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The trailers for Captain America: Brave New World have revealed the powerful Red Hulk to the MCU, but it remains unclear how exactly Thaddeus Ross becomes this hot-headed giant. The fourth entry in the Captain America franchise will be one of the final films in Marvel's Phase 5. The story is set to follow Sam Wilson as he embraces his role as the new Captain America, and there are plenty of new threats who are ready to test his mettle.
One such rival is Thaddeus Ross, played by Harrison Ford, formerly a general in the United States military, who appears to be trying to get Sam on his side, likely for the optics. However, Ross is not entirely genuine in his outreach, and he appears to want to use Sam for his own benefit. But, in a shocking turn, Ross transforms into a giant hulking monster, who looks identical to Bruce Banner's alter ego, aside from a very different shade of skin. But, what exactly triggers this transformation remains to be seen, and will likely remain hidden until the films release.
Your browser does not support the video tag. 5 Red Hulk Comes Out When President Ross Is Shot When Ross was last seen in the MCU, he was attending the funeral of Tony Stark at the end of Avengers: Endgame. Prior to this, Ross had a long history with the Avengers, and a lengthy military career that could have made enemies out of many people. However, this hasn't caused Ross to shy away from the spotlight, as on the contrary, he has made himself an even more controversial figure by seeking to become the President of the United States, and winning the election.
So, with a target on his back, Ross has a real threat to his life in many settings, which requires him to have a security detail that can help keep him safe no matter the threat. However, in the Captain America 4 trailer, it does appear that there are attempts made to assassinate the President. In addition, a special video from Marvel Entertainment's official YouTube channel celebrates 85 years of stories from Marvel with exclusive footage from upcoming films, and a look back at previous entries in the MCU. This brief clip could hint at Ross's transformation happening after a shooting.
As Red Hulk rises from behind an official-looking lectern, it appears that Ross was giving a speech, only to suddenly transform into the Red Hulk. This could be a very dangerous and public way for the President's alter ego to present itself, as the whole world is likely watching through the eyes of the media and others in attendance at this speech. This would be detrimental to Ross' position in government, and cause tremendous distress and chaos across the United States due to the revelation that the President is also a raging monster.
4 Thaddeus Ross Transforms At Will Custom Image by Kevin Erdmann Another theory suggests that, unlike Banner, Ross could be more in control of his transformations. While Banner has recently evolved and come to peace with his Hulk persona, giving him the ability to act as a combined form known as Smart Hulk, it took him time to learn how to harness that power. Similarly, though admittedly much more quickly, his cousin Jennifer Walters had to learn to control her transformative abilities. Considering that Jennifer became a Hulk thanks to sharing Bruce's blood, it makes sense for their powers to manifest in similar ways, but Red Hulk clearly has something different about his powers.
If Ross was able to manufacture the process that turned Banner into Hulk, or more likely find clever associates like Samuel Sterns who could bottle the power, it's likely that some alterations were made. Transforming into a destructive giant with no control is highly impractical, so if Ross had anything to do with becoming a Red Hulk himself, it's likely he wanted to have more control over the transformations. As a result, whoever worked on making Ross into a Hulk could have altered the process in a way that would grant Ross more control.
In the comics, Ross is frequently show to have the power to transform at will, so this would be more comic-accurate for the character.
However, this doesn't appear that likely, especially considering the scene in the 85-year Marvel celebration clip that shows him rising from behind a lectern. It wouldn't make sense for Ross to expose himself like that, and the roaring and howling that escapes from Red Hulk's mouth after this appears to be a distinct voice and being to Ross. With that in mind, it's important to analyze who could have transformed him into the Red Hulk and why they would grant him such spectacular superpowers. Ultimately, turning the President into a raging monster with the power to demolish entire cities would serve very few people in any meaningful way.
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2 3 Red Hulk Is Being Used By The Leader Another possibility is that a figure like the Leader will be trying to use President Ross. Samuel Sterns had appeared previously in the MCU in 2008's The Incredible Hulk. In the comics, Sterns is the person who is transformed into the Leader, a super genius who tries to use the Hulk and his DNA to his advantage, creating other creatures who also possess the power of the Green Giant. When he was last seen in the MCU, Sterns was injured, but some of the Hulk's blood was leaking into the open wounds on his head, which began a process of mutating Sterns.
Sterns is confirmed to be returning as a primary protagonist in Captain America 4, so it makes sense for the character to be involved in a larger plot to turn the President into a Hulk and use him to his advantage. However, it's also possible that Sterns' presence has already been felt in the Multiverse Saga without appearing on-screen. In the She-Hulk series, there was a secretive organization that was trying to steal Jennifer's blood and use it for experiments. This could mean that someone like the Leader is behind the President's transformation, and controling him remotely.
In a similar way to how the Winter Soldier program was able to control Bucky Barnes with special words and phrases, the Leader, or some other mystery villain, could have trained the Hulk part of President Ross' personality to respond to specific noises and triggers. It's possible that during a press conference, a buzz word was spoken, and this caused the transformation into Red Hulk. From there, whoever is manipulating Ross and his Red Hulk alter ego could try to aim the mega weapon at whatever events they chose to do their bidding.
2 Red Hulk Wants To Control Ross' Body Alternatively, there could be another figure trying to take control of President Ross, potentially from inside the same body. When it comes to Bruce Banner, the Hulk and Banner personalities remained separate for a long time. One personality typically had different memories, motivations, and morals than the other. While there was some crossover, with things like remembering Betty Ross or Natasha Romanoff, they acted independently. And, over a several year period before the events of Thor: Ragnarok, Banner was stranded on a trash planet known as Sakaar.
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1 However, the trap was even more challenging for Bruce because the Hulk had taken over their body and left Bruce stuck inside. It's clear that there is a struggle that could occur between the Hulk's and their hosts, so it's entirely possible that Red Hulk is putting up a similar struggle against Ross in Captain America 4. If this is the case, then Ross could be fighting to maintain his control on his own body, and the privilege of controlling his own actions.
This would cause significant problems for Ross, especially considering his recent presidential win. If Ross is fighting every minute to keep the Red Hulk from emerging, it could seriously impact his day job. However, it's also for this exact reason that it's likely Ross is either not fighting the Hulk persona, or he didn't become the Red Hulk until after winning the presidential election. In either case, it looks as though Ross is going to have a struggle on his hands juggling his life and his newfound powers.
1 Ross Experiences High Exposure To Gamma Rays Or Cosmic Radiation In The Incredible Hulk, Banner becomes the Hulk when he has massive exposure to gamma radiation. This changed his body on a molecular level, and rather than killing or injuring Banner, it combined with his DNA to create the Hulk alter ego. But this isn't the only type of radiation in the Marvel universe that has the power to change humans into super-powered beings. Cosmic radiation is also an important element within the Marvel universe that was responsible for creating The Fantastic Four in the comics.
The comics also attribute Ross' powers as the Red Hulk to exposure to a combination of gamma rays and cosmic radiation. As a result of the combination, Red Hulk has his distinctive hue, and a couple of unique powers that the original Hulk did not have. However, it also comes with some significant downsides, like the character accumulating too much energy and heat that he eventually shuts down. This could be a part of the character that is adapted in the MCU, especially if Ross is on the receiving end of cosmic radiation that transforms him into the Red Hulk.
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It's possible that Ross injected the same chemical compound that was used to create other hulks into his body, and this turned him into a more traditional copy of the Hulk. But, if, at or around the time that Ross took this injection, he was also exposed to cosmic radiation, it could have altered the process and transformed him into a Red Hulk, with unique abilities. If this is the case, it could be revealed in the story of Captain America: Brave New World, explaining the appearance of Red Hulk, and hinting at the cosmic radiation that will soon be involved in creating The Fantastic Four in the MCU.
Upcoming MCU Movies Captain America: Brave New World
Release Date February 14, 2025 Thunderbolts*
Release Date May 2, 2025 The Fantastic Four (2025)
Release Date July 25, 2025 Blade (2025)
Release Date November 7, 2025 Avengers: Doomsday
Release Date May 1, 2026 Avengers: Secret Wars
Release Date May 7, 2027