Martin Freeman knows very well how to manage his expectations when it comes to his participation in the MCU. His character, Everett K. Ross was first introduced in 2016’s Captain America: Civil War, and since then has been part of many others projects within the franchise.

Ross recently returned as one of the stars of Secret Invasion, the latest television series from the Marvel Cinematic Universe which is ending later this week, as a part of the team helping Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury to fight against the Skrulls and stop them from taking control of planet Earth.

Despite the fact that the British actor has managed to participate in several titles from the saga, his character has never been one of the leading roles, so his future in the franchise is very difficult to predict even for himself, and that’s why he has no expectations regarding his involvement in upcoming projects, as he recently revealed in an interview with Collider:

“I never think I’ve got a future in the MCU. I always assume I haven’t, which is the safest M.O. I think it’s the safest thing, given that I’m not one of the A-team in the MCU. I’m definitely on the subs bench. I’m a good little substitute. I can come on when needed, for about five minutes at the end of the game. I’m not assuming anything, that I have a future in the MCU. But whenever it happens, it’s a lovely bonus.”

Although he may not be part of major plots in any of the upcoming movies or series within the MCU, the arrival of Ross’ ex-wife Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus, to the franchise could still give the character some excuses to appear again in projects like Thunderbolts.

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Martin Freeman’s Amazing Legacy in Cinema and Television
BBC

The MCU is not the first major franchise Freeman is part of. In fact, he has a lot of experience dealing with big fandoms and playing relevant characters. The actor has starred in some undisputed classics such as Love Actually or The Office, the original British version that would inspire the famous American sitcom.

But most people probably know Freeman for playing Dr. John Watson in the BBC hit series Sherlock, which he stars along MCU co-star Benedict Cumberbatch. Sherlock has become one of the most popular adaptations of the adventures of the famous detective created by Arthur Conan Doyle.

Others may have met him thanks to The Hobbit, the trilogy of movies directed by Peter Jackson that served as a prequel to the Lord of the Rings movies, adapting J. R. R. Tolkien’s 1937 novel that followed the adventures of Bilbo Baggins. Freeman played the main character, Frodo Baggins’ uncle who finds the powerful ring that his nephew will later have to destroy in order to save the Middle Earth.