Summary

Marvel’sWhat If … ?introduced a newHulk , making the Marvel Cinematic Universe ’s unremitting rejections of Red Hulk even worse . The MCU has brought to life some of the most popular and beloved character from Marvel Comics , among them Bruce Banner / Hulk . Banner ’s time in the MCU began in the often - forgotten movieThe Incredible Hulk , but it was his role ( and recast ) inThe Avengersthat gave him a proper spot in this connected population . Banner / Hulk ’s storyhas expand ever since , and while other Hulks have been card , only a few have been officially introduced .

Despite being part of the original Avengers team , Banner / Hulk was never a big fictitious character in the MCU , especially when compare to heroes like Iron Man , Captain America , and Thor . Still , characters related to Banner and who fall into the “ Hulk sept ” have already been precede , but there ’s one who , even though has been around in the MCU for age , has n’t made his full Hulk transformation yet : Thaddeus “ Thunderbolt ” Ross , who in the comics becomes Red Hulk , and the recent introduction of another Hulk stool the MCU ’s Red Hulk rejections look even uncollectible .

What If’s Purple Hulk Story Makes Red Hulk’s MCU Snub Worse

The introduction of the multiverse in the MCU has made way for connections to past Marvel movies and television set shows and prompted the making of the exalt anthology seriesWhat If … ? . The serial research alternative timelines in the MCU ’s multiverse in which major MCU case happen differently . What If ’s season 2 cover bestow more stories from other parts of the MCU ’s multiverse , among them one in which Marvel insert a fresh , lesser - known Hulk : Freak . Inthe episode “ What If … Happy Hogan redeem Christmas ? ” , The Watcher shared his favored Christmas tarradiddle , in which Happy Hogan was in charge of security in Avengers Tower during their annual holiday political party when Justin Hammer and his henchmen attacked the tower .

In an attempt to save a sample distribution of Bruce Banner ’s Hulk blood , Hogan was accidentally shoot with it and transformed into a regal Hulk - like monster , though he hold back his tidings . Hogan as Freak joins Banner , Jennifer Walters a.k.a . She - Hulk , and Banner ’s Logos Skaar as the MCU ’s Hulk interpretation , which makes Red Hulk ’s rejections more frustrating . Thunderbolt Ross made his MCU debut inThe Incredible Hulkand deliver inCaptain America : Civil War , which could have seen him translate into the Red Hulk but co - conductor Joe Russo shared that the moving picture was already crowded with grapheme , so they did n’t use Red Hulk ( viaComicBook ) .

retaliator : Endgameco - writer Christopher Markus revealed in 2019 ( viaCBR ) that Red Hulk was supposed to have a brief appearance in the film but it did n’t go beyond being an idea . The fact thatlesser - live Hulks like Skaar and now Freak have already been introduced in the MCU before Red Hulk , while Ross has been there for year , makes Red Hulk ’s absence a lot worse .

Iron Man looking inside Sokovia in Avengers Age of Ultron

Why Red Hulk Needs To Be In Thunderbolts

Despite past rejections , it ’s still possible for Red Hulk to make his prescribed appearance in the MCU . Thunderbolt Ross , now played by Harrison Ford after William Hurt ’s pass , will return inCaptain America : Brave New Worldand is rumored to appear inThunderbolts . It ’s obscure if the fourthCaptain Americamovie could see Ross finally transforming into Red Hulk , but if he does n’t , he want to appear inThunderbolts .

Red Hulk is part of the Thunderbolts ’ squad in the cartoon strip , where he and the team clean up the mess impart by his military career . The Thunderbolts squad is shape by reformed supervillains , and though Ross has n’t really been one in the MCU ( though he was an antagonist inThe Incredible Hulk ) , Red Hulk would conform to a lot right in this team and movie than any other MCU mathematical group and picture show .

Tom Holland’s Spider-Man upset and determined in No Way Home

Spider-Man in the MCU and Jean Grey in Marvel Comics

Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner and Hulk next to What If’s Happy Hogan as Freak

Happy Hogan’s Freak in What If…? season 2

Harrison Ford MCU Thunderbolts Casting Air Force One

Marvel Cinematic Universe