Frank Grillo as Rick Flag Sr. anchors DCU crossovers in Peacemaker 2

Frank Grillo, long associated with Marvel as the hostile operative Brock Rumlow, has pivoted to James Gunn’s DC Universe, where he appears as Rick Flag Sr. in Peacemaker Season 2. In a recent interview, Grillo positioned Flag Sr. as a central, orchestrating figure in DC Studios’ ongoing reboot, describing his DCU role as akin to a “Nick Fury” for a rapidly expanding shared universe. The conversation also revisited Grillo’s Marvel past, including his contention that Captain America: The Winter Soldier stands among the best MCU films, while acknowledging the evolving fortunes of Marvel’s output.

Grillo’s words underscore the cross-pollination now shaping mainstream superhero storytelling. In The Winter Soldier, Rumlow was introduced as a disciplined S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who turns out to be a HYDRA operative, a twist that set the tone for a darker, more intricate era of Marvel storytelling. Grillo has since reflected on that chapter, noting that Crossbones never fully manifested the potential fans expected, and acknowledging that the character’s screen time was limited. He has also remarked that public sentiment around Crossbones has persisted long after the character’s on-screen...