Summary
The next Marvel Cinematic Universe movie that superhero fans have to look forward to isThunderbolts*. The film will see the coming together of a team of MCU antiheroes — Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova, Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes, David Harbour’s Red Guardian, Wyatt Russell’s U.S. Agent, Olga Kurylenko’s Taskmaster, and Hannah John-Kamen’s Ghost — to combat the immense threat of Lewis Pullman’s Sentry and his malevolent and destructive alter-ego the Void. Curiously, there’s an asterisk in the movie’s title, which tends to point to a footnote. That footnote could be a key role for an MCU character not officially listed among the film’s cast.
The character in question is Thaddeus Ross. Having previously been played by the late William Hurt, Harrison Ford stepped into the character’s imposing shoes in 2025’sCaptain America: Brave New World. His nickname is, of course, “Thunderbolt,” which immediately brings a potential connection to the team of the same to mind — and the fact he’s now the Red Hulk makes that potential connection even more interesting. There’s plenty of reason to believe that the curious asterisk in theThunderbolts*movie title could hint at Ross' involvement. That’s undoubtedly an exciting prospect in theMarvel Cinematic Universe.
While he isn’t officially named on the cast list for the movie, there’s been talk ofHarrison Ford’s possible involvement inThunderbolts*for years. As of the climax ofCaptain America: Brave New World, Ross is imprisoned in theMCU’shigh-security superhuman prison, the Raft, but seeing as he was incarcerated voluntarily (and given that Red Hulk potentially has the strength to smash his way out), there’s a good chance his predicament could change soon. With that in mind, and given other factors, it’s highly plausible that he’ll have a big part to play in the upcoming movie.
There’s A Precedent For Ross' Involvement With The Thunderbolts In Marvel’s Comics
Thaddeus Ross has been in charge of the Thunderbolts and fought for them as a member in his Red Hulk guise.
It wouldn’t be an MCU-specific concept forThaddeus Ross and his Red Hulk alter-egoto be involved with the Thunderbolt. The characters both have comic book precedents for being part of the Marvel comic book team. In 2012’sThunderbolts(Vol. 2) #1, written by Daniel Way and illustrated by Steve Dillon, which debuted as part of the Marvel NOW! relaunch, Ross takes on the team’s leadership role and fights alongside them as the Red Hulk.
It’s worth noting that Ross' team in the comics was very different from the one that will appear inThunderbolts*— it included Deadpool, Elektra, Punisher, and the Flash Thompson version of Venom, for example — but it still provides a connection between him and the MCU team of the same name. Should anything happen toJulia Louis-Dreyfus' Valentina Allegra de Fontainein the movie, Harrison Ford’s Ross should undoubtedly be a viable contender to take over from her as the team’s leader.
The Thunderbolts Can’t Be Expected To Defeat Sentry/The Void Without A Big Hitter
The Thunderbolts are all street-level characters, and Sentry/The Void is a global threat.
In most (but not all) superhero movies, the eponymous character or character prevails. Therefore, the Thunderbolts are expected to defeat the Sentry andhis evil alter-ego, the Void, in their film. However, it isn’t easy to imagine how that’s possible, given that he is an immeasurably powerful character, and they’re a bunch of street-levelers who shouldn’t be able to do so much as scratch him.
That’s why it makes sense to have Red Hulk join the team. Not only does he have the strength to go toe-to-toe withthe Sentry or the Voidin a straight-up fight, but the comic book version of Red Hulk also possesses the ability to drain power from his opponents, potentially providing the MCU Thunderbolts with a realistic method of defeating him. It would elevate the excitement of the climactic battle between the Thunderbolts and their powerful adversary tenfold.
That’s Quite Literally His Nickname That There’s An Asterisk Next To
Hints don’t really get much more explicit and obvious than this.
The fact that Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross' nickname is quite literally the title of this movie, combined with the fact that his alter-ego the Red Hulk has just been introduced in the previous film and the factthere’s an asterisk in the titlesuggesting a secret is going to be revealed about it, undoubtedly points to the possibility that he’ll appear in the film.
Factoring in all of the above information, would anybody be overly surprised to see Harrison Ford’s Thaddeus Ross appearing inThunderbolts*, unleashing the Red Hulk to assist the team in their fight against the Sentry and the Void? Suffice it to say, probably not.
MCU fans will find out soon if Thaddeus Ross and his Red Hulk alter-ego will play a part inThunderbolts*. The film hits theaters on June 20, 2025.
