The MCU Is Wasting Hulk's Nemesis, And The Comics Just Proved It
Warning: spoilers ahead for Captain America #26!
In the latest issue of Marvel Comics' Captain America, Steve Rogers has gathered his allies to stage a rescue mission to save multiple members of the Daughters of Liberty, who are being held by the Red Skull and Alexa Lukin, a member of the corrupt Power Elite. General Thunderbolt Ross was being held prisoner by the Power Elite as well, despite once being part of their sinister and influential cabal. During the resulting conflict, Crossbones and his lackeys continue to beat Ross, who they view as a traitor to their cause. However, Ross welcomes the beatdown, knowing it will eventually activate his rebirth as the Red Hulk, helping to save the day while also proving that his character has been wasted in the MCU.
General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross was once the nemesis of Bruce Banner, the Incredible Hulk. Hunting the Hulk with a vengeance, Ross became depressed when Hulk was transported to another world by the Illuminati so he could no longer do any harm to the world, seeing it as a reckless half-measure. This left Ross vulnerable and willing to join the villains MODOK and the Leader. Believing that the Hulk would one day return, the group made plans to prepare. When the day eventually came, the group - now known as the Intelligencia - used a collection of satellites to siphon energy from the Hulk, which Ross then absorbed. This transformed Ross into the Red Hulk, allowing him to even the odds against the original Hulk during his debut in 2008's Hulk #1. As the Red Hulk, Ross could transform back and forth at will, retaining his intelligence and identity.
While Ross' tenure as a super-powered being has been complex - seeing him both try to stage a coup of the United States and eventually join the Avengers - he's always believed his actions have been in service to his country (even Captain America sees him as a fellow patriot, despite his flaws). However, it was believed that Ross had been cured of the Red Hulk for some time in recent comics... until now. Al Ewing and Joe Bennett's The Immortal Hulk has changed the rules for gamma-powered heroes, and after enough abuse, Ross is back to being a morally dubious antihero that few can match.
It's a real shame that the Thunderbolt Ross of the MCU hasn't had the same path seen in the comics. Played by William Hurt, Ross was introduced in a very similar fashion as the obsessed general hunting the Hulk in The Incredible Hulk. However, Ross then transitioned into a simple bureaucrat, becoming the U.S. Secretary of State as seen in Captain America: Civil War with the introduction of the government's Sokovia Accords. He had a brief scene in Avengers: Infinity War and will soon make an appearance in the upcoming Black Widow film, filling the same role that should be so much more.
An MCU Red Hulk would certainly have been an incredibly dynamic and engaging evolution for the film version of Ross, but it's not just the powers that are missing. The Ross seen in Captain America #26 is a devious political operator with huge concern for his country's wellbeing and a massive distrust of the super-powered community. While the bureaucratic, sardonic Ross of the MCU offers a mundane check on the Avengers, his comic counterpart is a man who loses himself in the pursuit of a monster and becomes one in turn, with that transformation giving him the ability to take the unilateral action he's always dreamed of - both in a literal and political sense. With decades to develop as a character, the Thunderbolt Ross of the comics is someone Captain America vehemently disagrees with but is glad to have on his side - something that just wouldn't work for the character as he currently exists in the MCU.