Daily News for Marvel Movie

Summary

• Bruce Banner won't have transformed into the Hulk on-screen in 13 years by the time Captain America: Brave New World releases.
• The Avengers was the last time Bruce Banner turned into the Hulk on-screen, but President Ross' transformation into the Red Hulk in Captain America: Brave New World will change this.
• Several plot threads from The Incredible Hulk will be addressed in Captain America: Brave New World.

I'm even more excited for Captain America: Brave New World after learning that the upcoming MCU movie will finally break a shocking 13-year-old Hulk trend. Anthony Mackie will be making his big-screen debut as the Star-Spangled Man-with-a-Plan in 2025, but his evolution into the MCU's new Captain America won't be the only focus of Brave New World. After 16 years, I'm interested to see several plot threads from 2008's The Incredible Hulk get addressed in Captain America: Brave New World.
While The Incredible Hulk first introduced Bruce Banner's Hulk – then portrayed by Edward Norton, Captain America: Brave New World is set to debut a brand-new Hulk in live-action. Following the late William Hurt's passing in 2022, Harrison Ford was cast as Thaddeus Ross ahead of his debut as the President of the United States in Brave New World. Ross also first appeared in The Incredible Hulk, but Brave New World will mark his major transition into the MCU's Red Hulk – and I can't wait for him to break a disappointing Hulk trend.
Your browser does not support the video tag. Bruce Banner Hasn’t Transformed Into The Hulk On-Screen Since 2012’s The Avengers I Can't Believe Bruce Banner Hasn't Become The Hulk On-Screen In Almost 13 Years While Bruce Banner has made live-action appearances in a total of ten MCU projects on the big and small screen, one major part of his character will have been missing for 13 years by the time Captain America: Brave New World releases in February 2025. The transformation from Bruce Banner to the Hulk is an essential part of Banner's narrative, but we haven't seen this on-screen since 2012's The Avengers. I loved Banner's "I'm always angry" moment in The Avengers, hinting at some control of his abilities, but we've been robbed of this in the years since.
Since The Avengers, Bruce Banner has become the Hulk on many occasions, but we haven't actually witnessed the physical transformation on-screen. We saw Banner become the Hulk several times in Avengers: Age of Ultron, Thor: Ragnarok and She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, but always off-screen. Even his biggest transformation into Smart Hulk happened in the unseen five-year-long Blip. Perhaps the absence of this transformation has contributed to criticisms aimed at the Hulk lately, but Captain America: Brave New World can finally solve this problem.
Bruce Banner's Live-Action MCU Project
Year
The Incredible Hulk
2008
The Avengers
2012
Iron Man 3
2013
Avengers: Age of Ultron
2015
Thor: Ragnarok
2017
Avengers: Infinity War
2018
Captain Marvel
2019
Avengers: Endgame
2019
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
2021
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law
2022
I Can’t Wait For The Red Hulk’s Transformation In Captain America: Brave New World Harrison Ford's President Ross Will Become The Red Hulk In Captain America: Brave New World While we won't have seen Bruce Banner become the Hulk on-screen in 13 years when Captain America: Brave New World releases next year, the Phase 5 movie will see another character undergo this transformation. Marvel Studios released new footage from Captain America: Brave New World at this year's SDCC and D23 presentations, which showed Harrison Ford's President Ross becoming the Red Hulk during an official speech. While this full transformation wasn't seen in the footage, it's very likely we'll get a glimpse of it in the movie itself.
The fact that Captain America: Brave New World is expected to break this disappointing 13-year-old trend has me hugely excited for the upcoming sequel. The physical horror aspect of the Hulk has always been one of my favorite elements of the character, but Marvel Studios hasn't put this to good enough use in the MCU's history. I've loved seeing Marvel take more risks lately, so perhaps President Ross' transformation into the Red Hulk could be even more gruesome, grounded and shocking than any of Bruce Banner's.
Related 4 Major MCU Loose Ends Are Wrapped Up Perfectly In Explosive Captain America 4 Theory A new MCU theory suggests that Captain America: Brave New World could introduce the perfect way for Phase 4"s annoying loose ends to be resolved.
1 How Captain America: Brave New World Has Become A Secret MCU Hulk Movie Several Characters From The Hulk's MCU History Are Returning In Captain America: Brave New World Close I've speculated that Mark Ruffalo will return in Captain America: Brave New World as Bruce Banner's Hulk, though neither Ruffalo nor Marvel Studios has confirmed whether this is true. Even so, the Hulk's MCU history will be addressed directly in Brave New World, with many characters from The Incredible Hulk returning in Phase 5 – some of whom have surprised me. While Thaddeus Ross' return makes sense, given that he's now the President of the United States and Captain America is an innately political hero, other returning characters are more curious.
Tim Blake Nelson's Samuel Sterns, last seen in the final moments of The Incredible Hulk, will make his return as the Leader in Captain America: Brave New World. It's unclear what the Leader wants, but I enjoy theories suggesting he'll have a hand in transforming Ross into the Red Hulk. Ross' daughter, Liv Tyler's Betty Ross, will also be coming back after 16 years, with speculation suggesting she'll appear during a funeral. This has made me think President Ross might not survive Captain America: Brave New World​​​​​​​, but not before we see him break this long-running Hulk pattern.
Captain America: Brave New World FantasyAdventureAction Captain America: Brave New World (formerly titled New 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.
Director Julius Onah Release Date February 14, 2025 Studio(s) Marvel Studios Cast Anthony Mackie , Harrison Ford , Tim Blake Nelson , Carl Lumby , Danny Ramirez , Shira Haas prequel(s) Captain America: The Winter Soldier , Captain America: Civil War , Avengers: Infinity War 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