Avengers: Endgame brought back a range of familiar faces from the MCU‘s past that we never thought we’d see again, but there’s one character from the beginnings of the franchise who fans have been waiting to see make a comeback for nearly a decade: Sam Rockwell’s Justin Hammer, thorn in Tony Stark’s side in Iron Man 2. Sure, the sequel is one of the weaker Marvel offerings, but Rockwell was a hoot, arguably making him the best of all the anti-Stark type villains.
The good news is that we’re hearing Marvel have a return for Hammer up their sleeves. We Got This Covered has been informed by a source that the studio has “big plans” for the character. That’s all we know for now, so it’s up to us to theorize about what this might entail.
While Hammer has yet to appear in another movie, Marvel has been routinely reminding audiences of him. For one, Rockwell reprised his role for the 2014 One Shot “All Hail the King,” which saw Hammer in Seagate Prison following his arrest. His company, HammerTech, has also been referenced in Luke Cage, revealing that he’s still involved with manufacturing dangerous weaponry.
So, where could Hammer happen to reemerge? Well, we previously reported that a Thunderbolts movie might be in the works, uniting various former supervillains into Red Hulk’s super-team. That feels like a pretty good place for him to show up, though rumors also point to Norman Osborn joining the MCU soon and obviously, Hammer would be a natural pick for Osborn’s group of Dark Avengers.
However he fits into the shape of Phase Four or Five, it’s certainly a smart move to welcome Rockwell back into the fold, as he’s gone on to become an Academy Award favorite since 2010 and the studio always seems to be looking to get as many acclaimed talents on board as possible – see: Angelina Jolie joining The Eternals.
Tell us, though, do you want to have Justin Hammer back in the MCU? Join the conversation in the comments section down below.