The Leader was Orignally the villan of She-Hulk Season 1

Jessica Gao, the creator of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, has disclosed that in her initial pitch for the Disney+ series, The Leader from the upcoming Captain America 4 was included. Gao said that Samuel Sterns, alias The Leader, was “an option” for one of the series’ villains when she discussed her first intentions for She-Hulk with ComicBook. She said she had put the proposal on the table fairly early on, but for reasons she can no longer remember, it was finally “scrapped.”

The MCU series creator acknowledged that while Tim Blake Nelson’s character was part of her initial pitch for the program, it was difficult for her to recall how those plans were ultimately abandoned. Below is what Gao revealed:

In my original pitch, I did have The Leader in there. Just as an option, as a suggestion, you know? But really, I can’t remember why [it was scrapped]. I don’t remember if it was organically taken out because we just came up with other stuff, or if we were told no. I honestly don’t remember. But there was thought about either bringing him back or doing some version of a new version of Leader, or some relation to him. But, I mean truly, this was three years ago, and the show has evolved so much that I don’t remember what actually happened.

The Leader was introduced as a potential MCU antagonist in 2008’s The Incredible Hulk, which led some fans to wonder if Tim Blake Nelson’s character would return and whether he might appear in She-Hulk before serving as the primary antagonist of Captain America: New World Order, 14 years after his initial MCU debut.

The Disney+ series manages to feature a separate Hulk-related character, despite initial plans to include the Leader in She-Hulk Season 1 changing during creation. Skaar, the Hulk’s offspring, makes his MCU debut in the Season 1 finale of She-Hulk.

Sterns was portrayed by Tim Blake Nelson in The Incredible Hulk, a 2008 Marvel Cinematic Universe movie. Sterns’ transformation into the Leader was only hinted to by Marvel Studios in the 2008 film, but Nelson is returning to the character in the next Captain America: New World Order, which will include a fully-fledged Leader.

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