Josh Brolin played Cable in 2018's Deadpool 2, delivering a fan-pleasing performance as Nathan Summers. However, the actor hasn't spoken too positively about the experience, calling it "hard" and "more of a business transaction" than his work in the Avengers franchise.
2018 was a big year for the Dune star, as he also reprised the role of Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War after previously making a cameo appearance in 2014's Guardians of the Galaxy.
Brolin has been far more positive about that experience, and after seemingly bidding farewell to the Mad Titan in Avengers: Endgame in 2019, he reprised the role for Marvel Animation's What If...? He's also expected to return for Avengers: Secret Wars as another Thanos Variant who Doctor Doom will likely make short work of.
In an interview with The Direct, Brolin explained that, while he's eager to play Thanos again, the actor is fine with Cable being a one-and-done.
"Thanos, to me, is a very, very interesting role, and a role that I had a lot of fun doing. You know what I mean? A lot of fun doing," Brolin explained. "Joe Russo, Anthony Russo, those guys to me, they're just unprecedented, unparalleled."
"There's some practicality to it, but when you resort to your imagination, and they would come up, and they would reference Scarface or something like that, something that I understood, then it made it even better," he continued. "'Deadpool 2', I'm glad happened. I'm glad [Cable] was isolated unto that experience, and it's a good memory."
Cable being "isolated unto that experience" confirms that Brolin has no intention of returning as the grizzled mutant in the MCU. There are rumblings about an X-Force movie in the Mutant Saga, but if Cable is part of that, it will seemingly be with a different actor.
Promoting The Dog Stars, Brolin was asked whether he thinks the Mad Titan is "dead-dead" or whether he could make a comeback. Interestingly, the actor was surprisingly coy, stating, "I don't know how to answer that question." It sure sounds like he has something to hide, eh?
Later, reflecting on the character's story arc, Brolin said, "He got rid of half the universe in order to save the other half. That was the justification — which is not necessarily wrong. Do you know what I mean?"
Avengers: Secret Wars is the perfect opportunity to bring Thanos back, even if it's in a fairly minor capacity. He was, after all, the Infinity Saga's big bad, so pitting him against Victor Von Doom is an idea with heaps of exciting storytelling potential.