In an interview with Variety, Russell revealed, "My initial reaction was, 'Oh, my God, I'm going to do that?'" I was like, "I'm not going to do that," he revealed, before stating, "I had some doubts. Of course, once he realized what was going on, he recovered.
Editor's note: If you haven't seen the first couple of episodes, there are mild Captain and Winter Solider spoilers.
Russell elaborates, pointing to the fan backlash, "They hate him!" he exclaimed, indicating that he understood that this was the desired effect.
However, his apprehension was rooted in not wanting to be just Captain America. Russell continued, "I don't want to do something that has a precedent ....... Frankly, I want to put on the Captain America suit."
All of that apprehension is tied to what the characters of Falcon and Winter Soldier are going through. I would like to believe that if Steve Rogers gives Sam Wilson a shield, Captain America's cape will transition along with it. But where is the drama in that? Instead, Sam himself did not want to take the title, and the U.S. government gave it and the shield to the new cap, John Walker, as soon as it could.
In playing the character of John Walker, Russell has stated that he consulted Wikipedia of all places for background on the character. As soon as I started searching the rabbit hole of Wikipedia, I knew this was a bad idea. As soon as I started searching Wikipedia, I knew this was a bad idea! Was he being sent to Canada? I don't know what the hell is going on. I just read the script."
And how does Russell take the online abuse? I'm flattered. They just hate me. They just hate me! It was fun being Marvel's punching bag for a while."
Comments