| Thaddeus Ross | |
|---|---|
| Marvel Cinematic Universe character | |
 William Hurt (top) andHarrison Ford (bottom) as Thaddeus Ross inCaptain America: Civil War (2016) andCaptain America: Brave New World (2025) respectively. | |
| First appearance | The Incredible Hulk (2008) |
| Based on | |
| Adapted by | Zak Penn |
| Portrayed by |
|
| Voiced by | |
| In-universe information | |
| Full name | Thaddeus Ross |
| Alias | Red Hulk |
| Nicknames |
|
| Species | Human mutate |
| Title | |
| Children | Betty Ross (daughter) |
| Nationality | American |
Thaddeus Ross is a fictional character portrayed by bothWilliam Hurt andHarrison Ford in theMarvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)film franchise, based on theMarvel Comics characterof the same name. He is depicted as aUnited States Armed Forceslieutenant general before serving asSecretary of State, and is later elected as thePresident of the United States. He is also the father ofBetty Ross, with whom he has had a complex relationship.
Ross leads the manhunt forBruce Banner and inadvertently helps create theAbomination. After retiring from the military and various health issues, Ross serves as Secretary of State, and presents theAvengers with theSokovia Accords leading to theirdisbandment. After being revived fromthe Blip, Ross is elected President which puts him at odds withSam Wilson. Ross turns into aRed Hulk after ingesting gamma-radiated pills from a revenge-drivenSamuel Sterns, which leads to him destroying theWhite House. He later stands down as president and is incarcerated in theRaft.
Hurt portrayed Ross inThe Incredible Hulk (2008),The Consultant (2011),Captain America: Civil War (2016),Avengers: Infinity War (2018),Avengers: Endgame (2019) andBlack Widow (2021). After Hurt's death in 2022, Ford subsequently portrayed the character inCaptain America: Brave New World (2025). Both actors received generally positive reviews for their performances and thegravitas they brought to their roles. Alternate versions of the character appear in variousDisney+ animated series, voiced by bothMichael Patrick McGill andTravis Willingham.
In late 2006,Marvel Studios announced on their website that their next project would be areboot ofHulk (2003), set for release in 2008.[1] By June 2007, American actorWilliam Hurt was cast to play the comic characterThaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross in the film, eventually titledThe Incredible Hulk (2008).[2]The Hollywood Reporter reported that movie would see Ross dedicating his life to capturing theHulk, who was set to be played by American actorEdward Norton.[2]Sam Elliott, who portrayed Ross in the 2003 film, expressed disappointment at being replaced stating he wished Marvel would "have considered using some of the 2003 cast".[3] Despite this, he praised the new cast and added that he approved of Hurt's casting.[3] Hurt went on to portray the character in the films,Captain America: Civil War (2016),Avengers: Infinity War (2018),Avengers: Endgame (2019) andBlack Widow (2021).[4]
Hurt died on March 13, 2022.[5] ProducerNate Moore noted that there were always plans to turn Ross into his comic counterpartRed Hulk, which was told to Hurt prior to his death and reportedly excited him.[6] After Hurt's death, Moore noted that Marvel began to reevaluate how to proceed with Ross's story or come up with a new plot until American actorHarrison Ford reached out toKevin Feige about potentially appearing in a Marvel film.[6] The role was announced to be recast in October 2022 with Ford replacing Hurt inCaptain America: Brave New World (2025).[7] In an interview withEntertainment Weekly, Ford called the idea of replacing Hurt a "daunting prospect", adding that it's a "delicate thing to think about, stepping into the shoes of someone else that has played a character so successfully and so treasured by the Marvel universe [...] I had the emotional opportunities to continue what he had done and bring it to some kind of conclusion".[8]
The character, played byWilliam Hurt, first appeared in theMarvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) filmThe Incredible Hulk (2008) as a high-ranking military officer who was obsessed with recreating theserum that gaveSteve Rogers his abilities.[9] Scientist Dr.Bruce Banner usesgamma radiation to try to achieve results, which accidentally transforms him into a monster nicknamed the Hulk.[10]Screen Rant writer Richard Craig noted that Ross saw the Hulk as a "potential weapon".[9] Ross is portrayed as one of the film's antagonists hunting Banner down, and later recruits BritishRoyal MarineEmil Blonsky to take an alternate version of Banner's serum which turns him into theAbomination.[11] Hurt described Ross as complicated and conflicted, saying that he wants "Hulk's power, but is humiliated by Hulk's conscience: he actually sees and recognizes that it's more developed than his own, even though he's a patriot and a warrior for his country. He's sacrificed enormously for that purpose, but at the expense at times of his humanity which he occasionally recovers".[12] Hurt later reprised his role for theMarvel One-ShotThe Consultant (2011) via archival footage from the final scene ofThe Incredible Hulk.[13] On sharing the scene withRobert Downey Jr'sTony Stark, he felt Marvel had "a lot of guts" to crossover films.[14]
After eight years, Hurt next appeared as Ross inCaptain America: Civil War (2016).[15] On his role, Hurt called it "a completely new iteration", describing Ross as more mature and less like the comic book version he had incorporated and embodied inThe Incredible Hulk.[16] The film saw Ross transitioning from a military officer into politics, becoming theUnited States Secretary of State, and presenting theAvengers with theSokovia Accords, a legislation designed to regulate superheroes.[9] Ross's crackdown on the Avengers lead to a rift between Steve Rogers and Tony Stark and the subsequent breaking apart of the team.[9] DirectorJoe Russo noted that Red Hulk was considered for the movie, but was decided against due to the excess amount of characters in the narrative.[17] In 2017, directorJames Gunn expressed interest in making a film featuring both Hulk and Red Hulk, but due to conflicts withUniversal Pictures over film rights, the film never project never entered development.[18] Ross's appointment as Secretary of State was also covered in the second season of the fauxdigital seriesWHIH Newsfront (2016) as promotion forCivil War.[19]
Hurt went on to reprise the role inAvengers: Infinity War (2018) andAvengers: Endgame (2019).[20][21] The former saw him enforcing the Accords onJames Rhodes, while the latter saw him attending Tony Stark's funeral after falling victim tothe Blip.[22] ScreenwriterChristopher Markus also stated that the writers briefly considered bringing Ross as Red Hulk inEndgame.[23] Hurt appeared as Ross inBlack Widow (2021)[a] which saw the character pursuingNatasha Romanoff for violating the Accords.[25] On his character, Hurt noted that there was a "fatigue setting" in Ross after trying to control the Avengers, adding that Ross "imagined, back when he was contending with Hulk, that he was the conquering soldier going around the world, but things have gotten more complex and difficult".[26] Despite this, Hurt felt that the character still had a "sense of dignity" but that "he's the soldier on the last hill at this point".[26]
InCaptain America: Brave New World (2025), Ross, now played byHarrison Ford after Hurt's death, has been elected thePresident of the United States (POTUS).[8] During the film, he clashes with the new Captain America,Sam Wilson, after an assassination attempt made on Ross by a mind-controlledIsaiah Bradley.[11] The assassination attempt causes political tension between Ross and Ozaki, thePrime Minister of Japan, and threatens Ross's international treaty to mine and distributeAdamantium to the world.[27] Ross becomes the Red Hulk after ingesting gamma pills given to him bySamuel Sterns.[b] As the Red Hulk, Ross destroys theWhite House, fights Captain America (who talks and calms him down), and is later imprisoned in the superhuman prison, theRaft.[28]People writer Rebecca Aizin called the situation "ironic" as Ross was locked in the same prison that he locked up Roger's allies inCivil War.[29] Additionally in the film, Ross's security advisor,Ruth Bat-Seraph is a formerBlack Widow assassin, in whichCollider writer Gregory Mysogland noted that this implied Ross "helped neutralize the Red Room after [Romanoff] publicly exposed it and freed the other Widows", which "explains how he and [Bat-Seraph] joined forces".[30] Ford hoped he could play the character again, saying that there is a "story in which he can develop into something other than the Red Hulk. I think we have the capacity to shift shape between Hulkness and humanity [...] I was very happy with the opportunity to play in this playground".[31]
In 2022, there were conflicting reports about Ford being set to reprise his role inThunderbolts* (2025), withThe Hollywood Reporter reporting that he would,[7] whileVariety reported that he would not.[32] By 2024, various media outlets suggested that Ford would not be appearing the film.[c] While Ross did not appear in the film's final script, Ross's rampage as Red Hulk was cited byValentina Allegra de Fontaine during a hearing about her involvement in O.X.E's "Sentry" project, as a reason for the need of more super-powered individuals.[35][36] After the film's release, writerEric Pearson noted in an interview that early versions of his script included Ross's Red Hulk as the villain, but was cut out due to Marvel's plans for the character inBrave New World.[37][38]
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InThe Incredible Hulk, Ross's daughter, Dr.Elizabeth "Betty" Ross, helped create theprimer that allowed Bruce Banner to "absorb gamma radiation" which ultimately turned him into the Hulk.[39] After Banner's transformation, Ross's character arc focuses on him chasing the Hulk, which puts him at odds with Betty as she is in love with Banner.[40] Betty opposes her father which causes friction and tension between the two, and they subsequently become estranged.[41] Betty's actress,Liv Tyler, noted that Ross and Betty have "had a very painful and difficult relationship. She doesn't speak to him because he kind of destroyed her life".[42]
ThroughoutCaptain America: Brave New World, Ross is shown trying to reconnect with Betty, now his estranged daughter.[43][44] Their relationship was described as the heart of the film,[45][46] with directorJulius Onah explaining that Betty represented a "human side" to Ross.[42] The biggest motivating factor for Ross becoming president was seeking reconciliation with Betty,[41] as it was Ross proving to her that he had "turned a new leaf".[47] Talking onThe Official Marvel Podcast, Onah noted that in the film, the relationship between Ross and Betty is also a large part of the former simultaneously "trying to cement his legacy" and redefine his identity as both a person and a leader.[41]Cherry blossoms serve as a recurringmotif in the film symbolizing Ross and Betty's father-daughter bond, recalling their visits to theTidal Basin cherry blossom trees during Betty's childhood; this memory ultimately brings an end to Ross's rampage as the Red Hulk.[48][49] In creating Ross's theme score, American composerLaura Karpman explained that his theme had to reflect his presidential position while also reflecting the loss and mourning of his relationship with his daughter.[50]
A now-deleted alternate ending to the film was also filmed which saw Betty attending a funeral, likely that of Ross after his battle as the Red Hulk with Wilson.[51][52] Set photos from 2023 confirmed this, and showed Tyler as Betty attending a funeral alongside Wilson and Bat-Seraph.[53] Despite this, Onah noted that they never filmed a version of the movie where he "explicitly died", but rather left his fate ambiguous.[54]
InCaptain America: Brave New World, Ross's transformation into the Red Hulk requiredmotion capture andvisual effects (VFX) technology, which Ford embraced after having utilised de-aging effects for his role inIndiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023).[55] The visual development team for the Red Hulk was led byRyan Meinerding alongside theNew Zealand–based digital VFX company,Wētā FX.[47] The team at Wētā was involved in making Red Hulk resemble Ford withCGI.[47] They scanned Ford's face to enhance the Red Hulk's visual effects including scaled proportions of his eyes, nose and mouth.[6] This also required filming him giving an "angry performance" atTrilith Studios.[47] Speaking toVariety, Ford noted that the motion capture process required him to be "an idiot for money, which [he had] done before".[56] He clarified that he did not mean to "disparage" it, but added that "you have to do certain things that normally your mother would not want you to do — or your acting coach, if you had one", but noted that he had fun doing so.[56] Describing the process, Wētā visual effects supervisor Dan Cox praised Ford saying that he was "all in that morning".[6]
Alessandro Ongaro, the film's visual effects supervisor, called the Red Hulk one of the most "complex characters that Wētā FX has ever done", naming Cox and animation supervisor Sidney Kombo-Kintombo as responsible for the character's "phenomenal previs, postvis and animation".[57] On the character's design, Cox noted that Onah did not want the Red Hulk to be a copy or color-swapped version of the Hulk but rather appear more tactical and methodical due to Ross's military background.[6] While the VFX forMark Ruffalo's green Hulk was based onapes andgorillas, Ford's Red Hulk was based on abear with Onah stating that they wanted him "to have a slightly different posture" and a "different way he held his chest out".[47] Wētā FX brought in abodybuilder as reference to see how Red Hulk's muscles would move.[58] They also utilised their "Loki state machine" to model a new high-resolution muscle set, and to help show "bones breaking, reforming, driving under the skin, vein detail, and clothes ripping and disintegrating".[47] Ongaro explained that initially they wanted the transformation to be a "little more disgusting" with "skin tearing and breaking on his hand" alongside "bones popping off", but that it would have broken the "peacefulness" the scene was trying to portray.[57] Onah noted that a key inspiration for the Red Hulk's transformation wasAn American Werewolf in London (1981).[47]
Red Hulk's CGI received generally positive reviews withRogerEbert.com writer Robert Daniels calling the effects "actually pretty stellar", and a standout within the film.[59]Screen Rant writer Molly Freeman also praised Wētā's CGI and VFX despite some negative feelings towards the Tidal Basin cherry blossoms backdrop which she described as a "green screen mess".[60] Conversely, whileThe Hollywood Reporter writer Frank Scheck gave a positive response in seeing Ford's facial features in the Red Hulk, he also felt that the character was "only slightly more visually convincing than his de-aged Indiana Jones" inDial of Destiny.[44] The film received a nomination forOutstanding Achievement for Character Animation in a Live Action Production at the53rd Annie Awards.[61]
In the film, Ford's portrayal of Ross is noticeably missing the character's signaturemoustache.[62][63]Screen Rant writer Kai Young noted that "VFX artists may have struggled to properly animate the Red Hulk with Ross' mustache, or this could have simply looked too silly to bring into live-action, so getting rid of it meant that the Red Hulk's emergence wasn't a comedic affair".[63] Onah also noted in an interview withCollider that there was debate whether or not they would make the Red Hulk speak, with eventually deciding that he would be best portrayed as a "figure of rage and anger" without the ability to speak.[64] Hurt was digitallyde-aged for his role inBlack Widow.[65]
Any resemblance to US Presidents living or dead is entirely coincidental. So far, we have not had a President who can transform into a Hulk [...] This is about one man trying to deal with his own history, with his own temperament, with his own circumstances.
Some fans and critics compared President Ross to that of real-lifeAmerican PresidentDonald Trump.[67][68]Reason writer Peter Suderman called Ross a "loose allegory" for Trump, opining that despite the film being shot before the2024 United States presidential election where Trump won a non-consecutive second term,[68] it was not hard to overlook any parallels.[69] He felt the movie was a warning for the "perils of supercharged executive power" running amok.[69] Writing for the same publication, writer Matthew Rosza opined that "Trump, at his worst, is easily the inferior of Marvel's Ross since his motivation for not accepting the election results was pure ego", and noted that while Ross gave up his power in the end, Trump "refused to do the right thing".[70] David Fear, writing forRolling Stone, joked that Ross is "still only the second-most destructive, rage-filled" President.[71]
The assassination attempt on President Ross byIsaiah Bradley was compared to theattempted assassination of Donald Trump byThomas Matthew Crooks, which occurred two days after theCaptain America: Brave New World trailer was released.[72]Screen Rant writer Kevin Erdmann found the situation "bizarre" feeling that it was not "hard to draw parallels", but did add that it was not the first time aCaptain America project referenced real life situations, remembering apandemic-related subplot ofThe Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021) being deleted due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[72] Some compared Ross's international treaty to Trump's "America First" policies, which cancelled federal diversity programs and ultimately pulled the US out of "out of international treaties and threatened America's allies".[73] Responding to this, Onah toldAFP that "telling a story like this, there is always going to be things that touch on the world we live in", but noted that his priority was to make "a great escape for audiences to go have a good time".[73] Additionally, Ross destroying theWhite House as the Red Hulk was linked with theJanuary 6 United States Capitol attack,[72] while Suderman also noted similarities betweenSamuel Sterns and his manipulation of Ross, to that ofElon Musk's relationship with Trump.[69]
In anEsquire interview,Anthony Mackie denounced the comparisons noting that he is "tired of all the political jousting", urging fans to "chill" and go watch the movie.[74][75] Ford also commented on the comparisons, noting he "would not taint any movie with the reality of the world we're living in right now", adding he "prefers the reality of the Marvel universe to the morning's news".[73]
In the mainstreamcomics set in theMarvel Universe (Earth-616), Ross's comic counterpart,Thunderbolt Ross, made his debut inThe Incredible Hulk #1 (1962) and was primarily depicted as a villain for theHulk.[76] InHulk #1 (2008), theRed Hulk made its appearance, but it was not untilWorld War Hulk (2010) that the character was revealed to be Ross.[77][78] Ross has been well received in the comics, being ranked at number 71 byIGN on their list of the "Greatest Comic Book Villains of All Time".[79]
There are various differences between the MCU and comic version of the Red Hulk.[80] In the comics, the Red Hulk's body functions as a "living heat generator", being able to generate enough heat to often melt metal, as his temperature rises proportionally with his anger.[81]Brave New World incorporated these elements from the comics with the Red Hulk's transformation being "accompanied by fiery particles [...] with nearby materials visibly charred from the intense heat", but the film itself does not address the character's thermal abilities.[81] Red Hulk also had the power to absorb energy which was not present in the film.[82][83] Additionally, in the comics, Ross transformed into Red Hulk with the help ofIntelligencia headed byMODOK, while in the MCU, Samuel Sterns gave him his powers through gamma-radiated pills.[80] In the comics, despite being depicted as a villain, Red Hulk has appeared as a member of theAvengers,[84] and has led theThunderbolts, a team composed of variousantiheroes including thePunisher andElektra.[76]
Throughout the comics and in other various media, Ross as a character has had various titles and nicknames, most notably nicknamed "Thunderbolt".[85] However, in the MCU, this nickname is not utilised untilBrave New World, and is not fully addressed or explained except as a "cool nickname that adds to his legendary military status".[85] Joe George writing forMen's Health opined that the nickname may have derived from his rise into becoming the US President "with a reputation as a war-mongering hot-head".[78] Contrastingly, in the comics, Ross earned the name during a fight in theSouth Pacific "for his tendency to strike like thunder".[85] InBrave New World, Ross also earned the "insult[ing]" nickname "Hulk Hunter" for his relentless chase of Bruce Banner, and his unintentional creation of the Abomination and its subsequent battle with the Hulk.[85][9]
Thaddeus Ross joined theUnited States Army and served during theVietnam War. Ross worked his way up the American military, eventually becoming a three-starredlieutenant general. He married Karen Lee who later died, but not before the two had a daughter namedBetty Ross.[86] Ross often took Betty, as a young girl, to see thecherry blossom trees inWashington D.C.'sTidal Basin.[49]
Sometime before 2010, Ross became involved in a military research program, Project Gamma Pulse, aimed at replicating theSuper Soldier Serum, which was created byDoctor Abraham Erskine inWorld War II to create the super soldierCaptain America. DoctorsBruce Banner and Betty become involved in the project believinggamma radiation to be the answer to Erskine's original formula. During an experiment, Ross and Betty watch as Banner transforms into theHulk. The Hulk kills two scientists, knocks Betty unconscious, crushes Ross's left arm and escapes. Ross blames Banner (who goes into hiding) for the incident and vows to hunt him down, causing a rift between himself and Betty.
In 2010, Ross becomes aware that Banner is hiding out inRio de Janeiro, Brazil. He recruits a team of soldiers, including BritishRoyal MarineEmil Blonsky, to bring Banner in tranquillised, but does not divulge information about Banner's condition to them. After arriving in Brazil, Ross watches on a computer inside a van as the team attempts to capture Banner who turns into the Hulk killing various soldiers, and escapes. Ross later informs an angry Blonsky of Banner's condition, and offers him a similar serum, gaining enhanced abilities.
Ross tracks Banner to Culver University, where Banner has reunited with Betty. As Ross and his army attempt to capture Banner in his Hulk form, Betty begs her father to stop. Ross watches as Blonsky is subsequently kicked by the Hulk across the university's field, breaking every bone in his body. Banner escapes with Betty. Blonsky survives his injuries with the help of Ross's first serum, and allows him to be injected with more. Ross tracks Banner and Betty down trying to cure Banner with the help ofSamuel Sterns, and takes them into custody. Unbeknownst to Ross, Blonsky coerces Sterns to further enhance his strength. Sterns transforms Blonsky into a monstrous "Abomination", who goes on a rampage aroundHarlem. Ross reluctantly allows Banner to transform into the Hulk to stop him. After the Hulk defeats Blonsky, Ross watches him escape one last time while Betty vows to never speak to her father again.
Ross is later approached in a bar byTony Stark, acting as a consultant forS.H.I.E.L.D., who informs him thata team is being put together. Ross attempts to have Stark removed from the bar and refuses to release Blonsky into S.H.I.E.L.D. custody.[87] Sometime after, Ross uses Sterns as a scapegoat, blaming him for the Harlem incident. He imprisons Sterns in Camp Echo One, an underground military base, and exposes him to more gamma radiation to further increase his perception of probabilities. He forces him to make advanced weapons and create strategies to further advance his career; Ross promises to pardon and release Sterns if he gets elected president.[88][28]
By 2016, Ross had suffered from aheart attack and underwent thirteen hours of atriple bypass surgery, and consequently retires from the military. He is appointed as theUnited States Secretary of State byPresident Matthew Ellis.[89] He visits theAvengers Compound and presents theAvengers with theSokovia Accords, a set of legal documents signed by 117 countries, designed to regulate the activities of powered individuals such as themselves. He gives Stark thirty-six hours to bring Rogers in for violating the Accords by aidingBucky Barnes who was a suspect in a terrorist bombing at theUnited Nations. After Stark brings in Rogers's allies (Sam Wilson,Wanda Maximoff,Clint Barton andScott Lang), Ross locks them up in theRaft, a maximum security prison designed to hold enhanced people.[90]
Sometime after theAvengers Civil War, Ross undergoes a second triple bypass surgery,[d] and is now dying fromheart failure. Running out of hope, Ross reapproaches Sterns, who develops pills to keep him alive. Ross refuses to release Sterns for fear that he would no longer make the pills. Unbeknownst to Ross, Sterns then alters the pills and adds gamma radiation wanting to destroy Ross' legacy.[28] Ross later pursuesNatasha Romanoff who is in violation of the Accords for assisting Rogers. Ross tracks Romanoff down to a train station with aSWAT team, only to find her tracker. He later tracks her down to the destruction of theRed Room which Romanoff orchestrated.[93] Sometime after, Ross becomes acquainted with a formerBlack Widow assassin,Ruth Bat-Seraph.[30] Later, Ross attempts to contact Stark about Rogers and Romanoff breaking into the Raft to free their allies; Stark puts Ross on hold, much to his annoyance.[90][94]
In 2018, Ross contactsJames Rhodes at the Avengers Compound about the disappearance ofVision. After seeing Vision brought in by Rogers, Wilson, Romanoff, and Maximoff, he orders Rhodes to arrest them. When Rhodes refuses, Ross responds by placing him under court-martial.[95] Ross later falls victim tothe Blip. In 2023, Ross is revived and attends Stark's funeral.[96]
In November 2026,[97] Ross is elected as thePresident of the United States, and is upset when his daughter, Betty, does not attend hisinauguration. In response to the emergence of a "Celestial Island" in theIndian Ocean,[e] Ross sets up an international treaty withJapan,India, andFrance to govern the mining and distribution of a rare metal inside the island known asAdamantium.
In 2027, Ross sends the newly appointed Captain America, Sam Wilson, andJoaquin Torres toOaxaca,Mexico to stop the criminal organizationSerpent from selling stolen refined samples of Adamantium. Ross later invites Wilson, Torres andIsaiah Bradley to a summit at theWhite House with various world leaders. During the meeting, Bradley and four other men attempt to assassinate Ross. Wilson, Torres and Bat-Seraph, now Ross's security advisor, manage to stop them and arrest Bradley, who denies any knowledge of the attack.
Ross subsequently faces difficulties with the world leaders, who no longer believe he can save the treaty. He flies to Japan, withSecret Service agentLeila Taylor, to speak to thePrime Minister of Japan, Ozaki. Taylor informs Ross that Wilson and Torres have gone off-grid, with Ross ordering her to apprehend them. He receives a call from Sterns who reveals he is behind the assassination attempts, and threatens to make Betty despise him even more; Ross sends Bat-Seraph to Camp Echo One to stop Sterns. Once in Japan, Ozaki refuses to uphold the treaty and accuses Ross of having sent Serpent to steal the Adamantium. When the intel is proven true, Ross leads the United States Army at Celestial Island in a race to acquire Adamantium before Ozaki.
Wilson, Torres and Bat-Seraph, now having joined forces, arrive on the ship to stop Ross from advancing on the Island, now knowing Sterns is behind the conflict. Ross tells Wilson of his heart failures, revealing that Sterns saved his life and that he still wanted to repair his relationship with Betty. Ross becomes angry after another phone call with Sterns, although he calms down after Wilson and Torres manage to stop two pilots that Sterns had brainwashed from declaring war on the Japanese. With the conflict resolved, Ross returns toWashington, D.C., and rings Betty; the two share a heartfelt phone call.
During a press conference, Ross loses control of his emotions after being hounded by the press, and turns into aRed Hulk due to the excess gamma radiation in his body from Sterns' pills. Wilson arrives and fights the Red Hulk who destroys the White House and the surrounding D.C. monuments and landscape. Unable to overpower the Red Hulk, Wilson attempts to calm him down by reminding him of visits to D.C.'s cherry blossom trees with Betty. After being talked down by Wilson, Ross reverts to normal, takes full responsibility for his actions, and stands down as president. He is incarcerated at the Raft where he reunites with Betty.
Multiplealternate versions of Ross are depicted in the MCUmultiverse, voiced byMichael Patrick McGill in theDisney+animatedanthology seriesWhat If...?, and byTravis Willingham in the Disney+ animated seriesYour Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man.[99]
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Hurt's portrayal of Ross received a generally mixed-to-positive reception withLooper andBuzzFeed ranking him at numbers 71 and 36 respectively in their list of worst to best MCU villains.[103][104] For his role inThe Incredible Hulk (2008),BuzzFeed News writer Adam Vary noted that Hurt is "never not interesting" but the character was often "so all over the place that there's not much there for [Hurt] to play".[104] In a review for the same film, writing forThe Independent Critic, Richard Popes praised Hurt's portrayal, opining that he "shines by giving General Ross the perfect touch of humanity to accompany his obviously dastardly ways".[105]
For his role inCaptain America: Civil War (2016),We Are Movie Geeks writer Jim Batts opined that after eight years, Hurt fits well into the current MCU, feeling that he "added an air of sterngravitas".[106]
Despite the film's mixed reception, Ford's portrayal of Ross inCaptain America: Brave New World (2025) received positive reviews with various journalists finding his portrayal to have "gravitas".[f]Collider writer Aidan Kelley praised Ford's portrayal for "inject[ing] a lot of humanity into a previously pretty unlikable character".[111]Radio New Zealand writer Samuel Rillstone added that Ross "gets a little short-changed towards the end" and "would've liked a little more out of him".[108]
Entertainment Weekly writer Maureen Lee Lenker also positively reviewed Ford's portrayal, opining that he "acts the hell out of his scenes", and that he "commands any scene he's in with a gruff stillness, but he also brings compassion to Ross, transforming him from a military shill to a character who's easy to root for".[110] Lee Lenker added that while the Red Hulk reveal was inevitable and known to most audience members, "it's a testament to Ford's intuitive, deft performance that the moment still feels shocking when it does finally come".[110]The Hollywood Reporter writer Frank Scheck echoed this, praising Ford's performance saying that he "makes the most of it, even subjecting himself to the rigors of motion capture for his character's extreme physical transformation".[112]
SlashFilm writer Rafael Motamayor opined that Ross was the best part ofBrave New World, describing him as a "complex and interesting character".[109] He felt that Ross grounded the film in seriousness despite moments where the role was "goofy".[109] Writing for the same publication, Devin Meenan criticized the comic version of the character calling his comics "insufferable", but praised Ford's casting opining that it was a "fun throwback" to his role as a president inAir Force One (1997).[113]
| Year | Work | Award | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Captain America: Brave New World | Kids' Choice Awards | Favorite Villain | Nominated | [114] |
Ross appears inThe Incredible Hulk (2008), a tie-in video game to thefilm of the same name, voiced by William Hurt.[115] Additionally, Red Hulk appears as a playable character in theGameStop-exclusiveXbox 360 version.[116]
Ross has also appeared in various tie-in comic books related to the MCU includingIron Man 2: Public Identity (2010), a three-issue comic book, which saw Ross commissioningJustin Hammer to build a single-pilot vehicle to replace Tony Stark'sIron Man suit.[117] Ross also appeared inMarvel's Black Widow Prelude (2020), where he has a discussion withCouncilwoman Hawley about Natasha Romanoff and gains the cooperation of theWorld Security Council to track her down,[118] leading into the events ofBlack Widow (2021).[119]
Funko released multiple variantbobbleheads of Ross as both human and the Red Hulk in support ofCaptain America: Brave New World.[120] Three versions of these were as the Red Hulk; two 6-inch versions (one standard and the other dubbed a "Retro Comic" variant), and one standard sized as part of the film's "Marvel Collector Corps" surprise box.[121] A version of Ross as a human was also released.[121][122]Lego released two Lego sets featuring the character based onBrave New World; one was titled "Captain America vs. Red Hulk Battle" featuring aBigfigure of Ford's Red Hulk,[123] while the other was aBrickHeadz-themed set of both Red Hulk and Captain America.[124]
Hasbro released a set of "Red Hulk Gamma Smash Fists" which allows wearers to slip on Red Hulk's hands and "imagine having superhuman strength".[125] They additionally released a 6-inchMarvel Legends action figure, and a 4-inch Marvel Epic Hero figure which sported a melted car door accessory.[126]Hot Toys also released a 47cm tall sixth-scale action figurine of the Red Hulk with Ford's likeness,[127][128] whileIron Studios released a 1/10 sized statue version marking "the first time in a while that [they] released an MCU-adjacent figure".[129]
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