Tim Blake Nelson Talks Returning to Marvel After 16 Years, Say He Felt 'Despair' Before Being Cast Again

Tim Blake Nelson opened up about making a Marvel Cinematic Universe comeback!

The actor made his debut in the franchise playing Samuel Sterns, aka the Leader, in 2008′s The Incredible Hulk. All these years later, he’ll reprise the role in 2025′s Captain America: Brave New World. If you were unaware, it’s the first Cap movie that features Anthony Mackie as the titular hero after he took over the mantle from Chris Evans.

He opened up about his return in a new interview, admitting that he felt “despair” over the years that his character went unused in the ever-growing franchise.

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“You know, year after year, as I got further and further away from the introduction of the Leader through Samuel Stern, I would despair because I thought, well I guess I’m never going to get to do that,” he told People. “So I was pretty heartbroken and I was pretty resigned to never getting to have the other shoe drop with Samuel Sterns and the Leader.”

He added that he was “absolutely ecstatic” to be brought back and was “really grateful to Kevin Feige.”

Tim hopped onstage with his costars at San Diego Comic-Con over the weekend. We learned some exciting details about Brave New World, including how it would solve a massive plot hole within the larger MCU.

We rounded up the biggest surprises from Marvel’s Comic-Con panel.

Captain America: Brave New World premieres in theaters on February 14, 2025 – check out the first teaser trailer!