Harrison Ford Talks Stepping Into Late William Hurt’s MCU Role In ‘Captain America: Brave New World’: “A Fantastic Actor”

As Harrison Ford makes his MCU debut in Captain America: Brave New World, he has some big shoes to fill.

During the red carpet for Tuesday’s world premiere in Hollywood, the Oscar nominee opened up to Deadline about stepping into the role of President Thaddeus Ross (aka Red Hulk), which was already “grounded in the work” of the late William Hurt‘s portrayal in 2008’s The Incredible Hulk.

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“In fact, that was one of the attractions,” he said. “It was a character that had been grounded in the work that a fantastic actor. It was a bonus, as far as I’m concerned.”

Ford continued, “And under the rules of the Marvel Universe, such as they are — and I know they’re a bit bendable — somehow its ok for one actor to come in and take over for another actor. I was delighted to have the opportunity. I always wanted to do a Marvel [movie]. I wanted to be part of the pleasure of these entertainments.”

In The Incredible Hulk, Hurt portrayed Bruce Banner’s (Edward Norton, before Mark Ruffalo took over the MCU role) nemesis Gen. Thaddeus ‘Thunderbolt’ Ross, who is also the father of Bruce’s scientist love interest Betty Ross (Liv Tyler).

Ford takes over the role in Brave New World, premiering Valentine’s Day in theaters. which sees Ross teaming up with Captain America (Anthony Mackie) in his first 100 days as president of the United States, while also attempting to make amends with his daughter and show her he’s changed. Meanwhile, he’s harboring a big, red secret that has disastrous consequences.

Hurt died at age 71 on March 13, 2022 after announcing in 2018 that he had terminal prostate cancer, which had spread to his bones.

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