Warning: This article contains spoilers for Captain America: Brave New World.Marvel revealed Samuel Sterns’ Leader to be the mastermind behind some world-changing events in Captain America: Brave New World, but he might have actually been manipulating events in the MCU since the very beginning. Tim Blake Nelson made his valiant return to the MCU after 17 years in Brave New World, reprising the role of Samuel Sterns, a.k.a. the Mr. Blue who helped Edward Norton’s Bruce Banner try and find a cure in The Incredible Hulk. Sterns’ return to the MCU came with some major revelations, however.

Captain America: Brave New World confirmed that, after he was enhanced by exposure to Bruce Banner’s gamma-irradiated blood in The Incredible Hulk, Samuel Sterns was taken captive by Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross. Held at Camp Echo One, Sterns’ increased intelligence and probability prediction skills saw him develop mind control techniques that allowed him to conduct his own experiments. This included gradually enhancing President Ross into the Red Hulk, and Samuel Sterns’ Leader might have manipulated many other unexplained events in the MCU’s history.

10

Sharon Carter Becomes The Power Broker

The Falcon & The Winter Soldier (2021)

One of the most controversial storylines of the MCU’s Phase 4 was Sharon Carter being revealed to be the villainous Power Broker, a crime boss lording it over the citizens of Lowtown, Madripoor. Following Captain America: Brave New World, Marvel could very easily reveal that the Leader was behind Sharon Carter’s relocation and rise to power in Madripoor. Samuel Sterns could have even been the mysterious person that Sharon Carter spoke to on the phone after being pardoned by the government in the final moments of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

Emily VanCamp’s Sharon Carter being revealed to be the villainous Power Broker was a polarizing decision by Marvel Studios, and this has been made even worse by the fact that it hasn’t yet been resolved or addressed. Explaining Carter’s descent into darkness as being the work of the Leader would give this divisive transition more weight and meaning, and perhaps make it less jarring. Sharon Carter may have been vulnerable to manipulation after becoming a fugitive in Captain America: Civil War, which may have made her susceptible to the Leader’s schemes.

9

Aldrich Killian Perfects Extremis

Iron Man 3 (2013)

Back in 1999, Maya Hansen and Tony Stark struggled to perfect the Extremis that the former had been developing, meaning the serum was still highly volatile and explosive. It was Guy Pearce’s Aldrich Killian who seemingly managed to crack the mystery, getting Extremis so right that it transformed him into a fire-breathing monster. It’s unclear exactly how Killian accomplished this goal in the MCU, but since Extremis has appeared several times since 2013’s Iron Man 3, it seems whatever Killian did was long-lasting. Captain America: Brave New World may suggest this wasn’t Killian’s work at all.

Samuel Sterns could have very easily had a hand in the legitimization and development of AIM in the MCU, even though he had nothing to do with the nefarious organization in Marvel Comics. The Leader was revealed to have been conducting transformative genetic experiments in Captain America: Brave New World, and the success of these experiments could have altered Extremis to make it safe for human use. This could explain one of the MCU’s oldest mysteries, and allow Extremis to continue to have a role in the MCU’s future.

8

Sonny Burch Steals Hank Pym’s Quantum Technology

Ant-Man & The Wasp (2018)

One of the most annoying mysteries in the MCU’s history is the idenтιтy of Sonny Burch’s mysterious benefactor from 2018’s Ant-Man and the Wasp. Walton Goggins showed a great deal of interest in Hank Pym and Hope van Dyne’s Quantum Tunnel technology in Ant-Man and the Wasp, but not for himself, rather for his enigmatic buyer. Seven years later, Marvel Studios has still not revealed the idenтιтy of this figure, which creates the opportunity for them to be revealed as Samuel Sterns’ Leader.

There’s no doubt that Sterns would have shown an interest in quantum technology from his position in Camp Echo One. He may have predicted the coming of Kang the Conqueror and the Council of Kangs, including the former’s exile in the Quantum Realm, and may have been studying quantum technology to thwart the multiversal villain. Marvel’s new direction means this may no longer be the case, but the Leader easily could still have employed Sonny Burch to carry out the work he is unable to, given his captivity.

7

HYDRA Targets The World With Project Insight

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

Captain America: The Winter Soldier suggested that the entirety of HYDRA’s Project Insight plans had stemmed from Arnim Zola’s digitized brain and destructive algorithm. However, the Leader could easily have planted the seeds for this scheme to come to fruition, especially since the success of Project Insight would have seriously altered the power scale and landscape of the MCU. Many villains would have benefited from Insight going ahead, including Samuel Sterns, as this could have shuffled Thaddeus Ross into a position of power much quicker, spurring him to free Sterns.

Project Insight planned to wipe many significant figures off the board, including a wide array of superheroes who have often come into opposition by Thaddeus Ross. Now, that’s not to say Ross had a hand in implementing Project Insight – he would have wanted to stay far removed from this scheme – but the Leader may have manipulated Zola and HYDRA to aid in Ross’ rise to power. Eliminating heroes such as Doctor Strange, Captain America and the Hulk as part of Project Insight would have helped Ross significantly, though may have caused more issues down the line.

6

SWORD Reboots White Vision As A Weapon

WandaVision (2021)

Some of the greatest technological minds in the MCU surely work for SWORD, which means it isn’t too far-fetched to imagine the organization figuring out how to rebuild Vision’s body in WandaVision. However, SWORD was shown to have some pretty nefarious purposes for putting Vision back together, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to reveal that the Leader was behind the acquisition and reforming of the Vision’s vibranium body. Vision could be the most powerful weapon the world has ever seen, as proven in What If…? season 3, and the Leader could easily have exploited this.

Paul Bettany is set to return as the White Vision in Marvel Studios’ upcoming Vision series, where he’ll once again come face-to-face with James Spader’s Ultron. This could present the perfect opportunity for Samuel Sterns’ Leader to also return to the MCU after Captain America: Brave New World. Vision has proven himself to be a formidable threat to any hero and villain, so it would make sense that the Leader would want to control this machine, and employing SWORD to rebuild him as a weapon would have been a great way to accomplish that.

5

Todd Phelps Gets She-Hulk’s Blood

She-Hulk: Attorney At Law (2022)

She-Hulk: Attorney at Law is one of Marvel Studios’ most divisive installments, but included some fun storylines that deserve to be addressed in the MCU’s future. One of the biggest plot threads in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law involved Todd Phelps using Intelligencia to acquire She-Hulk’s blood in hopes of enhancing himself into a new Hulk and stealing her power. The focus on Jennifer Walters’ gamma-irradiated blood and enhancing a regular human into a new Hulk sounds eerily familiar – it’s the Leader’s entire plan in Captain America: Brave New World.

Todd Phelps managed to become the HulkKing in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law’s finale, though this story was rewritten by Jennifer Walters during a conversation with KEVIN. Even so, it would be great to see Intelligencia return to the MCU, and since Samuel Sterns is at the head of this organization in Marvel Comics, it would make sense to establish this connection in the MCU, too. The Leader could use Intelligencia for any number of evil purposes, perhaps even employing its members as test subjects in his future genetic experiments.

4

Mysterio Knows About The Multiverse & Earth-616

Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)

Ever since Marvel Studios confirmed that the MCU’s main timeline, the Sacred Timeline, is designated Earth-616, there have been questions about how the fraudulent Quentin Beck, a.k.a. Jake Gyllenhaal’s Mysterio, knew this designation in Spider-Man: Far From Home. Naming the MCU Earth-616 gave Mysterio credibility, but he was soon outed as a disgruntled former Stark Industries employee, so there was no clear way for him to know the universe’s actual designation. Someone who easily could have known, however, is the Leader.

Samuel Sterns could have easily figured out that the MCU’s main continuity is designated Earth-616, whether through probability means or by deducing this designation in some other way. Quentin Beck may have had contact with the Leader, who could have provided him with a backstory capable of tricking and manipulating Nick Fury and Maria Hill (even though they were revealed to be Skrulls) and Spider-Man. Connecting Mysterio and the Leader could finally explain this annoying six-year-old MCU mystery.

3

Zemo Has Information About The Winter Soldier & The Starks’ Deaths

Captain America: Civil War (2016)

Captain America: Civil War centered around the machinations of Daniel Brühl’s Baron Helmut Zemo to divide the Avengers from the inside out. He used the implementation of the Sokovia Accords as a perfect time to attack, and sought to trigger the Winter Soldier programming inside Bucky Barnes to divide them even further, with the final blow being the reveal that the Winter Soldier killed Tony Stark’s parents in 1991. Zemo was resourceful, so surely could have researched everything he needed to pull this off, but the Leader also had a motive to break apart the Avengers.

Thaddeus Ross was the one to inform the Avengers of the Sokovia Accords, and showed no qualms about displaying his distaste for having superpowered individuals knocking around unchecked. It’s possible he could have urged the Leader to employ Baron Zemo to divide the Avengers, hoping to rid the world of its enhanced vigilantes. It would be brilliant to see Zemo return to the MCU, perhaps as early as Marvel Studios’ upcoming Thunderbolts* movie, and this connection means Samuel Sterns’ Leader could also come back after his return in Brave New World.

2

Kingpin Regains Power In New York City

Daredevil: Born Again (2025)

Captain America: Brave New World revealed that it was Samuel Sterns’ manipulation and prediction of certain events that allowed Thaddeus Ross to maneuver into a position of power, the President of the United States, no less. Ross isn’t the only MCU character who has seen a rise to power in recent years, however, which suggests that the Leader could also have been helping the budding political career of Wilson Fisk. Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin is set to return in Daredevil: Born Again with his eyes on the Mayorhood of New York City.

Marvel Studios has seemingly been setting up an adaptation of Marvel Comics’ Mayor Fisk storylines, perhaps most notably 2021’s Devil’s Reign event. This saw Fisk outlaw vigilantes in New York City, which impacted the lives of several iconic heroes. The Leader could easily be in support of this wild new law, particularly after aligning himself with President Ross, who has an outspoken hatred for enhanced individuals. Daredevil: Born Again could confirm this connection, which would make Wilson Fisk an even more scheming and scary villain.

1

Valentina Recruits The Thunderbolts

Thunderbolts* (2025)

Another upcoming MCU movie will see yet another individual in a position of power gain even more influence. Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Valentina Allegra de Fontaine was introduced in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier as a mysterious figure rebranding and recruiting John Walker’s US Agent, and was next seen with Yelena Belova in her employ in Black Widow. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever revealed Valentina to be the Director of the CIA, so she would certainly know about Samuel Sterns’ imprisonment and abilities, and would have no qualms about exploiting him for her benefit.

Trailers for Marvel Studios’ Thunderbolts* seem to imply that Valentina and the CIA have manufactured their own superhero in the form of Lewis Pullman’s Sentry. The Leader’s predictions and scientific knowledge may have made this genetic enhancement possible, and this may lead to the formation of the Thunderbolts unit when Sentry suddenly shifts into the villainous and terrifying Void. Thunderbolts* is expected to lead directly on from Captain America: Brave New World, and a crossover movie full of villains and antiheroes might be the perfect place for the Leader to return.

Upcoming MCU Movies

• 
  
  

  
  

  Thunderbolts*

  Release Date

  
  May 2, 2025
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

  Powered by

  
  

  
  Expand
  Collapse
  

• 
  
  

  
  

  The Fantastic Four: First Steps

  Release Date

  
  July 25, 2025
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

  Powered by

  
  

  
  Expand
  Collapse
  

• 
  
  

  
  

  Avengers: Doomsday (2026)

  
  
  
  
  

  
  

  
  Powered by

  
  

  
  
  Expand
  Collapse
  

• 
  
  

  
  

  Spider-Man Homecoming 4

  Release Date

  
  July 24, 2026
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

  Powered by

  
  

  
  Expand
  Collapse
  

• 
  
  

  
  

  Avengers: Secret Wars

  Release Date

  
  May 7, 2027
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

  Powered by

  
  

  
  Expand
  Collapse