Many actors who occupy supporting roles in Marvel movies remain in the shadow of superheroes who steal the limelight with their on-screen prominence and charismatic characters.
Frank Grillo, who plays Crossbones in three UCM universe feature films, is the perfect example of a disgruntled supporting actor.
The 57-year-old New Yorker featured in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Endgame.
Despite appearing in three Marvel movies, Grillo felt “disappointed” despite his excitement at being signed on for these roles, he said in an interview with ComicBook.
Grillo became quickly disillusioned with Marvel and made the switch to DC.
“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 short amount of time, I think there’s more there. I think there was more meat on the bone. I was disappointed, which is why I went over to DC,” said Grillo.
Grillo left disappointed by a lack of character development
The actor believes Crossbones’ story has not been exploited to its full potential by Marvel.
“They never told a story [about Crossbones]. 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,” Grillo added.
In light of his criticism, Frank Grillo has confirmed that he has signed with DC and his new project is set to kick off with the animated series Creature Commandos.
While this is yet to be confirmed, since James Gunn has been placed at the helm of DC, there has been talk of the incorporation of Frank Grillo into future projects.