Warning! This article contains spoilers for Captain America: Brave New WorldCaptain America: Brave New World introduced the Red Hulk to the MCU, but I think his transformation was kind of weird. While trailers for Captain America: Brave New World focused heavily on now-President Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross’ transformation into the Red Hulk, the details surrounding his transformation were kept under wraps. Many had their theories vindicated, however, when the movie revealed Tim Blake Nelson’s Samuel Sterns, AKA The Leader, to be the person responsible for Thunderbolt Ross’ unwitting new condition, ultimately sabotaging his political career and causing the decorated political figure to face time on the high-security island-prison, the Raft.
Despite featuring heavily in the trailer, Red Hulk was only afforded a few minutes of screen time during the movie’s climax, where Sam Wilson, who was painfully aware of his physical shortcomings, faced off against the new Hulk and ultimately succeeded in subduing him with a speech. I think the fight was handled excellently. Sam Wilson’s conspicuous lack of super soldier serum was offset by his vibranium shield and wings, with the latter emulating the kinetic energy storage featured in Black Panther’s super-suit. Red Hulk’s transformation, on the other hand, wasn’t so impressive.
Why Captain America: Brave New World’s Red Hulk Transformation Scene Is Weird
The Transformation Mostly Happens Off-Screen
Red Hulk finally emerges in Captain America: Brave New World‘s third act after narrowly avoiding a catastrophic transformation in the Indian Ocean days prior. His emergence is provoked by Samuel Sterns successfully commandeering a high-stress press conference, causing Ross to succumb in an immensely public setting. It’s purposefully designed to be disastrous for Ross’ political career – yet the real-world audience barely gets a glimpse at the whole event. While we can see Ross’ limbs and extremities morphing from human to Hulk, the majority of the transformation bafflingly takes place from behind Ross’ podium, off-screen.
I’m reminded of the now-iconic Hulk transformation in The Avengers, where Bruce Banner declares that he’s “always angry” before seamlessly turning into the Hulk at the eleventh hour to pummel an advancing Chitauri Leviathan. The entire transformation occurs before our eyes, and I can’t help but wonder if Captain America: Brave New World omitted a similar sH๏τ due to a smaller budget. It takes a hefty amount of CGI, after all, to believably render the transformation. Still, making the Red Hulk so central to the movie’s marketing and sidestepping the main event feels a little weird.
I’m Disappointed By Both Red Hulk’s Transformation Scenes
Both The Transformation And Reversion Happen Off-Screen
Red Hulk only boasts a few minutes of high-octane screen time, which I’ll readily admit was one of the highlights of Captain America: Brave New World. At the same time, this climactic sequence was sandwiched by two weird transformation scenes, with Ross’ initial transformation being rivaled in its oddity by his reversion to human form. After Captain America seemingly incapacitates Red Hulk with a kinetic blast from his wings, he discovers that Red Hulk is mostly unharmed save for an abdominal wound caused by Wilson’s vibranium wings.
The decision to omit much of Hulk’s transformation certainly avoids too much scrutiny from eagle-eyed audiences, but I find this harder to believe as the rest of the CGI in this scene is pretty great.
Sam Wilson, now deprived of weapons but undeterred, then succeeds in causing Ross to revert to human form by invoking Betty Ross’ name. Once again, the transition happens off-screen as we see through Ross’ eyes, going from towering over Sam to shrinking to his level. When we next see Ross, he is once again in his human form. The decision to omit much of Hulk’s transformation certainly avoids too much scrutiny from eagle-eyed audiences, but I find this harder to believe as the rest of the CGI in this scene is pretty great.
The CGI On Red Hulk Is Otherwise Very Good
Marvel Studios Has Mastered Making Hulks Believable
Aside from the questionable choices surrounding Red Hulk’s transformation, I think he is one of the best examples of how well Marvel Studios handles CGI characters. As Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk has repeatedly proven, the studio is now perfectly adept at making this gargantuan rage monster feel real, and I’m heartened to see that this has transferred to Harrison Ford’s depiction. Watching Red Hulk and Captain America fight around Washington DC was a true spectacle that felt real and visceral from start to finish.
Red Hulk is seen emitting heat when he transforms, which is a comic-book-accurate representation of his powers that increase with his anger levels.
I’d even go so far as to say that the special effects team for Captain America: Brave New World actually improved on the Hulk with Red Hulk. Smaller details like the bullets bouncing off of Red Hulk’s skin are difficult to overlook, while the motion capture of Harrison Ford’s face works brilliantly. It stands to reason, of course, that the CGI would be next-level, given how Captain America: Brave New World had plenty of time to fine-tune the details, but this only makes me wonder why we couldn’t have seen the full transformation from behind the podium.
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