The comic books treated the Red Hulk's identity as a big mystery, but Marvel Studios has never shied away from letting us know Harrison Ford's President Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross would undergo a rage-fuelled transformation in Captain America: Brave New World.
How and why does Ross go from Commander in Chief to the thing he hates most?
The movie explains that Ross used Samuel Sterns as a scapegoat following the events of The Incredible Hulk, giving the world someone to blame for Abomination's rampage through Harlem. Sterns' intelligence increased greatly after his blood was contaminated by Gamma Radiation, and Ross continued exposing the scientist to it while he was in captivity.
It made Sterns even smarter - he can predict almost anything by seeing the probabilities - but left him horribly deformed. However, it also gave Ross someone who could provide him with the solution to any problem (all while creating weaponry and technology for the military).
Ross promised Sterns that, in exchange for his help, which included his becoming U.S. President, he would eventually free him. Instead, he reneged on the deal and left the scientist behind bars. As a result, a vengeful Sterns escaped but it turns out he'd always been playing Ross.
After learning that he was dying, the General turned to Sterns for help with that too and was provided with tablets to prolong his life. Not only would those allow him to become President, but it gave him the precious time he needed to make things right with his daughter Betty. What Ross didn't know is Sterns had slowly been exposing him to Gamma Radiation, secretly transforming him into a Hulk.
After using phone signals and music to brainwash people into doing his bidding (including Isaiah Bradley's staged assassination attempt), Sterns hope was that Ross would transform during the battle at Celestial Island, sparking a war. That doesn't work out thanks to Captain America's intervention but the President does eventually "Hulk Out" in front of the world while answering questions at the White House.
Sterns manipulates that situation by handing himself in and publicly accusing Ross of everything detailed above. You can read what happens when Red Hulk battles Captain America here, though we will tell you that this version of Red Hulk doesn't really have his same fiery powers from the comics (he runs hot, but not as hot).
When all is said and done, The Leader is back behind bars and Ross is also imprisoned for his crimes. His ability to transform into Red Hulk seemingly remains, though, meaning he could return to fight another day. As for The Leader, chances are he's been put back on the shelf after successfully ruining Ross' reputation.
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.
The movie 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.
"Flawed but functional, Captain America: Brave New World's many problems are largely forgotten any time Anthony Mackie and Harrison Ford electrify the screen," we said in our review. "And when Red Hulk shows up, the movie reaches new heights of awesome."
Captain America: Brave New World opens in U.S. theaters on February 14, 2025.