While Harrison Ford’s Red Hulk has cemented itself as one of the standout features of Captain America 4, the character interestingly did not have any dialogue in the film. The villainous, rage-fueled monster only made a brief appearance in Captain America: Brave New World but failed to deliver any lines in his big-screen debut. As such, fans have wondered why Red Hulk didn’t speak in the film, a doubt that director Julius Onah has now clarified.

Julius Onah on why Harrison Ford’s Red Hulk has no dialogue in Captain America 4

In a recent discussion, The Cloverfield Paradox filmmaker stated that the decision to keep Red Hulk from talking in Captain America 4 was purely creative. He explained that the team chose to go with the said choice to aptly reflect the combined struggles of Thunderbolt Ross’ emotional conflict as well as his reservations regarding the transformation.

While speaking with Collider’s Steve Weintraub, Julius Onah also confirmed that Red Hulk’s vocal absence was a frequent topic of discussion during production. “Whether or not Red Hulk should talk, that was something that came up quite a bit. My feeling was that he shouldn’t, which is what is the case in the movie,” he noted.

Onah then delved deep into why Red Hulk didn’t speak in Captain America 4. He said, “The transformation that Ross is dealing with and the struggle that Ross is dealing with emotionally in this film is trying to move away from what he’s been known as, as Thunderbolt Ross.” Onah then added, “The moment you gave him language as a Hulk, then people can talk to each other, and you’re moving away from pure id to a more rational being. It was the same way Harrison felt.”

Despite there being a debate about whether Red Hulk should have dialogues in Captain America 4, Julius Onah seemed to be grateful to the Marvel crew for ultimately agreeing to his creative approach regarding the same. “That speaks to a guy and how great of collaborators everybody at Marvel is. They respected that, and that’s what we got in the movie,” the acclaimed director said.

Released on February 14, 2025, Captain America: Brave New World is currently available for viewers to see in theatres.