Fact Check: Did Red Hulk appear on-screen for Marvel before? Explained

The Red Hulk is finally making his way to the MCU. Marvel is moving to the business end of Phase 5, which includes some potent movies such as Captain America: A Brave New World and the upcoming Deadpool & Wolverine. Even as fans await the July 26 release of the latter, they recently saw the release of a new trailer for Brave New World, which features Sam Wilson, played by Anthony Mackie, caught in the aftermath of inheriting the famous shield from Steve Rodgers.

While Mackie’s character is caught up in a range of politics in the trailer, it concludes with an appearance from none other than the Red Hulk, a character who has been prominently featured in the comics. Generally, it is Thaddeus ‘Thunderbolt’ Ross, a character who has previously featured in multiple MCU projects, who turns into the Red Hulk.

Hence, the character, who was last seen in 2021’s Black Widow, has already been featured in multiple movies, including Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Endgame, and Infinity War. However, his appearances have thus far come in the form of Thunderbolt Ross, who is a military general first introduced in 2008’s The Incredible Hulk. Earlier played by the late William Hurt, Harrison Ford is set to take over the character for Brave New World and Thunderbolts.

Regardless, Thunderbolt Ross, played by Hurt, has appeared in the MCU before in multiple projects. However, these appearances were not as Red Hulk but as Thunderbolt Ross, which means that Brave New World can be expected to show him undergo some sort of transformation to emerge as The Red Hulk.

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Red Hulk has not featured in the MCU before, but Thaddeus Ross has

In the comics and the MCU, Ross is a US Air Force general who is the nemesis of Bruce Banner’s Hulk. The character spends years pursuing Hulk but eventually gets exposed to the gamma rays that transformed Banner into the humongous superhero, becoming the Red Hulk. As that transformation has not yet happened in the MCU, one can see that Red Hulk has indeed not featured in the franchise before.

Of course, the Red Hulk had a range of similarities with Banner’s Hulk, but some differences as well. The Red Hulk was created after being exposed to a combination of gamma and cosmic rays, while Banner’s Hulk was a result of gamma rays only. That, in addition to Ross's own personality and the kind of anger he has towards Hulk, means that his version of the character suffers from an insatiable rage in the form of the Red Hulk.

Ross was portrayed by William Hurt first in The Incredible Hulk. The character was also played by Sam Elliott in Ang Lee’s 2003 movie, Hulk. Further, in all of his other MCU appearances, Thaddeus Ross is seen as a military leader with a range of sinister ambitions. However, in the upcoming Brave New World, which is set for a February 2025 release, he will be seen as the newly-elected president.

His presence, combined with the fact that Thaddeus Ross has been the Red Hulk in the comics in a range of arcs, means that fans can expect something similar to happen in Captain America: Brave New World. Of course, it is unclear exactly how the transformation will occur.

Furthermore, the MCU may also decide to follow their own path and may show someone else becoming The Red Hulk. However, that is also unlikely because Red Hulk was also considered an option for 2016’s Captain America: Civil War.

That movie also featured Thaddeus Rock, and Joe Russo himself confirmed that Red Hulk was an option. However, the creators decided that he would clutter the movie, which already had a range of other characters appearing.

Hence, effectively, it seems that Thaddeus Ross will finally be seen in his familiar comic avatar as The Red Hulk in Brave New World. The trailer confirms the presence of The Red Hulk but does not confirm that it will indeed be Ross who will transform into the character.

Still, considering Ross’ extensive history with the character in the comics, one can assume that there will not be major surprises, and it will indeed be Harrison Ford’s character who becomes the Red Hulk in the upcoming movie.

Of course, all doubts will be cleared once Captain America: Brave New World hits theaters on February 14, 2025.