Martin Freeman's Captain America: Civil War role revealed

In Captain America: Civil War, the biggest questions revolve around which superheroes will align with #TeamCap or #TeamIronMan, especially newcomers Black Panther and Spider-Man. But those two characters aren’t the only new figures in the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Who will The Hobbit star Martin Freeman play?

Freeman’s role has been under wraps since he was announced, but thanks to a recent interview with Empire Magazine, the world finally has an answer. Freeman will be playing Everett Ross, who, in the Marvel comics, worked for the U.S. State Department. Ross was in charge of escorting foreign diplomats into America, which led him to become heavily involved with Black Panther, the powerful new hero from the African nation of Wakanda. According to Empire, Freeman’s character works with the Joint Counter Terrorist Centre, and judging by the promotional pictures that show him standing alongside Sharon Carter (Emily VanCamp) and a SWAT team, he’s likely one of the people trying to crack down on Captain America and the superheroes who refuse to fall in line and sign the Sokovia Accords.

Given that Ross remained by Black Panther’s side throughout most of the comics, Freeman’s role seems to indicate he’ll be a key player in Marvel’s world going forward, specifically in the upcoming Black Panther film. But although Marvel boss Kevin Feige confirmed that Black Panther will be a neutral character in the superhero divide, don’t expect Freeman to have the same stance.

“You’re not quite sure which side he’s on,” Freeman said when he was asked about his character earlier this year. “It looks a little bit like he’s playing one game when, actually, he’s playing another. It’s the kind of character I like because it’s ambiguous and because you don’t know whether he’s, you know, good or bad.”

Captain America: Civil War hits theaters on May 6.