Avengers: Infinity War, and its currently untitled sequel, Avengers 4, are set to be absolutely massive movies. Acting as the culmination of the last 10 years of the Marvel Cinematic Universe – that’s 18 films, for those keeping track – they’ll be bringing together tons of plot lines, with just about every MCU character still breathing set to play a part. But if there’s one individual who we know almost definitely won’t be appearing, it’s Sam Rockwell’s Justin Hammer.
First showing up back in Iron Man 2, the character was responsible for recruiting Mickey Rourke’s Whiplash to build some advanced weaponry for him. And though he did return in the 2014 short All Hail to the King, we haven’t really heard much about him since, with Marvel seemingly abandoning Hammer – for the time being, at least.
It’s a shame, too, as Rockwell’s a fantastic actor, and he’s also interested in reprising the role. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter recently, he revealed that he’d love to come back to the MCU one day:
“Of course! I have some great buddies in that franchise. Jeremy Renner is a good friend of mine, and I am pals with Chris Evans and Mark Ruffalo. Robert [Downey Jr.] is always fun. Would love to get me and Clark [Gregg] back in that franchise. That would be a lot of fun.”
If you recall, the last time we saw Hammer he was in prison, and as far as we know, he’s still there. Given that the character’s mostly been forgotten about in recent years, it seems highly unlikely Marvel would make room to invite him back in any of their upcoming films. Not to mention the fact that Robert Downey Jr. is on his way out of the MCU, and without him, it wouldn’t make a whole lot of sense to have Hammer back on the scene.
And again, that’s pretty unfortunate. He’s a great character in the comics and there’s certainly some potential there to do more with him. We obviously can’t say with 100% certainty that Justin Hammer will never be back in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but with the direction that the franchise is headed in, it doesn’t sound like fans should hold their breath waiting for Rockwell to make a return.
Tell us, though, if Marvel could find a way to bring him back, would you want to see more of the character in the MCU? Take to the comments section and let us know.
