Spoilers for Captain America: Brave New World!The Marvel Cinematic Universe recently introduced Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross’Red Hulk, played by Harrison Ford, in February’sCaptain America: Brave New World, with his daughter, Betty Ross, once again played by Liv Tyler, making her official return to Marvel’s live-action universe at the end of that film, potentially setting up the debut of theRed She-Hulkcharacter in a future MCU-related project. Should this ever come to pass,the MCU has the perfect comic-accurate way to bring Red She-Hulk into its movie continuity.
Pitted against Sam Wilson’s Captain America inBrave New World, President Ross’ Red Hulk didn’t show up until the third act, laying waste to the White House and ultimately succumbing toCaptain America’s vibranium-laced wings. Having a different origin in the film than in comics — the Leader spikes Ross’ heart pills with gamma radiation that turns him into Red Hulk, while in comics, the Leader and the rest of the Intelligencia transform Ross to help him take on the Hulk — withthe Leader’s role inalsocreating Red She-Hulk being the perfect way to bring the character to the MCU.
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Introduced in 2009’sHulk #15and created by Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuinness, Betty Ross’ Red She-Hulk came about after the Intelligencia, comprised of the Leader and M.O.D.O.K. (among other evildoers), resurrected her from death, brainwashed her, and subjected her to the same process that turned her father into Red Hulk, resulting in thecreation of Red She-Hulk—a completely different take on the She-Hulk originated by Jennifer Walters. Eventually breaking free of her mind control, Red She-Hulk became a worthy addition to the Marvel Universe, with her MCU debut now being a plausible theory.
With President Ross locked up in the Raft at the end ofBrave New World, Betty would have good reason to go full antihero to rescue him, becoming the iconic “superhero tourist” known as Red She-Hulk and adding yet another Hulk to the MCU’s roster in a way that could help the rest of the superhero community, comeAvengers: Secret Wars. Conversely, the MCU can take a more direct comic-accurate approach bybringing the Leader backto torment the Ross family further, brainwashing Betty and turning her into Red She-Hulk to assassinate her own father, as seen inHulk #16.
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Since the Leader is still in play post-Brave New Worldand will likely want to continue exacting his revenge on Ross,transforming Betty into a monster and forcing her to fight her father would be the perfect way to do so, especially considering the emotional hit Ross would take as it was the memory of Betty that helped him break throughRed Hulk’s rage. Given that the Leader is an integral part of creating both Red Hulk in comics and the MCU, it stands to reason that should Red She-Hulk debut, he absolutely needs to be part of her origin.
Though there isn’t too much to like inBrave New World,the potential for Red She-Hulk to eventually make her presence known seems like a no-brainer, with the only question remaining being which film or television project will have enough room to allow a Red She-Hulk origin story to play out properly. It remains to be seen ifLiv Tyler’s Betty Rosswill ever truly become Red She-Hulk in the MCU, but considering the filmmakers chose to have her show up at the tail end ofCaptain America: Brave New World, aRed HulkxRed She-Hulkteam-up seems inevitable.
