JOSH BROLIN

TAKING OVER THE (MARVEL) UNIVERSE…

Making a great fist of multiple Marvel characters.

Inever understand why people offer me roles,” Josh Brolin mused recently. He’s clearly not been paying as much attention as the rest of us. As the big 5-0 approaches, the one-time Goonie is routinely cranking out some of the best work of his career and, with a doublewhammy of Marvel villains in the offing – in Deadpool 2 and Avengers: Infinity War – he’s certainly not short on buzz-worthy roles.

Brolin’s casting as Nathan Summers, aka mutant mercenary Cable, in Deadpool 2, is the biggie

– a reveal that shocked fans already awaiting his big day out as universestomping titan Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War. Shooting on the latter is already underway – Marvel boss Kevin Feige promises Thanos will take audiences’ breath away in “his first minute” – but it’s not all about comic books for the one-time Oscar nominee.

After last year’s successful Coen comedy Hail, Caesar!, Brolin’s tickling ribs again in The Legacy Of A Whitetail Deer Hunter, masterminded by Eastbound & Down duo Danny McBride and Jody Hill, and he’ll reprise his role as CIA officer Matt Graver in Soldado, the sequel to 2015’s Sicario. Plus there’s dusty ’30s drama Granite Mountain from Joseph Kosinski ( Tron: Legacy) and western biopic George And Tammy with Jessica Chastain.

For now, though, all eyes are on Brolin’s twin roles in the Marvel-verse. The fact he’s playing two major Marvel baddies caused some head-scratching, but it’s no skin off Feige’s nose. “Indiana Jones and Han Solo are the same person,” he reasons.

And sparks are already flying between Brolin and Ryan Reynolds in the lead-up to the pair’s clash. “You can’t play two characters in the same universe!” Reynolds teased, while Brolin tagged an Instagram snap of him having a face cast made with “#ryanreynoldsismybitch”. The battle lines have been drawn…

ETA | 2018 / DEADPOOL 2 and Avengers: Infinity War bot h open next year.