Now that it’s officially going before cameras, the recent stream of casting news and set photos we’ve been receiving for Captain America: New World Order has left the Marvel fandom wondering: is this actually the fourth Cap movie or is it secretly The Incredible Hulk 2? Not only is Harrison Ford our new Thunderbolt Ross, but both Tim Blake Nelson and Liv Tyler are returning as Samuel Sterns and Betty Ross, having not been seen in the MCU for 15 years and counting.
For New World Order to really be a true backdoor Hulk sequel, though, it needs to add one more familiar face from Marvel’s past into the mix. Someone who could quite honestly be called the most overlooked MCU character of them all. While the one movie appearance they have to their name isn’t actually The Incredible Hulk, they must return if the MCU is properly going to tackle the legacy of Bruce Banner and the mantle of the Green Goliath. Who remembers Dr. Helen Cho?
As portrayed by future Fantastic Beasts star Claudia Kim, Helen Cho played a key role in Avengers: Age of Ultron as the superhero team’s resident genius scientist ally and has bizarrely never been seen since. It’s possible her horrific experience of being mind-controlled by Ultron into aiding in his bid for world domination led her to retire from her field, but there certainly have been numerous occasions since 2015 when the Earth could have benefited from her brains.
As for why Cap 4‘s Hulk storyline needs Helen, comic book readers may be able to answer that. In the source material, Helen is the mother of Amadeus Cho, otherwise known as the Totally Awesome Hulk, a successor to Bruce’s mantle. With the MCU very much focusing on the next generation of heroes right now, Amadeus is primed to make his live-action debut. And thanks to the current present-day of the franchise being something like 2026 at this point, it’s entirely possible Helen could have a teenage son whenever she returned.
While Steve Rogers’ legacy will no doubt be the chief focus of New World Order, it’s going to have to explore the expansion of the Hulk mythos too, thanks to the Leader serving as an antagonist and rumors pointing to both Ross becoming Red Hulk and Betty becoming Red She-Hulk. Now would be the perfect time to sow the seeds for the next Jade Giant set to enter the fray, then, and the key to that lies in finally giving Helen Cho a second go of it.
Captain America: New World Order is scheduled to release on May 3, 2024.