The announced lineup for Thunderbolts is missing the Red Hulk, but the infamous character can still appear if certain MCU teases are to be believed in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. The official roster for Marvel Studios' first team of Thunderbolts was revealed at 2022's D23 Expo, featuring several returning villains and antiheroes from past MCU projects. However, one of the most notorious characters from the Marvel Comics Thunderbolts team is unfortunately missing, but She-Hulk might be creating an opportunity for the character to make an appearance.

Red Hulk debuted in Marvel Comics in 2008's Hulk (vol. 2) #1 and was revealed later to be the alter ego of General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross, portrayed by the late William Hurt in the MCU, with the character going on to lead a non-government sponsored version of the Thunderbolts in 2012's Marvel NOW! relaunch event. The Red Hulk became synonymous with the Thunderbolts team, but after Hurt's unfortunate passing in March 2022, the potential for the uninhibited but intelligent Hulk's appearance in the MCU was thrown into question. Despite this, Marvel Studios' most recent Disney+ series, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, might have been dropping subtle hints at another background character taking up the mantle of Red Hulk in the MCU.

Related: Why Isn't Zemo On The Thunderbolts Movie Team?

She-Hulk: Attorney at Law has already shown the Banner/Walters family adjusting to life with two Hulks around the dinner table instead of just one, but now some viewers are speculating that another member of their family, namely cousin Ched, could take up the mantle of Red Hulk. First mentioned in She-Hulk episode 1, "A Normal Amount of Rage," but not appearing until episode 2, "Superhuman Law," Ched has been established as perhaps the least significant member of the Banner/Walters bunch, with Bruce and Jen themselves joking about their cousin being far from a genius. Even so, several subtle hints might have been dropped that could suggest Ched will become far more important in the MCU's future, particularly in the upcoming Thunderbolts project (many thanks to Reddit user Happy_Lil_Atoms for the theory!).

How She-Hulk's Cousin Ched Is Being Teased As The Red Hulk

It is possible that Ched shares the same genetic factor that enables both Bruce and Jen to synthesize gamma radiation, so it would be viable for Ched to become the MCU's Red Hulk. In all of his appearances in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Ched has been dressed in red clothing: a red shirt around the dinner table, and a red shirt and red-soled shoes in the sketch montage that plays during the credits of every episode. Viewers know that the super-powered cousins don't exactly value their cousin, so Ched might be motivated to prove he's just as good as them, especially since it's already been shown that he's prone to one-upping his family - he was, after all, promoted to manager at Best Buy after Jen was fired from her job at the DA's office.

It's possible that these hints are simply coincidental, but if Ched is to become the Red Hulk in the MCU, an interesting dynamic will be created between the Hulk, She-Hulk, and their cousin, especially if Ched takes up a spot on the Thunderbolts team. Despite their flaws, Bruce and Jen aim to always be good heroes, but if the Red Hulk follows his comic counterpart's story, it's unlikely that he will share this same goal, becoming not only the odd-one-out in the Banner/Walters family, but also the odd-one-out of the Hulks too. She-Hulk: Attorney at Law still has a few episodes left to air, so the plot could easily feature the introduction of the Red Hulk before an appearance in 2024's Thunderbolts.