Captain America: Brave New World was a winner over President’s Day weekend despite a mixed response from critics that gave it a 49% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Thankfully, the audience disagreed, with the movie getting an 80% audience score from the Popcorn Meter. Besides being No. 1 at the box office opening weekend, this Captain America movie was the first to not star Chris Evans. Its success silences the people who will claim “This isn’t my Captain America” by knocking Sam Wilson (played by Anthony Mackie) because of the color of his skin.
Like most superhero movies, Captain America: Brave New World had flaws. But, as Bam Smack Pow's own Michael Patterson wrote, it’s still an entertaining thriller. One of the things that made this film so thrilling was the addition of Harrison Ford playing the Red Hulk. If you’re a fan of him being in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there’s potentially some very good news: We may not have seen the last of him.
Thaddeus Ross rumored to return to the MCU as Harrison Ford reportedly signs on for another appearance
It sounds like we haven't seen the last of the Red Hulk. According to a new scoop from veteran Marvel insider MyTimeToShineHello, Harrison Ford has already signed up to return to the MCU as Thaddeus “Thunderbolt" Ross a.k.a. the Red Hulk.
Harrison Ford is one of the most successful action heroes of all time. Whether it’s Star Wars, Indiana Jones, The Fugitive, or Air Force One, Ford brings his A-Game (except that one time he didn’t). And if you’re a fan of him in general, he’s putting on an acting masterclass in Apple TV’s hit show, Shrinking. It shows that even at the age of 82, he’s still as committed to his craft and popular with audiences. It makes sense that he’d sign on to return as the Red Hulk, especially when he seemingly had a lot of fun playing the role in Captain America: Brave New World.
For now, it’s unclear if the rumor is true or what the upcoming movie will be. We don’t even know if it’s a movie at all. Ford could come back in a Disney Plus series (this is me hoping that She-Hulk gets a second season). He was also rumored to appear in Thunderbolts* there for a while. It’s more likely, however, that he will return in another rumored project, World War Hulk. Now, if you’re a comic book fan, that idea probably confuses you.
In Marvel Comics, Thaddeus Ross didn’t become the Red Hulk until after World War Hulk. He realized that he was incapable of beating his long-time rival with the military behind him. So, like most people who think they’re heroes, he became the villain of his own story by turning into the thing he hates. The good news is it worked out for Ross. He became an Avenger and helped save the world on a few occasions. And while it did cost him his life, he’s currently alive again in Marvel Comics.
As you’ve seen throughout superhero projects, the source material will be changed when it comes to adapting them to television or film. It’s not a knock on the comic books; it's that some stories don’t translate well when transferred to another medium. Because of that, you see things like timelines altered in Invincible or all of Avengers: Infinity War not being like the original Infinity Saga comic.
If World War Hulk is where Ross will return, it won’t be shocking. In fact, a World War Hulk movie could look better when it’s a war of hulks. After all, there is a long-standing rumor that Marvel Studios has been slowly laying the groundwork for a World War Hulk movie, one that might be very different than its source material and involve the more political side of the MCU, including Ross. If that were to be the case, it could facilitate Ford's return as the Marvel legend. Stay tuned to Bam Smack Pow to see if that happens.
Are you excited for Harrison Ford's potential return as Red Hulk? What movie do you think he'll be in? Let us know on our social media sites Bluesky, Instagram, and Twitter.