Marvel Studios may soon introduce the perfect match for Bruce Banner’s Hulk to the MCU, as the Red Hulk may be just round the corner. Throughout his MCU career, Mark Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner has been depicted as one of the strongest members of the Avengers, thanks to his ability to transform into a giant, muscular beast powered by gamma radiation. While Bruce Banner’s Hulk has proven he is the “Strongest Avenger” time and again, Marvel Studios is suspected to soon be debuting a villain powerful enough to take him on.

Previously portrayed by the late William Hurt, Thaddeus Ross will be played by Harrison Ford in Marvel Studios’ upcoming Captain America: Brave New World. Ross will be the new President of the United States, taking over from Secret Invasion’s Ritson, but the recasting of the MCU veteran character has led many to believe his evil alter ego will be making an appearance in the MCU’s Phase 5. The possible emergence of a live-action Red Hulk could introduce a villain more powerful than the Hulk himself, teasing a huge role for Ford in the MCU’s future.

How Powerful Red Hulk Is Next To Hulk

Red Hulk made his Marvel Comics debut in 2008’s Hulk (Vol. 2) #1, but it wasn’t until 2010’s World War Hulks storyline that the villainous Hulk was revealed to actually be the alter ego of General Thaddeus Ross. After they siphoned the Hulk’s powers during the World War Hulk event, MODOK, the Leader, and Doc Samson imbued Ross with the Hulk’s abilities, transforming him into the villainous Red Hulk. Although a similar strength and size to the Hulk, Thaddeus Ross’ Red Hulk had better control over his abilities, and had other gifts that Bruce Banner did not.

Most notably, Red Hulk is able to absorb other energies, usually making him even stronger. In one of his first Marvel Comics stories, Red Hulk absorbed the Power Cosmic from the Silver Surfer, but the overuse of this power made him incapable of reverting to his human form. Red Hulk has also stolen the gamma energy from the Hulk himself. More brutal and tactically intelligent than Banner, and also able to emit heat when in his Hulk form, sometimes even enough to melt sand into glass, Red Hulk indeed seems to be more powerful than the Hulk.

Will The MCU’s Smart Hulk Be Strong Enough To Fight Red Hulk

Mark Ruffalo debuted as Smart Hulk in 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, revealed to have merged the human Banner and Hulk personas into one body during the Blip. This marked a dramatic change in the Hulk’s personality, as he became a much less angry character, contributing to the so-called “nerfing” of the Avenger. The Hulk’s loss of rage in the MCU’s Phase 4 may make him more vulnerable to attacks by Red Hulk, should the pair come to blows in the future, which is certainly a possibility.

In Marvel Comics, the Hulk has usually been able to defeat Red Hulk, often with the help of other notable heroes. However, it was regularly the Hulk’s rage factor and sheer brutality that allowed him to best Red Hulk, but this is something that is now missing from Mark Ruffalo’s live-action Hulk. There has been some criticism about the Hulk being weakened in Phase 4, and this could come to a head during a battle against Red Hulk, as Bruce Banner’s Hulk may simply not be strong enough to take on the powerful new villain.