Frank Grillo, who portrayed Brock Rumlow, aka Crossbones, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, didn’t want to return for Avengers: Endgame. Rumlow was first introduced, on-screen, in Captain America: The Winter Soldier in the role of a double agent for Hydra. He would later appear in Captain America: Civil War, where he is killed off, and in Endgame as part of a time-travel scene. Grillo will also be one of the voices featured in the upcoming Disney+ series What If…?

Rumlow’s most memorable scene, in the eyes of most fans, took place in The Winter Soldier, as he was one of the villains who did battle with Steve Rogers in a memorably frenetic fight that took place in an elevator. The battle was revisited for Endgame, though Steve avoided conflict by falsely pledging allegiance to Hydra. The moment earned plenty of attention. But, recently, Grillo revealed that he wasn’t sure about coming back to Marvel.

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Speaking on the Lights Camera Barstool podcast, Grillo admitted that he wasn’t exactly enthusiastic about reprising Rumlow for a cameo in Avengers: Endgame. In fact, as the actor recalls, he was fairly adamant about not returning. He even rejected the offer when it was made to him in a phone call. However, after a persuasive argument from his son, Grillo ultimately reconsidered his stance. You can read Grillo’s full quote below:

The trajectory of Crossbones took a turn and he was out of the movie. He's out of the series really quickly. Right. And I was a little pissed off about it because, y’know, I signed a seven-picture deal with them. And it was like, ‘Oh, you're going to be part of the Marvel Universe, right?’ And it didn't happen. And so… they called me. They said: ‘Look, we need you to come down for a week for Avengers,’ and I'm like, ‘for what?’ And they go, ‘Well, we can't…’ I'm like, ‘No, I'm not doing it.’ So I hung up. I get a call back. I'm like, ‘I'm not coming.’ And like… who am I? Who am I, right? My son, my 22 year old son, said to me: ‘You should go and do Avengers.’ I'm like, ‘Oh yeah, why should I go?’ Because I'm telling you need to go. He said I don't care if you're in the movie for 10 seconds. It's a part of history. It's a big deal.

Frank Grillo as Crossbones in Civil War

It’s worth noting that Rumlow, as a character, made his debut at a time when the MCU was less known for its interesting villains. Although that has changed in more recent films, evidenced by the complexity of Thanos and Cate Blanchett’s scene-stealing portrayal of Hela in Thor: Ragnarok, the franchise was initially more focused on establishing the history of its main heroes and solidifying their interplay. Still, even though Grillo ended up playing a relatively minor antagonist, the actor left a sizable impact. The performance opened up doors for Grillo to appear in other projects, allowing him to emerge as a reliable action hero. On the character front, both Rumlow and Crossbones are viewed as prime examples of how Marvel initially neutered its villains, particularly when it came to Captain America’s roster of baddies.

With the news that Grillo is lending his voice to What If…?, perhaps that could open the door for Crossbones to return in a live-action Marvel project. But even if that doesn’t happen, his brief scene in Avengers: Endgame remains a highlight. Despite the fact that the movie featured plenty of callbacks and references for fans to appreciate, the reimagined elevator fight stands out for the way it showed that Marvel was quite happy to poke a little fun at itself by cheekily showing the evolution of Steve Rogers. And it couldn’t have worked without Grillo’s involvement.

More: Why Endgame Gave Every Avenger A Character Arc But Hulk

Source: Lights Camera Barstool

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