About a week ago, major media outlets such as Variety reported that the actor Harrison Ford, who is synonymous for his major roles in both the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises, would be replacing the late William Hurt for the role of Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross in the upcoming Captain America sequel, Captain America: New World Order. William Hurt first portrayed the character of Thaddeus Ross in 2008 with the non-MCU but Marvel-related film, The Incredible Hulk. Hurt then made the leap and played the stoic Thaddeus Ross again for four additional superhero movies that took place within the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Fans of Marvel Studios could easily say that Harrison Ford has large shoes to fill for this role. Not only is Thaddeus Ross the current United States Secretary of State within the MCU, but he was the former Lieutenant General for the United States Army as well. Being the Secretary of State, Ross formally introduced the Sokovia Accords and, for a time, split the Avengers into two separate factions. But most important of all and yet to be explored on the big screen, the character of Thaddeus Ross is best known in Marvel Comics for his ability to transform into the destructive Red Hulk.
Quite similar in appearance (except for the overall red color instead of the iconic green) and very comparable in power, Red Hulk was born during the explosive Marvel comic book event, World War Hulk. Thaddeus Ross’s military career is solely motivated by hunting down The Hulk. When the opportunity arises, that will bring him closer to achieving the goal, and the man will take it.
The Roots of Red Hulk
Acting upon a promise made to him by the villains, M.O.D.O.K, The Leader, and Doc Samson, that involved bringing his deceased daughter back from the grave, they all agreed on a plan that would not only capture but subdue the Hulk. At this point in the story, The Hulk was finally making his way back to earth, hell-bent on seeking ultimate revenge on those who originally sent him away to the faraway planet of Sakaar.
Once captured by this group of villains who were calling themselves Intellgiencia, all the gamma energy that made Bruce Banner into The Hulk was siphoned using satellites and then injected into Thaddeus Ross, who was volunteering as a holding vessel of sorts. Unbeknownst to his comrades, this would be the catalyst that would cause Ross to become just another version of the person he hated the most, Red Hulk.
There are a few notable differences between Thaddeus Ross’s Red Hulk and Bruce Banner’s Hulk. While Bruce Banner can only initiate transformation into The Hulk when he gets angry, Ross, on the other hand, can seamlessly switch between his military and monstrous self with free will. Also, Red Hulk does not emit gamma radiation from his body but instead a massive amount of heat.
This synchrony with heat can be a detriment because if Red Hulk’s body does happen to overheat during battle, the monster has no choice but to revert back to a human being. Instead of being hurt by the impact of cosmic energy like Hulk’s gamma radiation or Silver Surfer’s power cosmic, Red Hulk can just absorb such blasts and thus remain in stable condition. Last but not least, since Ross has hands-on control regarding when or when not to transform, he retains being the Red Hulk even when unconscious.
The MCU Trajectory of Thaddeus Ross
Now knowing the Red Hulk’s origins and his unique side by standing against the original Hulk, the next question pertains to Harrison Ford's Thaddeus Ross in the Marvel Cinematic Universe beyond the Captain America sequel. It’s quite remarkable to see that two factors surrounding Red Hulk in Marvel Comics have recently made their way to the MCU.
Both Intelligencia, the evil organization, and Sakaar, the featured planet in World War Hulk, were referenced in the She-Hulk series that was released in August on Disney Plus. These are possible elements that could pave the way for Ross to be more included in Hulk storylines.
Another possible clue for Red Hulk’s whereabouts post-New World Order is the inclusion of M.O.D.O.K within the upcoming, Ant-Man and The Wasp in Quantamania. Not only is the mutated human being partly responsible for bringing the Red Hulk into existence, but later on in the comics, M.O.D.O.K upgrades to a superior version of himself and kidnaps Ross’s love interest, a human-like android similar to Halo’s Cortana.
Besides these pivotal connections that would thrust the Red Hulk into a current MCU story, there are numerous other avenues in which the character of Thaddeus Ross could be featured. He joins the Avengers at one point to defeat The Hood, and he fights a mind-controlled Thing who is trying to destroy the Avengers Tower and gets into a skirmish with the Eternals because of their wavering thoughts about his nobility.
MCU fans cannot wait until Thaddeus Ross finally brings The Red Hulk alive onto the big screen. But until then, the first glimpse of this character will be in Captain America: The New World Order, which debuts in theaters on May 3rd, 2024.