A new piece of Captain America: New World Order fan art imagines Harrison Ford’s General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross becoming the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Red Hulk. Originally played by William Hurt, General Ross first made his MCU debut in 2008’s The Incredible Hulk. While it would take another eight years for the character to make his MCU return in Captain America: Civil War, Hurt’s General Ross quickly became an integral part of the franchise narrative following the introduction, and subsequent repeal of the Sokovia Accords. Sadly, Hurt passed away in March last year, though screen veteran Ford was later announced to be taking over the role for Phase 5’s Captain America: New World Order.
With Marvel’s decision to continue with General Ross’ character, it seems that Kevin Feige is working toward introducing his Red Hulk form from the comics. Now a new piece of fan art from artist 21xfour imagines what Ford’s version of Red Hulk could look like if this comes to pass.
This latest piece of art comes hot on the heels of debunked fan theories that Red Hulk would make his MCU debut during last year’s She-Hulk: Attorney at Law Disney+ series. While such an appearance would never actually occur, during episode 8 Jennifer Walters directly referenced fan calls for the character to make his way into the franchise.
When Will The MCU Introduce General Ross As Red Hulk?
Marvel’s decision to replace Hurt with Ford clearly indicates that they have big plans for his character moving forward. Rather than writing General Ross out of franchise, Feige and his team have chosen to replace the original actor with one of the biggest Hollywood stars working today. Such a move lends itself to the idea that General Ross’s highly anticipated transformation into Red Hulk is imminent and is likely to take place sometime during the franchise’s Phase 5 slate.
With Ford’s first MCU appearance as Ross currently slated to take place in next year’s Captain America: New World Order, it would be logical to expect that his initial transformation will take place sometime during the events of that film. However, with Tim Blake Nelson’s the Leader already confirmed as the film’s main antagonist, Captain America: New World Order may already be too busy a film to unveil such a game-changing character. Of course, revealing such a pivotal moment in a post-credit sequence would not be out of the question, given the way other big MCU reveals have typically taken place in the past.
The next most logical place for Ford’s Ross to appear as Red Hulk would be in Thunderbolts, also anticipated for a 2024 release. With General Ross often connected with iterations of the anti-hero team as Red Hulk in the comics, it would make sense for his transformation to take place during this particular franchise outing. The events of Captain America: New World Order could even potentially lead directly into his introduction as Red Hulk, with the Leader being the one ultimately responsible for his transformation in the first place. However, or whenever, it happens, audiences will be keen to see if Ford does indeed manage to Hulk out during the MCU’s next exciting phase.
Source: 21xfour/Instagram