MCU Star Initially Refused To Return For Avengers: Endgame

Get the Full StoryAs the conclusion to the Infinity Saga and one of the most hotly-anticipated blockbusters in history, Avengers: Endgame was always going to rely heavily on fan service and callbacks to the Marvel Cinematic Universe s illustrious past. It must have been a nightmare in the scripting stage trying to cram everyone into the movie, but you can t deny that writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely certainly managed to pull it off.

The time heist in particular opened the door for several unexpected cameos, including John Slattery s Howard Stark, Hayley Atwell s Peggy Carter, Robert Redford s Alexander Pierce and Frank Grillo s Brock Rumlow, the latter of whom was last seen getting blown to smithereens during Captain America: Civil War s prologue.

However, in a new interview, Grillo admitted that he initially refused to return for Endgame because he was so unhappy about signing a seven-picture deal with Marvel Studios, only to be cast aside after just two brief supporting appearances in the Captain America franchise.

The trajectory of Crossbones took a turn and he was out of the series really quickly, right? And I was a little pissed off about it because, you 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 and 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. Leave me alone . And like, who am I? Who am I, right?

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 ten seconds. It s a part of history. It s a big deal. It s a big scene. It s an important thing . Everybody gets to kind of smile and go, Oh my God! . And that s why I did it, because of my son, not because of the Russos.

Obviously, Grillo s son won out in the end, but it s telling that he s gone out of his way not to thank the Russo brothers. Of course, the 55 year-old will be back in Disney Plus animation What If ?, but the action star hasn t been shy in admitting that he feels the MCU gave up on his character before maximizing the undoubted potential of Crossbones.

It s not as if he s struggling for work, though, with Hulu subscribers currently able to see Grillo opposite Mel Gibson in Boss Level, which is one of just eight movies he s got coming out this year, but it must still sting if he was so reluctant to return for Avengers: Endgame, which went on to become the biggest box office hit ever.

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