LOS ANGELES -- The "Thunderbolts" are heroes—with an asterisk! In the latest Marvel movie, the Avengers aren't around to save the world, so it's time for the antiheroes to assemble. In a new episode of On The Red Carpet, the stars of the film, including Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, and David Harbour, explain what makes this latest installment in the superhero franchise so unique.
"The characters are very real, they're not perfect and they could die at any moment," said Stan, who plays Bucky Barnes. "And they could kill each other at any moment. They're obviously dealing with a lot of sort of relatable things, like trauma."
"I think they're all desperate, they're so desperate," explained Pugh, who plays Yelena Belova. "They're really clinging on. Even like their fighting styles, their arguing styles. Like everything just feels like they're all on the brink of having like a breakdown."
Harbour, who plays Red Guardian, may have thought up the best way to describe the team. "We came up with 'Traumatized and Trying,'" he said. "T and T!"
The special "Thunderbolts" episode of On The Red Carpet also includes interviews with co-stars Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Lewis Pullman, Wyatt Russell, and Geraldine Viswanathan, along with the film's director, Jake Schreier, and the Oscar-nominated band Son Lux, who composed the score.
"Thunderbolts" opened on May 2 only in theaters. You can watch the full episode, "On The Red Carpet Presents: 'Thunderbolts'" in the video above. Disney is the parent company of this station.
In a delightful twist, David Harbour met his "Thunderbolts" character in a visit to Avengers Campus at Disney California Adventure on the same day. In a post on Instagram, Disney Parks gave guests a look at Harbour meeting his character, who began roaming in Avengers Campus on May 2. Disney urged followers to meet Red Guardian at Disney California and to see "Thunderbolts" now in theaters.
In the video shared by Disney, Harbour seemed to be walking around nervously as he interacted with Captain Marvel, Captain America, and Spider-Man prior to running into Red Guardian. The pair scream "yeeaahhh" in unison before sharing an embrace. The actor also posed for a picture with the Avengers crew seen in the clip.
David Harbour portrays Red Guardian in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He first appeared in "Black Widow" (2021) and returns for "Thunderbolts" as part of a team of misfit Marvel "heroes" including one of his adoptive daughters, Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh). The cast also includes Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes, Wyatt Russell as John Walker / U.S. Agent, Olga Kurylenko as Antonia Dreykov / Taskmaster, Hannah John-Kamen as Ava Starr / Ghost, Lewis Pullman as Bob, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine.
On his debut day, guests encountered Red Guardian as he roamed around Avengers Campus, interacting and taking photos with fans. A formal line was not formed, and Cast Members asked guests to only grab quick selfies and autographs. This character interaction is for a limited time only; however, Disney has not released an official timeline.
"Thunderbolts" is the last film of Phase Five of the MCU and the 36th film overall. Directed by Jake Schreier from a screenplay by Eric Pearson and Joanna Calo, the movie brings a fresh perspective to the superhero genre by focusing on characters who are flawed and relatable.
Do you have plans to meet Red Guardian or watch "Thunderbolts*?" Let us know in the comments. For more Disneyland Resort news and info, follow Disneyland News Today on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. For Disney Parks news worldwide, visit WDWNT.
