Movies News Talk
Though it has been 16 years since Samuel Sterns was last seen in the MCU, Tim Blake Nelson, who portrays him, finds great satisfaction in how Marvel Studios is managing his comeback in Captain America: Brave New World. The MCU is not new in bringing back villains years after their original appearance; Sterns, AKA The Leader, will be the most recent nemesis to take front stage with a huge makeover. Last seen as a scientist in The Incredible Hulk (2008), Sterns ended his career in an unfortunate meeting with the monster Abomination.
Though Sterns's last scene suggested his malevolent metamorphosis, it's unclear what exactly he's been up to for a decade and a half or why he's finally making his big-screen comeback in the outstanding cast of Captain America: Brave New World. Tim Blake Nelson answered whether he could comment on the film and his role, not revealing any secrets but rather stating how delighted he was with the way the story of his comeback was written. His entire comment is below:
For those who might not remember, Sterns features in The Incredible Hulk as a scientist collaborating with Bruce Banner to create a Hulk cure. To conduct his studies, Sterns gathers some of Banner's blood; Emil Blonsky orders him at gunpoint to use it to try to transform Blonsky into another Hulk. While Sterns, AKA The Leader, possesses a warped mind with superhuman intelligence, Hulk is a gamma-boosted monster of physical strength and wrath.
Given Sterns isn't precisely evil in The Incredible Hulk (his experiments are selfish and dishonest, but not villainous per such), it will be interesting to see how 16 years have changed his attitude. Sterns is more mental than physical, hence it is likely that he will be exposed as having been hiding under the MCU. Given his comeback being "revelatory," as Nelson puts it, tying the figure into previously known events seems to fit. The first title of Captain America: Brave New World suggests perhaps his ultimate objectives.
Sam Wilson's first solo film was first slated as Captain America: New World Order before renaming it. The name obviously connects with global conspiracy theories holding that a secret group of influential individuals is running the earth under a covert global government. Therefore, it seems to be exactly in character for The Leader to stealthily manage strong government officials and organizations from the shadows to progressively take over world events and politics and forward his own agenda—whatever that may be.
Furthermore, this aligns with Tim Blake Nelson's most recent remarks stating his portrayal of the villain is more grounded in reality than it could have been. Having The Leader offer a political threat that has silently affected the MCU for years rather than a physically hefty one sounds interesting, even if he is probably sporting his characteristic green skin and enormous skull. It also makes logical in Captain America: Brave New World to provide Sam Wilson a non-physical opponent in contrast to the alleged look of Thaddeus Ross' Red Hulk.
Dates of Release
Wolverine & Deadpool
July 25, 2024
Captain America in Brave New World
December 14, 2025
Thunderbolt*
On May 2, 2025
The Four Fantastic Years
July 25, 25 2025
Blade
November 07, 2025
Avengers: The Kang Dynasty
Monday, 1, 2026
Secret Wars: Avengers
Friday, May 7, 2027
Though it has been 16 years since Samuel Sterns was last seen in the MCU, Tim Blake Nelson, who portrays him, is amazed with how Marvel Studios is managing his comeback in Captain America: Brave New World. The MCU is not new in bringing back villains years after their original appearance; Sterns, AKA The Leader, will be the most recent nemesis to take front stage with a huge makeover. Last seen as a scientist in The Incredible Hulk (2008), Sterns ended his career in an unfortunate meeting with the monster Abomination.
Though Sterns's last scene suggested his malevolent metamorphosis, it's unclear what exactly he's been up to for a decade and a half or why he's finally making his big-screen comeback in the outstanding cast of Captain America: Brave New World. Tim Blake Nelson answered whether he could comment on the film and his role, not revealing any secrets but rather stating how delighted he was with the way the story of his comeback was written. His whole reply is below: