All the Ways Captain America: Brave New World Relates to The Incredible Hulk

Photo : Instagram / @marvel

The Incredible Hulk has long been forgotten in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Released in 2008, right after the massive success of Iron Man, the film was meant to be an important part of the growing Marvel universe. It was supposed to set the stage for an Avengers movie, but things didn’t go as planned.

This version of The Incredible Hulk was actually a mix of a reboot and a sequel to Ang Lee’s 2003 film, Hulk. It had a brand-new cast, with Edward Norton playing Bruce Banner. The movie did fairly well at the box office, but there was a major problem—Universal Studios owned the distribution rights for any Hulk solo movies. Because of this, Marvel decided to cancel any plans for a sequel. They also replaced Edward Norton with Mark Ruffalo, who went on to play Hulk in eight different MCU films.

Why Marvel Ignored The Incredible Hulk

Once Marvel made the switch to Mark Ruffalo, they mostly acted like The Incredible Hulk never happened. But now, after 17 years, Captain America: Brave New World has surprisingly brought the movie back into the spotlight.

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One of the major villains in Brave New World is Samuel Sterns, a character who only had a brief appearance in The Incredible Hulk. Many moviegoers who never saw the 2008 film—or forgot about it—might not remember who Sterns is, why he dislikes General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross, or why Liv Tyler’s character, Betty Ross, appears in the movie.

What Happens in The Incredible Hulk?

Dr. Bruce Banner (played by Norton) and his girlfriend, Dr. Betty Ross (played by Liv Tyler), work together on an experiment involving gamma radiation. However, something goes wrong, and Bruce ends up transforming into a giant, green monster whenever he gets angry. Betty’s father, General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross (William Hurt), wants to use the same technology to create a new kind of super soldier. Bruce, realizing how dangerous this could be, goes on the run.

While hiding, Bruce tries to learn meditation techniques to control his anger. At the same time, he secretly works with an online contact named "Mr. Blue" to find a cure for his condition. Meanwhile, General Ross recruits a soldier named Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth) to capture Bruce. To help with this mission, Ross injects Blonsky with a modified version of the super soldier serum.

Bruce and Betty reunite to recover important data from the original experiment, hoping it will lead to a cure. However, they are soon attacked by General Ross and his soldiers at Betty’s university. During the fight, Bruce turns into the Hulk and saves Betty’s life, even though her own father ordered the attack. Bruce and Betty escape together and, at one point, realize that Bruce can’t let himself get too excited—even in romantic situations—because it might trigger his transformation.

Eventually, the two travel to New York to meet Dr. Samuel Sterns, also known as "Mr. Blue." But Sterns turns out to be an untrustworthy scientist. He uses Bruce’s blood to help Blonsky become an even stronger, more monstrous creature called The Abomination. During the process, Sterns is also exposed to some of Bruce’s blood, which begins mutating his brain.

The Abomination goes on a rampage in Harlem, and Bruce transforms into the Hulk to stop him. After an intense battle, Hulk defeats The Abomination. Knowing that the government will keep hunting him, Bruce goes into hiding again. Meanwhile, Betty is furious at her father and vows never to forgive him for what he did.

How the MCU Slowly Brought The Incredible Hulk Back

For a long time, it seemed like Marvel had erased The Incredible Hulk from its timeline, especially since they recast Bruce Banner. Mark Ruffalo’s version of Bruce never talked about his past, nor did he ever mention Betty.

The only character from The Incredible Hulk who continued to appear in the MCU was General Ross, played by William Hurt. Ross became an important figure in Captain America: Civil War, where he was one of the main government officials enforcing the Sokovia Accords. However, strangely enough, Ruffalo’s Bruce and Hurt’s Ross never interacted in any of the later films.

Then, things changed when the 2021 movie Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings brought back The Abomination. Later, the Disney+ series She-Hulk made even more references to The Incredible Hulk. This opened the door for more characters from that movie to return in Captain America: Brave New World.

Samuel Sterns Returns as the Villain in Brave New World

At the beginning of Brave New World, we learn that General Ross has now become the President of the United States. (After the passing of William Hurt in 2022, Harrison Ford took over the role.) As president, Ross wants multiple countries to agree on how to share a newly discovered element called Adamantium—the same indestructible metal found in Wolverine’s skeleton. However, someone is working behind the scenes to sabotage this treaty and humiliate Ross.

While many thought Giancarlo Esposito’s character, Sidewinder, would be the main villain of Brave New World, it turns out that the real mastermind is Samuel Sterns, played by Tim Blake Nelson. In a long speech, Sterns explains to Captain America (Anthony Mackie) and Falcon (Danny Ramirez) that when he was exposed to Bruce Banner’s blood, his brain grew in size and mutated. Now, he has green skin and the ability to calculate the probability of any event happening.

For the last 17 years, Ross has secretly kept Sterns locked up and forced him to work on military experiments. Ross also made Sterns create a special medication to keep his heart condition under control. However, what Ross didn’t know was that Sterns had been adding gamma radiation to the medication. Throughout the movie, Sterns tries to provoke Ross into losing control and transforming into the Red Hulk during a public event.

Ironically, Sterns’ ability to predict probabilities turns out to be more of a weakness than a strength. He gets frustrated whenever something unexpected happens, showing that he doesn’t fully understand how statistics work. In the end, Sterns is arrested and taken into custody.

Liv Tyler’s Betty Ross Returns in Brave New World

Throughout the film, President Ross talks about how his daughter Betty never forgave him for how he treated Bruce. She was especially angry that he tried to create an army of Hulks.

Toward the end of the movie, Ross finally transforms into the Red Hulk. However, Captain America manages to calm him down by reminding him of his love for Betty. Realizing what he has done, Ross surrenders and is sent to The Raft, a high-security prison in the middle of the ocean.

In one of the final scenes, Liv Tyler’s Betty visits her father in prison. She forgives him for everything he did in the past, showing that their relationship might finally heal.

Now, the big question remains: Will Betty Ross and Bruce Banner reunite in a future MCU movie? Only time will tell.

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