2008’s The Incredible Hulk still stands as one of the MCU’s most critically panned films. Outside of Bruce Banner’s ongoing plight and a small recurring role for Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, the characters and ideas introduced in the film were phased out of the MCU. Then, in 2021, a brief appearance by the Abomination in Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings kicked off a renaissance for the project.
Tim Roth returned as Emil Blonsky/The Abomination in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law which also put Banner’s blood–a key plot point in The Incredible Hulk–back in the spotlight. The renaissance is set to continue in Captain America: Brave New World where one of the MCU’s longest-gestating set-ups will finally pay off when Tim Blake Nelson will return as The Leader. While some photos from the set confirmed Nelson’s Samuel Sterns would be green in the new film, three been no good look at the character’s trademark massive dome, which audiences saw beginning to from after Banner’s blood dropped into an open head wound in The Incredible Hulk. Now, a new piece of concept art for the film, which was originally set to hit theaters in 2024, has found its way online.
It’s certainly not the most revealing look but it does make clear that Sterns’ cranium has undergone some cosmetic changes since he was last scene. The Leader’s role in the film has yet to be revealed but given his role in creating the Red Hulk in the comics, it’s possible he’ll find himself together with Harrison Ford’s Ross.
Captain America: Brave New World is CURRENTLY set to hit theaters on February 14, 2025.
