In several ways, Captain America: Brave New World serves as a sequel to 2008's The Incredible Hulk as well as a follow-up to The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, but one key element was missing: The Green Goliath himself.
Despite a story focusing on President Ross (Harrison Ford) and his eventual transformation into the Red Hulk, along with the reintroduction of Samuel Sterns, aka the Leader (Tim Blake Nelson), and an appearance from Betty Ross (Liv Tyler), Bruce Banner and his rage-fuelled alter-ego only get a couple of mentions.
While speaking to The Playlist, director Julius Onah confirmed that there were early discussions about bringing Mark Ruffalo's Smart Hulk in, but it was ultimately decided that this could detract from Sam Wilson's story.
“Well, I think at the end of the day, and I’m happy it landed where it did—this is Sam’s story. This is Sam’s first cinematic adventure as Captain America. And you want it to be about Sam leaning into his superpower to overcome the odds,” Onah said. “So, you pull in Banner—as great as Mark Ruffalo is and as exciting as it would be to have him—and suddenly, the focus shifts away from Sam. The conversation obviously came up, but ultimately, it felt like this wanted to be Sam’s film.”
We haven't seen Banner/Hulk since he showed up in the She-Hulk: Attorney at Law finale with his son, Skaar, but there are said to be big plans in place for the character following the events of Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars.
The filmmaker was also asked about the recent Vulture article which painted a picture of a chaotic production, behind-the-scenes turmoil, and a very difficult to work with Ford.
“I have no take [on the Vulture article], to be honest with you, because people will speculate about all sorts of things, especially anonymously and on the fringes. I went over to Harrison Ford’s house when he accepted the job, and you know, you’re nervous, you’re starstruck, and the guy immediately dispels that. And he pours me a drink and says, ‘Let’s get to work.’ And that’s what the guy’s about. What incredibly talented and amazing person who has done it as long as he has done it isn’t going also to work their ass off to make it great.”
Finally, Onah commented on the much-discussed post-credits scene, although he remained tight-lipped about what exactly the sequence was setting up.
“I have a general awareness of where [the larger MCU story] is going. I will continue to stay coy because that’s for everybody else to discover. But it was another thing that we did during additional photography, which again speaks to what I was getting at earlier with pencils being down [during the strikes]; that’s for everybody in the industry and certainly everybody in the MCU. So when we came back, there was more clarity with where things were going—that’s when it also felt like the appropriate time to shoot that tag.”
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 opens is now in theaters.