John Walker’s “shame room” unlocks his MCU arc, says Wyatt Russell

Wyatt Russell's John Walker and David Harbour's Red Guardian are teaming up in the upcoming Thunderbolts*, and their newest appearance will explore a lot more details about their character arcs. As his second appearance in a feature film for the MCU, Walker's U.S. Agent will be getting significant screentime as the film explores his past and its demons.

The actor spoke to Screen Rant about how his character will present himself in the film, as he said,

"You find John in this place where he's still hiding everything in bravado. He's hiding all of his insecurities with this facade of, 'I am still the best, even though I may have made choices that weren't Captain America choices.'"

If you remember, Russell was the government's first choice to succeed Steve Rogers as Captain America. Eventually the position went to Sam Wilson, but Russell got Rogers' shield, which he will be using in Thunderbolts.*

Talking about how the shame room will unlock more of his redemptive arc, the actor added,

"Going into his shame room, where you see the moment where he's looking at his family and the things that he's done, is that it's a very subtle shame room. It was originally just a conversation and an argument between the two parents, and as a father, I thought it was very important to have the child there because if you're not paying attention to your kid because you're absorbed in your own selfishness?"

How Thunderbolts* will explore Red Guardian's relationship with Natasha Romanoff

David Harbour's first appearance in the MCU was in Black Widow, where he was introduced as Yelena and Natasha's adoptive father who worked for the Red Room. In Thunderbolts* we see him rekindling his relationship with Yelena as the duo teams up against Sentry.

However, Natasha's death has had a deep impact on the family—as Harbour revealed—something that Thunderbolts* will delicately touch on. The actor told the outlet,

"I knew that this relationship with Yelena was going to be the core for him. What's destroyed both of them is Natasha's death, which they both can't process in their own ways. When you lose a central figure in a family, sometimes the family members react in very unique, specific ways - and sometimes the family itself falls apart, and that's what's happened here. But the needs are still there, and the love is still there, and the emotions are still there."

He then adds how the feeling of family is what pulls Alexei out of the dark place he has been in for quite some time. As his character goes through redemption, Harbour commented,

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"What will save him is some kind of love with his found family and some kind of vulnerability with other people, which he can't seem to see. So, we start in a very bad place, and he's quickly confronted with how he needs to change."

Thunderbolts* will be in theaters on 2nd May, 2025.

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