Who is Thaddeus Ross?

Advance Tickets CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD opens February 13
In the newest Marvel movie, Thaddeus Ross may have a new face, but he is no stranger in the existing MCU. Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross first appeared in THE INCREDIBLE HULK (2008) as the man behind Bruce Banner’s experiment gone wrong. Originally played by William Hurt, Ross is also in CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR (2016), AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR (2018), AVENGERS: ENDGAME (2019), and BLACK WIDOW (2021). Following Hurt’s passing in 2022, Harrison Ford has been added to 2025’s CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD cast.
But who is the man behind the Presidential podium, and what can we expect from such a large, looming figure?
Incredible Origins

Thaddeus Ross is one of the main antagonists in THE INCREDIBLE HULK film, as he is responsible for Bruce Banner’s experiment-gone-wrong and views him as government property. After Bruce injures his girlfriend Betty Ross, her father Thaddeus is enraged and uses the unpredictable super-soldier serum on one of his men, ultimately leading to the events that create the Abomination.
Ross then reluctantly accepts Banner’s help to fight and contain the Abomination, leading to an uneasy alliance between the two. After parting ways, Banner meets Tony Stark in a bar, and they begin discussing the Avengers Initiative.
A Hulking Figure
Ross appears next in CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR as the Secretary of State, pushing the Avengers to sign the UN’s plan for oversight in the Sokovia Accords. The group is divided on whether to retire or sign the agreement, creating a schism. This is only further perpetuated when Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) learns of his childhood friend’s dark transformation into a brain-washed super soldier He decides to take matters into his own hands before James “Bucky” Barnes (Sebastian Stan) can be destroyed by the government.
Although the Avengers reunite in the end, this only further positions Ross’ unrelenting drive to control super-humans and utilize them for his own gain. Director Joe Russo confirmed that initial iterations of CIVIL WAR would include Ross becoming Red Hulk, but it was ultimately decided there wasn’t enough time. A similar decision was made later for AVENGERS: ENDGAME.
A cameo appearance is made in both AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR and AVENGERS: ENDGAME, which sees Ross disappear during the Blip and consequently resurrected by Bruce Banner himself. Ross goes as far as attending Tony Stark’s funeral to establish his future in the film franchise. In BLACK WIDOW, Ross and his men are seen attempting to track Natasha Romanoff, but ultimately fail to capture her.
Seeing Red

Following years of attempts, Thaddeus Ross will finally take center stage in CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD. Though as of now it is still unclear what will cause the event that morphs him into a feverish monster, we do have a vague sense of how he operates based on the comic book series.
Introduced for the first time in 2008, he became a very popular figure partially due to the ambiguity of his identity. Red Hulk is aggressive and canonically more powerful than even Hulk. Red Hulk’s storyline sees him creating earthquakes in California, defeating Marvel superheroes, and absorbing the power of other beings. He is created as part of the Super Soldier program and takes several different turns depending on which issue you’re reading. As of 2012, the Red Hulk leads a covert team known as the Thunderbolts.
Red Hulk is described by Marvel editor Mark Paniccia as “absolutely uninhibited, tactically intelligent”. This fits with his pervious job posts, gaining higher ranking within the government before ascending to the Presidency. Ross is posed to be the total opposite of Banner and at odds for what he stands for, stirring excitement in MCU fans and Harrison Ford fans alike.

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Advance Tickets CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD opens February 13