Iron Man 2 star Sam Rockwell is ready and willing to bring Justin Hammer back to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In an interview with Cinemablend, it was brought to Rockwell’s attention that The Incredible Hulk actor Tim Roth has now reprised his role as Abomination in the ongoing Disney+ series She-Hulk: Attorney at Law — something of which Rockwell was seemingly not aware. Nevertheless, Rockwell asserted his desire to follow in Roth’s footsteps and return to the world of Marvel.

“Did you say Tim Roth? ... Is that the Hulk villain? Holy shit, that's great. I love it. He's on the She-Hulk one? Oh, that's great. I gotta watch that. I don't know. Nothing as of yet. We'll see. I see you have a Marvel poster in your backdrop. ... I'm ready, I'm ready.”

So far, Rockwell has only made two appearances as Justin Hammer, a rival weapons manufacturer to Tony Stark, with the actor first appearing as the character in 2010’s Iron Man 2. While the movie itself is often regarded as one of the lesser offerings in the MCU, Rockwell (as usual) puts in a terrific performance, with many wondering whether we would ever see Hammer again. Rockwell later reprised the part of Justin Hammer for the Marvel One Shot, All Hail the King.

Rockwell was at one time considered for the role of Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, making him the perfect person to portray a warped reflection of the late, great Avenger and superhero. While there is currently no word on whether Marvel Studios has any plans to bring Rockwell back, an upcoming project could present the perfect opportunity to do so...

Could Justin Hammer Return as a Member of The Thunderbolts?

Masters of Evil and Thunderbolts in Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics

Marvel recently announced that a Thunderbolts movie is currently in development, meaning that we will soon see the team of Marvel antiheroes and villains take to the big screen. Paper Towns director Jake Schreier has been tapped to helm the project, with Eric Pearson writing the screenplay. Filming is expected to begin in mid-2023.

While we do not yet know who will make up the titular team of antiheroes, it is expected that the likes of John Walker aka US Agent (Wyatt Russell) and Emil Blonsky aka Abomination (Tim Roth) will be members alongside Olga Kurylenko’s Taskmaster, Hannah John-Kamen’s Ghost, and Daniel Brühl’s Baron Zemo. Who better to stand alongside them than Sam Rockwell as Justin Hammer, with the character able to provide all the tech that they could possibly need as well as bring a darker version of Iron Man to the MCU. An element that would be especially poignant following Tony Stark’s death at the end of Avengers: Endgame.

Thunderbolts is scheduled to be released on July 26, 2024, as part of Phase Five of the MCU.

As for Sam Rockwell, he can next be seen in the comedic mystery See How They Run, which finds the actor starring alongside Saoirse Ronan and investigating a murder in the West End of 1950s London. See How They Run is scheduled to be released by Searchlight Pictures in the United Kingdom on September 9, 2022, and in the United States on September 16.