Avengers: Endgame served as a 3-hour love letter to the diehard enthusiasts of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and if we're talking fan service alone, the highest-grossing film of all time certainly delivered and was home to several iconic scenes. One of which is the jaw-dropping elevator sequence featuring Captain America and some of the members of Hydra including Jasper Sitwell and Brock Rumlow aka Crossbones.
The said scene from the MCU blockbuster is pretty memorable for a lot of fans as it saw the 2023 version of Steve Rogers outsmarting the villainous organization by saying the infamous "Hail Hydra" line in order to retrieve Loki's scepter which houses the Mind Stone.
It was a cool moment for sure and the actors featured in the scene were pretty game to return even though it only lasted for no less than two minutes. However, one actor wasn't too thrilled about the idea of returning for the film and that is Frank Grillo.
During his appearance on the Lights Camera Bartstool podcast (via ComicBook), Grillo revealed that he didn't want any part of Endgame and as he was frustrated how Marvel Studios handled his character considering he originally signed a lengthy deal. He explains: "The trajectory of Crossbones took a turn and he was out of the series really quickly, right? And I was a little pissed off about it because, you know, I signed a seven-picture deal with them."
He added: "And it was like, ‘Oh, you're going to be part of the Marvel Universe', right?. And it didn't happen. And so they called me and they said, ‘Look, we need you to come down for a week for Avengers', and I'm like, ‘For what?'. And they go, ‘Well, we can't…'. I'm like, ‘No, I'm not doing it'. So I hung up. I get a callback. I'm like, ‘I'm not coming. Leave me alone. And like, who am I? Who am I, right?"
In the end, it was his son that convinced him to reprise his role. He continued: "My 22-year-old son said to me, ‘You should go and do Avengers'. I'm like, ‘Oh yeah, why should I go?'. ‘Because I'm telling you need to go'. He said, ‘I don't care if you're in the movie for ten seconds. It's a part of history. It's a big deal. It's a big scene. It's an important thing'. Everybody gets to kind of smile and go, ‘Oh my God!'. And that's why I did it, because of my son, not because of the Russos."
Judging by his statement, it seems like Grillo still has sour grapes over how his MCU tenure turned out, and honestly, I feel sorry for the guy and I genuinely believed that the Russo brothers missed the boat on making Crossbones a worthy villain for Cap. Instead, he was written off way too quickly and it's a damn shame considering the character had loads of potential.
Meanwhile, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier hits Disney+ this March 18.
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