Captain America: The Winter Soldier co-director Anthony Russo touched upon the Marvel Cinematic Universe film's 10th anniversary. Despite that, he and his brother Joe couldn't believe it's been that long.

"It makes me feel really old!" Anthony remarked in an interview with Total Film. "It was honestly a thrill. I mean that whole period was so immersive and thrilling for [Joe and I]. We basically entered the MCU on that movie and exited it seven years later with [Avengers: Endgame]."

Anthony continued that the ride was like a rollercoaster and more people kept joining, going on to conclude, "We started working with Marvel in 2012 and Endgame released in 2019. I mean, when you think about it only being seven years, that’s a lot to pack in - four movies in seven years."

Prior to this, the Russos stated in 2022 that they were offered The Winter Soldier because Marvel Studios President and CCO Kevin Feige watched their work on Community. Joe avowed at the time that "A Fistful of Paintballs" and "For a Few Paintballs More" were the episodes Feige watched, which inspired him to "call [them] and ask [them] if [they] were interested in making a Captain America movie."

Joe added that he and Anthony grew up as "film geeks, as film fans, who obsessed over and watched everything that you could possibly watch." He further noted, "We had a very diverse range of interests from old movies to new movies, to video games, to fantasy films to comedies, to Gilligan's Island. You name it, we consumed it. Tolkien. You know, we played Dungeons & Dragons ... Community was us playing in a sandbox, expressing those influences. Making fun of action films, while we're embracing them."

The Winter Soldier Continues On in the MCU

Concerning The Winter Soldier itself, Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier actor and MCU veteran Sebastian Stan commented in 2021 that he learned about his return after the project was announced, recalling, "I think the way I learned about it was, I had a friend who texted me from Comic-Con saying, 'Dude, they just [announced] the sequel and your name is in the title.'"

Stan later delved into starring in Thunderbolts, asserting at the D23 Expo 2022 that the Thunderbolts are "[his] kinds of people," and that they "look like a good troubled bunch," going on to add that he's glad to be back and join a team of some sort. Tying into that, Feige described Winter Soldier as the most stable among the Thunderbolts, which he affirmed tells one a lot about the team.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier is streaming on Disney+.

Source: GamesRadar+