Frank Grillo Says He Has a Role in the DCU, Was ‘Disappointed’ in Crossbones Treatment in MCU

Frank Grillo has confirmed that he’s joined James Gunn and Peter Safran’s rebooted DCU – but hasn’t revealed what character he’ll be playing or what project it’ll be in.

During an interview with ComicBook.com, promoting his new film One Day as a Lion, Grillo said he wasn’t thrilled with how Brock Rumlow/Crossbones, the villain he played in Captain America: Civil War, was treated in the storytelling of the MCU, motivating his move to the DCU.

“They never told a story [about Crossbones],” he said. “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.”

“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,” he went on. “I think there was more meat on the bone. I was disappointed, which is why I went over to DC.”

Grillo, who reprised the Crossbones role briefly in an episode of Disney+’s What If…?, previously talked about his exit from the MCU, saying in an interview with NME that he had originally signed a seven-movie deal.

“I would have loved to continue and be a bigger part of what they were doing, but it wasn’t part of my journey,” he said at the time.

Grillo recently attended the red carpet premiere of Shazam! Fury of the Gods, fueling speculation that he was headed to DC. In particular, there have been vague rumors of him joining the upcoming animated series Creature Commandos.

Grillo continued to stoke the rumors himself, responding to speculation on his Instagram story after the Shazam! sequel premiere. Addressing Ron Perlman, who’s also been rumored for Creature Commandos, he wrote, “Me and my guy @perlmutations, we did a little film together awhile back. Could this be two? hmmmmmmmmmm.”

That, however, is still all unconfirmed at the moment. Creature Commandos will be one of the first projects of the initial phase of the new DCU, titled Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters, along with Gunn’s Superman: Legacy, which is dated for July 11, 2025.

Alex Stedman is a Senior News Editor with IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she’s not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.