Ever since William Hurt's return as Thaddeus Ross was announced for Captain America: Civil War, fans have wondered what exactly the general’s role will be in the 2016 blockbuster. Earlier this month, it was reported that Ross would turn into Red Hulk. Although that rumor has yet to be confirmed, Hurt already has something to say on the matter.
While plugging his new AMC series, Humans, The Wall Street Journal asked Hurt whether we would see Ross following in the footsteps of his comic book counterpart and turn big and red. Pointing out that the MCU Ross is not the same as the "graphic novel" version, Hurt responded:
I don't know, I wouldn't mind feeling like I had that much power. But I created Thaddeus originally as an ego the same size as the monsters. With the same degree of messed up-ness. Yeah, I'd love to have a shot at it.
Not seen since 2008’s The Incredible Hulk, Hurt recently admitted that the Ross we’ll see in Captain America: Civil War is a new version of the character that’s much different, but that doesn’t necessarily translate to, "I’m going to turn into a giant, red rage monster." For all we know, after failing to catch The Hulk and drowning his sorrows in booze, his ego might have significantly diminished, and he’s not the same man that was hellbent on catching his proverbial "white whale." On the other hand, maybe he is still the arrogant bastard we remember, and now he’s directing his attention towards making sure all superpowered beings are registered and supervised. Whatever the case, although Hurt seems open to the idea, it’s questionable whether we’ll actually see this happen.
Let’s look at what we have in Captain America: Civil War the film so far: a conflict between nearly all of the MCU’s superheroes, both new and established, as well as the titular character taking on Baron Zemo and Crossbones. There is already a lot for the protagonists to deal with, and throwing Red Hulk into the mix feels like overkill. Although they’re hesitant to do so right now, Marvel is capable of making more Hulk films in the future, so Red Hulk might be something they should save for whenever the Green Goliath gets to go on his own adventures again. He has the same standard strength levels as Hulk (though instead of growing stronger as he gets angrier, Red Hulk gives off more heat), and, like Abomination, he retains his intelligence while transformed, so he would be a worthy nemesis. Captain America has enough to contend with next year, so keep Red Hulk in the arsenal.
You can see Ross alongside the rest of Captain America: Civil War’s gigantic cast when the film hits theaters on May 6, 2016.
