Most fans seem to agree that Marvel Studios dropped the ball on Frank Grillo's Brock Rumlow. The villain was introduced as an undercover HYDRA agent in 2014's Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and following a clash with The Falcon, the stage was set for him to become Crossbones.
That happened two years later in Captain America: Civil War, but following a brief clash with Steve Rogers, the villain met an explosive end, courtesy of the Scarlet Witch.
The actor returned in Avengers: Endgame for a cameo role, but with Creature Commandos, Superman, and Peacemaker season 2, Grillo has already racked up as many appearances in the DCU (as Rick Flag Sr.) as he did in the MCU.
Talking to GQ, the actor once again reflected on his stint playing Rumlow. "Crossbones never manifested into what it should have," he stated. "But Crossbones was cool because he wasn't a superhero, he was just a bad mofo, and he got his licks in. There's not a day goes by where someone isn’t like, 'Crossbones!' And I'm like, Really? That's so f*cking long ago, and it's not that much screen time."
"So it is interesting that it's becoming a legacy thing," Grillo continued. "My son loves to see where Flag is going, and he's always pulling out comics, 'Dad, they’re bringing Crossbones back, he’s now in Spider-Man,' and I'm like, 'It ain't me, pal—they need a younger Crossbones.'"
The site brought up Captain America: The Winter Soldier's iconic elevator scene, prompting Grillo to share his assessment of where things currently stand with the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
"Winter Soldier is the best Marvel movie," the actor noted. "I love them over at Marvel, and it's so great to see how successful everybody's become, but I hope that they can get back to the glory of where they were and not just be spectacles that are there to make a lot of money from."
The problem is, MCU movies aren't making all that much money, with 2025 a particularly challenging year for Marvel Studios after Deadpool & Wolverine's $1.3 billion success last summer. Disney will be hoping that Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Avengers: Doomsday can reach similar heights next year.
The latter will be the biggest test for Kevin Feige and company, as Spidey's next solo outing is a co-production with Sony Pictures. Marvel Studios cuts a small cut of the profit and earns a lot from merchandise sales, but Avengers: Doomsday needs to be a crowd-pleasing hit like its predecessors.
Back to Grillo, and his future as Rick Flag Sr. looks bright. "We were at the premiere, and I was like, 'This is cool. Like I'm really entangled in this world.' And then this is why I love Gunn: we were at the afterparty, and he leaned in, 'You know what we got coming next, right?' And I'm like, 'No.' He goes, 'We got something big—and you're all over it.'"
"I don't know what it is, but he knows, whatever he needs me for, in whatever capacity, I'm in," Grillo continued. "My agents know, when the call comes, just say yes and we'll figure the rest out later. I feel very lucky that somehow I got my caboose attached to his train. I don't know how it happened, I don't know why it happened, so, at this point in my life, I'm just so happy it happened."
Peacemaker season 2 premiered this past Thursday, with new episodes following weekly.