Captain America: Brave New World: Who Is Red Hulk?

The Red Hulk is coming to the big screen. So what's his deal?

By Russ Burlingame

The biggest -- literally and figuratively -- reveal in the new trailer for Captain America: Brave New World was the first appearance of the Red Hulk. On the one hand, the Red Hulk is exactly what it sounds like -- The Incredible Hulk, but red -- but on the other, there's quite a bit of backstory to get us there. First appearing in 2008's Hulk #1, the character was created by Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuinness. Well, kinda. In reality, the mysterious Red Hulk's alter ego was Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross, a celebrated general who had become increasingly unhinged due to his obsession with capturing the Incredible Hulk.

In that first issue, and for almost two years, Thunderbolt Ross appeared in Hulk while Bruce Banner, Doc Samson, and the rest of the cast worked to figure out what a mysterious new Red Hulk's deal was. In Hulk #23, the cast (and readers) learned that the Ross they had been dealing with was a Life Model Decoy, and that the real Ross was the Red Hulk.

While The Hulk becomes stronger and larger the angrier he becomes, the Red Hulk's physical appearance is largely static, but as he gets angrier, he runs hotter, eventually becoming a risk to those around him as he radiates heat and even fire. He can also absorb energy attacks, making him functionally immune to many such attacks and making a straight-up fight with a very powerful being the most reliable way to take him down.

Like Banner, Red Hulk has super-strength, stamina and durability, and he has a healing factor that allows him to recover from most injuries within minutes.

In Captain America: Brave New World, Harrison Ford will play Thunderbolt Ross (a character previously played by the late William Hurt). In the movie, Ross is the President of the United States, and in the trailer, we see that there's a Red Hulk. While we don't see a transformation or a direct look at the character's face, you can see that the Red Hulk is wearing what looks like dress pants, and has gray/salt and pepper hair. It appears likely the character's backstory will change a little, but that his alter ego as General (now President) Ross will remain in place.

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Captain America: Brave New World will also star Danny Ramirez as Joaquin Torres / Falcon, Carl Lumbly as Isaiah Bradley, Tim Blake Nelson as Samuel Sterns / The Leader, Harrison Ford as General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross, Liv Tyler as Betty Ross, and Shira Haas as Sabra. Xosha Roquemore, Rosa Salazar, and Giancarlo Esposito have been cast in currently-unknown roles, with Esposito recently being added to the film in reshoots. Captain America: Brave New World is directed by Julius Onah (The Cloverfield Paradox, Luce), with a script from The Falcon and the Winter Soldier showrunner Malcolm Spellman, as well as Dalan Musson and Matthew Orton.

Captain America: Brave New World is currently scheduled to be released exclusively in theaters on February 14, 2025.

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