Social media is ablaze with rumors that Harrison Ford’s Red Hulk, a central figure in the marketing for Captain America: Brave New World, will have less than five minutes of screen time in the big budget Marvel film. If true, this would represent a significant bait-and-switch by Marvel Studios, which has prominently featured the Red Hulk in nearly every trailer, TV spot, and promotional poster. It should be stressed at this time that this is an unverified rumor.
The claim was shared to X by the movie news account We Love Physical Media.
The Red Hulk has Less than 5 Minutes of Screen time pic.twitter.com/7zXwImc8Qp
— We 🖤 Love Physical Media (@VHSDVDBLURAY4K) January 21, 2025
Ford’s portrayal of Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, who transforms into the Red Hulk, has been a major selling point in the film’s promotional campaign. From posters emphasizing Red Hulk’s showdown with Sam Wilson’s Captain America to action-packed teaser footage, the marketing has set up expectations that Ross’s transformation would play a pivotal role in the story. If his appearance is limited to just a few minutes, fans may feel misled by the studio—a recurring criticism of Marvel’s recent promotional tactics.
With a reported runtime of 118 minutes, that means the Red Hulk, despite being featured in nearly 100% of all advertising, will only be present for 4.2% of the movie.
Harrison Ford as the Red Hulk in Captain America: Brave New World – YouTube, Marvel Entertainment
When examining this claim, it’s hard to refute. We’ve only seen footage of the Red Hulk from one scene, starting with Ford’s transformation on a presidential podium and ending with a massive brawl with Sam Wilson among cherry blossom trees in Washington DC. That means it’s all together possible that rather than being a consistent menace throughout the film, the Red Hulk will be some cheap thrill tossed in at the end of the movie.
Marvel has proved as a studio that its willing to outright lie to the audience when it feels it needs to. Promotional trailers for The Marvels featured original lines recorded by Josh Brolin as Thanos, despite the fact that the Mad Titan appears nowhere in the actual movie.
A Film Already Mired in Controversy
The Red Hulk rumors come as Brave New World faces mounting challenges. The film reportedly carries a staggering production budget between $350 million and $375 million, not including marketing costs. Factoring in promotional expenses, the movie will likely need to gross nearly $1 billion worldwide to break even—a daunting prospect given current box office projections.
Harrison Ford as the Red Hulk in Captain America: Brave New World – YouTube, Marvel Entertainment
Presale numbers have been described as underwhelming, tracking only 1.4 times better than The Marvels, which flopped spectacularly after grossing just $206 million worldwide. Compounding the issue, Brave New World is reportedly on par with The Eternals in terms of pre-release interest—another Marvel project that failed to meet expectations, earning $402 million globally on a $236 million budget.
Production Problems and Audience Fatigue
Reports indicate Brave New World underwent extensive rewrites and reshoots, which significantly increased its already bloated budget. Much of this effort was said to be focused on incorporating Giancarlo Esposito’s Sidewinder into the narrative.
Marvel also faces dwindling enthusiasm from its core audience. Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson, who took over the Captain America mantle in Disney+’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, has struggled to capture the cultural resonance of Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers.
Harrison Ford as the Red Hulk in Captain America: Brave New World – YouTube, Marvel Entertainment
Fans criticized the Disney+ series for prioritizing identity politics over strong storytelling, and Brave New World is burdened by those lingering perceptions.
As Marvel struggles to regain its footing, Brave New World is shaping up to be a litmus test for the studio’s future. With a massive budget, lackluster fan interest, and now potentially misleading marketing, the stakes for this film couldn’t be higher. If the rumors about Red Hulk’s limited screentime prove true, it may cement Brave New World as another major misstep in the MCU’s ongoing decline.
Do you believe that the Red Hulk has under five minutes of screen time in Captain America: Brave New World? Sound off in the comments and let us know.
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This movie doesn’t even seem to be worth pirating.
What’re ya talkin’ about, ya skallywag?! I woulda nevah pirate!
Not in the slightest.
Five minutes that I’ll still never see.
It should be possible to find that five minutes on YouTube in a few months if you really care.
I do not.
So they want their black MC who they are calling Captain America to fight the evil red president?
Get some new material you freaking hacks.
If they were intelligent enough to be able to come up with new, creative material, they wouldn’t be woke. Even the intelligence level of it takes to come up with stuff like Hairy Potter isn’t truly woke.
Captain African American appeals to.. African Americans?