At the end of Captain America: Winter Soldier, Brock Rumlow, S.H.I.E.L.D./Hydra agent, was in pretty bad shape. At the end of the opening scene of Captain America: Civil War, now “rebranded” as Crossbones, Rumlow appeared…appeared mind you…to have been…well….blowed up. In interviews following the film’s release, however, actor Frank Grillo, who plays the character on screen, intimated that if you didn’t actually see a body, how do you know he’s dead? (This teasing was covered in this MCU Exchange piece)
Back in the interview seat with Collider promoting Season 3 of the DirecTV show Kingdom, however, Grillo is teasing something else again. During a chat about his lack of enthusiasm about heading up the Purge film franchise in a third film, he slipped in a few of his thoughts on Crossbones and the MCU:
…I think I’m done [with any subsequent Purge films]. Same thing with Captain America. There’s nowhere for it to go, unless you’re Captain America or Iron Man. They were talking about it, but I was like, ‘You know what? I’d just rather not do it.’ I’m so appreciative and grateful to have been a part of something that big. I’m appreciative of The Purge. It’s become a part of the lexicon and the zeitgeist knows what it is, so that’s been fun. But, it’s time to move on. Don’t stay at the party too long, or you get knocked through the ropes.
It certainly does sound like Grillo’s thoughts on his future as Crossbones is limited, not because he doesn’t like being part of the MCU, but primarily due to the lack of growth available to the character. Playing a one-dimensional character that gets the hell beat out of him film after film would likely become boring after a while and Grillo’s innate ability to play intense characters doesn’t seem to imply that he’s the type of actor that has any desire to be bored or comfortable.
In addition, even if Grillo was wide open to a Crossbones return, it seems it would likely be years before the audience would have the opportunity to see him. Most of the upcoming MCU film slate appears to be more cosmic in nature and Crossbones would be out of place in that type of setting. It’s possible Grillo’s remarks reflect those same observations: Why think about him coming back when it could be a very long time before the opportunity arises? For an actor, it’s likely easier to just assume the moment has passed.
What are your thoughts on the possible non-return of Crossbones? Good or bad for the Captain American films? A villain ripe for embellishment or a standard one and done baddie? Let your thoughts be known in the comments section below!
If it’s been awhile since you’ve seen Crossbones blown up, Captain America: Civil War is currently streaming on Netflix!
Source: Collider
