Marvel Is Putting Red Hulk on a Collision Course With the MCU’s Next Big Villain

What happens when a rampaging Red Hulk collides with the next Big Bad of the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Fans will soon find out with the launch of an ongoing Red Hulk series this February. Of course, February is also when Red Hulk makes his MCU debut in Captain America: Brave New World, so it’s going to be a busy time for Harrison Ford’s Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross. But a physically imposing figure like Red Hulk demands a foe worthy of his gamma-radiated fury. Luckily, Marvel is turning to Robert Downey Jr.’s new villain Doctor Doom, the Sorcerer Supreme of the Marvel Universe, as a worthy adversary.

For those who haven’t kept up with the latest MCU shuffling of the deck, Marvel Studios announced at San Diego Comic-Con that Robert Downey Jr. will portray the villainous Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. In anticipation of Doom’s arrival, his profile in the comics is getting a major overhaul, starting with stealing the Sorcerer Supreme mantle from Doctor Strange. As we head into “One World Under Doom” and Red Hulk’s tie-in for the event, let’s examine the upcoming showdown between Red Hulk and Emperor Doom.

Marvel’s One World Under Doom explained

After outfiting Spider-Man with magical armor and mystical powers, Doctor Doom will begin his conquest of the Marvel Universe in The Rise of Emperor Doom. The upcoming five-issue limited series finds Doom taking control over all broadcast systems on the planet, causing Earth’s Mightiest Heroes to respond. Written by Ryan North (Fantastic Four) with art by R.B. Silva (Rise of the Powers of X), The Rise of Emperor Doom will see the Avengers and Fantastic Four send a strike team to Latveria to find out what’s going on, with some heroes starting to side with Doom and his plans.

[RELATED: Marvel Previews Doctor Doom’s Reign Over the Marvel Universe in First Look at One World Under Doom #1]

It will be interesting to see what the fallout of “One World Under Doom” is, but there have already been several tie-ins announced by Marvel. Along with Red Hulk, there’s Thunderbolts: Doomstrike, featuring a showdown between Bucky Barnes’ new Thunderbolts team and the original version led by Baron Zemo. Similar to Red Hulk, Thunderbolts: Doomstrike comes out just in time for the Thunderbolts* feature film. Deadpool and Wolverine will also reunite in the “One World Under Doom” tie-in Weapon X-Men.

Red Hulk vs. Doctor Doom

The timing of Marvel launching a Red Hulk series that pits him against Doctor Doom couldn’t have been better. Harrison Ford is an A-list actor joining the MCU in a highly-anticipated role. Fans have been waiting to see Thaddeus Ross “Hulk Out” and become Red Hulk dating back to the late William Hurt’s performances, and now it’s going to happen in Captain America: Brave New World. This movie won’t be the last time we see Red Hulk either. As long as Harrison Ford is up to it, we should expect to see a lot more of Red Hulk going forward.

When you have Robert Downey Jr. playing the iconic Marvel villain Doctor Doom, you have no choice but to raise Doom’s profile in the comics to follow suit. Expect to see Doctor Doom everywhere in the Marvel Universe over 2025 and beyond. We’ve seen Doom as a member of the Guardians of the Galaxy, so he might as well join the Avengers next. After all, he is the Sorcerer Supreme so he’s responsible for protecting Earth from any and all threats.

Red Hulk will have to tide us over until we can see a face-to-face confrontation between Red Hulk and Doctor Doom on the big screen. Red Hulk #1 goes on sale February 26th.