Josh Brolin Shuts Down Cable Return, But He’s Open to Playing Thanos Again in the MCU
Josh Brolin has played two major Marvel characters, but if he ever makes another appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it sounds like he’d rather be snapping his fingers than traveling through time.
Brolin made his debut as Cable in 2018’s Deadpool 2, bringing the time-traveling mutant Nathan Summers to life alongside Ryan Reynolds. Fans have been hoping to see him return ever since, especially now that Deadpool has officially joined the MCU. Unfortunately, Brolin doesn't sound particularly interested in picking up Cable’s massive gun again.
During an interview with The Direct, Brolin was asked about potentially reprising the role and explained that he was “glad [the character] was isolated unto that experience.”
It sounds like Brolin is perfectly happy leaving Cable in Deadpool 2. He enjoyed playing the character and looks back on the film fondly, but he doesn't seem to have any desire to revisit him.
That's a shame, considering there was originally a lot more planned for Cable. Brolin signed a multi-picture deal to play the character and was expected to return in Drew Goddard's planned X-Force movie. That project was ultimately canceled following Disney's acquisition of Fox, leaving Cable's story unfinished.
Even Cable co-creator Rob Liefeld thinks the character deserves another shot, recently saying that “there was so much more meat on those bones” to explore.
With Marvel now incorporating characters from Fox's X-Men and Fantastic Four franchises, there's certainly an opportunity to bring Nathan Summers back. Whether that happens with another actor remains to be seen.
While Brolin seems ready to leave Cable behind, he's considerably more enthusiastic about returning as Thanos, the Mad Titan he portrayed in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.
Talking about the character, Brolin said, “Thanos to me is a very, very interesting role, and a role that I had a lot of fun doing. You know what I mean? A lot of fun doing. Joe Russo, Anthony Russo, those guys to me, they’re just unprecedented, unparalleled.”
He also shared how their approach helped him connect with Thanos, saying: “They would come up and they would reference Scarface or something like that, something that I understood, then it made it even better.”
That creative relationship could make a Thanos comeback pretty appealing for Brolin. He's expressed interest in returning to the role multiple times, and Marvel has already found ways to bring the villain back through projects like What If…? and Marvel Zombies.
Of course, Thanos met his end in Avengers: Endgame, but death hasn't exactly stopped Marvel characters from making another appearance. With the MCU exploring the multiverse, there are plenty of ways to bring him back without undoing his original story.
There's also an interesting possibility involving Doctor Doom, who is taking center stage in Avengers: Doomsday. The two villains have a memorable confrontation in Marvel Comics that could make for a pretty awesome moment on the big screen. Whether Brolin would be interested in returning for something that brief is another question.
Nothing has been announced about Brolin returning as Thanos, but with the Russo brothers directing Marvel's next two major Avengers films, the possibility is there.
It's interesting that Brolin played both Cable and Thanos in 2018, yet it's the Mad Titan who left him wanting more. While I'd love to see Cable get another shot, Brolin's enthusiasm for Thanos makes it easy to see which character he'd rather revisit.