One of Marvel Comics' most powerful villains is making his debut Captain America: New World Order, facing Sam Wilson. The Red Hulk, which is exactly what its name suggests, will soon be taking down the Sentinel of Liberty on the White House lawn. But the character he became Red Hulk, General Rosshas been around since 1962. Here's the comic book history of the Red Hulk, and what it means for his future MCU.
The origins of The Red Hulk (as General Thunderbolt Ross)
Long before he was the Red Hulk, General Thadeus “Thunderbolt” Ross was a thorn in the side of the Incredible Hulk. It first appeared in The Incredible Hulk Number 1, and therefore, is the brainchild of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. Since his inception, Ross has been portrayed as a grumpy, happy-go-lucky member of the US military. He was the product of generations of his family serving in the military, dating back to the Civil War.
Ross was the military attache to the gamma bomb project in New Mexico that turned scientist Bruce Banner into the Hulk. It bothered him that Dr. Banner, a scientist, had the final say on the project over him, a decorated officer. Since then, he had a single-minded obsession with capturing the Hulk. All of this is complicated by the fact that his daughter Betty was the love of Banner's life. If any villain tops the pantheon of Hulk adversaries, it's Ross.
General Ross, Hulk's archnemesis
In the early days, Ross was described as a World War II veteran, now an Air Force general. He was excessively jingoistic and hated the scientist banner for being a “weak”. He despised his daughter's crush on him, hoping she would marry a military man. When Banner became the Hulk, he would do anything to get him inside. He allied himself with villains such as Abomination and the Leader, essentially committing treason, all in an effort to defeat the Jade Giant, which he saw as a manifestation of his failure. Ross was in charge of one effort to bring down the Hulk after another, leading Operation: Greenskin, operating out of the Hulkbuster base.
The Death and Rebirth of Thunderbolt Ross
Ross spent years using his military muscle to try and stop the Hulk, but to no avail. At one point, Ross even merged with Zzzax's energy to try and stop the Hulk himself. His most heinous act came when he came to Bruce and Betty's wedding with a gun, intending to shoot Bruce Banner, instead of shooting Banner's depowered friend Rick Jones. He finally realizes that he's been wrong about Bruce all these years and helps him fight a mutant threat with the last of his Zzzax powers. He dies in the arms of his daughter Betty, finally giving the couple his blessing. In the Marvel Universe, however, death is rarely the end.
Ross is first brought back to life by the Leader with gamma energy, where he becomes his puppet. Eventually breaking free of this control with some alien help, he returns to his position in the US Air Force. For many years, he remains a background character. He even befriends (to an extent) Bruce Banner, until his beloved daughter apparently dies of gamma poisoning, due to his proximity to the Hulk. His hatred of the Hulk then resumes unabated. It was 45 years after his creation, however, that Ross underwent his biggest transformation as a Marvel character, when he became the Red Hulk.
The first appearance and origin of Red Hulk
The Red Hulk first appeared in hulk #1, in 2008. This red Hulk was the creation of writer Jeph Loeb and artist Ed McGuinness, with the intention of giving the Hulk a true physical counterpart. The true identity of this crimson doppelgänger with the Hulk was a mystery to readers, which Marvel revealed for a long time. Red Hulk came through many of the Hulk's usual enemies, killing the Abomination and Wendigo, proving that he was just as strong as the green one. He even shot down a SHIELD Hellicarrier. Unlike Hulk, who often displayed limited intelligence, Red Hulk was intelligent and cunning from the start. For two years, Red Hulk's true identity was a secret.
How the Red Hulk got his powers
In 2010, a hulk #23, Marvel revealed the truth about Red Hulk. The supervillain MODOK had given General Ross the powers of the Hulk, using the Intelligentsia organization to create a new supersoldier program, recreating the accident that gave Banner his powers. Although previous stories had shown Red Hulk killing General Ross as a way to throw readers off the hook, they eventually revealed that Ross was an artificial life model.
Why is the Red Hulk red?
MODOK combined gamma radiation with cosmic rays to give Ross powers, which gave the Fantastic Four their powers. The cosmic ray part of the process caused Ross to turn red, not green, as it replaced the gamma part of the equation.
Is Red Hulk stronger than Green Hulk?
Red Hulk's powers are almost identical to Hulk's. Unlike the Green Hulk, however, Red Hulk can also emit heat from his eyes. While Banner Hulk gets stronger the angrier he gets, Red Hulk's body temperature rises with his anger, creating a heat that rivals that of the Human Torch. It has the power to absorb different types of energy, including gamma radiation. However, this extra power has a downside. Unlike Banner, Red Hulk can never revert to his human form as it would kill him instantly. Due to the cosmic rays of his creation, Red Hulk has, in the past, had the ability to absorb Galactus' cosmic power, albeit for a temporary period of time.
Is Red Hulk a villain or a hero?
In his early appearances, Red Hulk was definitely a villain. Aside from killing Abomination and Wendigo, he fought Hulk and Thor. Eventually, he reformed and became a hero again. He joined the Avengers, at the request of Captain America, and later, the Thunderbolts. The team isn't actually named after “Thunderbolt” Ross, but it was a nice coincidence anyway. He has fought (mostly) on the good side ever since.
General Ross in the MCU
In the MCU, William Hurt originally portrayed Thunderbolt Ross The Incredible Hulk. He repeated the role Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgamei black widow. He was portrayed as a military general a The Incredible Hulk, with the same ability he had in the comics. For the later MCU movies, he was Secretary of State and someone who sought legislation against superpowered agents like the Avengers. Despite his conflict with the heroes, he was last seen at Tony Stark's funeral end game
President Ross becomes the Red Hulk Captain America: Brave New World
For Captain America: Brave New World, Harrison Ford replaces the late William Hurt. He is now the President of the United States, looking to get Captain America back as a government agent. We don't know how or why, but it looks like President Ross will end up becoming the Red Hulk in this movie, likely with the help of the leader, a Tim Blake Nelson returning from 2008. The Incredible Hulk. At some point, the Hulk will face Captain America himself. Harrison Ford is expected to return to the film thrones too.
