After rumours emerged a few days ago that Harrison Ford was set to replace William Hurt as Thaddeus Ross, it has now been officially confirmed, according to Deadline. Ford will make his MCU debut in Captain America 4, opposite Anthony Mackie, which is set for release in May 2024.
Hurt played the role of Ross five times in the MCU, firstly in 2008’s The Incredible Hulk, where he was responsible for the creation of the Hulk. In 2016’s Captain America: Civil War, Ross has become Secretary of State and wants to use the Sokovia Accords to control the Avengers. He recurred in Infinity War and Endgame, before making a final appearance in 2021’s Black Widow.
80-year-old Ford will assume the role of Thaddeus ‘Thunderbolt’ Ross as the leader of the team of anti-heroes, the Thunderbolts. The team will include Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes alongside newer additions Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova, David Harbour’s Red Guardian, Hannah John-Kamen’s Ghost, Olga Kurylenko’s Taskmaster, Julia Louis-Dreyfus’s Val, and Wyatt Russell’s US Agent.
These characters were mainly introduced in the Black Widow movie and the Falcon and the Winter Soldier Disney Plus series. A Thunderbolts movie is set for release as the final part of Phase 5, in July 2024. It will follow directly on from Captain America 4, and it sounds as though the two will be fairly heavily connected.
We will next be seeing Ford in Indiana Jones 5, of course. After avoiding television for his entire career, Ford has signed on to two upcoming TV series – Shrinking for Apple TV, and Yellowstone prequel 1923.
While we wait to learn more about Captain America 4 and Thunderbolts, check out our guide to Marvel’s Phase 5 – to find out what we know so far.