The director of Captain America: Brave New World maintains that Marvel had no alternative but to reveal Red Hulk's presence in the film's promotional materials, even though many viewers felt the antagonist should have remained a secret.
Red Hulk, the furious alter ego of President Thaddeus 'Thunderbolt' Ross, portrayed by Harrison Ford, only emerges during the movie's final act after an extended buildup, with several moments suggesting Ross might manage to suppress his gamma radiation-induced rage.
Among the various criticisms directed at Brave New World—which is widely regarded as a rather unremarkable addition to the MCU—fans have argued that featuring Red Hulk in the trailers not only ruined the surprise of his arrival but also exaggerated his actual role in the story.
However, Brave New World director Julius Onah has since clarified that Marvel had to unveil Red Hulk prior to the film's release, as the villain’s reveal would have been leaked regardless.
"When you're making a film of this scale, and it's announced that Harrison Ford is playing Thaddeus Ross, and you have a fanbase as massive and passionate as the MCU's—you're basically out of luck at that point," Onah told Empire.
"Ideally, it would have been fantastic if that reveal was saved as an in-theater surprise. But honestly, I think keeping it under wraps would have been extremely difficult," he added. "At some stage, a toy would have been discovered, or someone would have leaked a trailer. It's just incredibly hard to keep anything confidential these days."
While it’s true that Marvel's film productions consistently face the threat of leaks—and merchandise like action figures has spoiled plot points before—the rationale for fully showcasing Red Hulk doesn't entirely align with how past Marvel movies have subtly introduced their villains.
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Take the upcoming The Fantastic Four: First Steps, for example. Trailers confirm that Galactus, the colossal antagonist, will appear in the movie, yet Marvel has deliberately shown only a brief glimpse of the villain—hinting at his presence while reserving the full visual reveal for the film itself.
Of course, Galactus's complete design was still leaked—via a Snapple promotional campaign, no less—and another character entirely missing from the trailers has already surfaced as a Funko Pop toy. Still, such spoilers will only reach a small portion of the overall audience. For the majority of fans, what truly matters is what appears—and what doesn’t—in the official previews.
Many Marvel enthusiasts share the impression that too much of Red Hulk was shown, possibly in an effort to generate excitement for a film that otherwise failed to impress.
Captain America is next set to appear in Avengers: Doomsday, following the confirmation in Thunderbolts*/New Avengers that Sam Wilson has started assembling his own version of Marvel's premier superhero team.
