In Captain America: Brave New World, Sam Wilson will be tasked with stopping President "Thunderbolt" Ross when he transforms into the raging Red Hulk.
The Falcon and The Winter Soldier made a point of having Sam Wilson reject the notion of taking the Super Soldier Serum if he were to wield the shield. With that in mind, how can the new, human Captain America possibly go toe-to-toe with a Hulk?
"As soon as we decided this was the story we were going to tell, we realized there was a big hurdle," executive producer Nate Moore told Entertainment Weekly. VFX Supervisor Dan Cox bluntly stated, "He takes a punch, his head's going to go flying."
However, Moore explained that Sam will be equipped with a Wakanda-made Vibranium suit which "somewhat" levels the playing field.
"I say 'somewhat' because it's a Red Hulk," Moore admitted. "What are you going to do? We're very conscious of not having the movie feel disingenuous. So, giving Sam equipment to survive is different than giving Sam equipment to succeed."
Cox added, "We had to choreograph the fight sequences to allow him to constantly be using those as, basically, two additional limbs so that he can take the Hulk punches from time to time, but he does everything he can to avoid those anyway. You'll see it in the action sequence; it's not fun when he gets hit."
According to Marvel Studios Head of Visual Development Ryan Meinerding, concept art of Red Hulk with a moustache does exist but obviously didn't make the cut. Had the late William Hurt been around to reprise the role, perhaps that would have happened as Moore confirmed The Incredible Hulk star was "excited" to reprise the role before he died.
"When he passed, it was a surprise," he explained. "You figure out if it's worth proceeding with the story you have or trying something else. It just so happened that Harrison Ford reached out to [Marvel Studios President] Kevin Feige about potentially playing in the Marvel sandbox."
"We didn't assume anybody would be game. Harrison saw it, I think, as an opportunity both to honor William's work and to continue that character arc, which Harrison thought was really interesting in the other movies."
"What we liked was this notion of a man who is trying to do the best he can but can't quite outrun the demons of his past. Turning a guy who hunted Hulks into a Hulk himself makes him more than an antagonist; it makes him a tragic character," Moore concluded.
It sounds like we're in for an epic clash and the veteran MCU producer - who recently announced his departure from Marvel Studios - later pointed to the Secret Empire comic book being a key source of inspiration here.
In Captain America: Brave New World, after meeting with newly elected U.S. President Thaddeus Ross, played by Harrison Ford in his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut, Sam Wilson 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 stars Anthony Mackie, Danny Ramirez, Shira Haas, Xosha Roquemore, Carl Lumbly, with Giancarlo Esposito, Liv Tyler, Tim Blake Nelson, and Harrison Ford. The movie is directed by Julius Onah and produced by Kevin Feige and Nate Moore. Louis D’Esposito and Charles Newirth serve as executive producers.
Captain America: Brave New World opens in U.S. theaters on February 14, 2025. Check out some new stills from the movie below.