Thunderbolt Ross

Thunderbolt Ross
Art by John Romita Jr.
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	The Incredible Hulk #1 (May 1962) As Red Hulk: Hulk #1 (January 2008)
Created by	Thunderbolt Ross: Stan Lee (writer) Jack Kirby (artist) Red Hulk: Jeph Loeb (writer) Ed McGuinness (artist)
In-story information
Alter ego	Thaddeus E. "Thunderbolt" Ross
Species	Human mutate
Team affiliations	Hulkbusters United States Air Force Offenders Avengers Thunderbolts Power Elite
Notable aliases	General Ross, Red Hulk, Rulk, The Thing (Future Imperfect)
Abilities	As Thunderbolt Ross: Expert military leader, strategist, and tactician Access to many soldiers, armies, conventional, and unconventional weapons As Red Hulk: Immeasurable strength, stamina, durability, and speed Healing factor Energy absorption Limited thermokinesis

General Thaddeus E. "Thunderbolt" Ross (also known as the Red Hulk) is a fictional character who appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics featuring the Hulk. Ross is a United States military officer, the father of Betty Ross, and the ex-father-in-law of both Glenn Talbot and Bruce Banner.

A jingoistic war hawk, Ross is portrayed as the military head of the gamma bomb project that turned Banner into the Hulk. After the creation of the Hulk, Ross pursues the creature with a growing obsession, and, after learning that Banner and the Hulk are one and the same, Ross hunts Banner as well. His motivations vary between different iterations, from a petulant hatred of Banner himself, to a Captain Ahab-esque desire to defeat the Hulk in combat, and sometimes even more villainous motivations such as hoping to harness the Hulk's abilities and create similar bioweapons for use by the US government. In 2008, Ross was transformed into the Red Hulk to better combat his nemesis, though this instead led him to become more sympathetic towards Banner and eventually become a superhero, serving time as a member of the Avengers and forming his own Thunderbolts team.

The character has been merchandized in various products, such as toys and statues, and appeared in numerous media adaptations, including animated television series, video games, and live-action feature films. He was portrayed by Sam Elliott in the 2003 film Hulk, by William Hurt in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films from The Incredible Hulk (2008), to Black Widow (2021), and by Harrison Ford, beginning with Captain America: Brave New World (2025).