The superhero genre continues to be wildly popular, and DC co-CEO James Gunn has kickstarted the DCU's first slate of projects (titled Gods and Monsters) with two shows a movie. All three have featured Frank Grillo, who also played Crossbones in the MCU for three projects. The 60 year-old actor recently compared what it was like working in these two behemoth franchises, and shots were definitely fired.
Grillo debuted as Rick Flag Sr. in Creature Commandos (streaming with a HBO Max subscription), before reprising that role in Superman and Peacemaker Season 2. He's one of the only actors to appear in every DCU project so far, and in a conversation with People he explained the biggest difference between that franchise and the MCU. In his words:
It's different. It’s not organized in the same way. [DC] is really like all the scripts are in front of you and you kind of have a real secure handle on what's happening. And there's nothing wrong with it, but [Marvel] was a little fly by the seat of your pants
Well, he certainly didn't mince his words. While the MCU can feel like a well-oiled machine to the public thanks to its constant supply of projects hitting theaters and streaming with a Disney+ subscription, that's seemingly not what it's like from within the shared universe. Instead, he said that starring in Kevin Feige's universe is more like flying by the seat of your pants.
Marvel security is notoriously tight, with the studio locking up scripts and keeping actors in dark in order to guard its secrets. So when Grillo started working on the DCU, he was taken by how transparent the scripts were, therefore allowing him to get the full scope of both Rick Flag Sr. and the burgeoning shared universe as a whole.
Grillo debuted in the MCU as Brock Rumlow in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, where it was revealed that his S.H.I.E.L.D. agent was actually a spy for HYDRA. This was his biggest role in the MCU, before having two small but memorable appearances in Civil War and Avengers: Endgame. Later in the same interview, the actor spoke about the difficulty of shooting those scenes given Marvel security, offering:
For me, it's a little scary to do it that way.
Aside from the secrecy of its scripts, the MCU is also known for having extensive reshoots, where major changed can happen to each project ahead of its release in theaters. For example, Captain America: Brave New World cut characters altogether, while Black Widow reshot all of its villain's scenes. By comparison, it sounds like James Gunn and company have a much more clear vision for their work in the DCU. At least, per Grillo's experience.
Frank Grillo can be seen in Peacemaker Season 2, which airs new episodes Thursdays on HBO Max as part of the 2025 TV schedule.
