Walking Dead universe actor Wyatt Russell returns to the MCU in Thunderbolts*
By Renee Hansen
Thunderbolts* will be the 36th Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film and marks the final installment of Phase Five. Walking Dead universe alum Wyatt Russell will star in the movie as John Walker/US Agent, a role he previously played in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, which also stars TWDU alum Danny Ramirez.
Jake Schreier, known for Robot & Frank and Paper Towns, directs the film scheduled to release in May 2025. Beef creator Lee Sung Jin, along with Joanna Calo, wrote the script. Thunderbolts* is based on Kurt Busiek’s comic series, which focuses on the team of antiheroes in Marvel Comics. Comprised of mostly reformed supervillains, they were first introduced in The Incredible Hulk #449 (1997).
First-look footage of Thunderbolts* was revealed at the 2024 San Diego Comic-Con panel held in Hall H. Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige was joined by the cast, with David Harbour donning his Red Guardian costume. The cast shared new information regarding their characters but were tight-lipped about the details of the movie. The first-look footage gave fans a taste of what's to come. Another exciting announcement is that the cast of Thunderbolts* will appear in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday, the new title for Avengers 5.
The teaser footage looks to support speculation that Valentina Allegra de la Fontaine will bring the team together. It also appears that many individual story lines will be examined as Yelena is seen with Alexei, Bucky in congress, and US Agent with a child. Some impressive fight scenes were also featured between members of the group, perhaps before the formation of Thunderbolts* team.
Cast of Thunderbolts
- Sebastian Stan - Bucky Barnes
- Hannah John-Kamen - Ava Starr/Ghost
- Wyatt Russell - John Walker/U.S. Agent
- Julia Louis-Dreyfus - Valentina Allegra de Fontaine
- Florence Pugh - Yelena Belova
- David Harbour - Alexei Shostakov / Red Guardian
- Olga Kurylenko - Antonia Dreykov / Taskmaster
- Harrison Ford - Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross
- Lewis Pullman - Bob/Sentry
- Geraldine Viswanathan - Mel: de Fontaine's assistant
Wyatt Russell in The Walking Dead universe
Many fans of The Walking Dead may have missed Russell's part in TWDU. He portrayed Paul in the Greg Nicotero directed, three-part web series The Oath. This series takes place before events of season 1 of The Walking Dead and introduces the hospital where Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) wakes from his coma. The story follows Paul and Karina (Ashley Bell) as their camp is overrun by walkers, which requires them to search for medical supplies. It is a fascinating series that reveals the origins of the "Don't Open Dead Inside" cafeteria doors. You can watch The Oath via YouTube.
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