A former MCU star and one of the DCU's recurring stars claimed his new superhero role far exceeds his history at Marvel. DC Studios has already confirmed 14 MCU actors who will appear in the DCU, among which is Captain America's Crossbones actor Frank Grillo as Rick Flag Sr.
The former MCU star brings to life the father of Joel Kinnaman's Rick Flag Jr. who was killed by Peacemaker in The Suicide Squad. Having joined DC Studios last year in Creature Commandos, Rick Flag Sr. will be back for Superman and Peacemaker Season 2, and he is set to return in Waller.
In a post on Instagram, DC's Rick Flag Sr. and Marvel's Crossbones actor Frank Grillo highlighted the coolest moments of his superhero movie career, revealing why his new DCU role goes far beyond his MCU days.
Funnily enough, during his days at Marvel Studios, Grillo was part of SHIELD (undercover for HYDRA). This led him to appear as Brock Rumlow, aka Crossbones, in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Endgame, and, most recently, What If...?
The DCU star took to Instagram to share a picture from the Superman trailer of Rick Flag Sr. arresting David Corenswet's Man of Steel.
He noted that while he "beat up Captain America until his friends jumped in," took on other Marvel icons, and will soon be out for revenge against Peacemaker, "Nothing compares to walking down the superhero of superheroes:"
"Sure I smacked the s*** out of that Falcon dude and yeah I beat up Captain America until his friends jumped in, and sure I got something to settle with Peacemaker however... Nothing compares to walking down the superhero of superheroes."
Frank Grillo will next appear on July 11 when Superman hits theaters before returning for Peacemaker Season 2 on Max on August 21.
In his theatrical DCU debut, Grillo's Rick Flag Sr. is playing opposite an all-star cast that includes David Corenswet's Superman, Rachel Brosnahan's Lois Lane, and Nicholas Hoult's Lex Luthor, and more.
Why DC's Rick Flag Sr. Is Topping Marvel's Crossbones for Frank Grillo
Frank Grillo described his role as the DCU's Nick Fury, which will be even more prominent after his promotion to ARGUS director, akin to Fury's role at SHIELD. As the head of a government agency, Rick Flag Sr. will have room to recur in any DCU project, starting with Creature Commandos, Superman, and Peacemaker.
While Grillo's Crossbones was integral to The Winter Soldier and Civil War, it's easy to see how becoming Rick Flag Sr. in the DCU will top that. Not only is he throwing aside a somewhat generic villainous henchman for a more developed character with deeper motivations (who also gets to arrest Superman himself).
Following the events of Creature Commandos, Flag Sr. is recovering from a broken back he got from an encounter with Clayface. But as he has assumed Amanda Waller's position as ARGUS director and is tagging along with arrest Superman, one can only imagine he is already back to full strength.
Having led the way in Creature Commandos, Flag Sr. ought to be a minor player in Superman ahead of a more major role in Peacemaker Season 2. After all, the road to revenge for his son's murder would presumably leave him plenty of screen time, all building to an epic clash with John Cena's Peacemaker.
