"That Was A Blast:" Thunderbolts* Star Reveals They Were Injured While Filming An Action Scene

Warning! This article contains spoilers for Thunderbolts*The Thunderbolts* cast had a few dangerous experiences on the set of Jake Schreier’s MCU movie, and John Walker actor Wyatt Russell certainly got the worst one. Thunderbolts*‘ тιтular characters grow as a team throughout their first mission together, and they become a family by the time Thunderbolts*‘ ending rolls around. As Thunderbolts*‘ post-credits scene shows, their chemistry is so effective that they’re still an active superhero team fourteen months later, now renamed “the New Avengers”.

In an interview with EW, the Thunderbolts* cast shares a few nerve-racking anecdotes. Yelena Belova actor Florence Pugh recalls an encounter with real scorpions in the desert, Red Guardian actor David Harbour recalls being afraid of falling on top of Florence Pugh while running downstairs, and John Walker actor Wyatt Russell recalls hitting his head so hard that he needed staples. According to Russell and Harbour, an action stunt went wrong and a “two-by-four” missed Russell’s face by a few inches, hitting him along the hairline. Russell jokes he saved himself from a facial scar. Read the Thunderbolts* cast’s anecdote below:

Julia Louis-Dreyfus: “You got staples in your head.”

David Harbour: “I kept saying, ‘Guys, this is really dangerous because we’re running run in front of this little two-by-four that sticks out right here. We have to duck into it. It’s really dangerous, can we not do this?’ They’re like, ‘Yeah yeah yeah, let’s just go one more time.’ And we came in, and I went through, and then Wyatt, and then I just heard, ‘Oh!’ And he went down on the ground. I remember I looked over and blood was just spewing everywhere.”

Wyatt Russell: “Yeah, went to the hospital, stapled me up.”

Julia Louis-Dreyfus: “You don’t even have a scar.”

Wyatt Russell: “Yeah, in my hairline. Three inches lower and I would have been the scar guy for the rest of my life. A lot of roles with cool scars in them. Would have been really good for the career. But that was fun.”

What Wyatt Russell’s Thunderbolts* Injury Anecdote Means

Thunderbolts* Used A Lot Of Practical Effects

John Walker in Limo in Thunderbolts Trailer

Marvel Studios is known for relying on digital effects and CGI, but Thunderbolts* apparently implemented more practical effects than most recent MCU entries. Every character’s costume was made for real in their entirety, and sets like Val’s vault and the Watchtower’s main room were shown in behind-the-scenes footage. The Thunderbolts* cast’s on-set anecdotes and Wyatt Russell’s head injury confirm the actors performed several of their stunts as well.

Jake Schreier’s Thunderbolts* returns to the MCU’s roots in more ways than one. Thunderbolts* features fewer easter eggs and references than the usual Multiverse Saga entry, and it tells a much more self-contained story than previous Phase 4 and Phase 5 тιтles. It also uses more practical effects and action scenes — a detail that made movies like Iron Man and Captain America: The Winter Soldier special foundations of the franchise. On the other hand, Thunderbolts* could have used stricter measures to prevent injuries to its cast and stunt team.

Our Take On Wyatt Russell’s Thunderbolts* Injury Anecdote

Practical Effects And Stunts Are Worth The Effort, But They Need To Be Safe On Set

Despite technical advancements in CGI, the inherent realism in practical effects and real stunts is still unmatched. However, stunts can be quite dangerous. Wyatt Russell isn’t the first MCU star to be injured on set, but his injury is probably the most serious so far. Marvel actors such as Tom Holland, Robert Downey Jr., Leтιтia Wright, Chris Evans, and Sebastian Stan have sustained minor injuries such as broken bones and sprained muscles while filming MCU projects. After Thunderbolts*, Marvel may take more careful measures to avoid similar injuries.

Source: EW