Captain America: Civil War is bursting at the seams with characters old and new. It’s a giant monstrous movie and, while it’s easy to get excited about seeing Spider-Man in the MCU or Captain America and Iron Man beating the snot out of each other, we can’t forget to overlook some of the smaller characters appearing in the movie; namely Martin Freeman’s Everett Ross.
Marvel’s been leaving us in the dark about Martin Freeman’s role in the superhero blockbuster, but we do know the character is named Everett Ross. Comic book fans will recognize the name as the same character who serves as the United States diplomat assigned to the African nation of Wakanda. The character has most likely been altered for the film, but seeing as how this is Marvel it’s a safe bet that he’ll show up in future films. While appearing on the Graham Norton Show, Freeman was asked if his character would appear in more films.
It’s a fairly small role at this stage… I think my character will develop a bit more as I enter the Marvel world a bit more which seems to be happening.
His answer is a strong probably then. Marvel is no stranger to introducing characters and plot points years ahead of time. Just look at Thanos, who showed up at the end of Avengers in 2012 for a major villain role that we won’t see until 2018. While Martin Freeman doesn’t want to flat out say he’ll return in case Marvel snipers are watching him, you don’t hire an actor of Freeman's caliber to play a small one-time role.
As to which movies he could potentially appear in, Black Panther is the number one guess. In the comics, Martin Freeman’s Civil War character Everett Ross is the United States diplomat assigned to looking over Wakanda, the home of T’Challa the Black Panther. Ross is most associated with Black Panther so it makes sense that he would appear in the film. Coincidentally, another Black Panther character was introduced years before the actual movie. Andy Serkis’ Ulysses Klaw from Avengers: Age of Ultron (the guy who didn’t like cuttlefish and got his arm chopped off) is a big Black Panther villain and he’ll most likely appear in the 2018 film as well.
To watch the full interview with Martin Freeman on the Graham Norton Show, check out the video below (Paul Rudd and Seth Rogen are also there). His role in the MCU comes up around the 14:50 mark.
If Everett Ross is a government agent, then it’s possible he could show up in different films as the face of the Sokovia Accords. In that way, he could serve as an Agent Coulson-type figure and be a connection between Phase Three movies. Regardless of his future, you can definitely see Martin Freeman in Captain America: Civil War, which can’t come any faster on May 6.
