X-Men Actor Aaron Stanford Wants More Pyro in the MCU

After his crowd-pleasing cameo in Deadpool and Wolverine , Pyro actor Aaron Stanford wants to continue appearing in the MCU.

Stanford, who reprised his role as the fire-controlling mutant for the first time in almost 20 years, tells Men’s Journal, “I enjoy the character, I’ve been playing him for a really long time. So if they find a place for him I would love to do it.”

That said, Stanford hasn’t been keeping up with the state of the MCU, admitting “I don’t bother to speculate about that stuff. It’s beyond my control. It’s not up to me. If they feel like pyro has a place in the next wave of X-Men movies I would be very open to discussing that.”

The actor has been more invested that another former Marvel star. Previous Hulk actor Eric Bana hasn’t heard of Red Hulk, and won’t be watching Captain America: Brave New World .

Pyro debuted in 2003’s X2 , teaming up with Ian McKellen's Magneto to fight for a mutant-first future against the X-Men. His final scene as the character came in its 2006 sequel, X-Men: The Last Stand , when he pitted his elemental powers against rival Ice Man during a showdown on Alcatraz. Ice Man won the encounter and knocked him unconscious.

Related: X-Men’s Pyro Details Role in Deadpool and Wolverine - INTERVIEW

Crucially, however, Pyro didn’t die, which explains his cameo in Deadpool and Wolverine 20 years later. The buzz for his eagerly awaited appearance, which was revealed in trailers beforehand, could also convince Marvel bosses to bring him back for a future project.

So who would Stanford like to face off against next? Ever the villain, he likes his chances against the Fantastic Four’s Reed Richards, saying “Elastic man. He doesn’t seem very tough. He would just sort of bend around your fisticuffs.” Team-up wise, it’s “The Incredible Hulk. Pretty cool guy.”