A general with one obsession
General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross enters the MCU in The Incredible Hulk as the Army officer chasing Bruce Banner around the world. He wants the Hulk as a weapon, he wants Banner as a lab subject, and he does not much care which comes first. It does not help that Banner is in love with his daughter, Betty.
Ross is a rare MCU character who climbs the government ladder on screen. He goes from field general to Secretary of State and eventually to President of the United States. Along the way he keeps the same instinct: superpowered people need to be controlled, and he is the man to do it.
His appearances, in story order
- The Incredible Hulk (film, optional)
- Captain America: Civil War (film, essential)
- Black Widow (film, optional)
- Avengers: Infinity War (film, essential)
- Avengers: Endgame (film, essential)
- Captain America: Brave New World (film, recommended)
Black Widow came out after Endgame but is set right after Civil War, which is why it sits third here. In Infinity War and Endgame his scenes are brief, but they show where he stands after the Avengers split apart.
How his role changes over time
Civil War is the big shift. As Secretary of State, Ross brings the Sokovia Accords to the Avengers: a deal that would put them under United Nations oversight. The argument over signing it splits the team in two, with Tony Stark on one side and Steve Rogers on the other. Black Widow then shows Ross hunting Natasha Romanoff for breaking those rules.
Brave New World picks him up years later as President, trying to rebuild his reputation and his relationship with heroes he once tried to lock up. Without saying too much, his long history with gamma science comes back to the surface. Marketing for the film made no secret of a big change for Ross, but it still lands better if you go in fresh.
Characters tied to Ross
Ross has history with almost everyone on the Civil War poster. Iron Man (Tony Stark) supports the Accords and works with him, at least at first. Captain America (Steve Rogers) refuses to sign. Black Widow (Natasha Romanoff) signs, then breaks ranks. In Brave New World, he has to deal with Falcon, now Captain America (Sam Wilson), the hero who inherited Steve's shield and Steve's distrust of governments.
The two actors behind Ross
William Hurt played Ross from The Incredible Hulk through Black Widow, giving him a dry, clipped authority that made bureaucratic scenes feel tense. Hurt was known for Kiss of the Spider Woman, Broadcast News and A History of Violence. After his death, Harrison Ford stepped into the role for Brave New World. Ford, famous as Han Solo in Star Wars, Indiana Jones and Rick Deckard in Blade Runner, plays an older, more worn-down Ross who is trying to change, or at least look like he is.
Which Ross movies to watch first
If you are short on time, watch Civil War, Infinity War, Endgame and then Brave New World. That covers the Accords and his rise to the presidency. The Incredible Hulk is optional but useful before Brave New World, since that film calls back to Banner's early story. Black Widow adds a fun chase but little that changes Ross himself.