Summary
AtSan Diego Comic-Con, The Leader actor Tim Blake Nelson comments on Samuel Sterns' long absence in theMCUand explains how it influences his return inCaptain America: Brave New World. Apart from the titular hero and his sidekick Joaquin Torres a.k.a. Falcon,theCaptain America: Brave New Worldcastincludes multiple villains.Captain America: Brave New Worldintroduces the Serpent Society, transforms President Ross into the Red Hulk, and brings back Samuel Sterns a.k.a. The Leader more than 16 years after his introduction inThe Incredible Hulk.
Speaking toScreen Rantat San Diego Comic-Con 2024,Captain America: Brave New Worldactor Tim Blake Nelson explains that although he was disappointed in not returning to the MCU afterThe Incredible Hulk, the fact that it took almost two decades for The Leader to appear on screen again actually made the villain more interesting. Read Nelson’s comments below:
Screen Rant: So excited to see you back. I’ll say, fans kind of gave up on maybe Samuel coming back into the MCU. How does it feel to know that you are back and can talk about it?
Tim Blake Nelson: I have to say that I had given up on coming back as well, and not without a tremendous amount of despair. But I’m glad it took this long because the character I [play], actually, I think demands my own life experience over the past 18 years. Because there’s a real depth and rage and pathos to this guy, and I needed 18 more years of life experience to try and pull that off.
Why Marvel Brought Back The Leader After 16 Years
Tim Blake Nelson’s Samuel Sterns May Become A Major MCU Supervillain After Captain America: Brave New World
Captain America: Brave New Worldpits Captain America against his boss, President Thaddeus Ross, who wants to have Captain America working for the government despite their ideological differences inCaptain America: Civil War.President Ross' antagonistic role inCaptain America: Brave New Worldoffered the perfect opportunity to transform him into the Red Hulk, a moment that has been brewing in the MCU sinceThe Incredible Hulk. This, in turn, offered the perfect opportunity to bring backThe Incredible Hulk’s Samuel Sterns and reveal his Gamma transformation — The Leader — in the same movie as well.
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Captain America: Brave New World is promising to be chock full of Marvel villains, with another named Sidewinder being revealed at SDCC 2024.
The most logical way to transform President Ross into Red Hulk is by having Samuel Sterns infuse him with Gamma energy.Ross himself witnessed Emil Blonsky transform into the Abomination, partly due to his Ross' Super Soldier serum replica and partly due to Sterns' input with Hulk’s blood. InCaptain America: Brave New World, Ross might hire Sterns to provide him with a power-up, or Sterns could turn Ross into a new Hulk to wreak havoc internationally.
The Leader and Red Hulk’s return inCaptain America: Brave New Worldmay also set up an even bigger MCU storyline. If The Leader succeeds in shifting"the global power", then he may kick off the events ofthe MCU’sWorld War Hulksadaptation. In the comics, an army of Hulks rises precisely when Bruce Banner is no longer able to transform into the Hulk. A similar event can happen in the MCU, but this time instigated by The Leader, who likely has the knowledge and influence to create his own Hulk army, starting with Red Hulk.
