Captain America: Brave New World took the stage of Marvel Studios’ Hall H panel at the recent San Diego Comic-Con 2024. In addition to releasing new footage for Anthony Mackie’s first MCU movie as Captain America, the event put the spotlight on Harrison Ford as he hulked out in front of the attendees, imitating his role as Red Hulk’s iconic move. As the fourth film marks the Star Wars actor’s MCU debut, he reveals the motivation behind taking the role of Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, saying, “It took being an idiot for money.”
Originally played in the MCU by the late William Hurt, Ford takes up the mantle as the next Thunderbolt in Brave New World. He’s now the president of the United States, and the SDCC footage shows him transforming into the Red Hulk, with a facial-capture design that puts the actor’s face on the character. Now, in an interview with Variety during the Marvel press line at SDCC, Ford gave a candid remark about the motion capture process needed to turn him into Red Hulk.
“What did it take? It took not caring,” he said. “It took being an idiot for money, which I’ve done before.”
Knowing his comment could be taken offensively by some, the 82-year-old quickly clarified that he didn't mean to “disparage” his role. He later explained that he was trying to say that he had to do certain things that his mother would not normally want him to do.
“Or your acting coach, if you had one,” he added. “But it's fun, and I enjoyed it. I had a great time, and I'm delighted at the response that we got with the trailer.”
This isn’t the first time Ford dabbled into using technology to play a role in the film. In James Mangold’s 2023 Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, he also took part in de-aging technology to make him appear decades younger.
Harrison Ford "Delighted" to Play Red Hulk in Captain America: Brave New World
Despite the mixed reactions Ford received after being seen as Red Hulk in Brave New World, he said during the film’s panel at SDCC that he was happy to be part of the movie. He described his character as someone who was based on “a lot of history” developed with Bill himself. But now that he took on the role, he was “delighted” and “proud” to be a member of the MCU.
“I’ve been watching fantastic actors – some of which are here tonight – have a really good time working in the Marvel universe, and I wanted a piece of action,” he revealed via ComicBook.
What is Captain America: Brave New World about?
Brave New World will see Sam in the middle of an international incident after meeting the new US president, Thaddeus. As a nefarious global plot threatens the world, Sam makes it his mission to find who’s behind it.
You can read the Captain America: Brave New World synopsis below:
After meeting with newly elected U.S. President Thaddeus Ross, Sam finds himself in the middle of an international incident. He must discover the reason behind a nefarious global plot before the true mastermind has the entire world seeing red.
In addition to Mackie and Ford, the film will also see Danny Ramirez as Joaquin Torres / Falcon, Shira Haas as Agent Ruth Bat-Seraph, Carl Lumbly as Isaiah Bradley, Giancarlo Esposito as Set Voelker / Sidewinder, Liv Tyler as Doctor Berry Ross, Tim Blake Nelson as Samuel Sterns / Leader, Rosa Salazar as Rachel Leighton / Diamondback, and Takehiro Hira as Prime Minister Ozaki. It also includes Xosha Roquemore, Seth Rollins, and Phuong Kubacki in unrevealed roles yet.
Though some said it was cringe-worthy to see Ford hulking out at SDCC, many get excited to see him playing Thunderbolt / Red Hulk in Captain America 4. He’s THE Harrison Ford anyway, and he can surely give justice to his role no matter what anyone says.
Captain America: Brave New World is set to hit theaters on February 14, 2025.
