One famous Marvel superhero made his MCU debut in 2018, yet he has yet to show off his superpowers on screen. Several heroes existed prior to the Avengers’ first battle, including Captain Marvel, Black Panther, Ant-Man, and the Wasp. Hank Pym and Janet van Dyne were among the first people to embrace the role of superheroes in the MCU, using their high-tech gear and gadgets for SHIELD.
At one point in Hank Pym’s prolific career, he worked with fellow genius scientist Bill Foster on Project GOLIATH. Together, Hank Pym and Bill Foster managed to reverse the size-shifting effects of the Pym particles. Decades later, Hank Pym’s protégé Scott Lang got to meet Bill Foster, who had adopted Ant-Man and the Wasp main villain Ava Starr a.k.a. Ghost when she was a child.
Laurence Fishburne’s Bill Foster Hasn’t Used His Goliath Powers On Screen Once
Bill Foster Once Grew To Giant-Man Size In The MCU
In Ant-Man and the Wasp, Laurence Fishburne’s Bill Foster revealed to Scott Lang that he served as the test subject for Project GOLIATH, and that he enjoyed blowing up to the size of a giant decades before Scott himself tested this ability as Giant Man. According to Foster, he managed to “grow to at least twenty feet” at some point, though he later focused on his career and family life and left his short-lived superpowers behind.
Oddly enough, Ant-Man and the Wasp never shows Bill Foster’s GOLIATH days on screen, and the MCU has yet to show what a giant Bill Foster looked like. Goliath is a famous size-shifting hero in the comics. In fact, his death on the battlefield during Marvel Comics’ Civil War is an essential turning point in the comic event. Bill Foster did debut his Goliath form in What If…? season 3, though this is a 3D-animated, alternate-universe variant of the character.
Thunderbolts*’ Cut Ideas Prove Bill Foster Can Still Transform Into Goliath Soon
Thunderbolts* Almost Featured Laurence Fishburne’s Bill Foster
Thunderbolts* brings back Hannah John-Kamen’s Ava Starr seven years after her main antagonist role in Ant-Man and the Wasp, but Bill Foster’s whereabouts are left a mystery. However, several Thunderbolts* concepts were scrapped, including Baron Zemo’s villain role, Man-Thing’s return, a potential Kang cameo or post-credits scene, and a supporting role from Bill Foster. In the end, Thunderbolts* kept the story contained to the main cast.
The fact that Laurence Fishburne’s Bill Foster was at least considered for Thunderbolts* suggests that Marvel Studios hasn’t abandoned the character for good. Just like Ghost became a member of the New Avengers despite her long period of absence, Bill Foster could return wearing his Goliath gear in the near future. At the very least, a flashback to Bill Foster’s Goliath stint could finally be shown on screen.
Where In The MCU Laurence Fishburne’s Bill Foster Could Use His Goliath Powers
Crossovers Are Bill Foster’s Best Chance At A Goliath Appearance
With the Ant-Man trilogy completed, Michael Douglas and Evangeline Lilly retired, and Ghost in the New Avengers, Bill Foster is unlikely to return in an MCU project anytime soon. However, Bill Foster could make a cameo wherever Ava Starr appears, including Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. After the Multiverse Saga ends, Bill Foster could take Hank Pym’s place as an expert scientist in an Avengers or a Thunderbolts* sequel, where he could give his Goliath gear another go.