MCU’s Biggest Missed Opportunity: The Leader’s Forgotten Future

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  • Who Is The Leader in Marvel Comics?
  • The Leader Is a Commentary on the Overly Complicated Villain Plan
  • The Biggest Issue With the Leader Is Marvel’s Unwillingness to Go Big (Literally)

In the movie “Captain America: Brave New World,” there’s been a strong focus on introducing The Red Hulk, which has Harrison Ford transforming into the colossal red behemoth and engaging in some iconic Hulk-like destruction. However, it’s important to note that this isn’t the only compelling character featured in this Captain America sequel. In fact, the appearance of a specific villain makes “Captain America: Brave New World” seem like a continuation of “The Incredible Hulk,” as the film brings back Tim Blake Nelson reprising his role as Samuel Sterns, a character familiar to fans as The Leader.

In 2008, Nelson portrayed Sterns in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s second film, The Incredible Hulk. This movie hinted at his transformation into the renowned Marvel antagonist, but as the MCU progressed and complications with a standalone Hulk film arose, it seemed like one of those teases that fans would have to settle without resolution. The emergence of The Leader 17 years later demonstrates that no plot thread is ever completely closed in the MCU, emphasizing the significance of Captain America’s “patience” lesson. In Captain America: Brave New World, the appearance of The Leader has sparked diverse opinions among critics, yet it can be argued that this portrayal accurately captures the essence of the character.

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Who Is The Leader in Marvel Comics?

Originally, The Leader was brought to life by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, making his first appearance in Tales to Astonish #62 in December 1964. There’s often a discussion about who The Hulk’s main adversary is, with Thaddeus Ross/The Red Hulk, The Abomination, and The Leader being the most frequently mentioned contenders. In many aspects, The Leader seems to be the polar opposite of The Hulk. While Bruce Banner, a brilliant scientist, transforms into the rampaging monster known as the Hulk, The Leader was initially just an ordinary janitor with an intelligence that surpassed human comprehension. However, it’s important to note that while the Hulk is incredibly strong, The Leader is equally intelligent.

Because of his exceptional intellect, The Leader possesses the uncanny ability to forecast multiple potential outcomes for upcoming events, allowing him to act as a skilled manipulator in planning and outwitting his adversaries. He often displays minimal but noticeable abilities in telekinesis and telepathy, even controlling people’s thoughts on occasion. Additionally, his brilliant mind makes him an exceptional inventor, capable of creating potent weaponry.

In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Samuel Sterns initially portrayed as a university professor rather than a janitor. He secretly corresponded with Bruce Banner, pretending to aid him in curing his condition. However, without Banner’s knowledge or consent, Sterns duplicated a sample of Banner’s blood. Later, Emil Blonsky compelled Sterns to transform him into the Abomination using gamma radiation. In the ensuing chaos, the Abomination flung Sterns across the lab, causing a drop of Banner’s blood to land on a wound on Sterns’ forehead. This accidental contact with Banner’s blood led to Sterns’ head starting to expand.

For nearly two decades, fans didn’t witness Sterns on the big screen again, but a prequel comic to The Avengers, titled Fury’s Big Week (issues #6-7), revealed that he was captured by Black Widow (Natasha Romanoff) shortly following the events of The Incredible Hulk. This storyline is continued in the MCU, notably in Captain America: Brave New World, where it’s important to note that Sterns did not possess green skin as depicted in the comic.

Following the occurrences depicted in “The Incredible Hulk”, General Thaddeus Ross imprisoned Sterns in a secluded, off-site facility for his intellectual exploitation. He aimed to amplify Sterns’ intelligence by subjecting him to higher doses of gamma radiation. This treatment resulted in Sterns’ skin turning green and his skull adopting a design reminiscent of comic book art. However, when Ross failed to keep his word and free Sterns after assisting him win the presidential election, Sterns sought revenge. He carefully orchestrated a chain of events that culminated in Ross’ reputation being tarnished as he transformed into The Red Hulk.

The Leader Is a Commentary on the Overly Complicated Villain Plan

In simpler terms, although The Leader is typically a nemesis of the Hulk in comic books, the underwhelming box office results of the previous two live-action Hulk films and Disney’s policy against collaborating with other studios on movies featuring Spider-Man have made it difficult to produce a direct sequel to a Hulk movie. It may seem unusual that The Leader is being introduced in a Captain America film since he doesn’t share any significant backstory with Sam Wilson in the comics.

Villains frequently switch their adversaries. For approximately two decades, Kingpin was primarily Spider-Man’s nemesis, but during the 1980s, writer Frank Miller transformed him into Daredevil’s chief antagonist. Sabretooth initially fought Iron Fist, later transforming into a mutant and becoming Wolverine’s adversary, much like Mystique who was originally Carol Danvers’ antagonist but is now predominantly associated with the X-Men. The MCU’s move of making a Hulk villain into Captain America’s enemy isn’t as blasphemous as some might perceive it to be.

The unique talent of the Leader, in forecasting probabilities and preemptively shaping circumstances, empowers Marvel Studios to create a villain embodying a common theme in action films: a villain who always seems to be one step ahead, almost as if they’ve anticipated every possible scenario.

Many films showcase antagonists who are portrayed as incredibly powerful and cunning, masterminding intricate schemes with multiple backup plans. In such a way, no matter what the protagonist attempts, the villain’s scheme remains on track, often resulting in them saying, “I planned for that” or “you unwittingly fulfilled my malicious plot.

In the films “The Dark Knight” and “Skyfall”, we find characters like The Joker and Silva, who seemingly embody chaos with numerous schemes in motion while claiming no specific plan. The Joker, in his portrayal in “The Dark Knight,” can be seen as a screenwriter’s embodiment, as he manipulates events to achieve his goals. Similarly, Silva from “Skyfall” is akin to the Joker in a James Bond setting; he intentionally gets captured by 007 so he can be taken to London and use Q’s technical expertise to breach security, derail a train, lure Bond into a trap, and ultimately attempt to assassinate M. These seemingly ordinary individuals possess an almost omniscient understanding of storytelling, which could be seen as the leader’s unique power.

The Character appears to combine traits of Arnim Zola from “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” and Zemo from “Captain America: Civil War.” Similar to Zola, he possesses an underground lair where Captain America confronts him, and his intellect enables him to foresee potential outcomes and threats. Much like Zemo, he seems capable of orchestrating a large-scale conspiracy, skillfully manipulating the actions of various characters to serve his purpose.

Critics found this aspect in “Civil War” questionable since Zemo was an ordinary individual who supposedly couldn’t have predicted the actions of numerous people from multiple nations. However, the Leader’s unique ability makes such a scenario more plausible.

Brave New World”. However, there’s concern that “The Leader” might not be imposing enough, both in terms of character development and physical stature.

The Biggest Issue With the Leader Is Marvel’s Unwillingness to Go Big (Literally)

In the narrative of “Captain America: Brave New World,” the main challenge lies with The Leader, who experiences a sense of diminishment, not just figuratively but literally. To maintain a semi-realistic tone reminiscent of Tom Clancy’s works, the visual representation of The Leader attempts to minimize his more cartoonish aspects. However, it seems that there was room for further development as some elements, like his green skin and skull resembling a brain, still remain. In several aspects, The Leader’s appearance appears to reference radiation sickness due to his unwell appearance and the eerie, almost zombie-like gaze in his eyes.

As a devoted fan, it’s hard not to sense a deliberate toning-down of The Leader’s design, perhaps to diminish the iconic giant head that endears him to us fans. It seems like the lukewarm reception to M.O.D.O.K. in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania may have given Marvel Studios pause when it comes to introducing another large-headed villain. This apprehension might even have led to a significant overhaul of The Leader’s design, as evidenced by promotional artwork for the film that shows a more classic Silver Age aesthetic, with the Leader’s head towering like a skyscraper. Instead, the filmmakers appear to have favored a more subdued rendition of the character’s distinctive bulbous skull look from the 1980s.

As a film enthusiast, I can’t help but feel that the scale of “The Leader” in the latest Avengers movie feels somewhat diminished, not just in terms of his design, but also his role within the narrative. The decision to leap straight into another Infinity War-level event like “Avengers: Doomsday” without introducing a new generation of Avengers in the MCU seems questionable to me.

The MCU’s Multiverse Saga needed its own version of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, and the team that emerged from “The Avengers” and “Age of Ultron” was crucial for establishing its core players. There have been debates about who could drive the Avengers to reunite once more, but The Leader appears to be a prime candidate as a villain reminiscent of Loki or Ultron, capable of setting the stage for Doctor Doom.

In simpler terms, the villain’s skill at predicting and controlling crucial situations, such as attempting to assassinate the U.S. President and potentially causing a worldwide conflict, seems like a battle that requires more heroes, especially the Avengers. I think Captain America would be there, but it’d be exciting to see Samuel Sterns utilize his intelligence against a cosmic powerhouse like Captain Marvel, prepare for Shuri’s advanced Wakandan technology, and confront Bruce Banner’s Hulk, maybe even pushing him to lose control. It seems Marvel underestimated the strength of The Leader and could have made this villain more formidable.

The Leader’s MCU Future

Given the unfavorable response from fans about both “Captain America: Brave New World” and the portrayal of The Leader, it seems unlikely that Marvel will delve into his character again. However, considering there are undoubtedly more tales to be spun with The Leader, this potential absence is disappointing. He could potentially gather the Masters of Evil, a beloved group of Avengers adversaries yet untouched by the MCU. Indeed, fans eagerly anticipate a confrontation between The Leader and The Hulk.

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2025-02-24 03:05