Star Wars legend Harrison Ford has given a typically-terse response when asked whether Marvel had convinced the actor to return in a future MCU project.
“Nope,” Ford told Variety.
Ford took on the role of U.S. president Thaddeus Ross in Captain America: Brave New World, which also saw the star transform into the angry Red Hulk. But despite Ford’s big presence, the film drew decidedly mixed reviews, with criticism for its story, pacing, and visual effects.
Brave New World’s finale left Ross’ future open-ended, keeping the door ajar should Ford want to return. Judging by his latest response on the subject, however, fans probably shouldn’t hold their breath for Red Hulk to pop up again in Avengers: Doomsday.
Or should they? After all, Ford has a habit of eventually returning to his past franchises further down the road. The actor returned as the iconic Han Solo for Star Wars’ sequel trilogy, as Indiana Jones in the recent Dial of Destiny, and as Rick Deckard in Blade Runner 2049, after a gap of 35 years.
Sure, Ford may now be 83 years old. But in the same interview, the actor said he had no plans to ever retire. “No,” he replied, when asked if he would ever call it a day. “That’s one of the things I thought was attractive about the job of an actor, was that they need old people, too, to play old people’s parts.”
And then there’s the question of whether Marvel even needs Ford back, should the character just be needed for a few quick shots in an upcoming Avengers battle sequence. As a CGI character, would Ford actually need to provide the performance capture, while he helps smack Dr. Doom in the chops?
For now, however, Marvel is yet to confirm any future for Red Hulk, and Ford was not one of the several dozen Marvel stars previously confirmed to return in Doomsday. Instead, Marvel’s focus looks to be on its three already-established superhero teams, with the Thunderbolts/New Avengers, Sam Wilson’s actual Avengers, and the Fantastic Four, as well as appearances from a selection of Fox Universe X-Men.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social