Marvel's The Incredible Hulk Introduced And Forgot A New Villain – Until Now

If you want to split hairs (and who doesn't?), the Marvel Cinematic Universe didn't begin in earnest until the release of Jon Favreau's "Iron Man 2" in 2010. That film was made after Disney purchased the film rights to thousands of Marvel Comics characters in late August of 2009. Two previous films were then grandfathered into the series ex post facto. Indeed, the germ to make an Avengers feature film began with a credits cookie at the end of Favreau's 2008 film "Iron Man," wherein Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) appeared to recruit the title hero into the Avengers Initiative. At the time, that was merely a cute in-joke for Marvel fans and not a declaration of purpose.

2008 also saw the release of Louis Leterrier's "The Incredible Hulk" starring Edward Norton as the title character. That film was seen at the time as an action-forward antidote to Ang Lee's more cerebral "Hulk" from five years prior. "The Incredible Hulk," playfully lifting an idea from "Iron Man," featured a cameo from Robert Downey, Jr. as Tony Stark, linking the two films. By the time "Iron Man 2" was released, linking material became of paramount importance to the series, and thus began a 15-year-long film and TV series that has dominated the popular consciousness. It's notable that the Hulk was re-cast post-2009, and Mark Ruffalo played the part in subsequent films. The recasting forced "The Incredible Hulk" into persona non grata territory, rarely regarded on the same level as the more successful films that followed. 

As the MCU has progressed, however, certain elements have been pulled from "The Incredible Hulk" and folded into the main narrative of the media franchise. This means that the semi-canonical film can now be accepted as a central part of the series. Let me explain. 

Firstly, "The Incredible Hulk" was already referenced in a few films along the way. For one, the character of Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross, as played by William Hurt, would appear later in "Captain America: Civil War" as a newly ascended Secretary of State. It was Ross who wisely suggested that superheroes should be beholden to governmental oversight. Ross would also appear briefly in "Avengers: Endgame." Hurt died in 2021 at the age of 71, and Ross will subsequently be played by Harrison Ford in "Captain America: Brave New World" and "Thunderbolts," both due for release in 2024

Additionally: the character of Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth), aka the Abomination, appeared in CGI form in Destin Daniel Cretton's 2021 film "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings." The title character of that film discovered an underground superhero boxing ring, and the Abomination — more or less an evil twin of the Hulk — was seen fistfighting with the wizard Wong (Benedict Wong). Roth voiced that version of the Abomination but was not credited. Roth would also return in human form in an episode of "She-Hulk: Attorney at Law," arguing that his escapes from prison to fight in said boxing matches were against his will. He's legally covered. 

Also: it was announced at the 2022 D23 Disney press event that Tim Blake Nelson will appear in "Brave New World" reprising his role as Samuel Sterns, "The Incredible Hulk" character who aided both the Hulk and the Abomination with their chemical treatments that made them into outsized monsters. Hulk = Mr. Green. Sterns = Mr. Blue. 

But Marvel fans will also know Sterns as the man who will eventually transform into the big-brained, green-skinned supervillain called the Leader.

Indeed, the last time we saw Sterns, some tainted Hulk chemicals were seen dripping into a head wound he received during a lab accident. His head most certainly began to swell. Had "The Incredible Hulk" been a bigger hit, it's likely that the Leader would have served as a villain in the sequel. Bucking tradition, "The Incredible Hulk" was folded into a larger film series, and the rest is history. 

The Leader first appeared in the pages of Marvel's "Tales to Astonish" in 1962, and served largely as a Hulk villain. The idea was that the Hulk had a powerful body but no mind, and the Leader had a powerful mind, but an average body. At first, the Leader merely wanted to take over the United States government, but his ambitions eventually expanded to absorbing all knowledge in the universe. In one continuity, the Leader found a machine that would fulfill exactly that goal, but the information overload killed him. There is also a Marvel Comics story that teamed the Leader up with "Thunderbolt" Ross. To speculate: it may be the story that "Brave New World" will draw from. It's likely that the Leader will come to blows with Captain America (Anthony Mackie) himself. 

It's also entirely possible that the Leader's role as a central villain in the MCU will be expanded. The actor who plays Kang the Conqueror, Jonathan Majors, was recently accused of assault, and plans to make the character central to the MCU may have to be altered. The Leader may as well take his place. 

It would be wise to tone down the multiverse shenanigans anyway.