It's common nowadays for an actor to be involved in more than one superhero franchise, but Josh Brolin is taking that to the next level in 2018, as he'll not only be reprising Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War, but he'll also play Cable in Deadpool 2. While both characters hail from the world of Marvel, some have wondered about how Brolin is able to appear in both the Marvel Cinematic Universe and 20th Century Fox's X-Men world. From Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige's perspective, Brolin contributing to both Marvel movie franchises isn't an issue since there's nothing that says the actor has to be exclusive to the MCU. As Feige put it:
We don't have anything written into our contracts about other roles that people can do. Indiana Jones and Han Solo are the same person ... it hasn't been a problem. And I think Thanos and Cable are two very different characters.
Following more than a year of rumors and reports, Cable's casting was finally announced last week, and Josh Brolin will be the lucky man to wear the bionic arm in Deadpool 2. While Brolin already has a cushy gig as the "Mad Titan" Thanos in the MCU, Kevin Feige used Harrison Ford's two iconic characters as an example while speaking to THR to show how it's fine for an actor to play major characters across separate franchises. Brolin already has plenty of comic book media experience having appeared in Jonah Hex and Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, but pulling double Marvel duty in the same year is especially impressive.
Josh Brolin certainly isn't the only actor to cross over between both Marvel franchises. In fact, he'll be in good company in 2018. Having already played Bolivar Trask in X-Men: Days of Future Past, Game of Thrones' Peter Dinklage will also appear in Avengers: Infinity War as a yet-to-be-revealed character. Then there's Michael B. Jordan, who played The Human Torch in the 2015 Fantastic Four reboot and will play Erik Killmonger in Black Panther.
Thanos has been looming in the background of the MCU since 2012, but he hasn't done much aside from look and sound intimidating. Following Avengers: Age of Ultron, he decided to take collecting the Infinity Stones into his own hands, and Avengers: Infinity War will see him trying to obtain ultimate power. Over in Deadpool 2 land, Cable will follow in his comic book counterpart's footsteps and be the serious, straight man while Wade Wilson causes more shenanigans. The movie also won't delve too deep into Cable's origins, but with Brolin having reportedly signed a four-movie deal, there will be other opportunities to learn about the character's past.
You can see Josh Brolin's Thanos finally get off his floating La-Z-Boy and fight the MCU's biggest superheroes when Avengers: Infinity War hits theaters on May 3, 2018. As for Cable's theatrical debut in Deadpool 2, that doesn't have an official release date yet, but production is scheduled to begin this summer.
