It appears I owe Frank Grillo an apology.
Just the other day, we ran a post on CinemaBlend stating that the actor’s menacing villain, Crossbones, probably had a bite-sized role in Joe and Anthony Russo’s Captain America: Civil War -- mainly because he posted a note on Instagram stating that he had wrapped filming. Well, in response (or just to clarify), Grillo took to social media once again to say that Cap should continue looking over his metaphorical shoulder.
If you’ll note, though, that Tweet is sent from Los Angeles, and not from Atlanta, where Civil War currently is being filmed. This could mean one of several things. Civil War may plan to shoot additional scenes in California (or anywhere else in the world), and Crossbones could show up there. Or Grillo could be suggesting that he survives whatever conflict occurs between he and Cap (Chris Evans) in Civil War, living to fight another day – possibly as part of The Avengers: Infinity War. Or maybe Grillo just likes fucking around with his fans on social media.
Here’s what we know for certain. The actor who was left for dead near the end of Captain America: The Winter Soldier is reprising his villainous role of Crossbones in Civil War. And from what we were able to see in leaked set visit photos and footage, he will fight Captain America and Falcon (Anthony Mackie) in what looks like a small African city, probably Wakanda. Some have speculated that it is Crossbones’ actions that begin to turn the world’s collective opinion against superheroes, creating the Superhero Registration Act that will put Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) and Steve Rogers (Evans) on opposite sides. But that’s speculation at the moment. Maybe we need to keep a closer eye on Frank Grillo’s Twitter page.
Seeing as how Crossbones keeps popping back up, this allows me to hold out hope that another "deceased" Cap villain could resurface one day. Red Skull is to Cap what Lex Luthor is to Superman, or The Joker is to Batman. And while the villain was effective in The First Avenger, he feels underused in the overall MCU. Grillo’s great. But let’s find a way to work some more Red Skull into these Captain America movies (with or without Hugo Weaving).
