Red Guardian actor David Harbour teased humor and chaos in the upcoming lineup of Marvel Studios' Thunderbolts.
In an interview with the Phase Zero podcast, Harbour explained how Thunderbolts would shake up the Marvel Cinematic Universe with a lineup that would be very different from other ensembles the franchise has seen. "We're like losers, which I like," Harbour said. "We're like, you know, the losers. And I think it's fun to watch us just mess everything up. I think that's the spectrum. I think it's very funny, but there's also a lot of pathos in that."
Harbour further explained how audiences might relate to the characters in Thunderbolts. "There's a lot of drama in a bunch of people who just keep getting their lives wrong -- because of character flaws, keep messing things up," he said. "And nobody giving them the respect that they do to Captain American and Iron Man -- very capable people. So there's a lot to draw on there. I think there's a lot of movie there that'll be fun."
Red Guardian Joins the Thunderbolts
Harbour made his MCU debut as the Russian supersoldier Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian in 2021's Black Widow. In a previous interview, the actor recalled a conversation he had with Thunderbolts screenwriter Eric Pearson, teasing an intense action-packed ensemble film that will have major implications for the MCU. The actor promised that "the arc of the movie and how it functions...and it’s super cool. The idea is really cool." He said, "It'll be funny. It'll be weird. It'll be action, and then we're also going to drop a bomb, which is cool." According to Harbour, the upcoming film will also delve deeper into the relationship between the Red Guardian and Florence Pugh's Black Widow/Yelena Belova.
The most recent MCU release, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, featured a surprising cameo from a significant Thunderbolts character, teasing the film's important placement in the MCU's future. Wakanda Forever marks the end of Phase 4 of the MCU, and the forthcoming Thunderbolts, slated for release in 2024, will conclude Phase 5.
As announced at 2022's D23 Expo, the main cast of Thunderbolts will feature characters previously introduced in the MCU. Along with Harbour and Pugh, Sebastian Stan will reprise his role as Bucky Barnes/Winter Solider. Falcon and the Winter Soldier star Wyatt Russell will return as John Walker/U.S. Agent, Black Widow's Olga Kurylenko returns as Antonia Dreykov/Taskmaster and Hannah John-Karen will make her MCU debut as Ava Starr/Ghost. Harrison Ford will star as Secretary of State Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross. The team will be organized by CIA director Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus.
Thunderbolts is scheduled to hit theaters on Jul. 26, 2024.
Source: YouTube