Having been part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe since its inception back in 2018, the character of Thaddeus ‘Thunderbolt’ Ross looks set to become a key player in Phase Five of the blockbuster superhero universe.
Sadly, actor William Hurt passed away last year, having portrayed Ross from his first appearance in The Incredible Hulk through to his most recent in Black Widow. However, Marvel Studios pulled out all the stops to secure Hurt’s successor, luring screen icon Harrison Ford to take over from the Oscar winner for Ross’ upcoming appearances in Captain America: New World Order and Thunderbolts.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly in the run up to this week’s release of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige opened up about his excitement over welcoming the Star Wars and Indiana Jones legend into the MCU, as well as revealing that Ross has had a promotion since we last saw him as Secretary of State.
“This has been a dream for years, ever since Jon Favreau cast Harrison Ford in Cowboys and Aliens,” said Feige. “I was always very jealous of that, so to have him finally in the MCU is just incredible. It’s like, I can cross that off the wishlist. [Harrison is] tireless with the amount of work that he does. his is certainly a big part for Thaddeus Ross. He’s the president of the United States in the film. And with Harrison, you think about Air Force One, and you think about some of his confrontations with the president in Clear and Present Danger.”
Feige went on to discuss Ford’s Ross and his dynamic with the MCU’s new Captain America, Sam Wilson, played by Anthony Mackie: “here’s a dynamic between President Ross and Sam Wilson. They have a history together, but in this film, we’ll be seeing the dynamic between Captain America and the president of the United States in a way that is just incredible.”
Captain America: New World Order is set for release on May 3rd 2024, with Thunderbolts following on July 26th 2024.
