In a new interview, Goliath/Giant-Man actor Laurence Fishburne announced when he will make his return to the MCU.
Those who don't remember Fishburne's MCU character are not alone — Fishburne himself seemingly forgot that he appeared as Bill Foster in Ant-Man and the Wasp back in 2018.
Since that debut, however, the character has not been mentioned by the studio, despite characters from the Ant-Man franchise cropping up in various Marvel projects, both released and announced. Notably, his pseudo-daughter Ava Starr (Ghost) will be making her return in 2024's Thunderbolts film.
However, the actor officially announced his upcoming return to the role in an interview for the upcoming John Wick Chapter 4.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe Brings Back Goliath
Laurence Fishburne (Bill Foster/Goliath/Giant-Man) revealed in an interview with Brandon Pope that he will come back to the MCU in the upcoming second season of What If...?.
Fishburne said that Marvel has his "phone number so if they need me, they know where to find me" before revealing that "Bill Foster shows up in What If…?:"
Fishburne: "I mean, they got my phone number so if they need me, they know where to find me."
Pope: "I was shocked Bill Foster wasn’t in the new Ant-Man."
Fishburne: "Ah, you know, Bill Foster shows up in 'What If…?' Yeah."
Pope: "Oh, some voicework for that?"
Fishburne: "Yeah, yeah. Bill Foster shows up in 'What If…?' as Giant-Man actually. Yeah, it’s cool."
While Fishburne said the character would use the monicker of Giant-Man, scooper @CanWeGetToast corrected it to Goliath. Though typically the word of the actor would be considered the truth, given Fushburne's past forgetfulness when it comes to the MCU, it could be possible that the correction is in fact true.
In the past, Fishburne expressed an interest in continuing Bill Foster's character into the Goliath role he takes on in the comics. Back in 2018, the actor and Marvel executive Stephen Broussard spoke with CBR and said that while "there’s nothing specific to announce, what’s great with Foster is that you can go in sort of dual directions."
How Goliath Will Factor Into What If Season 2
Speculation from @CanWeGetToast suggests that Bill Foster will be in the What If...? Season 2 episode focusing on what would happen if the Avengers formed decades before they did in the main MCU timeline.
This would make sense given Bill's established timeline, having worked on Pym Particles with Hank Pym, the original Ant-Man. As such, an Avengers team before the 21st century could plausibly include Bill.
It will be interesting for fans to see this character in the past, as Stephen Broussard said it would be a direction to take further stories with Goliath/Giant-Man. On top of that, fans will likely be able to see the ex-size-changer suited up in What If...?, which is an exciting prospect.
The second season of What If...? will release on Disney+ sometime in the near future, though no official date is known.
Gillian Blum has been a writer at The Direct since 2022, reporting primarily from New York City. Though she covers news from across the entertainment industry, Gillian has a particular focus on Marvel and DC, including comics, movies, and television shows. She also commonly reports on Percy Jackson, Invincible, and other similar franchises.
