Somehow, the news slipped through the cracks over the last few months, detailing a massive Captain America: Brave New World spoiler, and it's a doozy. Continue reading at your discretion.
At the Santa Barbara International Film Festival earlier this year, a panelist asked Ruffalo if he'd be reprising his role as Big Green in Brave New World. The veteran MCU actor didn't offer a concrete answer but nodded in suggested agreement. While no other sources have been able to confirm Ruffalo's casting, his inclusion should be a given at this point since several characters from the Hulk's corner of the Marvel universe are returning.
Alongside Thunderbolt Ross, his daughter, Betty Ross (Liv Tyler), is returning for the first time since 2008's The Incredible Hulk. Her part in the story is still unknown. Set photos, however, show Betty at a funeral. Perhaps it's for her father following Brave New World's big action scenes, but that would mean the country is in disarray without a president. The more likely explanation is Betty loses a friend during the first attack on the White House, and the funeral photos are for said person. Or maybe she's there at her father's behest. Both are plausible scenarios that could explain her role.
In addition to the Ross family, The Leader (Tim Blake Nelson) will shine for the first time. Samuel Sterns began his megalomaniac transformation in The Incredible Hulk, but he's only now making his presence known. And while his plans remain a mystery, Sterns has something diabolical in the works.
What's interesting is The Leader's ultimate goal. With a covert plot to overthrow the American government slowly emerging, The Leader is presumably manipulating pieces to position himself in a top role alongside SHIELD Director Fontaine and SWORD Director Hayward. Both Directors have meticulously crafted facades for the public, while their most recent actions prove they're involved in a dark plot. Val, for example, has arrested Everett Ross for supposedly treasonous crimes despite knowing he's acted in the country's best interest. She's also formed the Thunderbolts out of several high-profile assassins, including Bucky Barnes and Yelena Belova. And Hayward's attempt to manufacture a controllable version of Vision would've led to another Ultron fiasco. Altogether, they might become a version of The Intelligencia.
Getting back to the Leader, he could be playing the long game. Maybe he's setting Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) up for a showdown with Red Hulk—except the maniacal villain knows Hulk will have to lend a hand since Wilson is ill-equipped to fight a gamma monster. Said scenario would then present Sterns with an opportunity to create his gamma-infused soldiers.
Sterns has been obsessed with Banner's physiology since he first entered the fray, enough so that he may be interested in siphoning gamma energy from the Hulk. His comic counterpart has a history of manufacturing gamma soldiers, lending credence to claims of him trapping the Hulk for his biological material. It's worth noting that when The Leader reformed The Intelligencia in the comics, he turned Thaddeus Ross into Red Hulk and Rick Jones into A-Bomb.
While Ross' super origin still hasn't been confirmed, The Leader convincing him to take a serum sounds plausible. Ross has retained an obsession of his own, which is to weaponize the Hulk formula. So, in the scenario of being offered a complete serum, Ross probably accepted with a gleeful smile. Keep in mind that the source of Thaddeus' gamma powers could turn out to be different. It may even get forced upon him unwillingly.
With the knowledge that Isaiah Bradley gets brainwashed or reprogrammed to attack President Ross in Brave New World, turning the country's leader into a gamma creature could serve as another attack on the administration. Being vulnerable to attack from the inside would sow doubt in the government's ability to protect its citizens. Then, combined with the knowledge that President Ross is a Hulk, the country would fall into disarray. The movie's title—Brave New World—implies the status quo changes at some point. Maybe it all ends with the government's destruction. The movie's final trailer does, after all, show an explosion wrecking the White House.
Whatever the case is with Ross and Sterns, Mark Ruffalo's Banner is still the subject of speculation. Fans have been waiting for a physical clash between the gamma behemoths since the two first butted heads in The Incredible Hulk, and now that 90 percent of the pieces are on the board, all it is lacking is one Hulk.
Do you think Mark Ruffalo will make his grand return in Captain America: Brave New World? Let us know in the comments section below.
Captain America: Brave New World premieres in theaters on February 14, 2025.