The latest entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, She-Hulk: Lawyer, has finally put Abomination back in the spotlight after more than a decade of absence – however, he may not be the only forgotten villain making a comeback in the series. Many fans theorize that the new show’s main antagonist could be one of the Hulk’s biggest comedic enemies, which was first announced in 2008.
The Incredible Hulk hasn’t gotten a real sequel yet and probably never will, but that doesn’t mean the characters and plot threads it introduced are off the table. A supporting character in the film was Samuel Sterns (Tim Blake Nelson), who tries to help Bruce Banner heal his mutation before being forced by General Ross to turn Emil Blonsky into the Abomination. As Blonsky’s transformation destroys his lab, Sterns is exposed to a sample of Banner’s blood, causing his brain to briefly expand as an eerie smile appears across his face – an obvious nod to Sterns’ comedic identity as the supervillain known as the leader .
The Leader made his comic strip debut in 1964 with Stories to amaze #62, by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. A fellow gamma-ray victim, the leader’s mutation enhanced his intelligence rather than his strength, resulting in his signature oversized skull. With his newfound powers, the leader became a criminal mastermind with ambitions of world domination, using his superhuman intellect to invent a variety of high-tech weapons and gadgets to aid in his plans. In other words, he’s the ultimate comic book-mad scientist, with his brain making him a natural counterpart to the Hulk’s power.
The leader is also a mainstay of any animated adaptation with the Hulk. He appeared in both 1996’s The Incredible Hulk animated series until 2010 The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, in which he was voiced by Matt Frewer and Jeffrey Combs, respectively. He’s even appeared in a handful of video games, including the tie-in game for the 2003 Hulk movie and 2013’s Lego Marvel Superheroes. Most adaptations tend to portray the leader as – true to his name – the de facto leader of Hulk’s rogue gallery, with the likes of the Abomination, the Absorbing Man, and the Wrecking Crew under his service.
Perhaps the Hulk’s greatest nemesis, it’s easy to see why the Leader would have been created so early in the Marvel Cinematic Universe—with a prolific actor like Tim Blake Nelson in the role, no less. It’s been 14 years though The Incredible Hulk hit theaters, and for most of that time there’s no sign of the leader making his triumphant return to finally threaten the Hulk in live action. But now, with She-Hulk: Lawyer currently airing, the Hulk’s corner of the MCU is back in the spotlight, giving its villains’ gallery a second chance to impress.
As mentioned earlier, She-Hulk: Lawyer finally sees Tim Roth reprise his role as Emil Blonsky, aka the Abomination, who has seemingly changed his wicked ways since the events of The Incredible Hulk. But while Blonsky isn’t the series’ antagonist, Episode 3 gave viewers their first hints that a mysterious villain is still forging behind the scenes. Towards the end of the episode, She-Hulk is confronted by a comically inept group of villains wielding stolen Asgardian construction equipment — clearly intended to be the MCU’s incarnation of perennial bit-part villains, the Wrecking Crew. Strangely, one of the members tries to steal a sample of She-Hulk’s blood, but the needle breaks against her skin.
As the Wrecking Crew makes their escape, their leader the Wrecker makes a comment about the team’s employer, who is sure to be displeased that they didn’t obtain Jen’s blood. In other words, there’s an evil mastermind lurking in the shadows who wants to get their hands on a Hulk’s blood. There’s no shortage of comedic villains who could fill that role, but none would fit the bill quite as perfectly as the leader. After all, it was Bruce’s blood that first mutated him into The Incredible Hulk, so he knows firsthand what Hulk blood is capable of. It wouldn’t come as a surprise to learn that the leader wants Jens blood for his experiments – he would even plan to create more monsters, such as the Abomination.
Skeptics might argue that too much time has passed since then The Incredible Hulk for the leader to return to the MCU. However, there was a time when the same was said about the horror, and now it is more prominent than ever. There are countless fans who have waited over ten years to see the Leader come to life live, and She-Hulk: Lawyer has created a perfect opportunity to make that possible. And with Tim Blake Nelson’s comedic background, he would fit right in with the show’s comedic tone. Only time will tell which super villain is pulling the strings of the Wrecking Crew, but there’s no better candidate than the Leader.
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