Wyatt Russell Joins Exclusive MCU Club in New Avengers

Thunderbolts* star Wyatt Russell joins an exclusive MCU club with his appearance in the franchise's latest movie. Russell, the son of actor Kurt Russell, debuted in the MCU in 2021's The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. He brought to life the morally grey John Walker/U.S. Agent (a veteran made to be the new Captain America after Chris Evans' Steve Rogers retired at the end of Avengers: Endgame).

With his appearance in Thunderbolts* Wyatt Russell and his dad, Kurt, became the third father-son duo to both star in an MCU movie. Kurt Russell played the dastardly Ego the Living Planet in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. He was that movie's primary villain before his son jumped into the world as the future New Avenger. 

Thus far, only two other fathers/sons have appeared in an MCU film, and each of those did it in the same movie as their respective family members. The Russells, however, mark the first time it has happened in two different Marvel Studios movies and are easily the most notable father-son duo in terms of their roles in their respective films.

Wyatt Russell stars alongside Florence Pugh, David Harbor, Lewis Pullman, and more in Thunderbolts*, telling the tale of a ragtag bunch of MCU heroes/anti-heroes brought together to take down Julia Louis-Dreyfus' Valentina Allegra de Fontaine. Russell's John Walker character has already been confirmed to have a future in the franchise, set to appear in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday from Captain America: Civil War directors Joe and Anthony Russo (aka The Russo Brothers).

All the Father-Son Actor Duos in the MCU

Outside of Kurt and Wyatt Russell, only two other father-son actor duos have starred in an MCU movie. However, each of them came in the same film rather than separate projects like the Russells. 

The last time this happened came in Ant-Man and the Wasp in 2018, with Laurence Fishburne and his son, Langston Fishburne. Laurence Fishburne notably played the movie's primary villain, Bill Foster/Goliath, the jilted former partner of Michael Douglas' Hank Pym. 

His son, Langston, was brought in to play a younger version of his father's character, portraying young Bill Foster for the Ant-Man sequel's various flashback scenes. 

The other example is in Ryan Coogler's Black Panther with John Kani and his son, Atandwa Kani. John Kani took on the role of King T'Chaka (aka the former Black Panther), and—just like the Fishburne family pair—Atandwa Kani played a young T'Chaka as seen at the beginning of the movie.

John and Atandwa Kani also played the same character in several episodes of What If..? Season 2, voicing a Variant of T'Chaka that continued to be Black Panther. 

The only other family that has gotten close to planting its flag in the MCU in a similar way is the Hemsworths. Chris Hemsworth notably brought in his daughter, India Rose Hemsworth, to play Love in Thor: Love and Thunder, making them the only real-life father-daughter duo to appear in the franchise.