A newMCUtheory suggests that the dramatic transformation of President Ross into the Red Hulk inCaptain America: Brave New Worldcould be easily explained after the ending of 2023’sSecret Invasion. TheRed Hulk’s debut inCaptain America: Brave New Worldwas confirmed in the first trailers for the 2025 movie, marking a powerful introduction to the MCU for Harrison Ford, who succeeds the late William Hurt as Thaddeus Ross. The means of Ross' evolution into the Red Hulk have been teased, but a new theory digs even deeper.
Thaddeus Ross first appeared in the MCUback in 2008’sThe Incredible Hulk, and made a number of minor appearances in several subsequent projects.Captain America: Brave New Worldwill mark his biggest change, as he not only becomes President of the United States, but will also become the villainous Red Hulk. Ross will be one of several villains going up againstAnthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson, the new Captain America, and his connections to another powerful adversary have informed a huge theory that makes more sense ofSecret Invasion’scontroversial ending.
President Ross’ Red Hulk Transformation Continues Secret Invasion’s Biggest Theme
According to a new theory shared byReddituser Nid45h,Captain America: Brave New Worldis perfectly primed to continue themes of politics and paranoia from 2023’s controversialSecret Invasionseries.Secret Invasion’sslow pace and failure to faithfully adapt the epic 2008 Marvel Comics event ultimately led to the series becoming one of Marvel’s lowest-rated projects ever. However, this theory suggests theending ofSecret Invasioncould be crucial toCaptain America: Brave New World’sstoryline and the Red Hulk’s emergence.
InSecret Invasion’sfinale,Dermot Mulroney’s President Ritson declared war on extraterrestrials living on Earth after making the existence of Skrulls public. This culminated in society experiencing a greater fear and paranoia about more high-profile figures, and even led to the murders of some world leaders, including the British Prime Minister. TheReddittheory suggests thatTim Blake Nelson’s Samuel Sterns, a.k.a. the Leader, could have exploited this paranoia to orchestrate the transformation of the new US President into the Red Hulk.
Thaddeus Ross May Have Used Secret Invasion’s Failures To Win The Presidency
Thaddeus Ross Succeeds Secret Invasion’s Ritson As United States President
Marvel Studios has confirmed a number ofUnited States Presidents in the MCU’s history, including Matthew Ellis, JFK and, most recently,Secret Invasion’sRitson. Ritson was seemingly elected president in the wake of the Blip, and he seemingly set to work bringing order back to the United States, even hiring a former Avenger, James “Rhodey” Rhodes, into his team.Ritson was an abject failure as a president, however, andCaptain America: Brave New Worldcould reveal that Ross used Ritson’s incompetence to take the presidency.
Captain America 4 Is The Perfect Movie To Fix A Disastrous MCU Phase 5 Plot Point
Captain America: Brave New World may be the best opportunity for Marvel Studios to address one of the MCU’s Phase 5’s most controversial storylines.
During his time as President of the United States, Ritson failed to notice that his right-hand-man was actually a shape-shifting Skrull orchestrating global terror, remained oblivious to a growing Skrull rebellion for as long as possible, almost started World War III, and declared all extraterrestrials on Earth to be hostile forces.Ritson will surely go down in history as one of the most controversial presidents ever, but his final remarks inSecret Invasionmust have made an impact. Global paranoia would have spread like wildfire, which Ross will have to deal with during his time as president.
Why Marvel Shouldn’t Just Ignore Secret Invasion’s Ending
Secret Invasion May Have Faltered, But Its Ending Was Intriguing
Even thoughSecret Invasionperhaps failed to make its mark on the MCU in the way Marvel Studios wanted, the ending of the 2023 series was still hugely important, and should have far-reaching repercussions for the MCU.The only way to giveSecret Invasionany meaning is to ensure the series has a long-lasting impact, and continuingRitson’s war on Earth’s aliensand deepening themes of paranoia and fear concerning high-ranking officials is the perfect way to do this.Captain America: Brave New Worldwill push this even further by having the president himself turn into a superpowered villain.
Secret Invasionleft many loose ends unexplored and questions unanswered, and, in the same way thatCaptain America: Brave New Worldwill also addressEternals’massive Celestial mystery, the Phase 5 movie can also continueSecret Invasion’sstoryline. This could work to give the series more gravitas and weight, which may earn it some retrospective respect.Exploring these themes of paranoia in more depth is the perfect way to explain President Ross becoming the Red HulkinCaptain America: Brave New World, and this would make the Leader an even more sinister and scheming villain, too.
Captain America: Brave New World
Cast
Captain America: Brave New World (formerly titledNew World Order)marks Sam Wilson’s first MCU big-screen appearance as Steve Rogers' successor after receiving the suit and shield in Phase 4’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Anthony Mackie returns as the titular Avenger alongside Danny Ramirez as Joaquin Torres, Carl Lumby as Isaiah Bradley, and Tim Blake Nelson as The Incredible Hulk’s former ally Samuel Sterns. Harrison Ford makes his MCU debut replacing the late William Hurt as Thaddeus Ross.After meeting President Thaddeus Ross, Sam is caught in a global crisis. He must expose the mastermind behind a sinister plot before the world descends into turmoil. Captain America: Brave New World marks the big-screen debut of Sam Wilson as Captain America, and Harrison Ford makes his MCU debut, replacing the late William Hurt as Thaddeus Ross.
