Martin Freeman cast in 'Captain America: Civil War,' but who's he playing?

Avengers: Age of Ultron just opened last week, but Captain America: Civil War is moving forward at a steady pace. We already know the film, which will be inspired by the popular comic event, will have Captain America (duh), Iron Man, Black Panther, Scarlet Witch, Hawkeye, Black Widow, Falcon, probably the new Spider-Man and more.

Now we can add The Hobbit star Martin Freeman to the list of big-name actors in Civil War, as he will be playing... Well, Marvel didn't say.

"From his roles as Bilbo Baggins and Doctor Watson to Tim in The Office, Martin's range from the dramatic to the comedic has consistently impressed us," Marvel's Kevin Feige said. "We couldn't be more honored or excited to have such a talented actor join the Marvel Cinematic Universe."

And that's it. No other information was given.

The non-imaginative (but still kind of fun) theory is that Freeman will play a character related in some way to Doctor Strange, who will be played by Freeman's Sherlock co-star Benedict Cumberbatch in an upcoming Marvel movie.

But a friend, U.S. Gamer writer M.H. Williams, suggested something I think is more interesting (after initially saying he has "no flippin'" idea who Martin will play).

The casting would make sense. While not a superhero, Ross is a go-to guy when the government has questions about Wakanda, the home of Black Panther (and the rare metal Vibranium, as Age of Ultron viewers will know). The Black Panther will be making his debut in Civil War before getting his own film in 2018, so it would make some sense to introduce the two characters together.

At the same time, if Freeman is playing Everett Ross, it's weird that they wouldn't just come out and say that. It's not like that's the kind of character you want to keep secret for a surprise twist in the movie (or at least, I wouldn't think so).

So for now, Freeman's character remains a mystery. But as someone who personally really liked the Civil War story in the comics, I'm really eager to see and learn more about the upcoming film.