The MCU Brought Back the Wrong Characters From The Incredible Hulk

It’s hard to come by a reference to the early days of the Marvel Cinematic Universe these days. After all, Iron Man was released 17 years ago, and most of the original Avengers, who did most of the heavy lifting back then, are no longer around. The focus is now on characters like Spider-Man, who still has plenty to offer the franchise, and the reboots of the former Fox properties, the Fantastic Four and X-Men. However, Marvel Studios found an opportunity to show love to the MCU’s black sheep, The Incredible Hulk, recently, bringing back a couple of characters who hadn’t been on the big screen since 2008.

Captain America: Brave New World pits the Star-Spangled Man against a villain that Bruce Banner created, Samuel Sterns. The conflict involves a couple of other major figures from The Incredible Hulk, but they don’t earn their spots. At the end of the day, it’s clear that the MCU brought back the wrong characters from one of its original projects.

The Incredible Hulk Characters in Brave New World Don’t Have a Future in the MCU

Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, best known for being the “Hulk Hunter,” wins the presidency at the start of Brave New World. The goal of his time in the Oval Office is to make the United States the premier power in the world, which means spearheading the initiative to mine adamantium out of the Celestial in the Indian Ocean and restarting the Avengers. Sam Wilson comes to meet the president and hears him out about getting the band back together, but there’s no time to iron out the details due to an assassination attempt. It soon comes to light that Sterns is the one making the president’s life hell because he’s been locked up for all these years, helping Thaddeus solve problems with his powerful brain.

With nothing but revenge on his mind, Sterns turns Thaddeus into a Hulk and unleashes him on the world at the very worst moment. Captain America does everything he can to stop the raging monster, but it takes talking about Betty Ross, Thaddeus’ estranged daughter, to knock some sense into him. Both Sterns and Thaddeus end up in the Raft, and there’s a good chance they stay there for the foreseeable future. It’s just hard to find spots for them moving forward, especially with Harrison Ford seeming uninterested in reprising his role and the Leader falling short as a villain. As sad as it is, Brave New World is probably the end of the line for every The Incredible Hulk character not named Bruce Banner, which is a shame because there’s at least one more person with boatloads of potential.

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After the accident that creates his green alter ego, Banner goes on the run, evading Thaddeus and his men for years. However, he eventually makes his way back to America and runs into his ex, Betty, who is in a relationship with Leonard Samson, a psychiatrist. Samson doesn’t love that Bruce is back in the picture and worries for his girlfriend’s safety. Once the fighting starts, though, Samson takes a back seat as Betty travels with Banner to visit Sterns. The next time Banner appears, he looks very different and doesn’t mention his adventures with Betty or her boyfriend. But being forgotten isn’t a fair fate for Doc Samson because he’s a really great character in the comics.

Like in the MCU, Marvel Comics pits Samson against the Hulk. After serving as Banner’s psychiatrist, Samson exposes himself to gamma radiation, which gives him super strength and durability. The upgrade opens the door for Samson to pick fights with the Hulk and team up with other heroes. Like every other comic book character, he dies and turns evil on occasion, but for the most part, he’s a brave man who wants to make the world a better place. With the MCU in a transition period, it wouldn’t have hurt to bring Ty Burrell back into the fold, paving the way for his character to have a larger role in the franchise. The reality is now setting in that Doc Samson will remain nothing but a footnote in the history of the world’s largest franchise.

Captain America: Brave New World is streaming on Disney+.

How did you feel about The Incredible Hulk characters coming back for Captain America: Brave New World? Were you disappointed that Doc Samson didn’t come back? Let us know in the comments below!