Josh Brolin’s 12-year-old sci-fi movie,Men in Black 3, has a 67% on Rotten Tomatoes, but was the beginning of a surprising career trend for the actor. Since his movie debut inThe Gooniesin 1985,Josh Brolin has starred in many films over the years across numerous different genres. In 2012, Josh Brolin landed a lead role inMen in Black 3, playing a younger version of Agent K.Men in Black 3marked the last of the original trilogy of movies, and Josh Brolin was highly praised for his portrayal of the famous Tommy Lee Jones character.

While theMen in Blackfranchise was memorablefor its sci-fi adventures starring Will Smith’s Agent J, the third installment achieved a rather weak Rotten Tomatoes score considering it was one of the most expensive movies of all time. Thetime travel in the sci-fi moviemay have been a factor in this rating, asMen in Black’stime travel rules were rather loose and shifted to further develop the story. Nonetheless,Men in Black 3was an important part of the franchise and started an interesting trend in Josh Brolin’s career.

Josh Brolin in Outer Range season 2

Men In Black 3 Was The First Of Many Josh Brolin Time Travel Projects

Josh Brolin Has Appeared In Multiple Marvel Films

Men in Black 3was the first of many Josh Brolin time travel projects as the actor had not starred in any movies like it previously. Dramas and Westerns are prominent genres in Josh Brolin’s filmography, making science fiction a rarity. However, following his role as a young Agent K in thetime travel comedy movie,Men in Black 3, Brolin has starred in quite a few sci-fi movies since. In recent years,Josh Brolin’s roles in the Marvel Cinematic Universe have offered more opportunities for time travel adventures, such as Cable inDeadpool 2and Thanos inAvengers: Endgame.

Men in Black 3(2012)

Custom image of Josh Brolin in Outer Range

Outer Range(2022-2024)

Royal Abbott

Interestingly, Josh Brolin also starred in a recent time travel series calledOuter Range.Amazon Prime’sOuter Rangewas a science fiction neo-Western series starring Josh Brolin in the lead role, as the owner of Abbot Ranch, the site of a mysterious black void. The mind-bending show featured an intriguing element of time travel amidstOuter Range’smystery box format and has an 85% Tomatometer on Rotten Tomatoes. Unfortunately, despiteOuter Range’sstreaming success and high ratings following season 2’srelease, the series was unexpectedly canceled in July 2024, much to the disappointment of its fans, leaving many stories unresolved.

Josh Brolin’s Time Travel Movies & TV Show Are Very Different From Each Other

Brolin’s Time Travel Projects Include Sci-Fi And Westerns

Josh Brolin’s time travel movies and TV show are very different from each other because they encompass different genres.Men in Black 3,Deadpool 2, andAvengers: Endgameare based on Marvel Comics, meaning they contain a lot of action and science fiction elements.Josh Brolin is notably known for MCU role as Thanos, the villainous alien who wants to destroy half of the universe. Roles such as Thanos aren’t particularly grounded in reality because the genre does not call for it. However, despite sharing themes of time travel,Outer Rangeis markedly different.

Outer Range’s Time Travel Rules Just Got Way More Confusing After Season 2

Outer Range season 2 leaned heavily on the show’s time travel mysteries, making its rules more confusing and setting up a promising season 3.

Outer Rangeoffers a unique take on the time travel plotline because of its neo-Western genre.Josh Brolin has starred in a few Western movies and TV shows, such asNo Country for Old MenandTrue Grit, which were both highly rated films. However,the Western genre and time travel do not typically tend to go together, which is what makes Josh Brolin’sOuter Rangeso interesting. As Brolin’s character balances the ownership of his ranch and the mysterious events regarding Autumn,Outer Rangeoffers a more grounded approach to time travel compared toMen in Black 3.

Men In Black 3 Movie Poster

Men in Black 3

Cast

The third installment in the Men in Black franchise, Men in Black 3 sees Agent J (Will Smith) travel back in time to prevent his partner, Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones) from being assassinated. Arriving in 1969, J meets younger K (Josh Brolin), and the pair must work together in order to stop an alien terrorist called Boris the Animal (Jermaine Clement).