Marvel

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Which Marvel Character Is Walton Goggins Playing?

Ask around in some circles, and they’ll tell you that Ant-Man is one of the most underrated movies […]

Ask around in some circles, and they’ll tell you that Ant-Man is one of the most underrated movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe lineup. That’s why it’s not surprising to see that there’s a good amount of fan excitement for Ant-Man and the Wasp.

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In addition to seeing some of the first designs for Evangeline Lily’s Wasp costume recently, we just got word that fan-favorite actor Walton Goggins (Justified, The Hateful Eight) is joining Ant-Man and the Wasp. However, in usual MCU fashion, the details about who he is playing are being kept under wraps.

We fully expect that Goggins’ character (and much more about Ant-Man and the Wasp) will be revealed during San Diego Comic-Con this week; but before that, we have a few guesses as to which iconic Marvel Comics characters Goggins could portray onscreen.

Here’s Who Walton Goggins Might Be Playing In Ant-Man and the Wasp.

Eric O’Grady / Black Ant

Black Ant Eric O'Grady

Eric O’Gradyย was a low level man on the S.H.I.E.L.D. totem pole, who found Hank Pym’s new Ant-Man suit in someย S.H.I.E.L.D. equipment and took it to use in theft jobs, and to stalk a few women, for good measure.ย 

Eventually, O’Gradyย stumbles into doing heroic work, helping to save the Earth from a Skrull invasion, and joining the Thunderbolts. That half-step into heroism leads to a true change of heart, and O’Gradyย takes up Hank Pym’s original Ant-Man suit and becomes part of the secret Avengers. When Eric died in the line of service, he was resurrected as a Life Model Decoy under the guise of “Black Ant.”ย 

Goggins would be perfect as Eric O’Gradyย if Marvel Studios has a larger story arc planned for the character. Eric walks the line between being a total sleaze and a reluctant, cowardly, hero; that’s a role that Gogginsย (famous for playing a lot of creepy-yet-awesome anti-hero types) can nail in his sleep.ย 

Taskmaster

Taskmaster MCU

Taskmaster (akaย Anthony “Tony” Masters) is a mysterious figure of the Marvel Universe, who has the unique ability to mimic the physical movements of anyone he observers. Taskmaster uses that ability to work as a trainer and combat instructor for the highest bidder.

Usually, Taskmaster works on the villain side of things, however he’s also been known to train some on the hero side, such as Captain America’s one-time replacement, U.S. Agent. He is most often seen running schools where he trains new generations of supervillains. When the Marvel Civil War kicked off, Taskmaster was hired by the government for the Thunderbolts team, and even worked with S.H.I.E.L.D. on jobs like testing their defenses. More recently he served as A.I.M.’s Minister Of Defense, as well as HYDRA’sย Avengers during the “Secret Empire” storyline.ย 

Gogginsย would be perfect as Taskmaster, in that he’s great at playing frightening heartless assassin types (see: American Ultra), and could pull off the menace needed – even from behind that iconic skull mask and hood. He’s also a goodย option for the fact that he would be great playing both sides of the fence, in and out of the mask, as a sly, smirking, snake the heroes of the MCU are forced to work with.ย 

Crossfire

Crossfire Marvel Cinematic Universe

William Cross was a CIAย interrogator who took up a romance with a scientist named Rozalynย Backus, whom he stole brainwashing technology from, to use in his own illegal activities. Cross faked his own death, and replaced damaged parts of himself with cybernetic implants and became covert operative known as Crossfire.

Crossfire set up operations in the company of his cousin, Darren Cross, and was recruited to be part of a group of technology-based villains who struck at Nick Fury and a group of Marvel heroes who secretly attacked Doctor Doom’s homeland of Latveria. Duringย the course of the Marvel Universe saga, Crossfire has thrown in with various crime or covert syndicates that have made a play for power – including The Hood’s union of street-level criminals, Misty Knight’s “Villains for Hire” team, and a new iteration of The Masters of Evil.ย 

The connection between Crossfire and Darren Cross makes the villain an obvious choice forย Ant-Man and the Waspย – even though he’s somewhat of a knock-off of DC’sย Deadshot. Anyone who knew and loved Walton Goggins’ performance as Boyd Crowlerย inย Justifiedย should already see why he’d be good as a gun-toting, top-notch crook.ย 

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Avengers: Infinity War is the culmination of 10 years of Marvel Cinematic Universe movies and brings the Guardians of the Galaxy together with the Avengers to face off against Thanos and his Children, the Black Order.

Avengers: Infinity War is directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, from a screenplay by Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely, and stars Robert Downey Jr., Josh Brolin, Mark Ruffalo, Tom Hiddleston, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Jeremy Renner, Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Olsen, Sebastian Stan, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Bettany, Samuel L. Jackson, Cobie Smulders, Benedict Wong, Zoe Saldana, Karen Gillan, Vin Diesel, Dave Bautista, Pom Klementieff, Scarlett Johansson, Benicio del Toro, Tom Holland, and Anthony Mackie.

Avengers: Infinity War opens May 4, 2018.

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