The highly anticipated character Red Hulk made a brief appearance in the first teaser trailer for Captain America: Brave New World. This reveal sparked a wave of disappointment among Marvel fans who wished it had been preserved as a thrilling surprise for moviegoers in theaters. However, director Julius Onah shared insights with Empire, stating that keeping Red Hulk a secret from marketing was an impractical expectation. He explained, “I don’t think so. When you’re making a movie like this, an announcement goes out that Harrison Ford is going to play Thaddeus Ross, and you have a fandom as massive and as passionate as the MCU fandom is, you’re toast at that point, you know? In a perfect-case scenario, it would have been awesome if that was an in-theatre surprise, but I think it would have been very difficult. Somewhere along the way, a toy would have been found, or somebody would have leaked a trailer. It’s just so hard to keep anything secret in today’s day and age.”
Beyond the controversy of revealing Red Hulk in the trailers, Brave New World faced significant challenges during its production. The film underwent extensive reshoots that led to several characters being entirely removed from the final cut. Notable characters like Rosa Salazar’s Diamondback and Seth Rollins’ King Cobra were cut, while Tim Blake Nelson’s Leader underwent a complete redesign. Initially, this character was meant to have a comic-accurate depiction, complete with a goatee, but the reshoots transformed him into a more grotesque appearance, changing the visual dynamics of the film significantly.
Our reviewer, Chris Bumbray, shared a mixed response to Brave New World, noting that while he didn’t find it intolerable, it fell short of expectations. He stated, “My biggest gripe is that for all the comparisons to The Winter Soldier, the action is weak, with virtually none of the action scenes any better than what you’d see on a Disney Plus show,” adding, “While not a disaster, Brave New World feels like more of a chore to sit through than it should be. If you manage your expectations, there’s some fun to be had watching Ford and Mackie go mano-a-mano, but Marvel movies shouldn’t feel this dull.” You can read the full review to get more insights. Captain America: Brave New World is now available in 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD formats, and it is also available for streaming on Disney+.
Do you wish Red Hulk had been kept a secret until you experienced Captain America: Brave New World in theaters?
