Despite being the second film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, 2008’s The Incredible Hulk has become little more than a footnote in the history of the MCU. Not only was Edward Norton soon replaced by Mark Ruffalo in the role of Bruce Banner, the characters and plot points introduced in the movie were seemingly forgotten about for over a decade — however, that’s finally changed with the arrival of the Multiverse Saga.
First, Tim Roth’s Abomination made a shocking comeback in Shang-Chi and She-Hulk. But more recently, it’s been confirmed that several other familiar faces from The Incredible Hulk will be returning to the MCU in 2024’s Captain America: New World Order, starring Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson. In fact, it’s beginning to seem as though the upcoming film is more of a Hulk movie than a Captain America one.
What Hulk Characters Are In Captain America 4?
During last year’s D23 Expo, Tim Blake Nelson (HBO’s Watchmen, O Brother, Where Art Thou?) was announced to be joining the cast of the upcoming Captain America sequel, reprising his role as Dr. Samuel Sterns. In The Incredible Hulk, Sterns is introduced as an ally of Bruce Banner who attempts to help cure him of the Hulk, but is later forced to turn Emil Blonsky into the Abomination. During Blonsky’s transformation, Sterns himself is exposed to the Hulk’s blood, causing his brain to temporarily morph and expand as he smiles menacingly.
This scene is an obvious setup for Sterns to take on his comic book guise as the Leader, the big-brained gamma-mutate who is widely considered the Hulk’s ultimate nemesis. And indeed, it’s been confirmed that Nelson will finally be stepping into the role of the Leader, a whopping 16 years after his transformation was teased. While Marvel hasn’t explicitly stated that the Leader will be the main villain of New World Order, no other villains have been announced for the film, making the Leader the obvious candidate for the part.
Additionally, it was confirmed last year that Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross will be returning, now played by Harrison Ford of Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and Blade Runner fame after the passing of his original actor, William Hurt. Thaddeus’ daughter Betty Ross will also make an appearance, with Liv Tyler (Lord of the Rings, Armageddon) reprising her role. Curiously, however, there’s been no word on Mark Ruffalo joining the film as Bruce Banner himself.
Is Captain America 4 Too Focused On Hulk Characters?
The fact that a Captain America movie is set to feature so many members of the Hulk’s supporting cast is a strange notion, to say the least. After all, Captain America has never been particularly close with Hulk in the comics, nor is there any history of enmity between Cap and the Leader or Thunderbolt Ross. It’s arguably an even more bizarre direction to take for Sam Wilson’s first big-screen outing as Captain America. After all, Sam has hardly any connection to Bruce Banner — they never even spoke to one another during their shared scenes in Infinity War.
It would arguably make more sense for Sam Wilson’s first solo film to see him going up against a classic Captain America villain like Viper, Sin, Baron Blood, or the Serpent Society. But instead, he’s seemingly facing off with the Leader, a character who’s traditionally the Hulk’s arch-nemesis. Not only is this a confounding move conceptually, it also runs the risk of undermining the identity of the film. By drawing so many characters from the Hulk mythos, New World Order could easily wind up feeling less like a Captain America movie — a poor choice for Sam’s first film wielding the shield.
Could Captain America 4 Set Up a New Hulk Movie?
Of course, the obvious question is why exactly Marvel Studios is returning to the Incredible Hulk cast so many years later, after many fans had given up on seeing the Leader or Betty Ross ever again. One could easily assume that this is all setup for a new Hulk movie, in which the jade giant finally takes center stage once more. However, this is unlikely for one crucial reason: Disney doesn’t own the distribution rights for a solo Hulk film. That privilege belongs to Universal Pictures, which remains the distributor of The Incredible Hulk — hence it being absent from Disney Plus.
This issue is the reason why the Hulk hasn’t received a single solo movie since Disney’s acquisition of Marvel Entertainment. Namor is in the same boat as well, making it unlikely that Tenoch Huerta will be taking top billing in any MCU projects for the foreseeable future. And as a result of Universal’s control of the Hulk’s distribution rights, Bruce Banner has been relegated to a supporting role ever since Mark Ruffalo took on the part — something that many fans of the character take issue with.
Still, even if the Hulk is going to remain as a supporting character going forward, it’s still a confusing choice to feature his supporting cast so heavily in a movie starring a completely unrelated hero — one that seemingly doesn’t even feature Banner himself. It’s doubly odd, considering the existence of the She-Hulk series, which is already centered around the Hulk’s corner of the MCU. Perhaps when more details are revealed for the plot of New World Order, the decision to include the Leader and the Rosses will make more sense. But until then, it’s bound to raise plenty of eyebrows among Hulk fans.