The Incredible Hulk is often the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s (MCU’s) forgotten film. Although Bruce Banner (Hulk) became a pivotal part of the MCU’s Infinity Saga, The Incredible Hulk was his only solo film.
This left many questions unanswered regarding the fate of a few of the characters from the film, and the mysterious Mr. Blue was one of them. What happened to Mr. Blue and did he reappear in the MCU?
Mr. Blue (Samuel Sterns) injected Bruce Banner’s blood into Emil Blonsky, allowing the latter to become the Abomination. Blonsky attacked Mr. Blue, and a small dose of Banner’s blood entered Sterns’ forehead, causing it to mutate. What happened afterward remained a mystery.
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Who Was Mr. Blue in The Incredible Hulk?
In The Incredible Hulk, Bruce Banner searches for a cure for his exposure to gamma radiation. When his heart rate reached the threshold of 200 beats per minute (BPM), Banner would transform into the Green Goliath for a short time.
While hiding out in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, he remains in contact with the mysterious Mr. Blue (Samuel Sterns). Sterns is working on a cure for Banner’s condition, and the two cross paths when Banner returns to the United States.
Sterns synthesizes samples of the blood Banner sends him while in Brazil. Banner told Sterns to destroy the samples, believing the U.S. Military could seize them if given the chance.
Unfortunately for Banner and his girlfriend, Betty Ross, Emil Blonsky and Thaddeus Ross discover their location and take the duo into custody.
Blonsky has an ulterior motive. Early in the film, Thaddeus has Blonsky injected with a serum that gives him heightened physical abilities including superhuman strength, durability, speed, and even healing.
However, this comes at the expense of Blonsky’s skeletal system and judgment. We see an example of Blonksy’s poor judgment when, during a battle with the Hulk on a college campus, he attacks and tries to fight the Green Goliath one on one.
Predictably, this doesn’t end well for Blonsky, which motivates him to demand that Sterns inject him with Banner’s gamma-infected blood.
This causes Blonsky to transform into the Abomination. As the Abomination, Blonsky attacks Sterns before escaping the facility. However, droplets of Banner’s blood find their way into Sterns’ forehead, causing the man also known as Mr. Blue to mutate into Leader.
What Happened to Mr. Blue?
We saw just a small snippet of Sterns’ transformation, which appeared to leave us at a dead end. However, we know that as Leader, Sterns also became a supervillain, and Sterns’ brain beginning to grow implied Marvel was foreshadowing an eventual return for the character.
This never materialized; Leader never appeared as a villain in the MCU’s movies or TV shows. However, Marvel didn’t leave us without direction; in 2012, we were introduced to a comic tie-in called The Avengers Prelude: Fury’s Big Week.
This comic gives us insight on what happened to Sterns following The Incredible Hulk.
During its later events, we encounter Natasha Romanoff (Black Widow), who is investigating Blonsky’s transformation. Sterns, now Leader, tries to bribe Romanoff, claiming he can help her return home.
However, Romanoff sees through Sterns, and shoots him in the leg. She takes him into S.H.I.E.L.D custody, and they place the Leader into suspended animation so they can study him.
Will Mr. Blue Reappear in the MCU?
In late 2022, it was announced the Leader will return to the MCU along with Thaddeus Ross in Captain America: New World Order, set to be part of Phase Five.
There had been speculation going on since the release of She-Hulk, when fans pondered whether the Leader would make a reappearance in the series. However, these speculations proved to be a dead end, and neither the Leader nor Ross (speculated as Red Hulk) appeared.
The appearance of both characters has also not come without controversy. One major issue is that, although many villains in the MCU oppose the Avengers, villains like the Leader often appear only as villains when the Hulk is involved in the story.
It’s important to point out that the Leader, unlike Ross, hasn’t appeared in any MCU film since The Incredible Hulk (2008) while Ross appeared in several films, including Captain America: Civil War (2016). However, we have not seen Ross appear as Red Hulk.
Why Is Mr. Blue (the Leader) Returning After a 16-Year Absence?
One reason is that the character’s connection to the Hulk has all but dissipated. Bruce Banner’s story arc throughout the MCU’s Infinity Saga phased out Hulk-centric villains and, at this point, there is little connection between Banner, Red Hulk, and Leader.
There is even more distance now, thanks to Banner becoming Smart Hulk, who debuted in Avengers: Endgame. This change took the rage-filled Hulk out of the equation, yet the MCU franchise still wanted to hang onto the Leader as a supervillain.
The same could be true regarding Red Hulk.
Conclusion
Mr. Blue was initially an individual looking to help Bruce Banner cure his transformations when his heart rate hits 200 BPM.
We later learned that Mr. Blue was really Samuel Sterns, who had been keeping samples of Banner’s blood. While Banner wanted Sterns to destroy the samples, Blonsky tracked down Banner and placed him into custody.
Blonsky, however, became obsessed with becoming more Hulk-like and ordered Sterns to further inject him with Banner’s blood, proceeding to brutally attack the professor.
Some of the blood entered Stern’s forehead and caused him to mutate into the supervillain Leader. Natasha Romanoff encountered Leader, taking him into S.H.I.E.L.D custody.
Leader was placed in suspended animation, where he presumably has been ever since. However, we will discover more about the villain in Phase Five’s Captain America: New World Order.
Sion Fawkes has been covering Star Wars since January 2022, expanding his expertise in Star Wars Canon, Legends, and MCU. When not writing, you can find Sion in the gym or running trails. He also likes watching sports and listening to audiobooks.