There are many comic book villains Sam Wilson could have faced in Captain America: Brave New World. Marvel Studios is instead revisiting 2008's The Incredible Hulk - for the second time since 2022's She-Hulk Attorney at Law - by pitting the hero against The Leader.
Samuel Sterns' return is long overdue and with President Ross set to become Red Hulk, the hope among fans is that this might lead to some kind of World War Hulk movie.
That's the logical next step if The Leader has figured out how to create new Hulks; remember, it's already been established that such an occurrence is Bruce Banner's worst fear.
Talking to Empire Online, Captain America: Brave New World producer Nate Moore addressed the decision to bring back Sterns, Ross, and Liv Tyler's Betty Ross for this movie.
"When I was a kid, I always loved it when there were unexpected characters intersecting," he explains. "We felt that this was a really interesting time to revisit [these characters.] And it didn’t feel like we’d be wedging it in. It actually felt like we could really explore it."
For Tim Blake Nelson, the movie was an opportunity to make good on The Incredible Hulk's unfulfilled tease. "I’d begun to think that I had the reverse Midas Touch," he said of the long wait for his return. "I requested that we do what we were going to do, practically. Which was a huge help, because I liked being able to feel the weight of the deformation on my head, rather than just wearing dots."
A first look at Captain America: Brave New World's Funko Pops recently confirmed that The Leader will rock his comic-accurate green head, albeit in a slightly more grounded way than on the page.
Marvel Studios missed a trick by not having The Leader revealed as the villain who was pulling The Itelligencia's strings in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, so here's hoping this movie makes up for that by establishing Sterns as a bona fide big bad.
You can watch our interview with Nelson in the player below.
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.