Josh Brolin has become a Marvel icon for playing not just one, but two of the comic book universe's iconic villains. In the MCU, Brolin has become very well known for his role as Thanos, the Infinity Saga's overarching villain who snapped half the universe away in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. However, amidst his years playing Thanos, Brolin also took on a role in another Marvel universe, playing the time-traveling Nathan Summers, aka Cable, in Deadpool 2.
Deadpool creator Rob Liefeld recently declared that he sees "much more meat on those bones" for Cable, but that potential future all depends on Brolin's willingness to return to the role. However, it seems that, out of his two Marvel roles, the actor is only open to reprising Thanos in the future.
Speaking to The Direct while promoting Whalefall at NYCC, Josh Brolin was asked whether he would be open to reprising Cable in a future project, a shift from the persistent questions the actor has previously faced about returning as Thanos.
Brolin shared that, while he was appreciative of the chance to play Cable, he was "glad [the character] was isolated unto that experience," indicating that he is happy to leave his mutant role as a one-and-done. Brolin played Cable in 2018's Deadpool 2, which was released between Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame.
In comparison, when talking about Thanos, Brolin was full of glee, calling it a "very, very interesting role" and saying he found Joe and Anthony Russo to be "unprecedented" and "unparalleled." The actor's high praise for the Avengers directing duo and the character of the Mad Titan is the strongest sign yet that he would return if asked for Avengers: Doomsday or Secret Wars:
"Thanos to me is a very, very interesting role, and a role that I had a lot of fun doing. You know what I mean? A lot of fun doing. Joe Russo, Anthony Russo, those guys to me, they're just unprecedented, unparalleled... There's some practicality to it, but when you resort to your imagination, and they would come up and they would reference Scarface or something like that, something that I understood, then it made it even better. 'Deadpool 2', I'm glad happened. I'm glad [Cable] was isolated unto that experience, and it's a good memory."
Brolin has been pretty adamant every time he's asked about returning as Thanos that he'd likely do it, only if the Russo Brothers asked. The experience of working with the directors on Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame seemed to have greatly influenced Brolin's love for his MCU role, and now that the Russos are back directing Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, many are questioning whether Brolin will be along for the ride.
Brolin echoed his praise for the Russos in this latest response, but the prospect of returning to Cable seemed less interesting to the actor. Liefeld revealed to The Direct earlier in the year that Brolin had originally signed a multi-picture deal to play Cable and was seemingly excited about playing Cable and Stryfe in Drew Goddard's planned X-Force movie. However, after the Disney/Fox merger, which canceled the project, it seems Brolin's excitement may have lessened.
Will Josh Brolin Be Back as Thanos or Cable?
Josh Brolin is in a unique position to have two potential Marvel characters to return to, even if one seems to appeal to the actor more than the other.
Returning as Thanos definitely has strong potential for Brolin, with the Russo Brothers returning to Marvel and several old Avengers: Endgame co-stars reprising their roles for Avengers: Doomsday. Marvel has already played with the Multiverse once in order to raise Thanos from the dead, so it's entirely possible that the Russos could find a way for the Infinity Saga villain to return before the end of the Multiverse Saga.
As for Cable, the integration of Deadpool into the MCU might have slashed any chances for Brolin to return as the character. However, rumor has it that Reynolds is interested in making the next Deadpool film a team-up sequel, which would supposedly involve the return of Nathan Summers. However, with Marvel Studios forging ahead with its new version of the X-Men, it's unclear how many mutant characters Deadpool 4 will be allowed to use.
There seems to be no shortage of opportunities for Brolin to return to one of his comic book movie roles; the question is which one will happen first and if the actor will still accept it if the time comes.
