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| “ | Tell me, Captain, do you know where Thor and Banner are right now? If I misplaced a couple of thirty megaton nukes, you can bet there'd be consequences. Compromise. Reassurance. That's how the world works. | „ |
| ~ Thaddeus Ross to Steve Rogers. |
| “ | I have dedicated my entire life to serving this country. The one person who matters doesn't seem to understand. Betty never forgave me for sending the Army after Banner. I had to survive so that my daughter knew that there was more to her father. That I'm the same man that used to take her to see the cherry blossoms. | „ |
| ~ Thaddeus to Sam Wilson. |
Thaddeus E. "Thunderbolt" Ross, also known as the Red Hulk, is a major antagonist in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
He is a general of the United States Army who tries to capture and weaponize Bruce Banner after he develops into the Hulk with Gamma Radiation due to his close relationship with his daughter Betty, sending Emil Blonsky after him.
Years later, he became the Secretary of State of the United States and sought out to force the Avengers to sign the Sokovia Accords due to Ultron's actions, causing the Avengers Civil War and eventually leading to the Infinity War against Thanos. A few years later following the Blip and the defeat of Thanos from 2014, Ross succeeded President Ritson as the next President of the United States.
However his refusal to pardon Samuel Sterns prompted him to initiate a revenge campaign against Ross, and unknown to Ross The Leader had been secretly poisoning him with Gamma Radiation via the special heart medicine he had developed. The Leader successfully goaded Ross into transforming into the Red Hulk in public and went on a brutal rampage through Washington DC until he was stopped by the new Captain America, Sam Wilson.
Ross resigned his presidency after the Red Hulk incident and allowed himself to be imprisoned at the Raft to atone for what he did, but was visited by his daughter, Betty.
Quick Answers
Who does General Ross try to capture and weaponize in the MCU?
What role does Thunderbolt Ross take on years after his pursuit of Bruce Banner?
Who is Thunderbolt Ross' daughter in the Marvel Cinematic Universe?
What transformation does General Thaddeus Ross undergo in the Marvel Cinematic Universe?
What does Thunderbolt Ross try to force the Avengers to sign in the MCU?
Portrayals
- In Phase 1-4, He was portrayed by the late William Hurt, who also played Marshall in Mr. Brooks and Richie Cusack in A History of Violence.
- From Phase 5 onwards, he is portrayed by Harrison Ford, who also played Allie Fox in The Mosquito Coast and Norman Spencer in What Lies Beneath.
- In What If...?, he was voiced by Michael Patrick McGill.
- In Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, he was voiced by Travis Willingham.
Biography
Past
A young Thaddeus Ross returned to America at the age of 27, having joined the military and participated in the Vietnam War. Over the years he rose to the rank of a three-star general, and also had a daughter named Elizabeth, who eventually went by the nickname, Betty.
Thaddeus Ross was involved in an Army research and development program intended to recreate the "Super Soldier Serum" first developed by Abraham Erskine in World War II to combat Adolf Hitler and the Nazis. The project was known as the Bio-Tech Force Enhancement Project. At the beginning of the scheme, the military had been using captured terrorists of Al-Haquid to test out various serums.
However, pictures of the project came out and the United States Congress killed it. Ross got an agreement with the scientist Bruce Banner, his daughter's fiancé, for working on a government project to render soldiers immune to Gamma Radiation, under the guise of being part of the weapon development project.
Involved in early phase research, Banner conducted a test on himself dealing with Gamma Radiation - instead of Vita Radiation - and after an accidental explosion, became the "Hulk", a giant and an amazingly strong brute who fled after injuring Betty, leaving her in a coma. When Banner returned to visit Betty in the hospital, Ross was furious and threw Banner out, causing Banner to go on the run.
Taken by a sense of guilt and rage, Ross put his life at the service of a single cause: to hunt down and capture Bruce Banner. Ross then formed an army unit called the Strategic Operations Command Center to recover the fugitive in coordination with S.H.I.E.L.D. The General's obsession caused a major rift between him and his daughter, Betty Ross, who still loved Banner. Their relationship never fully recovered with Ross respectfully honoring her wishes after she told him to stay away from her after she became disgusted with his increasingly ruthless actions.
The Incredible Hulk
| “ | Blonsky: I'm a fighter, and I'll be one for as long as I can. Mind you, if I took what I had now, and put it in a body that I had ten years ago, that would be someone I wouldn't want to fight. Ross: I think I can arrange something like that... |
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| ~ Emil Blonsky and Thaddeus Ross. |
Later, Ross received intel from Kathleen Sparr that a man had become infected with Gamma Radiation after drinking a bottle of Pingo Doce. Knowing this must have been caused by Banner, he began a frantic search, tracking down the factory that produced the soda in Rocinha, near Rio de Janeiro, and ordered his soldiers and contacts to look for a while man working in the factory.
Ross began putting together his unit with the sole purpose of capturing Banner; he managed to hire one of the best operatives at his disposal, Emil Blonsky, and sent them to the village of Rio de Janeiro. As they traveled to the location, Ross chooses not to disclose the secrets of Banner's condition, believing them to be still top-secret. He told Blonsky and the other soldiers that Banner was a target of the U.S. Government who had stolen military secrets. He ordered them to ensure that Banner was captured without incident.
During the attack, Ross stayed close and gave orders to the soldiers. Banner managed to escape and began to run, with Blonsky giving chase. At one point Banner ran past Ross's armored van, Ross stepped out and looked Banner in the eyes. Banner continued to run until he became cornered in the Pingo Doce factory and transformed into the Hulk. He defeated the soldiers and escaped, Ross, screamed "No" as he watched the Hulk smash through a wall and fled.
When Emil Blonsky returned, he was furious at Ross for not telling him of Banner's condition as several of his men had been killed. When they returned to the U.S.A., Ross said how Banner became the Hulk. They discussed the Super Soldier Program from World War II, Blonsky expressed interest in having another chance to fight the Hulk and claimed that he wished that he could have the body he had ten years ago along with the mind he has now. Ross claimed he could arrange something like that for him. Blonsky accepted Ross's offer to be injected with an experimental version of the Super Soldier Serum, developed by Ross's researchers. Ross collected the Serum himself from a secure facility and watched closely as Blonsky was injected with the Serum. The Serum was injected into his neck and spine; it caused him considerable pain but increased his strength and agility to superhuman levels.
When Leonard Samson, Betty Ross's new boyfriend, warned Ross that Bruce Banner had returned to Virginia. Ross seized the opportunity, and his forces, super-powered Blonsky included, attacked at Culver University in an attempt to capture Banner. Ross used all his men and his new weapons created by Stark Industries and caused a major battle with the Banner, who had transformed into the Hulk. Betty Ross screamed at her father, but he would not listen. Eventually, Ross sent Blonsky to attack Hulk, although he was able to hold his own against the beast, he was eventually kicked in the chest by the Hulk, and every bone in his body was broken. Seeing no other choice, Ross called for a helicopter to shoot at the Hulk; however, Betty was caught in the crossfire and nearly killed before Ross could call the helicopter away, Hulk destroyed it and escaped with the unconscious Betty Ross, General Ross watched helplessly as he got away again. In need of new information about the Hulk's movements, Ross obtained the World Security Council's permission to extract the data from S.H.I.E.L.D.'s computers. A few hours later, Ross was confronted by Nick Fury himself. Ross told Fury that he was not going to leave the safety of the world in his hands.
Much to Ross' surprise, Emil Blonsky managed to recover very quickly from the wounds suffered in the battle with Bruce Banner, because of the Super Soldier Serum. Blonsky volunteered to go through the procedure again to increase his strength. General Ross managed to track Banner's accomplice and has his lab taken in custody by the Army. Ross discovered Banner's and Betty's whereabouts had Banner shot with a tranquilizer rifle and took them both into custody by a helicopter. Ross learned that Banner had tried and seemingly succeeded in destroying the Hulk from inside him, Ross warned Banner that if he had indeed killed the Hulk, then he would ensure Banner spent the rest of his life in prison.
Unknown to Ross, Blonsky went to Samuel Sterns' lab and forced him to inject him with Banner's D.N.A., which reacted with the Serum and transformed him into a Hulk-like monster. The Abomination caused terrible destruction in Harlem and called Ross to bring him a real fight, hinting he intended to fight and kill the Hulk. Banner volunteered to leap out of the helicopter and fight the Abomination. Ross reluctantly agreed, and Banner successfully survived the fall and transformed into the Hulk once again.
| “ | General Ross: Use that thing, soldier! Give him some help! Soldier: Which one?! General Ross: Help the green one, damn it! Which one do you think? Cut the other one in half!! |
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| ~ General Ross ordering his soldiers to help the Hulk defeat Abomination. |
Ross watched the battle between the Hulk and the Abomination from his helicopter. When the Abomination seemed to be gaining an advantage against the Hulk, Ross ordered his gunman to help the Hulk by shooting Blonsky, who retaliates by grabbing the helicopter in mid-air and causing it to crash. Only Ross and his daughter survived the crash, as both were saved by having other soldiers using their bodies to shield them from the impact. As Betty attempted to move her father out of the wreckage, the helicopter caught fire due to leaking fuel, the Hulk clapped his hands together, blowing out the flames, saving Betty and the General's lives. Their lives were put into danger again when Blonsky tried to destroy the helicopter, but their lives were saved once again when the Hulk strangled the Abomination nearly to death. Betty Ross was able to convince Hulk not to kill the Abomination, and instead, he left him unable to move, with the battle over, Ross silently ordered his men to stand down. At the end of the battle, the Hulk turns over the defeated Abomination to Ross, who allows the Hulk to escape while taking Blonsky into custody for his crimes.
| “ | Tony Stark: What if I told you We were making a team together? General Ross: Who's We? |
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| ~ Tony Stark and General Ross about the Avengers Initiative. |
In the aftermath of the battle and following Blonsky's arrest, General Ross drowned his sorrows in a bar by drinking and smoking as he knew the government likely lost faith in him. To try and save face, the World Security Council informed S.H.I.E.L.D. that they want to make Blonsky a member of the Avengers, putting the blame on Banner for the Harlem incident in order to keep Blonsky's reputation intact. However, S.H.I.E.L.D. agents Phil Coulson and Jasper Sitwell, knowing Blonsky's true evil nature, decided to send Stark to talk to Ross about the Avengers Initiative, as a patsy to prevent Ross from letting Blonsky join the Avengers. The talk ended up with Stark annoying Ross so much that Ross angrily refused to release Blonsky and tried to have Stark removed from the bar. In reply, Stark bought the bar and scheduled it for demolition. As such, Blonsky remains in prison, much to both Coulson and Sitwell's relief.
Captain America: Civil War
| “ | You operated with unlimited power and no supervision; that's something the world can no longer tolerate. | „ |
| ~ Thaddeus Ross to the Avengers. |
Five years after chasing Bruce Banner, Ross was serving as the United States' Secretary of State. As the nations of the world sought to impose greater accountability on super-heroes, including the Avengers, due to the events involving Ultron in Sokovia, Ross approached Captain America to present him with a copy of the Sokovia Accords explaining that there is a disagreement about whether the Avengers should be considered heroes or vigilantes and that the "unlimited" power with which they have operated could no longer be tolerated.
After the Clash of the Avengers, Wanda Maximoff, Scott Lang, Clint Barton and Sam Wilson were captured and taken to the Raft. There they were thrown into individual cells. Tony Stark later flew to the Raft and was met by Ross. Stark then went to speak to the prisoners and secretly knocked out the audio feed so he could privately speak to Wilson and find out the location of Steve Rogers so he could help him. Following the arrest of Helmut Zemo (who is revealed to be the one responsible for the Vienna bombings that caused the clash within the Avengers in the first place), the prisoners were later freed by Captain America, much to Ross' great fury.
However, Lang and Barton came over to Ross with a deal: they would be put in house arrest so that they would spend more time with their families, a proposal that Ross willingly accepted. This is one of the few signs that Ross is capable of showing some compassion towards the Avengers despite his clear distaste towards them.
Avengers: Infinity War
Ross is seen as a hologram discussing to Rhodes about capturing the Avengers who escaped from his prison, only to witness them heading over Rhodes' place in person. Rogers informed Ross about an incoming alien warlord named Thanos, who's planning to collect all six Infinity Stones to wipe out half of the universe's populace and that Ross and his people at the Department of Defense must put aside their differences so that they can prepare to fight back against Thanos and his army of the Black Order and Outriders. However, Ross refuses to believe this and instead demands Rhodes to arrest the Avengers, but Rhodes decides to aid the Avengers, knowing that he would be court-martialed for defying Ross' orders.
Thunderbolt Ross had perished by Thanos' death wave alongside his daughter Betty.
Avengers: Endgame
Following the death and defeat of Thanos and all his forces and the undoing of the death wave (which resulted in Ross and Betty both being revived back to life), Ross makes a cameo appearance as one of the many characters attending Iron Man's funeral. Given to the fact that many Avengers (including the Winter Soldier and the Hulk) are also attending the funeral and that Ross doesn't seem to mind their presence as he is paying his respects towards Iron Man, it might be a possibility that he has redeemed himself and abandoned his opposition towards the Avengers for good. That or Ross simply had enough respect for Stark to realize this wasn't the place or time to try and arrest them, aside that the original Avengers are now officially disbanded.
What If...?
In the third episode "What If... the World Lost Its Mightiest Heroes?", a variant of Thaddeus Ross plays a similar role to the one his original counterpart had in an alternate universe where all the candidates for the Avengers Initiative minus Captain America are all killed before the Avengers could be formed, allowing Loki to take over the Earth. In 2010, during his mission to capture the fugitive Bruce Banner, Ross tracks him and his daughter Betty down to the Culver University like in the original timeline. However, due to the recent murders of Iron Man, Thor and Hawkeye, the fugitive Black Widow meets up with Banner first to protect him. Unfortunately, during Ross' attack, Yellowjacket infects Banner's heart with a seemingly harmless substance. At first, things don't look wrong, so Black Widow takes Betty to safety despite her attempts to talk her father out of this. Meanwhile, Ross shoots Hulk in the face, but ultimately, the substance Yellowjacket put into Banner's heart inflates Hulk; until he explodes, killing Banner and costing the Avengers Initiative another candidate. It can be presumed that Betty possibly blamed Thaddeus for this, so she will likely remain estranged nor talk to her father ever again, ruining Thaddeus' chances of reconciling with his daughter.
Captain America: Brave New World
In 2026, Ross became the President of the United States and was tasked with negotiating a global treaty about adamantium on Celestial Island. He broke his promise to release Sterns, which led Sterns to seek revenge. Sterns' actions resulted in a failed assassination attempt on Ross at the White House and increased tensions between the U.S. and Japan regarding adamantium, though Captain America managed to prevent a conflict. In retaliation, Sterns triggered the gamma radiation in Ross, turning him into the Red Hulk during a press conference. Filled with anger, Red Hulk fought Captain America but was eventually calmed down. Taking responsibility for his actions, he resigned and turned himself in to the Raft, showing he could change. While in prison, he took responsibility for his past mistakes, resigned from the presidency, and finally met Betty again in person.
Appearance
When Ross gets ragefull, he transforms into the Red Hulk. Its quite similar to Hulk, with both muscular agile monsters. He is over 8ft tall, his body is red and his eyes are red. His hair is black and he dons a pair of black pants. His face closely resembles Ross just like how the Hulk's face resembles Banner.
Personality
Thaddeus Ross is determined and harsh, focused on protecting the United States. He often uses unconventional methods, like a super-soldier project inspired by a World War II experiment. However, his actions are driven by personal feelings, especially his grudge against Hulk. Ross tends to be fixated on his goals and struggles to learn from past mistakes. Despite witnessing Hulk's destructive power and the harm it caused to his daughter and others, he still aimed to replicate Banner's gamma radiation to further the Super Soldier Program.
Ross can also be seen as a hypocrite. He cares for Betty, but his pursuit of her love interest as a fugitive has damaged their relationship. He blames Bruce Banner for hurting Betty, even though Banner was not in control as Hulk. Instead of helping Banner with his gamma radiation issue, which Ross partly caused, he wants to imprison him. Ross believes in a "fight fire with fire" approach. To combat Hulk, he injected his top soldier, Emil Blonsky, with a Super Soldier Serum. When Blonsky transformed into Abomination and wreaked havoc in Harlem, Ross ordered his men to support Hulk, thinking he was the only one who could fight him.
When he became the Red Hulk, Ross became a mindless monster when destroy those getting in his way. But was calmed down due to the sakura trees and about his daughter, Betty.
| “ | Led to my little tantrum. Which is why I have to be in here. | „ |
| ~ Ross to Sam after he allowed himself to be imprisoned due to The Leader. |
After reverted to his own self, Ross has remorse over his actions when decided to resign as a president and allowed himself to be imprisoned to make up for the crimes he made.
Quotes
Powers and Abilities
Powers
- Artificially Enhanced Physiology: Ross has the ability to transform into the Red Hulk, granting him massive power comparable to that of Bruce Banner's transformation into The Hulk.
- Superhuman Strength: The Red Hulk has enormous physical strength far surpassing even the strongest enhanced humans, allowing him to casually destroy everything around him and lift and throw objects of immense weight with terrifying velocity. His strength is so potent his attacks were able to inflict major injury to Sam Wilson even when his blows were blocked by Captain America's vibranium shield.
- Thunderclap: Red Hulk possesses the ability to use Hulk's signature Thunderclap, slamming his hands together and unleashing a devastating shockwave.
- Superhuman Leaping: The Red Hulk can cover vast distances by jumping.
- Superhuman Durability: Red Hulk is outright impervious to all conventional weaponry, though his durability is weaker than Hulk's as he was able to be pierced by Sam's weapons. He was able to survived from being exploded by Sam's vibranium half wing.
- Superhuman Speed: Red Hulk can travel at great speed comparable to vehicles.
- Superhuman Stamina: Red Hulk can exert himself at peak capacity without tiring for an extensive period of time
- Regenerative Healing Factor: Red Hulk has superhuman regeneration that allows him to swiftly recover from most injuries.
- Heat Generation: It's shown while transforming, his body started to heat up as a mere touch to the rug caused scorch marks and his upper attire started to burn off.
Abilities
- Master Tactician: Ross is a general; he is in a leadership position in the military and trained to command people. Ross coordinated his unit on how to attack the Hulk without being present personally. He also knows how to find allies to help his cause who can provide the right equipment and personnel. Ross knows when to change tactics based on the situation; he made Bruce Banner, a perceived foe, an ally for him to battle Emil Blonsky.
Equipment
- Uniform: Ross uses two different uniforms, the Army Service Dress uniform and the utility uniform.
Relationships
Family
Allies
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Enemies
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Trivia
- Louis Leterrier cast William Hurt as Thunderbolt Ross because Ross is more physical, more explosive in this movie, and no actor goes from zero to 100 as well as William. The Hulk is Hurt's favorite superhero, and his son is also a big fan of the character. Hurt found production very different from the typical pure anxiety of a studio film, finding it more akin to an independent film. He described Ross as humiliated as Hulk's conscience: "he actually sees and recognizes that its more developed than his own, even though he's a patriot and a warrior for his country. He's sacrificed [much] for that purpose, but at the expense at times of his humanity - which he occasionally recovers" Sam Elliott, who played Ross in Ang Lee's Hulk film, would have liked to reprise the role, nothing it was odd seeing someone take this part, "but I'll be looking forward to seeing this one".
- Prior to Ross becoming the Red Hulk in Captain America: Brave New World, he was considered to become the Red Hulk in Captain America: Civil War and later Avengers: Endgame.
- As early concept art of Captain America: Civil War indicated, a character played by Bryan Cranston was initially considered to fill the role of Thaddeus Ross. This suggested that in the event William Hurt declined to return to reprise his role, Cranston would've been the idealized recast, or would have played a role that emulated what Ross' role ended up being in Civil War. In 2022, following Hurt's unexpected death in 2022, Marvel Studios opted to recast the role of Thaddeus Ross with Harrison Ford.
- In Brave New World trailer, Sam Wilson made a remark about how Ross looked different, which he answered by explaining that he was advised to lose the mustache or lose the election; this is also a meta joke about how the role had to be recast.
- He is the eighth MCU character to be recast.
- All footage of William Hurt was replaced by Harrison Ford in order to match Ford's role in Captain America: Brave New World due to Hurt's death.
- A picture of Ross from the 2008 film The Incredible Hulk is seen in the Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. episode "Abomination" on the Red Hulk's wall.
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