Harrison Ford should have entered the MCU a long time ago, long before he replaced William Hurt as Thunderbolt Ross.

Bringing in Harrison Ford to replace William Hurt might have seemed like a great choice for Captain America: Brave New World and the MCU in general, but the franchise would have benefitted a lot more if they had cast the actor earlier in its films.

Red Hulk/President Thaddeus Ross || Credit: Marvel Studios

Thunderbolt Ross might have been a great character for Harrison Ford, but the MCU could have benefitted immensely from the screen presence and Star Power that Harrison Ford brings. There are a slew of characters he could essayed, should it have come to it in previous Marvel films.

There were more than a few characters that Thunderbolt Ross could have played in the MCU

Harrison Ford in 1923 || Credits: Paramount+

While Thunderbolt Ross as a character might be brilliant for Ford, the character should have joined the MCU a long ago, when the franchise was arguably a lot stronger. While it may not seem that there are a lot of characters that Ford could have played in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there was a slew of characters he could have done justice to.

One of the characters that Harrison Ford could have done a lot of justice to was Ego the Living Planet. Having Han Solo secretly be Peter Quill’s father would have had a lot of nice optics, along with catering to what fans would have enjoyed. The character was played to perfection by Kurt Russel, of course, but Harrison Ford would have added a little more kick to the character.

There are plenty of immortals in the MCU that Harrison Ford could have essayed, such as Classic Loki or Zeus. J. Jonah Jameson would also be a character that might have suited the actor well, but there was no alternative to J. K Simmons when it actually came down to it.

We probably have not seen the last of Harrison Ford as The Red Hulk in the MCU

Harrison Ford as Red Hulk in Captain America: Brave New World || Credits: Marvel Studios

Thunderbolt Ross has been put in custody after the events of Captain America: Brave New World. However, given that the character is one of the main antagonists of The Hulk, the character might be leaning towards making an appearance in the MCU once again. There is also a heavy possibility that the character will be appearing in the upcoming Thunderbolts* film, as a part of the team, or as a secret member that has not yet been revealed by the marketing.

Thunderbolt Ross is an instrumental character in the mythos of Hulk, and could also have been introduced in Captain America: Brave New World as a means of introducing the World War Hulks storyline, or at least kicking it off. There have been rumors that The Hulk is primed to receive a solo film of his own, which might include Ross, She-Hulk and other Gamma powers heroes as well.

Captain America: Brave New World is currently in theatres.