16 years since his last appearance, The Leader star Tim Blake Nelson teases his character's "astonishing" new Marvel look

Jul. 31, 2024

Exclusive: Tim Blake Nelson talks returning to Marvel in Captain America: Brave New World

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The last time we saw The Leader in the MCU was back in 2008’s The Incredible Hulk. Now, he’s set to make his big return in Captain America: Brave New World, and actor Tim Blake Nelson tells us that “he hasn’t been sitting around”.

Speaking to GamesRadar+ after theMarvel’s San Diego Comic-Con panel, he explains that it was a big surprise getting the call to return again, 16 years on.

“I had given up on getting to play this character again and had despaired on that,” Nelson details about coming back as Samuel Sterns. “I was astonished frankly when they said, ‘We’re bringing you back as The Leader, and it’s going to be in the Captain America franchise.’ I love Anthony Mackie, we’ve worked together before, we went to the same drama school, so I was all in.”

The supervillain was first introduced as a cellular biologist working on a cure for Bruce Banner. However, when he got infected with some of the Hulk’s blood on his open head wound, his mind rapidly mutated.

During the panel, Nelson teased that his character has been brought back for a “great story”. He wouldn’t tell us much more other than, “I’ll just say that he hasn’t been sitting around”.

What we do know is that The Leader will also be getting a new look this time too, as Nelson alluded to a fresh design. “You can go and look in the comics for hints of what we’re up to,” he teases. “I think that the expansion of that into film language is going to astonish.”

For more on the upcoming movie, check outwhat Harrison Ford told us about his Red Hulk transformationand whatAnthony Mackie thinks about those Winter Soldier comparisons.

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I’m the Deputy Entertainment Editor here at GamesRadar+, covering TV and film for the Total Film and SFX sections online. I previously worked as a Senior Showbiz Reporter and SEO TV reporter at Express Online for three years. I’ve also written for The Resident magazines and Amateur Photographer, before specializing in entertainment.

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