Captain America 4 Villain Leak Shows Tim Blake Nelson's Final Look As The Leader

Tim Blake Nelson is returning to the role of Samuel Sterns as part of the cast of "Captain America: Brave New World" more than a decade after his last Marvel Cinematic Universe appearance. For those hoping Sterns would transform into the villainous Leader from the comic books in his return to the MCU, new leaked art shows the character in his most sinister form.

On their Instagram page, scooper @CanWeGetSomeToast shared the first look at Nelson as the Leader. The promotional image — which is paywalled on Instagram but has also been shared by @TheCaveComic on X, formerly known as Twitter – shows the villain with an abnormally large head, with Nelson's version of Leader having a thick goatee. Sterns, a biologist who works alongside Bruce Banner to try to cure his transformation into the Hulk, was last seen in 2008's "The Incredible Hulk," directed by Louis Leterrier. After Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth) uses Sterns to inject him with Banner's blood and change into the Abomination, a sample falls into a gash into the biologist's head, causing it to expand.

First look at Tim Blake Nelson as The Leader in 'Captain America: Brave New World'.

(Via: @CanWeGetToast) pic.twitter.com/Ov2DxL4nly

— Cave Comic (@TheCaveComic) March 8, 2024

The Leader is a classic Marvel Comics villain who debuted in "Tales to Astonish" #62 by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. Samuel Sterns' Marvel comic book origin differs from Nelson's live-action version as he's a former chemical plant worker caught amid a gamma radiation explosion, giving him a long head and green skin. However, he gains super intelligence as a result of the exposure, and he uses his enhanced smarts to his advantage as a longtime antagonist of the Hulk.

Tim Blake Nelson is very enthused about returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The actor, whose credits include "Watchmen" and "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs," told ComicBookMovie he had a blast filming "Captain America: Brave New World. "I think people are going to be pretty excited about what this guy looks like. And what he has to say and what he does," Nelson shared in the interview. "All power to the amazing team over there at Marvel." In the same conversation, he credited Marvel's team and longtime makeup artist collaborator David Atherton for helping bring the Leader to life. 

Nelson isn't the only former "Incredible Hulk" actor returning in "Captain America: Brave New World," as it will be bringing back Liv Tyler's Betsy Ross. Meanwhile, Harrison Ford will be taking over the role of Thunderbolt Ross in place of the late William Hurt. So, while the movie does star Anthony Mackie's Captain America, it also acts as a reunion of sorts for certain characters from the first MCU "Hulk" film. Viewers can see Nelson's Leader in his villainous form in "Captain America: Brave New World," which arrives in theaters on February 14, 2025.