Harrison Ford is set to join the MCU as Thunderbolt Ross, completing the character’s villain arc in ‘Captain America: Brave New World’ following William Hurt’s last appearance in 2021’s ‘Black Widow.’ Ford enjoyed playing the role but was not enthusiastic about the motion capture requirements.
The first trailer for ‘Captain America: Brave New World’ promises a gripping spy thriller, reminiscent of ‘The Winter Soldier’ and ‘Civil War.’ The fourth Captain America film, starring Anthony Mackie, also teases Thaddeus ‘Thunderbolt’ Ross’s transformation into the Red Hulk. This evolution of the character in the MCU began with William Hurt’s portrayal in 2008’s ‘The Incredible Hulk,’ followed by appearances in ‘Civil War,’ ‘Avengers: Infinity War,’ ‘Endgame,’ and ‘Black Widow.’ After Hurt’s passing in 2022, Ford was recast. He told Variety he enjoyed the part but criticized the motion capture process.
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Ford described his approach to motion capture as just going through the motions. “What did it take? It took not caring,” he said. “It took being an idiot for money, which I’ve done before.” He didn’t specify which roles required similar efforts, but his character in ‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’ involved similar technology for de-aging.
Despite his criticisms, Ford found the process worthwhile after seeing fan reactions to the teaser. “I’m just saying you have to do certain things that normally your mother would not want you to do — or your acting coach if you had one. But it’s fun, and I enjoyed it,” he said. “I had a great time, and I’m delighted at the response that we got with the trailer.”
Ford compared the MCU to Star Wars and Indiana Jones, calling it “a whole different cut of cloth” and praised its imaginative freedom. He enjoyed working with the team, especially director Julius Onah and co-star Anthony Mackie. Ford is expected to reprise Thunderbolt Ross in ‘Thunderbolts,’ the final film in the MCU’s Phase Five.
‘Captain America: Brave New World’ premieres on 14th February 2025, and ‘Thunderbolts’ on 2nd May 2025.
–Farheen Ali