President Ross' Red Hulk has a strong connection to an originalMCUPhase 1 villain in this wildCaptain America: Brave New Worldtheory. Harrison Ford will be taking over from the late William Hurt as Thaddeus Ross, who will be reintroduced to the MCU as the new President of the United States. As well as evolving politically, however, Ross has also been confirmed to be transforming into theRed Hulk inCaptain America: Brave New World, though the origin story of the newest Hulk in the MCU is still a mystery.
The Red Hulk is only one villain expected to oppose Anthony Mackie’sSam Wilson in Phase 5’s upcomingCaptain America:Brave New World. Steve Rogers' successor will also battle the Serpent Society, led by Giancarlo Esposito’s Seth Voelker, and the Leader, with Tim Blake Nelson reprising his role from 2008’sThe Incredible Hulk.The Leader has been speculated to have a crucial role in President Ross' transformation into the Red Hulk. A new MCU theory shared byReddituser ZeekOwl91explains exactly how the super-intelligent Samuel Sterns could instigateRoss' dramatic change into the Red Hulk.
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It’s Unclear How President Ross Becomes The Red Hulk In The MCU
Trailers forCaptain America: Brave New Worldhave confirmed President Ross' huge change in the MCU’s Phase 5, though this footage hasn’t revealed how Ross becomes the Red Hulk. Popular theories have suggested thatTim Blake Nelson’s Leaderwill have something to do with Ross' transformation, just as he did in Marvel Comics, asthe Leader worked with MODOK to siphon energy from Bruce Banner’s Hulk and feed it into Ross' body following 2007’sWorld War Hulkevent. This seems to be a likely narrative, but this story will still be altered for the live-action MCU.
Red Hulk’s power setboth in Marvel Comics and in the MCU is rather different to that of Bruce Banner’s Hulk, suggesting President Ross' evolution into the Red Hulk isn’t as straightforward as flooding him with gamma radiation.As well as having the superhuman strength of the Hulk, the Red Hulk also emits a huge amount of heat from his body, which grows more intense the angrier he becomes. This power has been seen inCaptain America: Brave New World’strailers, suggesting the Red Hulk’s origin story is more twisted than his veteran green adversary’s.
President Ross May Already Have Super Soldier Serum In His Veins
Thaddeus Ross Almost Lost His Life Between The Incredible Hulk & Captain America: Civil War
ZeekOwl91’s theory suggests that the Red Hulk’s remarkable powers in the MCU could be caused by a secret enhancement already running through his body. William Hurt first portrayedGeneral Ross in 2008’sThe Incredible Hulk, but didn’t make his second appearance until 2016’sCaptain America: Civil War, where he was reintroduced as the Secretary of State. When speaking to the Avengers inCivil War,Ross revealed that he had triple bypass surgery five years prior after suffering a heart attack, but his recovery seemed to have been incredibly fast.
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The theory notes that Thaddeus Ross' speedy recovery could have been expedited by Ross being injected with aversion of the super soldier serum. Various iterations of this concoction have been used to enhance Steve Rogers, Bucky Barnes, Karli Morgenthau and John Walker, among others, and President Ross could have been another secret recipient.Ross' growing political power would have made him a clear candidate to receive a super soldier serum, allowing his full recovery from his heart attack, but this could have huge repercussions for his evolution into the Red Hulk.
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Super Soldier Serum Could Explain Red Hulk’s Coloring
Back inThe Incredible Hulk, the super soldier serum that General Ross gives toTim Roth’s Emil Blonskywas developed by an enigmatic Dr. Reinstein, whom ZeekOwl91 theorizes worked alongside or is connected to Dr. Abraham Erskine. Erskine developed the super soldier serum that changed Steve Rogers into Captain America in 2011’sCaptain America: The First Avenger, and which also enhanced Johann Schmidt prior to being perfected.This connection could explain the Red Hulk’s coloring, as the super soldier serum in President Ross could have the same effect as it did on Schmidt.
It seems logical to suggest that the super soldier serum could easily turn another recipient a bright red color as it already has done in the past.Johann Schmidt became the Red Skull, who was last seen guarding the Soul Stone on Vormir inAvengers: Endgame, while the Leader’s manipulations on President Ross could combine with the super soldier serum already inside him to turn him into the Red Hulk. This could provide a clear and understandable explanation for the Red Hulk’s differing appearance, while calling back to theMCU’s originalCaptain Americaadventure.
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The evolution of the super soldier serum has been a key aspect of several different MCU projects, and this theory suggests thatCaptain America: Brave New Worldwill continue to develop this narrative. This would follow on perfectly fromThe Falcon and the Winter Soldier, which saw Sam Wilson embrace his new identity of Captain America.This would also help to better connect the MCU’s Phase 5 to the early days of Marvel Studios' franchise, as the super soldier serum was a huge element ofCaptain America: The First Avenger.
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The Red Skull’s actions afterAvengers: Infinity WarandEndgameare unclear, but it seems he no longer needs to remain on Vormir as there is no more Soul Stone for him to guard.Transforming President Ross into the Red Hulk in the same way as Johann Schmidt became the Red Skull could create a strong connection between these two villains, and will continue to show the legacy ofCaptain America’s first MCU villaininCaptain America: Brave New World. It would be great to see the Red Skull return in the MCU’s future, but only time will tell.
Captain America: Brave New World
Cast
Captain America: Brave New World (formerly titledNew World Order)marks Sam Wilson’s first MCU big-screen appearance as Steve Rogers' successor after receiving the suit and shield in Phase 4’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Anthony Mackie returns as the titular Avenger alongside Danny Ramirez as Joaquin Torres, Carl Lumby as Isaiah Bradley, and Tim Blake Nelson as The Incredible Hulk’s former ally Samuel Sterns. Harrison Ford makes his MCU debut replacing the late William Hurt as Thaddeus Ross.After meeting President Thaddeus Ross, Sam is caught in a global crisis. He must expose the mastermind behind a sinister plot before the world descends into turmoil. Captain America: Brave New World marks the big-screen debut of Sam Wilson as Captain America, and Harrison Ford makes his MCU debut, replacing the late William Hurt as Thaddeus Ross.
