Is the next Captain America 4, “World War Hulk” in disguise?

Marvel Studios is set to release Sam Wilson’s (Anthony Mackie) first solo outing as the MCU’s new Captain America with Captain America: New World Order in 2024. With every passing day comes news and updates on the film continue to surface. And with each of them, fans everywhere began to speculate about the film’s potential plot. Is this all referring to the famous Marvel comic book series – ‘World War Hulk’? Let’s analyze.

The leader

Samuel Stern’s transformation into The Incredible Hulk

Marvel Studios has always sidelined 2008’s The Incredible Hulk in its MCU canon ever since Ed Norton’s Mark Ruffalo redesigned Hulk. However, that will soon change. One of the many Easter eggs left behind by the infamous movie was the origin introduction of one of Marvel’s formidable villains – The Leader. According to Kevin Feige’s announcement at the D23 Expo this year, frontman Tim Blake Nelson (aka Dr. Samuel Sterns) is set to star in the upcoming Captain America: New World Order. He will be joined by Sam Wilson, Joaquin Torres and the franchise’s first live-action Israeli superhero, Sabra, played by Shira Haas.

In the comics, the Leader is a fictional superhero villain who debuted in Tales to Astonish #62 (1964). Originally known as Samuel Sterns, he was working as a janitor in Idaho when he was accidentally exposed to gamma radiation. As a result, he was mutated into a green-skinned super-intelligent entity. Calling himself the leader, he embarked on a career of crime. In his later transformations, his skull transformed into the shape of an oversized brain. In his live-action debut, Dr. Samuel Sterns is depicted as a Harlem-based college professor, secretly helping Bruce Banner control his Hulk transformations. At the end of the film, Sterns is exposed to Bruce’s blood, which caused his skull to expand.

Love at first sight Ross

Harrison Ford

Among the many actors who have played the role of General Thaddeus E. “Thunderbolt” Ross, the late William Hurt portrayed the character in MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe). Sadly, the Oscar-winning actor passed away on March 31, 2022, at the age of 71. He appeared in The Incredible Hulk, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, and Black Widow. Since then, fans have been worried about the character’s future in the MCU, until now. However, it was recently announced by the Deadline that Harrison Ford (of the famous Indiana Jones franchise) is set to take over as the new General Ross, starting with Captain America: New World Order in 2024.

Directed by Julius Onah, the film will continue the character’s journey through the MCU. In the comics, General Ross is a high-ranking military officer, first appearing in The Incredible Hulk #1 (1962). He later transformed into a Hulk-like character, calling himself Red Hulk. As the Red Hulk, he too possessed immeasurable strength, stamina, durability, and speed. He also gained abilities such as radiation absorption and thermokinesis. In the comics, he is also a member of a supervillain group called – the Thunderbolts.

A much younger MCU

Hulk and Skaar in She-Hulk

Looking closely, Marvel is slowly introducing younger counterparts to its Marvel characters –

  • Captain America: From Steve Rogers to Sam Wilson
  • Iron Man: From Tony Stark to Riri Williams (IronHeart)
  • Thor: Chris Hemsworth & Love (Gorr’s daughter)
  • Black Widow: from Natasha to Yelena Belova
  • Hawkeye: From Clint Barton to Kate Bishop
  • Black Panther: From T’Challa to Shuri (unconfirmed yet)

A similar case was seen in the recently premiered Disney+ show – She-Hulk: Attorney At Law. The show didn’t just give us the origins of Bruce Banner’s cousin – Jennifer Walters aka She-Hulk (Tatiana Maslany). However, with her, the show also gave a lot more surprises, for example. Intelligencia, Daredevil and the Hulk’s own son – Skaar.

Captain America vs Hulks

World Breaker Hulk in World War Hulk

In the highly acclaimed World War Hulk comic book series, the Hulk goes on a rampage around the world against all superheroes and governments after learning that the Illuminati are responsible for the deaths of his wife and son while on the planet Sakaar. Universal Studios still owns the individual right to the character, due to which Marvel Studios cannot feature the character as a solo character in their own movie on their own. He can only feature the Hulk as a supporting character in his movies or TV shows.

However, the subtlety with which Hulk’s Skaar was introduced at the end of She-Hulk leaves it open to question whether the studio really has a meaningful plan for the character. As of now we have She-Hulk, Hulk, Skaar, and now Red Hulk in MCU. If one adds two and two and tries to guess the plot of the movie, it could see Sam Wilson’s Captain America go head-to-head. However, there has been no official confirmation if General Ross will transform into his Red Hulk persona in the film.

A guessed plot for Cap 4

Sam Wilson as the new Captain America

Let’s go totally crazy and try to guess what the plot of Captain America: New World Order could be.

Skar dies! Yes, you read that right. If Marvel really isn’t going the World War Hulk route in Cap 4, then they’ll do something as big as his own son’s death, in order to unleash the Hulk. So once Skaar dies, the government is blamed and the Hulk goes on a rampage against Captain America. Cap then goes to seek help from General Ross (now retired, since the Sokovia Accords were dissolved). Then Cap with Red Hulk and She-Hulk try to calm Hulk down. Maybe we can also put the Abomination in the mix somewhere!

Meanwhile, taking advantage of all the chaos, the Leader attempts to overthrow the existing government and establish his own “New World Order” by further infuriating the Hulk. It’s not until very late in the film that it’s revealed that the Chief was behind it all, and a climactic battle begins between them.

Phew! It’s a heavy plot. And a story for sure a billion dollar movie. But this is all pure speculation from an innocent fan. But if Marvel decides to go that route, take my money now. Rest is just now.

Captain America: New World Order should be released in 2024.

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