MCU fans praise ‘great’ recast of major character

Taking on the role of General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross was no easy task following the sad death of William Hurt.

However, fans have recently come together to praise Harrison Ford who stepped into the role earlier this year in Captain America: Brave New World despite the movie being one of Marvel Studios’ least successful.

Up until his death in March 2022, Hurt played the role of General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross in various MCU movies such as The Incredible Hulk, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity Way, Avengers: Endgame, and Black Widow.

As such a notable figure in the MCU, replacing him was no easy task but fans have recently come together to praise Ford for doing just that in 2025’s Captain America: Brave New World.

As a result, a discussion kicked off over on r/marvelstudios with one fan asking, “What were your thoughts of Harrison Ford's portrayal as Thunderbolt Ross as well as his portrayal as the Red Hulk?”

There is no denying that Ford is a huge name in the movie industry and so before his role, many fans were worried that he may have just been in it for the money rather than an actual interest in portraying the character.

That was the original thought of user rocker2014 who had the following to say: “It was great. I thought he might phone it in for the pay check on a big franchise movie, but he really brought Ross to life,” their comment reads.

“I always liked William Hurt in the role, and it's sad that he passed. But this was a fantastic replacement and I hope we get more in the future.”

User Xygnux agreed, adding, “He's always a professional who gets the job done. People like to s**t on him because he doesn't care to answer fan's questions about series lore. But there's nothing wrong with just doing a good job and don't want to keep talking about it afterwards.”

Another comment by sharksnrec reads, “He actually seemed to be having fun for once in his life during the press tours.

Kinda wild to see the guy who despises having to talk about playing a cool space outlaw have a ton of fun talking about playing a giant red monster.”

It seems as though Ford was a successful replacement and fans hope to see more of his Thunderbolt Ross portrayal in the future of the MCU.