Frank Grillo first joined the MCU with 2014's Captain America: The Winter Soldier. That movie ended by setting the stage for Brock Rumlow to become Crossbones in a future movie and he did indeed suit up two years later...where the villain was killed off after just a few minutes of screentime in Captain America: Civil War.
The actor returned for a couple of cameo appearances but most fans agree that Grillo was wasted by Marvel Studios (a sentiment the actor has never shied away from sharing in interviews).
James Gunn must see something in Grillo that his former employers didn't because Rick Flag Sr. is already lined up for appearances in Creature Commandos, Superman, and Peacemaker season 2.
Talking to Cinema Blend, Grillo was asked about how his Marvel and DC experiences have differed. "Well, that's a great question, given how the other guys have been in trouble a little bit," he started. "Because they got, I think, way over their skis, so to speak."
"And I also think what James and Peter Safran are doing, where they're hiring one actor to do live action and to do animation – the voice work – it creates a cohesiveness, and an understanding of the character. But, more importantly, [Gunn] understands how to utilize them in each story."
"And so there's not an egregious number of people who you’re like, ‘Why is he (here)? What's this? Are they trying to throw this character in just because?’ They have a different approach," Grillo continued. "We'll see how it works out. But I feel a difference in it."
The actor doesn't appear to have much love for Marvel Studios and only time will tell whether DC Studios can find the same level of success as the MCU. For what it's worth, that franchise has rebounded this year with the likes of Deadpool & Wolverine and Agatha All Along, and its struggles were largely blown out of proportion by the trades to feed into the "superhero fatigue" narrative.
In a separate conversation with Collider, Grillo looked to the future and hyped up his role in the second season of Peacemaker. We're expecting him to target Christopher Smith in retaliation for his son's death in The Suicide Squad and the actor teased their inevitable clash.
"We do get into it - I’m not going to give anything away," he said. "It’s an interesting thing about Peacemaker and his perspective about my son and what his feelings are about himself because of that. So, we did get into some tangles, but I don’t know that people are going to expect what’s to happen."
It won't just be Flag's badass side we get to see either because Grillo confirmed he's part of a new dance scene for the show's opening credits.
"We’ve been rehearsing separately, and some of us together, and I think we all come together in the next two weeks," he revealed. "We have three or four days set aside for the dance number, and we’re all going to be there together. We got some great moves to show the world."
Creature Commandos premieres on Max on December 5. Superman hits theaters on July 11, 2025, and Peacemaker season 2 is expected to premiere on HBO in 2026.