Benicio del Toro might just be the best-kept secret in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and not just because no one’s quite sure if his character, The Collector, is dead or alive. While promoting Wes Anderson’s recent caper, The Phoenician Scheme, the Oscar-winning actor dropped a cryptic update that might get MCU fans excited.
Speaking to Josh Horowitz on the Happy, Sad, Confused podcast, Del Toro hinted that we haven’t seen the last of Taneleer Tivan, a.k.a. The Collector. “There’s definitely more on the table,” he said. “I mean, it’s not up to me, but I think there is.”
That’s a very different response to the one he gave ComicBook: “You gotta get invited to play in that international tournament, and I’d love to play in it, but fingers crossed that’ll happen soon.” He added, “I haven’t been invited yet for a second round.”
Sounds like someone had a little PR coaching between interviews. Maybe Disney gave him the look. You know the one they are probably giving Joseph Quinn right now.
The Collector made his first MCU appearance in the post-credits scene of Thor: The Dark World back in 2013, casually accepting the Reality Stone into his cosmic museum. He then popped up a year later in Guardians of the Galaxy. His last on-screen appearance, however, was in Avengers: Infinity War in 2018, where he was being tortured by Thanos. Many thought Thanos killed off the character. However, those who watched The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special will remember that The Collector sold Knowhere to the Guardians. That means he is still very much alive. Or could be.
With Avengers: Doomsday on the horizon and the multiverse in absolute chaos, The Collector, who literally collects rare and powerful things, feels like a natural fit to return. It would be a missed opportunity if he didn’t.
But that’s not the only Disney project Del Toro discussed. He also addressed a decades-old Star Wars rumour. When asked if he was originally meant to play Darth Maul in The Phantom Menace, he replied: “No, I don’t remember that, but you know, I don’t remember everything.”
Fans may remember that Del Toro did eventually show up in a galaxy far, far away as DJ in The Last Jedi (2017). He played a stuttering slicer with a “both sides suck” philosophy and enough moral ambiguity to make even Lando squint. “Good guys, bad guys, made-up words,” he said. “Let’s see who formerly owned this gorgeous hunk-uh. Ah, this guy was an arms dealer. Made his bank selling weapons to the bad guys. Oh… And the good.”
So yes, Benicio del Toro is open to more Disney franchise gigs. Small roles in massive productions seem to be his thing. And we’re totally here for it.
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