It’s been over 14 years since The Incredible Hulk introduced audiences to Samuel Sterns, as played by Tim Blake Nelson. There was an unresolved plotline from this 2008 Marvel movie, and the location and doings of Samuel Sterns have been left unknown, ever since Bruce Banner’s blood seeped into the wound on Sterns’ head.
With the announcement at D23, Marvel Studios has confirmed that Tim Blake Nelson will return to the MCU to play the evolved version of Samuel Sterns, The Leader. Leader will feature in Captain America: New World Order, and many fans of the character hope to see him in all his glory against the new Captain America.
8 Incredible Genius
Not only did gamma radiation turn Samuel Sterns’ skin green, and make his head grow, but it had the profound result of increasing his intelligence. Samuel Sterns’ brain grew in his head to the point where he had a dangerous level of intellect, one that is only matched by his gigantic ego and fearful ambition for his selfish desires and gains.
As a genius, Samuel Sterns has gone on to create atrocities, including his killer robots that will serve his every bidding. Sterns has manipulated many heroes and villains, as well as remaining many steps ahead in the grand scheme of things. Perhaps his “new world order” will be quite sinister in the MCU.
7 The Hulk’s Arch-Nemesis
Despite Samuel Sterns returning to the MCU thanks to Captain America 4, the character is not set to face off against the Hulk, but instead, to rival Sam Wilson’s, Captain America. However, in Marvel Comics, Samuel Sterns is the self-proclaimed arch-nemesis to the Incredible Hulk and cares not for Bruce Banner, but for the big, green, and mean man that lurks in his psyche.
As the Leader, Sterns has been the catalyst of much torment and suffering for the Hulk. Hopefully, the characters will fight brawn against the brain in the MCU again, especially since Bruce Banner and the Hulk are now one entity.
6 The Trial Of Leader
As the MCU continues to develop, more aspects of the comics and their characters are taken into Marvel Studios’ adaptions. She-Hulk made her debut in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, and the show tries to balance the life of Jennifer Walters both as a hero, human, and lawyer. Since She-Hulk is a great lawyer, it’s no surprise that she may have encountered her cousin’s nemesis in the courts, considering Leader is a supervillain.
The Leader was put on trial for his crimes, but thanks to his wit and condition, almost won the courts over and gained his freedom. Perhaps the MCU will show She-Hulk against the Leader, not as physical enemies, but through a battle of debate and minds.
5 Afterlife Obsession
It’s a common theme amongst comic book characters for them to die and become resurrected. Heroes and villains across the Marvel Universe have died and later returned to life. One such character is Samuel Sterns, who has died and been revived on multiple occasions. These events left him scarred and obsessed with the afterlife to an unhealthy degree.
Sterns’ obsession with the afterlife led him down a dark path, one that even the Leader does not want to go down. Sterns became possessed by the One Below All and exhibited great power that could have caused utmost destruction, all in a quest to be the sole remaining entity in the Multiverse.
4 Knew Bruce Banner’s Father
Bruce Banner’s father is not the kindest soul in the world. Brian Banner is the catalyst for much of Bruce Banner’s torment and issues. Bruce’s father was abusive, and even killed Bruce’s mother. A lot of the problems in Bruce’s psyche come from his horrible childhood because of his father, and one character that thrives off of pain more than Brian Banner is the Leader.
Traveling to the Below-Place, the Leader met with Brian Banner, soulless and wandering the hellscape. It did not take long for the Leader to manipulate and lie to Brian Banner, in which he absorbed his mind to gain his knowledge of the Green Door, and more of Bruce’s troubled past.
3 Intelligencia
Many may fear villain groups that include brains and brawn, but one that should be feared above all is a villain group that focuses entirely on super-intelligence. These villains were a part of an organization formed from the Leader’s creation, known as Intelligencia. It’s a grave organization that involves the smartest villains of the Marvel Universe.
Members of Intelligencia include Doctor Doom and M.O.D.O.K., and together, they prove to be worthy villains of any hero, considering their combined intelligence is capable of unthought horrors throughout the Marvel Multiverse.
2 Helped Create Red Hulk
One of the more famous characters in recent Marvel memory is the Red Hulk. This character is like the original green Hulk, except graced with a fierce red color, as well as the same intellect as before the transformation. Thanks to the Leader, the team of Intelligencia was able to discover how to combine gamma and cosmic radiation, thus creating powerful beings.
The villains approached General Thaddeus Ross with this information and helped transform him into the ultimate weapon to defeat the Hulk. The Leader wanted Red Hulk for the sole purpose of eradicating the Hulk and leaving nothing in the way of world domination.
1 The Penance Stare
One of the most renowned aspects of Ghost Rider’s character traits is that of the terrifying Penance Stare. Ghost Rider can lock eyes with a victim, and show them every sin they have committed, and every pain upon an individual that the victim of the Penance Stare has committed. The ruthlessness of the Punisher sought out the Leader, and the Penance Stare was used on him.
Such a violent act of the Penance Stare put Samuel Sterns under a permanent Penance Stare. This rendered the Leader basically useless and completely incapacitated, trapped in his incredible mind. However, the Leader has soon freed thanks to the infamous demon of Mephisto.