There are a host of new faces joining the second season of Peacemaker, and one that's out for the head of John Cena's helmet-wearing hero is Rick Flag Sr., played by Frank Grillo. Like so many at this point, Grillo has been on both sides of the fence when it comes to comic book universe franchises, having now appeared in James Gunn's DCU, as well as the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Crossbones. After appearing in Superman, Creature Commandos, and now Peacemaker, it's clear that there's a lot more meat on the bones of his character in the DC Universe than the one that saw him go up against Captain America and company, but now the actor thinks Crossbones should get a second chance with someone else taking on the role.
In an interview with GQ, Grillo spoke about what felt like a missed opportunity with his MCU character that debuted in Captain America: The Winter Soldier and whose death sent the Avengers into disarray in Captain America: Civil War. "Crossbones never manifested into what it should have. But Crossbones was cool because he wasn't a superhero, he was just a bad mofo, and he got his licks in," Grillo explained. While only appearing in two films, though, something about the character has certainly stuck with fans, which Grillo sees even now.
"There's not a day goes by where someone isn’t like, 'Crossbones!' And I'm like, 'Really? That's so fucking long ago, and it's not that much screen time.' So it is interesting that it's becoming a legacy thing." It's this legacy that Grillo would like to see continue in the MCU, with perhaps someone else taking on the role of Brock Rumlow. "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.'"
For now, a comeback for Crossbones seems unlikely, but that hasn't stopped Grillo from looking to the past and what he still sees as the best chapter in the MCU that he was lucky to be a part of. "Winter Soldier is the best Marvel movie. 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."
