Exclusive: Liv Tyler In Talks To Return To Marvel In Captain America 4
We have confirmed that Liv Tyler is in talks to finally reprise the role of Betty Ross in the upcoming Captain America: New World Order.
It’s been 14 years since she played Betty Ross, but our trusted and proven sources have let us know that Liv Tyler (Armageddon) is in negotiations with Marvel to reprise the role in the upcoming Captain America: New World Order. As long as the talks go well, Tyler’s return will make her yet another Incredible Hulk alum to be joining the sequel. As Polygon and others reported in early September, Tim Blake Nelson (O Brother, Where Art Thou?) will likewise return in the 2024 blockbuster as Samuel Sterns, aka The Leader.
With Liv Tyler on her way back to Marvel in the feature, Captain America: New World Order is gearing up to be a very Hulk-centric affair. Along with Tyler and Nelson, last week rumors began swirling that Mark Ruffalo would be appearing in the fourth Captain America film. Not to mention that just last month, we exclusively reported that the sometimes villainous Red Hulk would make his debut in New World Order.
Or could it be her debut? When we reported about Red Hulk’s appearance in New World Order, we made sure to point out that this did not necessarily mean it would be the Red Hulk whose secret identity is Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross; who was played perfectly in the MCU by the late William Hurt (A History of Violence). In the comics, there was also the short-lived General Robert Maverick version in U.S. Avengers and, yes, there was Red She-Hulk who was in fact Betty Ross–Liv Tyler’s Marvel character.
That’s only speculation; there are plenty of other reasons Liv Tyler is negotiating her way back to Marvel. Unlike in the source material, Betty Ross is a scientist in the MCU and one of the first to have any kind of practical experience with the accident that transformed Bruce Banner into the Hulk. If we assume that, with the Leader involved, gamma stuff is involved in the stakes of Captain America: New World Order, Ross could be the most important science mind the heroes would want to talk to next to Banner himself.
More and more the growing list of characters appearing in New World Order from the Hulk’s corner of the MCU is curious. With Liv Tyler and others appearing in the Marvel blockbuster, one possibility is that the film will either be the beginning of the long-rumored World War Hulk event, or those events could be isolated to Captain America 4. After all, considering both Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars are scheduled to hit theaters in 2025, a longer World War Hulk saga would make for a few too many multi-movie events going on at the same time.
One possible reason all this Hulkness is landing in Captain America 4 has to do with one of the biggest differences between the films and the source material in terms of Hulk’s origin: unlike in the comics in the MCU, Bruce Banner’s origin is tied to attempts to recreate Captain America’s super solider formula (though this was also the case in Marvel’s now defunct Ultimate line). Considering that at least one genuine government super soldier–Carl Lumbly’s (Alias) Isaiah Bradley–is confirmed to appear in the film (via The Direct), and we could see Wyatt Russell (Overlord) returning as U.S. Agent, the Hulk/super soldier connection has potential.
