Marvel Studios’ recent slump could be attributed to any number of things, from an overproduction of content in the last few years to issues behind the scenes. However, even Disney CEO Bob Iger and Marvel’s own actors have noticed the film industry giant has a problem, but one star says Marvel’s upcoming Thunderbolts project can be the one to fix it.
Recently, Iman Vellani, breakout star of Disney+’s Ms. Marvel, has shared her own opinions about what she thinks could help Marvel regain its status as a leader in Hollywood. Speaking with The Direct, she said that rather than continuing to focus on getting bigger and bigger with their projects and releases, Marvel needs to make the audience care about the characters again. Recent projects have become more of a cameo-fest than an actual focused story or standalone film, and having to know several projects and characters before going into a new movie has become exhausting for fans.

Iger, in turn, blames Marvel’s issues on several factors. Earlier this year, the head of the House of Mouse blasted the studio for getting involved in television, saying that it had no business there and didn’t know what it was doing. In addition, the studio’s focus on quantity over quality when it came to releasing its nine series and ten feature films since 2021 has caused the studio to lose its credibility as a storytelling and visual effects powerhouse. Earlier this week, he commented on the disappointing release of The Marvels, saying that that particular film failed because of a lack of executives on set and on the project due to being filmed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, one other Marvel star seems to think he has the answer to these issues, and recently spoke up about it. Wyatt Russell was first introduced into the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2021 with The Falcon and the Winter Solider. His role as John Walker, aka fake Captain America, aka U.S. Agent, was divisive, with many fans praising his acting abilities with such a dislikeable character and others unable to separate actor from character.

In a recent conversation at 92NY, Russell dropped some intriguing comments about his upcoming role in Thunderbolts, Marvel’s next franchise venture that seems poised to break away from the usual superhero formula. While discussing the delay in the film’s production due to strikes, Russell expressed confidence in the project’s uniqueness.
Acknowledging the current skepticism surrounding Marvel’s recent endeavors, Russell reassured fans that Thunderbolts is not your typical Marvel movie. With a stellar cast including Florence Pugh (Yelena Belova/Black Widow), Sebastian Stan (Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier), David Harbour (Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian), and directed by Jake Schreier, Russell emphasized the team’s commitment to creating something “interesting and different.”

“I know parts of the story and how the story works, I can’t talk about it. But it’s not a straightforward Marvel movie as you’ve seen in the past,” he remarked, adding, “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.’ And 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’s words suggest an attempt at a departure from the standard Marvel cinematic experience that audiences seemingly have grown tired of. Despite having budgets of over $200 million dollars, no Marvel movie has broken the $1 billion box office mark since 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home. Russell spoke about Thunderbolts’ role in reversing the current trend in Marvel directly saying “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”.

As the Marvel Cinematic Universe continues to expand, Thunderbolts emerges as a potential underdog that could inject new life into the franchise. Russell’s enthusiasm for the project, his admiration for his co-stars and his director, and the promise of a unique storyline may give some Marvel fans confidence in their favorite media empire. It’s also a divergence from the Avengers films and storylines, finally grouping together these side characters that have previously been untethered.
Marvel desperately needs a hit team film like Avengers rather that the constant “standalone but here’s a bunch of cameos” films it’s been releasing lately. Thunderbolts could the franchise a sense of direction again and introduce a wider audience to these characters, harkening back to Vellani’s comments about making the audience care again. It’s going to be a hard effort, but Russell’s confidence in the film, as well as his acknowledgement of the current state of the fandom, is heartening.
What do you think about Thunderbolts being the film to save Marvel? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!