Character actor and movie tough guy Frank Grillo, best known for playing Brock Rumlow aka Crossbones in the MCU, is “disappointed” in how Marvel handled his character, “which is why I went over to DC.”
Although the Hollywood trades haven’t reported anything official, Grillo is heavily rumored online to be playing Rick Flagg in DC Studios’ upcoming Creature Commandos.
Despite barely being in the franchise, Grillo’s character has gained a prolific following from fans all around the world. Grillo appeared as the villain Crossbones in three films — Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Endgame.
Grillo’s beef with Marvel centers on how his character Crossbones was utilized in the Marvel movies.
“They never told a story [about Crossbones]. The mythology of the MCU and just what Marvel has in its pool of characters, it’s so deep. Crossbones was there for a minute, but he was supposed to be there longer, then they went the direction they did,” Grillo said in an interview with Comicbook while promoting One Day as a Lion.
Grillo added: “I think Crossbones serves a purpose, but I think the interesting thing is that if you see how many people around the world have responded to Crossbones, and again, he’s on the screen for a very f–king short amount of time, I think there’s more there. I think there was more meat on the bone. I was disappointed, which is why I went over to DC.”
It is quite surprising that Marvel didn’t do more with Crossbones, especially with an action star like Frank Grillo at the helm. The character was merely relegated to a cameo in Civil War, where the HYDRA agent finally assumed the role of Crossbones. The character does have a rich history and a prequel series would have been a fantastic opportunity to delve deeper into some of the seedier sides of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
