Many MCU fans were surprised by the announcement that The Incredible Hulk character The Leader will be returning to the MCU in Captain America: New World Order. It appears that his return could have happened sooner, as the character played by Tim Blake Nelson was at one point set to be reunited with Tim Roth’s Emil Blonsky in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. She-Hulk creator Jessica Gao recently revealed that The Leader was certainly part of her original series pitch, but she couldn’t recall the circumstances that led to him being cut.
Over the last few years, it has been clear that Marvel Studios have been attempting to bring their 2008 movie The Incredible Hulk closer to the MCU. Of course, the movie was the second film released in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but with the franchise being in its early days and due to many rights issues surrounding the character of the Hulk, the film was produced by Universal Pictures and has always seemed like a wayward child in the chronology of the MCU, not least for the fact that when Bruce Banner returned again, he was played by Mark Ruffalo rather than Edward Norton.
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Now it seems that The Leader’s upcoming Captain America 4 appearance could have potentially not been his return to the franchise. Gao explained to Comicbook.com:
“In my original pitch, I did have The Leader in there. Just as an option, as a suggestion, you know? But really, I can’t remember why [it was scrapped]. I don’t remember if it was organically taken out, because we just came up with other stuff, or if we were told no. I honestly don’t remember. But there was thought about either bringing him back or doing some version of a new version of Leader, or some relation to him. But, I mean truly, this was three years ago, and the show has evolved so much that I don’t remember what actually happened.”
The Leader Will Reunite With Thunderbolt Ross in Captain America 4
Marvel Studios has previously used very few characters from The Incredible Hulk, with only William Hurt’s General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross making a number of appearances in the franchise in movies such as Captain America: Civil War, and most recently in 2021’s Black Widow. However, the passing of Hurt earlier this year has led to the role being recast, with Harrison Ford taking over the part. While Ford will seemingly make his debut in Captain America: New World Order, he will be joined by Nelson’s the Leader, although currently, both of their roles are shrouded in mystery.
Despite The Leader’s She-Hulk appearance having been trimmed out of the series at some point, the idea that he could have appeared with Roth’s Blonsky is another sign of Marvel continuing to make sure that The Incredible Hulk doesn’t become a forgotten element of the MCU’s history. For those who want to find out how The Leader’s story began, The Incredible Hulk is currently streaming on HBO Max.
