Captain America: Brave New World will pit Sam Wilson face-to-face with a Red Hulk, which is bound to confuse some moviegoers.
Sam Wilson will take his first big-screen flight as Captain America in Brave New World, which, despite not featuring Bruce Banner himself, will include three major Hulk characters when it comes to theaters in February.
What Is Red Hulk?
Red Hulk entered the pages of Marvel Comics for the first time in 2008 as longtime Hulk villain General Thaddeus E. "Thunderbolt" Ross was hit with a combination of gamma radiation and cosmic rays to grant him powers.
Ross was transformed into the Red Hulk tanks to MODOK and the Leader under their supervillain think tank group Intelligencia. The group debuted in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law where some speculated they would have connections to Captain America 4, but were portrayed as more of an online troll collective.
Beyond his familiar Hulk-like powers, Red Hulk boasts extra abilities of his own which allow him to radiate intense heat from his skin and burn everything he touches, giving him a fiery power-up over Bruce Banner.
While the Hulk's anger only makes him stronger, Red Hulk's fury causes him to emit an ever-increasing and destructive heat.
As such, the reason Hulk will be red, not green in Captain America: Brave New World is because this is a completely different character, who just so happens to have undergone a similar mutation to Bruce Banner.
Red Hulk's MCU History Explained
MCU enthusiasts following Captain America: Brave New World may be surprised to learn the man behind Red Hulk is one who has been kicking about the MCU since its second movie in 2008 - General Thaddeus E. "Thunderbolt" Ross.
Starting out his MCU career in The Incredible Hulk, Ross was part of a program that aimed to recreate Captain America's Super Soldier Serum from World War 2.
But alas, Project Gamma Pulse went wrong and turned Bruce Banner, a scientist in the experiments, into the Hulk. Thus began the general's mission to hunt down the Hulk while his daughter, Betty Ross, fell further in love with Banner.
Their conflict came to a head when Ross and Banner had to put their differences aside as Hulk took on and defeated the Abomination in Harlem.
Years later, Ross would return in 2016 with Captain America: Civil War, now appointed by the U.S. President as Secretary of State where he would play a major role in introducing the Sokovia Accords.
Between his 2008 and 2016 appearances, Ross suffered a heart attack on the golf course that led him to undergo two open-heart triple bypass surgeries.
Since then, Ross' role in the MCU has largely been as an enforcer of the Sokovia Accords and an advocate against the Avengers, although he did make one more friendly appearance as an attendee of Tony Stark's funeral.
Who Plays Red Hulk?
As Red Hulk is Thaddeus Ross, the role should have been played by William Hurt, who has played the character since 2008's The Incredible Hulk across five movies.
But a tragic curveball was thrown into the equation on March 13, 2022, when Hurt tragically passed away from prostate cancer, aged 71.
Later that year in October 2022, reports emerged that Star Wars' Han Solo actor Harrison Ford had signed on to play a recast Ross in Captain America 4.
Producer Nate Moore recently told Entertainment Weekly that, before his passing, Hurt was "very excited" to return for Captain America 4, meaning he may have been aware of the plans for him to become Red Hulk finally.
He added that this left the tough decision of whether to continue with the planned storyline or pivot to something else. That was until Ford expressed interest in joining the MCU and saw playing Ross as "an opportunity both to honor William's work and to continue that character arc."
It's unclear whether Ford's Ross will survive his Red Hulk debut to appear in future projects down the road, or if the 82-year-old actor sees this as a one-and-done.
How Does Red Hulk Play Into Captain America 4?
Going into Captain America: Brave New World, Thaddeus Ross will become the second new U.S. President introduced in Phase 5, seemingly having already won the election and taken office by the start of the MCU blockbuster.
The incoming U.S. President will initially welcome the new Captain America to the White House with the task of reforming the Avengers, only for the two to be left at odds when Brave New World's global conspiracy kicks into gear.
On top of being on (presumably) the wrong side of this global conspiracy, Ross will be infused with gamma radiation turning him into the Red Hulk, leaving him as both a physical and political threat for Sam Wilson to overcome.
Captain America 4 is also bringing back Tim Blake Nelson as Samuel Sterns to resolve the MCU's oldest cliffhanger. Having once been the scientist helping Bruce Banner seek a cure for the Hulk, Sterns is an expert in gamma mutations.
As he finally becomes the Leader (catch a look at his mutated new appearance), Sterns will presumably be the one to turn Ross into the Hulk, perhaps to save his life after his past health issues.
During an interview with Entertainment Weekly, visual effects supervisor Dan Cox revealed a major way Red Hulk will differ from green Hulk, explaining he will be "more tactical" and comparing his fighting style to a "bear:"
"There's the anger and everything that goes into that, but Julius wanted him to feel more tactical than the green Hulk. It's Thaddeus Ross, right? He's military, he is trained. Julius gave us the reference of a bear in terms of how he poses himself on all fours. Even during the action sequences, it's extremely aggressive in a different way in terms of slightly more methodical actions."
Marvel Studios' head of visual development Ryan Meinerding added how Red Hulk is "not entirely a monster" and has "more of a human personality to him:"
"The Red Hulk in the comics is not entirely a monster. He has more of a human personality to him .So, we're trying to create something that felt a little bit more human to match Ross's personality."
Nate Moore also called Red Hulk the "physical manifestation" of the conflict Sam Wilson will undergo with the U.S. government over his ideals:
"It's the notion of a guy who believes in an ideal, realizing that ideal is not always held up to the same standards by other people, and feeling really betrayed by where the American government had gone. The Red Hulk is the cherry on the sundae because then you get to have a physical manifestation of that."
Captain America: Brave New World hits theaters on Friday, February 14.
