Thaddeus Ross (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

Thaddeus Ross is a fictional character originally portrayed by William Hurt and subsequently by Harrison Ford in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film franchise, based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. He is first depicted as a United States Armed Forces lieutenant general and the father of Betty Ross, with whom he has had a complex relationship.

Ross leads the manhunt for Bruce Banner and inadvertently helps create the Abomination. After retiring from the military, Ross becomes the Secretary of State, and presents the Avengers with the Sokovia Accords leading to their disbandment. After falling victim to the Blip and being revived, Ross is elected as the President of the United States which puts him at odds with Sam Wilson. Ross turns into a Red Hulk after ingesting gamma-radiated pills from Samuel Sterns, which leads to the destruction of the White House. He later stands down as president and is incarcerated in the Raft.

Hurt portrayed Ross in ''The Incredible Hulk'' (2008), '' The Consultant'' (2011), '' Captain America: Civil War'' (2016), '' Avengers: Infinity War'' (2018), '' Avengers: Endgame'' (2019) and '' Black Widow'' (2021). After Hurt's death in 2022, Ford subsequently portrayed the character in '' Captain America: Brave New World'' (2025). Both Hurt and Ford have received generally positive reviews for their respective roles as Ross. Alternate versions of the character appear in various Disney+ animated series, voiced by both Michael Patrick McGill and Travis Willingham.

Concept and casting

In late 2006, Marvel Studios announced on their website that their next project would be a reboot of ''Hulk'' (2003), set for release in 2008. By June 2007, American actor William Hurt was cast to play the comic character Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross in the film, eventually titled ''The Incredible Hulk'' (2008). ''The Hollywood Reporter'' reported that movie would see Ross dedicating his life to capturing the Hulk, who was set to be played by American actor Edward Norton. Sam Elliott, who portrayed Ross in the 2003 film expressed disappointment at being replaced stating he wished Marvel would "have considered using some of the 2003 cast". Despite this, he praised the new cast and added that he approved of Hurt's casting. Hurt went on to portray the character in the films, '' Captain America: Civil War'' (2016), '' Avengers: Infinity War'' (2018), '' Avengers: Endgame'' (2019) and '' Black Widow'' (2021).

Hurt died on March 13, 2022. MCU producer Nate Moore noted that there were plans to turn Ross into his comic counterpart, the Red Hulk, which was told to Hurt before his death and reportedly excited him. After his death, Moore noted that Marvel began to reevaluate how to proceed with Ross's story or come up with a new plot until American actor Harrison Ford reached out to Kevin Feige about potentially appearing in a MCU film. The role was announced to be recast in October 2022 with Ford replacing Hurt in '' Captain America: Brave New World'' (2025). In an interview with ''Entertainment Weekly'', Ford called the idea of replacing Hurt a "daunting prospect", adding that it's a "delicate thing to think about, stepping into the shoes of someone else that has played a character so successfully and so treasured by the Marvel universe ..I had the emotional opportunities to continue what he had done and bring it to some kind of conclusion".

Characterization

Depictions and appearances

The character, played by William Hurt, first appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film ''The Incredible Hulk'' (2008) as a high-ranking military officer who was obsessed with recreating the serum that gave Steve Rogers his abilities. Scientist Dr. Bruce Banner uses gamma radiation to try and achieve results, which accidentally transforms him into a monster nicknamed the Hulk. ''Screen Rant'' writer Richard Craig noted that Ross saw the Hulk as a "potential weapon". Ross is portrayed as one of the film's antagonists hunting Banner down, and later recruits British Royal Marine Emil Blonsky to take an alternate version of Banner's serum which turns him into the Abomination. Hurt later reprised his role for the Marvel One-Shot '' The Consultant'' (2011) via archival footage from the final scene of ''The Incredible Hulk''.

After eight years, Hurt next appeared as Ross in '' Captain America: Civil War'' (2016). On his role, Hurt called it a "new iteration completely", describing Ross as mature and less like the comic book version. The film saw Ross transitioning from a military officer into politics, becoming the United States Secretary of State, and presenting the Avengers with the Sokovia Accords, a legislation designed to regulate superheroes. Ross's crackdown on the Avengers lead to a rift between Steve Rogers and Tony Stark and the subsequent breaking apart of the team. Director Joe Russo noted that Red Hulk was considered for the movie, but was decided against due to the excess amount of characters in the narrative. In 2017, director James Gunn expressed interest in making a film featuring both Red Hulk and the Hulk, but due to conflicts with Universal Pictures over the film rights, the film never project never entered development. Ross's appointment as Secretary of State was also covered in the second season of the faux digital series ''WHIH Newsfront'' (2016) as promotion for ''Captain America: Civil War''.

Hurt went on to reprise the role in '' Avengers: Infinity War'' (2018) and '' Avengers: Endgame'' (2019). The former saw him enforcing the Accords on James Rhodes, while the latter saw him attending Tony Stark's funeral after falling victim to the Blip. Screenwriter Christopher Markus also stated that the writers briefly considered bringing Ross as Red Hulk in ''Endgame''. Hurt appeared as Ross in '' Black Widow'' (2021) which saw the character pursuing Natasha Romanoff for violating the Accords. On his character, Hurt noted that there was a "fatigue setting" in Ross after trying to control the Avengers, adding that Ross "imagined, back when he was contending with Hulk, that he was the conquering soldier going around the world, but things have gotten more complex and difficult". Despite this, Hurt felt that the character still had a "sense of dignity" but that "he's the soldier on the last hill at this point".

In '' Captain America: Brave New World'', Ross, now played by Harrison Ford after Hurt's death, has been elected the President of the United States (POTUS). During the film, Ross clashes with the new Captain America, Sam Wilson, after an assassination attempt. Ross becomes the Red Hulk after ingesting gamma pills given to him by Samuel Sterns. As the Red Hulk, Ross destroys the White House, fights Captain America (who talks and calms him down), and is later imprisoned in the superhuman prison, the Raft. Additionally in the film, Ross's security advisor, Ruth Bat-Seraph is a former Black Widow assassin, in which ''Collider'' writer Gregory Mysogland noted that this implied Ross "helped neutralize the Red Room after omanoffpublicly exposed it and freed the other Widows", which "explains how he and at-Seraphjoined forces". In 2022, there were conflicting reports about Ford being set to reprise his role in ''Thunderbolts*'' (2025), with ''The Hollywood Reporter'' reporting that he would, while ''Variety'' reported that he would not. By 2024, various media outlets suggested that Ford would not be appearing the film. After the film's release, writer Eric Pearson noted in an interview that early versions of his script included Ross's Red Hulk as the villain, but was cut out due to similarities to ''Brave New World''.

Relationship with Betty

In ''The Incredible Hulk'', Ross's daughter, Dr. Elizabeth "Betty" Ross, helps create the primer that allowed Bruce Banner to "absorb gamma radiation" which ultimately turned him into the Hulk. After Banner's transformation, Ross's character arc focuses on him chasing the Hulk, which puts him at odds with Betty as she is in love with Banner. Betty opposes her father which causes friction and tension between the two, and they subsequently become estranged. Betty's actress, Liv Tyler, noted that Ross and Betty have "had a very painful and difficult relationship. She doesn't speak to him because he kind of destroyed her life".

Throughout ''Captain America: Brave New World'', Ross is shown trying to reconnect with Betty, now his estranged daughter. Cherry blossoms serve as a recurring motif in the film symbolizing Ross and Betty's father-daughter bond, recalling their visits to Japan during Betty's childhood; this memory ultimately brings an end to Ross's rampage as the Red Hulk. Ross and Betty's relationship has been described as the heart of the film, with director Julius Onah saying that Betty represented a "human side" to Ross. The biggest motivating factor for Ross becoming president was seeking reconciliation with Betty, as it was Ross proving to her that he had "turned a new leaf". Talking on '' The Official Marvel Podcast'', Onah noted that in the film, the relationship between Ross and Betty is a huge part of the former simultaneously "trying to cement his legacy" and redefine his identity as both a person and a leader.

A now-deleted alternate ending to the film was also filmed which saw Betty attending a funeral, likely that of Ross after his battle as the Red Hulk with Wilson. However, Onah noted that they never filmed a version of the movie where he "explicitly died", but rather left his fate ambiguous.

Special effects for the Red Hulk

In ''Captain America: Brave New World'', Ross's transformation into the Red Hulk required motion capture and visual effects (VFX) technology, which Ford embraced after having utilised de-aging effects for his role in ''Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny'' (2023). The visual development team for Red Hulk was led by Ryan Meinerding alongside the New Zealand–based digital VFX company, Wētā FX. Wētā FX was involved in making Red Hulk resemble Ford with CGI, which required filming him giving an "angry performance" at Trilith Studios. Speaking to ''Variety'', Ford noted that the motion capture process required him to be "an idiot for money, which e haddone before". He clarified that he did not mean to "disparage" it, but added that "you have to do certain things that normally your mother would not want you to do — or your acting coach, if you had one", but noted that he had fun doing so.

While the VFX for Banner's green Hulk was based on apes and gorillas, Ford's Red Hulk was based on a bear, with Onah stating that they wanted Red Hulk "to have a slightly different posture" and a "different way he held his chest out". Wētā FX brought in a bodybuilder as reference to see how Red Hulk's muscles would move. They also utilised their "Loki state machine" to model a new high-resolution muscle set, and to help show "bones breaking, reforming, driving under the skin, vein detail, and clothes ripping and disintegrating". Onah noted that a key inspiration for Red Hulk's transformation was ''An American Werewolf in London'' (1981).

In the film, Ford's portrayal of Ross is noticeably missing the character's signature moustache. ''Screen Rant'' writer Kai Young noted that "VFX artists may have struggled to properly animate the Red Hulk with Ross' mustache, or this could have simply looked too silly to bring into live-action, so getting rid of it meant that the Red Hulk's emergence wasn't a comedic affair".

Comparisons to Donald Trump

Some fans and critics compared President Ross to that of real-life American President Donald Trump. ''Reason'' writer Peter Suderman called Ross a "loose allegory" for Trump, opining that despite the film being shot before the 2024 United States presidential election where Trump won a second term, it was not hard to overlook any parallels. He felt the movie was a warning for the "perils of supercharged executive power" running amok. Writing for the same publication, writer Matthew Rosza opined that "Trump, at his worst, is easily the inferior of Marvel's Ross since his motivation for not accepting the election results was pure ego", and noted that while Ross gave up his power in the end, Trump "refused to do the right thing". David Fear, writing for ''Rolling Stone'', joked that Ross is "still only the second-most destructive, rage-filled commander in chief to ever hold office".

The assassination attempt on President Ross by Isaiah Bradley was compared to the attempted assassination of Donald Trump by Thomas Matthew Crooks, which occurred two days after the ''Captain America: Brave New World'' trailer was released. ''Screen Rant'' writer Kevin Erdmann found the situation "bizarre" feeling that it was not "hard to draw parallels", but did add that it was not the first time a ''Captain America'' film referenced real life situations, remembering a pandemic-related subplot of ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'' (2021) being deleted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Some compared Ross's international treaty to Trump's " America First" policies, which cancelled federal diversity programs and ultimately pulled the US out of "out of international treaties and threatened America's allies". Ross destroying the White House as the Red Hulk was linked with the January 6 United States Capitol attack, while Suderman also noted similarities between Samuel Sterns and his manipulation of Ross, to that of Elon Musk's relationship with Trump.

In an ''Esquire'' interview, Anthony Mackie denounced the comparisons noting that he is "tired of all the political jousting", urging fans to "chill" and go watch the movie. Ford also commented on the comparisons, noting he "would not taint any movie with the reality of the world we're living in right now", adding he "prefers the reality of the Marvel universe to the morning's news".

Differences from the comics

Original derivations

In the mainstream comics set in the Marvel Universe (Earth-616), Ross's comic counterpart, Thunderbolt Ross, made his debut in ''The Incredible Hulk'' #1 (1962) and was primarily depicted as a villain for the Hulk. In ''Hulk'' #1 (2008), Red Hulk made its appearance, but it was not until ''World War Hulk'' (2010) that the Red Hulk was revealed as Ross. Ross has been well received in the comics, being ranked at number 71 by IGN on their list of the "Greatest Comic Book Villains of All Time".

There are various differences between the MCU and comic version of the Red Hulk. In the comics, the Red Hulk's body functions as a "living heat generator", being able to generate enough heat to often melt metal, as his temperature rises proportionally with his anger. ''Brave New World'' incorporated these elements from the comics with the Red Hulk's transformation being "accompanied by fiery particles ..with nearby materials visibly charred from the intense heat", but the film itself does not address these thermal abilities. Red Hulk also had the power to absorb energy which was not present in the film. Additionally, in the comics, Ross transformed into Red Hulk with the help of Intelligencia headed by MODOK, while in the MCU, Samuel Sterns gave him his powers through gamma-radiated pills. In the comics, despite being depicted as a villain, Red Hulk has appeared as member of the Avengers, and has lead the Thunderbolts, a team composed of various antiheroes including the Punisher and Elektra.

Nicknames

In the comics and in other various media, Ross as a character has had various titles and nicknames, most notably nicknamed "Thunderbolt". However, in the MCU, it is not fully addressed or explained, except as a "cool nickname that adds to his legendary military status". George opined that the nickname may have derived from his rise into becoming the US President "with a reputation as a war-mongering hot-head". Contrastingly, in the comics, Ross earned the name during a fight in the South Pacific "for his tendency to strike like thunder". In ''Brave New World'', Ross also earned the "insult ng nickname "Hulk Hunter" for his relentless chase of Bruce Banner, and his unintentional creation of the Abomination and its subsequent battle with the Hulk.

Fictional character biography

Early life and military career

Thaddeus Ross joined the United States Army and served during the Vietnam War. Ross worked his way up the American military, eventually becoming a three-starred lieutenant general. He married Karen Lee who later died, but not before the two had a daughter named Betty Ross. Ross often took Betty, as a young girl, to see the cherry blossom trees in Japan.

Sometime before 2010, Ross became involved in a military research program, Project Gamma Pulse, aimed at replicating the Super Soldier Serum, which was created by Doctor Abraham Erskine in World War II to create the super soldier Captain America. Doctors Bruce Banner and Betty become involved in the project believing gamma radiation to be the answer to Erskine's original formula. During an experiment, Ross and Betty watch as Banner transforms into the Hulk. The Hulk kills two scientists, knocks Betty unconscious, crushes Ross's left arm and escapes. Ross blames Banner (who goes into hiding) for the incident and vows to hunt him down, causing a rift between himself and Betty.

Hunting down Bruce Banner

In 2010, Ross becomes aware that Banner is hiding out in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He recruits a team of soldiers, including British Royal Marine Emil Blonsky, to bring Banner in tranquillised, but does not divulge information about Banner's condition to them. After arriving in Brazil, Ross watches on a computer inside a van as the team attempts to capture Banner who turns into the Hulk killing various soldiers, and escapes. Ross later informs an angry Blonsky of Banner's condition, and offers him a similar serum, gaining enhanced abilities.

Ross tracks Banner to Culver University where Banner has reunited with Betty. As Ross and his army attempt to capture Banner in his Hulk form, Betty begs her father to stop. Ross watches as Blonsky is subsequently kicked by the Hulk across the university's field, breaking every bone in his body. Banner escapes with Betty. Blonsky survives his injuries with the help of Ross's first serum, and allows him to be injected with more. Ross tracks Banner and Betty down trying to cure Banner with the help of Samuel Sterns, and takes them into custody. Unbeknownst to Ross, Blonsky coerces Sterns to further enhance his strength. Sterns transforms Blonsky into a monstrous " Abomination", who goes on a rampage around Harlem. Ross reluctantly allows Banner to transform into the Hulk to stop him. After the Hulk defeats Blonsky, Ross watches him escape one last time while Betty vows to never speak to her father again.

Ross is later approached in a bar by Tony Stark, acting as a consultant for S.H.I.E.L.D., who informs him that a team is being put together. Ross attempts to have Stark removed from the bar and refuses to release Blonsky into S.H.I.E.L.D. custody. Sometime after, Ross uses Sterns as a scapegoat, blaming him for the Harlem incident. He imprisons Sterns in an underground military base called Camp Echo One, and forces him to use his perception of probabilities into making advanced weapons and gaining strategies to further advance his career; Ross promises to release Sterns if he gets elected president.

Secretary of State and the Sokovia Accords

By 2016, Ross had suffered from a heart attack and underwent thirteen hours of a triple bypass surgery, and consequently retires from the military. He is appointed as the United States Secretary of State by President Matthew Ellis. He visits the Avengers Compound and presents the Avengers with the Sokovia Accords, a set of legal documents signed by 117 countries, designed to regulate the activities of powered individuals such as themselves. He gives Stark thirty-six hours to bring Rogers in for violating the Accords by aiding Bucky Barnes who was a suspect in a terrorist bombing at the United Nations. After Stark brings in Rogers's allies ( Sam Wilson, Wanda Maximoff, Clint Barton and Scott Lang), Ross locks them up in the Raft, a maximum security prison designed to hold enhanced people.

Sometime after the Avengers Civil War, Ross undergoes a second triple bypass surgery, and is now dying from heart failure. Running out of hope, Ross reapproaches Sterns who develops pills to keep him alive. Ross refuses to release Sterns for fear that he would no longer make the pills. Unbeknownst to Ross, Sterns then alters the pills and adds gamma radiation wanting to destroy Ross and his legacy. Ross later pursues Natasha Romanoff who is in violation of the Accords for assisting Rogers. Ross tracks Romanoff down to a train station with a SWAT team, only to find her tracker. He later tracks her down to the destruction of the Red Room which Romanoff orchestrated. Sometime after, Ross becomes aquatinted with a former Black Widow assassin, Ruth Bat-Seraph. Later, Ross attempts to contact Stark about Rogers and Romanoff breaking into the Raft to free their allies; Stark puts Ross on hold, much to his annoyance.

In 2018, Ross contacts James Rhodes at the Avengers Compound about the disappearance of Vision. After seeing Vision brought in by Rogers, Wilson, Romanoff, and Maximoff, he orders Rhodes to arrest them. When Rhodes refuses, Ross responds by placing him under court-martial. Ross later falls victim to the Blip. In 2023, Ross is revived and attends Stark's funeral.

President of the United States

In November 2026, Ross is elected as the President of the United States, and is upset when his daughter, Betty, does not attend his inauguration. In response to the emergence of a "Celestial Island" in the Indian Ocean, Ross sets up an international treaty with Japan, India and France to govern the mining and distribution of a rare metal inside the island known as Adamantium.

In 2027, Ross sends the newly appointed Captain America, Sam Wilson, and Joaquin Torres to Oaxaca, Mexico to stop the criminal organization Serpent from selling stolen refined samples of Adamantium. Ross later invites Wilson, Torres and Isaiah Bradley to a summit at the White House with various world leaders. During the meeting, Bradley and four other men attempt to assassinate Ross. Wilson, Torres and Bat-Seraph, now Ross's security advisor, manage to stop them and arrest Bradley, who denies any knowledge of the attack.

Ross subsequently faces difficulties with the world leaders, who no longer believe he can save the treaty. He flies to Japan, with Secret Service agent Leila Taylor, to speak to the Prime Minister of Japan, Ozaki. Taylor informs Ross that Wilson and Torres have gone off-grid, with Ross ordering her to apprehend them. He receives a call from Sterns who reveals he is behind the assassination attempts, and threatens to make Betty despise him even more; Ross sends Bat-Seraph to Camp Echo One to stop Sterns. Once in Japan, Ozaki refuses to uphold the treaty and accuses Ross of having sent Serpent to steal the Adamantium. When the intel is proven true, Ross leads the United States Army at Celestial Island in a race to acquire Adamantium before Ozaki.

Wilson, Torres and Bat-Seraph, now having joined forces, arrive on the ship to stop Ross from advancing on the Island, now knowing Sterns is behind the conflict. Ross tells Wilson of his heart failures, revealing that Sterns saved his life and that he still wanted to repair his relationship with Betty. Ross becomes angry after another phone call with Sterns, although he calms down after Wilson and Torres manage to stop two pilots that Sterns had brainwashed from declaring war on the Japanese. With the conflict resolved, Ross returns to Washington, DC, and rings Betty; the two share a heartfelt phone call.

During a press conference, Ross loses control of his emotions after being hounded by the press, and turns into a Red Hulk due to the excess gamma radiation in his body from Sterns's pills. Wilson arrives and fights the Red Hulk who destroys the White House and the surrounding DC monuments and landscape. Unable to overpower the Red Hulk, Wilson attempts to calm him down by reminding him of visits to DC's cherry blossom trees with Betty. After being talked down by Wilson, Ross reverts to normal, takes full responsibility for his actions and stands down as president. He is incarcerated at the Raft where he reunites with Betty.

Alternate versions

Multiple alternate versions of Ross are depicted in the MCU multiverse, voiced by Michael Patrick McGill ('' What If...?'') and Travis Willingham (''Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man'').

''What If...?''

*In an alternate 2010, Ross leads the United States Army at Culver University in order to capture Banner. He finds Banner with Betty Ross and Natasha Romanoff who both try to stop Ross from attacking. During the chaos, a soldier accidentally shoots Banner turning him into the Hulk. Unbeknownst to everyone else, a revenge-driven angry Yellowjacket / Hank Pym enters Banner's body and enlarges his heart with Pym Particles. Ross watches in horror as Banner explodes.
*In another alternate universe, Ross is made aware of the murder of Tony Stark, apparently at the hands of the Wakandans. He seizes Stark's assets despite protests from Pepper Potts. Ross puts the Stark Liberator Drones into production, and wages war on Wakanda. However, once the drones passed beyond Wakanda's protective barrier, their signals were disrupted before being destroyed by the Wakandan army and a traitorous Erik Stevens.
*In an alternate 2015, Ross watches as Infinity Ultron launches all of Earth's Nuclear weapons on itself, leading to the extinction of the human race.

Other universes

*In an alternate 2016, Ross attends a charity diner in support of an incident in Lagos. He is approached by Norman Osborn who asks him how the search for Steve Rogers is going. Ross refuses to comment. Osborn brags about his security before Ross notices an intruder alarm on Osborn's tablet, suggesting Osborn focus on his own security. Ross later receives intel from Osborn about Otto Octavius illegally distributing Gamma-infused weaponry. Ross orders a raid on Octavius' lab, and calls on Iron Man to help stop him.

Reception

Hurt's portrayal

Hurt's portrayal of Ross received a generally mixed-to-positive reception with Looper and ''BuzzFeed'' ranking him at numbers 71 and 36 respectively in their list of worst to best MCU villains. For his role in ''The Incredible Hulk'' (2008), ''BuzzFeed News'' writer Adam Vary noted that Hurt is "never not interesting" but the character was often "so all over the place that there's not much there for urt

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