Liv Tyler returned as Betty Ross for Captain America: Brave New World, but it sounds like her involvement with the project was far from guaranteed.
Tyler only made a single appearance as the daughter of General "Thunderbolt" Ross in The Incredible Hulk, as most of the 2008 film's supporting characters fell by the wayside after Mark Ruffalo took over from Edward Norton as Bruce Banner.
However, after the late William Hurt's return as the general in Civil War was followed by Tim Roth (She-Hulk: Attorney at Law) and Tim Blake Nelson (who also features in Brave New Word), speculation started to mount that it may only be a matter of time before Tyler followed suit.
Spoilers follow.
Previous rumors claimed that Betty would only show up for the movie's mid-credits scene, but she actually appeared right at the end of the film as she pays a visit to her estranged father (Harrison Ford) in his cell on the Raft. It's a very brief scene (some feel Tyler was "wasted"), but the father/daughter reunion does give the moment some emotional heft.
While speaking to Collider, director Julius Onah revealed that convincing Tyler to reprise her role was no easy task, since she had decided to step away from acting several years ago.
“She had taken a bit of a step back from acting, focusing on other things in her life, and she's such an incredible human being. But I just went and did a Zoom and had a very honest conversation with her, like I did with every other actor who was going to become involved, as to emotionally and thematically what this movie was trying to accomplish and why I thought it would be worth their time and their talents. Luckily, she responded.”
“It was right during the development process," he added. "I think I had the Zoom with her probably in early 2023 because it takes time to make a deal and prep and all that other stuff. So, it had to be well in advance so that if for some reason it wasn’t going to work out, whether scheduling or whatnot, we would have the opportunity to make another choice or decision.”
Will we see Tyler's Betty Ross in the MCU again at some point? One would assume there are future plans for Ford's Red Hulk, so we'd say it's a strong possibility.
After meeting with newly elected U.S. President Thaddeus Ross, played by Harrison Ford in his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut, Sam finds himself in the middle of an international incident. He must discover the reason behind a nefarious global plot before the true mastermind has the entire world seeing red.
Captain America: Brave New World also stars Danny Ramirez, Shira Haas, Xosha Roquemore, Carl Lumbly, with Giancarlo Esposito, Liv Tyler, Tim Blake Nelson, and Harrison Ford. The film is directed by Julius Onah and produced by Kevin Feige and Nate Moore. Louis D’Esposito and Charles Newirth serve as executive producers.
Marvel Studios’ Captain America: Brave New World is now in theaters.