The One Major Difference Between Working For Marvel And DC, According To Frank Grillo

Frank Grillo is one of a handful of actors who can claim to have been part of both the Marvel Cinematic Universe and James Gunn's fledgling DC Universe. The actor now portrays Rick Flag Sr. in the latter, having previously played Brock Rumlow/Crossbones in the MCU. Much like Gunn himself, then, he's uniquely placed to provide some insight into the differences between these massive franchises, and it seems he has an understandable preference for Gunn's rule about shooting with a finished script.

Speaking on the "Phase Hero" podcast, Grillo was asked how Gunn's directing style differs from that of the Russo brothers, who directed him in two "Captain America" movies. After praising both Gunn and the Russos as "brilliant," the actor went on to say that they do have "very different styles." Specifically, Grillo claimed that the Russos "are more comfortable with directing on scripts that are not totally complete." The actor went on to clarify that such a thing "is not uncommon," but he also confirmed that when it came to Gunn, "everything was done, all those scripts were done in advance, and you don't really need to fudge with it at all, he's really got a clear concept." Clearly, then, the DC Studios co-head, who's now directed Grillo in "Superman" and "Peacemaker" season 2, is sticking to his promise of only shooting projects with finished scripts.

Back in June 2025, the director expressed his opinion that Hollywood has suffered from movies being shot with unfinished scripts. As he told Rolling Stone, "I do believe that the reason why the movie industry is dying [...] is because people are making movies without a finished screenplay." That certainly seemed like a thinly-veiled shot at Marvel Studios, and Grillo's comments only add to that perspective.

In 2023, James Gunn said he wanted the DC Universe to "elevate" writers and make sure scripts are ready before any filming begins. Thus far, according to Frank Grillo, it seems he's stuck to that approach. But as the actor went on to say, comparing Gunn to the Russo brothers isn't exactly fair, as the former is "the boss" over at DC Studios. "It's not like James has a committee that he needs to answer to," he remarked. "It's him and [DC Studios co-head] Peter Safran, whereas the Russo brothers have a whole bunch of people that have their hand in the cookie jar. So, it's a whole different way of movie making."

As diplomatic as Grillo sounds in these comments, nobody would begrudge him being a little more fond of the DC Studios method, especially since his MCU tenure didn't end on the best note. The actor debuted as Brock Rumlow in 2014's "Captain America: The Winter Soldier," in which he began as an agent of S.T.R.I.K.E., the counter-terrorist arm of S.H.I.E.L.D., before embracing his Crossbones persona. He then returned in 2016's "Captain America: Civil War," but this was one Marvel villain whose comic book origins overhyped their role in the MCU, as Crossbones was quickly dispatched in the opening scene.

A variant of the character did appear in a quick cameo in 2019's "Avengers: Endgame," and Grillo also voiced an alternate version of Rumlow in Marvel's animated "What If...?" series. But otherwise, the actor has emphatically embraced his transition to DC, telling ComicBook that he felt let down by Marvel's treatment of his character. "I think there was more meat on the bone," he admitted. "I was disappointed, which is why I went over to DC."

Frank Grillo is actually one of several Marvel actors who appear in "Superman," and by extension, the newly-launched DC Universe. More accurately, Grillo started his DCU tenure by voicing Rick Flag Sr. in "Creature Commandos" before making his live-action DC debut in "Superman." "Peacemaker" season 2 then turned Grillo's hero into a villain as he sought revenge against John Cena's Chris Smith for killing his son, Rick Flag Jr. (Joel Kinnaman).

Despite being relatively early days for James Gunn's DCU, the timeline isn't the easiest thing to follow. For now, though, it seems Grillo's Rick Flag will be a big part of it moving forward, which will surely make the man himself happy after being given short shrift by Marvel. While Grillo made sure to praise Marvel and the Russo brothers during his "Phase Hero" interview, he also went on to express a clear preference for Gunn's method. "His theory is there's no movie without a script," Grillo explained. "Which, for me, I kind of love that — that idea that the script is going to be as tight as it can possibly be before you start shooting." Again, it's not outright Marvel slander, but the man is clearly happy to have put his MCU days behind him.

Whether the DCU will end up providing Grillo with the kind of exposure and success the MCU could have done during its golden era remains to be seen. "Superman" mostly soared at the box office, but the age of the comic book movie shows every sign of waning. The real test will be the forthcoming projects that Gunn doesn't personally direct, including "Supergirl" and "Clayface." Let's hope by the time Gunn's "Superman" follow-up arrives in 2027, Grillo has been given the showcase he always deserved.