18 Facts About Thunderbolt Ross

1.

General Thaddeus E "Thunderbolt" Ross is a fictional character who appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics featuring the Hulk.

FactSnippet No. 908,143
2.

Thunderbolt Ross is a United States military officer, the father of Betty Thunderbolt Ross, ex-father-in-law of Glenn Talbot, father-in-law of Bruce Banner, and the head of the gamma bomb project that turned Banner into the Hulk.

FactSnippet No. 908,144
3.

In 2008, Thunderbolt Ross was transformed into the Red Hulk to better combat his nemesis.

FactSnippet No. 908,145
4.

Thunderbolt Ross was portrayed by Sam Elliott in the 2003 film Hulk and by William Hurt in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films The Incredible Hulk, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame and Black Widow .

FactSnippet No. 908,146
5.

Thunderbolt Ross's popularity resulted in him being used as a main character in the 2012 Thunderbolts series by Daniel Way and Steve Dillon.

FactSnippet No. 908,147
6.

Thunderbolt Ross grew up in a military environment with both his father and paternal grandfather in the military.

FactSnippet No. 908,148
7.

Thunderbolt Ross is the Air Force general in charge of Bruce Banner's gamma bomb project.

FactSnippet No. 908,149
8.

Thunderbolt Ross is later restored to human form but retains some residual energy-generating powers.

FactSnippet No. 908,150
9.

Thunderbolt Ross' body is later stolen by the Leader, who uses the powers of one of his followers to resurrect Thunderbolt Ross.

FactSnippet No. 908,151
10.

Thunderbolt Ross turns him into a mindless replacement for his fallen soldier Redeemer.

FactSnippet No. 908,152
11.

Thunderbolt Ross later comes up with a more cost-effective method of confronting the Hulk when he is in his childlike stage: active non-resistance.

FactSnippet No. 908,153
12.

Thunderbolt Ross would make friends with Banner, but when Betty is seemingly killed due to what both Thunderbolt Ross and Banner believed to have been Banner's gamma-irradiated DNA interacting with hers, he once more pursues the Hulk with a vendetta.

FactSnippet No. 908,154
13.

Thunderbolt Ross is indirectly involved, observing when Ryker mentally tortures Banner to try to figure out how the Hulk works.

FactSnippet No. 908,155
14.

The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Hulk 2004 issue officially indicates Ross to be a three-star lieutenant general in the U S Air Force.

FactSnippet No. 908,156
15.

However, the 2010 "World War Hulks" storyline reveals that Red Hulk is Thunderbolt Ross himself, the Red She-Hulk his daughter Betty, and that the Ross who was "killed" was a Life Model Decoy used to convince the world that he had died.

FactSnippet No. 908,157
16.

Thunderbolt Ross is thwarted by a restored Hulk, who beats Red Hulk mostly due to Red Hulk's exhaustion from overheating.

FactSnippet No. 908,158
17.

In 2009, Thunderbolt Ross was ranked as IGN's 71st Greatest Comic Book Villain of All Time.

FactSnippet No. 908,159
18.

Thaddeus Thunderbolt Ross appears in media set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, portrayed by William Hurt.

FactSnippet No. 908,160