General ‘Thunderbolt’ Ross will return to the MCU, reportedly played by Harrison Ford.
According to reporter Jeff Sneider, the Indiana Jones star will be suiting up as the infamous Marvel General following the death of original actor, William Hurt.
“We're hearing Harrison Ford HAS, in fact, been cast as Gen. Thunderbolt Ross, who is expected to make his first appearance in... CAPTAIN AMERICA 4,” said Sneider via Twitter.
The news was confirmed by /Film who also added that Ford will be appearing in Marvel’s Thunderbolts – the upcoming new supervillain team-up movie that will bring an end to Marvel’s Phase 5.
General Ross has already appeared in the MCU, first in the 2008 film, The Incredible Hulk, and then in Captain America: Civil War, the final two Infinity Saga Avengers films, and Black Widow.
However, original actor William Hurt died earlier this year, leaving Marvel no choice but to recast if they wanted Ross to appear in the Thunderbolts movie – a bit of a given, considering the name.
At the moment, Ford’s role in the upcoming movies remains unclear, but the character ‘Thunderbolt’ Ross does often take a similar role to Suicide Squad’s Amanda Waller in the comic books. But there’s also a more fan-pleasing version of Ross that may be coming…
A recent episode of Marvel’s She-Hulk teased a “Red Hulk” – and this is exactly what happens to Ross in the comic books. Created as part of a super soldier program by Intelligencia (an organization that also appeared in She-Hulk), the Red Hulk debuted in 2008. He soon became a fan favorite, as a more tactical, weapon-toting Hulk.
However, Marvel’s Hulk roles often involve a lot of motion capture work… and it’s unclear whether or not Ford will don a motion capture suit to bring Red Hulk to the big screen. Either way, it sounds as though ‘Thunderbolt’ Ross will return. Whether or not we get the Red Hulk remains a mystery.
Want to read more about Marvel’s Thunderbolts? Check out what you need to know about the supervillain team as well as a look at its MCU line-up.
Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.
