In a strange sense, you’re like, ‘Out of sight, out of mind.’ You’re doing other things and… living your life, so it’s like, ‘Oh, what, who… who’s the role again?’ ‘I don’t even know how to do it again,’ she says.
He went on to say that “after [he] accomplishes anything… [he] simply throws it away and never really think[s] about it again:”
“Because once I accomplish anything, you simply toss it away and don’t worry about it again, so… When you get a phone call, you receive the phone call. And they do a great job of keeping it hidden from everyone because, you know, they have something to defend, and I always say, ‘I’d just rather not know.’ Please don’t tell me. I’m not interested. Just let me know when you want me to arrive. Aside from that, just keep me in the dark. I don’t mind. And if you do tell me, tell me soon enough so I can go to the gym because I don’t look like John Walker right now, I look like Dan Lafferty.”
When asked whether he had received the call to begin planning for the Thunderbolts project, he said, “[he’s still] just waiting on it:”
“No, I’m just waiting.” You have to wait until they announce it. They keep it very, really tight, and you appreciate that because they have other bottom lines to consider than what they believe I need to know.”
Is Russell thinking about where he wants to see the character go? While he “isn’t scared to voice [his] ideas,” he normally “leave[s] it up to them:”
“Do you have any ideas or suggestions on where he should go…?” Nobody has ever asked me that… I don’t think so. I mean, I’ll leave it to them. When I hear their ideas, when they choose to include me in anything else, they know who they’ve got. I’m not frightened to express my thoughts. It’s critical, in my opinion. It’s essential in any creative process, in my opinion.”
Russell, in the end, “always simply wants[it] to be something fascinating,” as he strives to never “do the same thing:”
“However, in terms of where the character goes, I always want it to be something intriguing.” Don’t bring it up again. Don’t force me to do the same. Don’t make me be the same person twice. That bothers me. That is the one thing I dislike about anything. I’ve never done sequels to anything I’ve ever done, so I don’t have a lot of experience.” Except for Lodge 49, I had a little bit of a difficulty portraying Lodge 49 that year, since I felt like I was simply playing the outcome of a character that we had constructed, rather than the new extended version of what we had built on. So there were moments when I was like… you know, it’s my issue, but I was having a hard time because I like to develop new things and new ideas ’cause…”
The individual behind John Walker concluded by saying that “[he] doesn’t want to play the same role again” and that “the only thing I hope is different:”
“I don’t want to play the same role more than once.” That’s quite dull. Right? I truly don’t want to hurt people like that. So that’s the one thing I hope will change if they decide to put me in anything.”
Will Walker become a member of the Marvel Motley Crew?
Many fans assumed John Walker’s U.S. Agent would play an important part in either the Thunderbolts or Dark Avengers organizations from the minute he was unveiled, if not before. Given the latest Deadline news, it seems like Marvel is moving more toward the Bucky Barnes-led crew.
Hopefully, Wyatt Russell is willing to reprise his role on a regular basis. Given the nature of the MCU, fans may have been concerned by his comments about not wanting to portray the same role again. Fingers hoping that Marvel’s creative team can keep his character fresh and developing.
While Russell has yet to announce his participation, supporters are certain that he will play a role in the festivities. But who may come along with him? Yelena Belova, Baron Zemo, and potentially even Black Widow’s Taskmaster would be easy prey. More information, perhaps, will be provided sooner rather than later.
After all, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige just teased some major news on the horizon—perhaps the notorious gang will be among them.
Thunderbolts is expected to begin development next year, with a release date of 2024–though no formal schedule has been established.
