There is a reason Captain America: Civil War is referred to in-house as 'Avengers 2.5', because pretty much everybody who can show up in it will. Not only do we expect to see nearly every Avenger, but even the debuts of the Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) and Spider-Man (whoever that will be), and possibly more. While we may feel we know a lot about what to expect, we still have no idea the identity of the character played by Martin Freeman, and there's some uncertainty whether Mark Ruffalo's Hulk will actually make an appearance. Well now two rumors have emerged that could answer both questions. Possible spoilers below!
So let's start with the Hulk, because he's big and green and could smash all us puny humans. According to We Are Wakanda, and then compounded by MCU Exchange (both sources are dubious in my opinion), we will see Ruffalo's Hulk in the film, which kind of makes his actions in Avengers: Age of Ultron seem silly. Why leave him where he was if only to bring him back one movie later? Anyway, that's not really the big deal. The rumor goes on to claim he won't be the only Hulk we'll see, and that the Red Hulk will also appear. Now, in the comics the Red Hulk is actually General Thunderbolt Ross, and William Hurt is confirmed to reprise that character in 'Civil War'. Somehow the story, which is already way too crowded, would find a way to fit in an epic clash between both Hulks. Doesn't this sound like something that should be saved for, I don't know, a solo Hulk movie or at least an Avengers film? There's even speculation we could see the formation of the Thunderbolts at some point with Baron Zemo, Red Hulk, and possibly Norman Osborn (OsCorp could be introduced in Ant-Man) forming the group.
As for Freeman, the popular theory, one that I support, is that he'll be playing U.N. attache Everett K. Ross, a character closely tied to the Black Panther. But Latino Review says that isn't the case, and that he'll actually be more of a villain, playing Edward Chase, the Prime Minister of England. He'll emerge after a destructive battle between Captain America (Chris Evans) and Crossbones (Frank Grillo) and be on the side forcing all superheroes to be registered with the government. The character may have been introduced in Avengers: Age of Ultron during Ulysses Klaw's (Andy Serkis) phone conversation with someone he calls "Minister", right before Ultron and the twins show up. Klaw will then relay this conversation, in some way, to Baron Zemo, played by Daniel Bruhl.So lots of rumors to consider here, and possibly more reason to think we're going to see a Hulk film of some kind down the line. Has anyone considered we may get a Red Hulk movie first?
Captain America: Civil War is filming now and hits theaters May 6th 2016.
