A jingoistic war hawk, Ross is portrayed as the military head of the gamma bomb project that turned Banner into the Hulk.

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.

Ross has appeared in numerous media adaptations, including animated television series, video games, and live-action feature films.

Born to a prominent military family, with both his father and grandfather having served, Thaddeus Ross was primed to follow in their footsteps.

Holding the rank of lieutenant general, Ross is chosen to oversee Bruce Banner's gamma bomb project.

agent Clay Quartermain to merge with the electric creature Zzzax, a process that gives Ross superpowers but also makes him mentally unstable.

[5] Finally, the Nevermind, a mutant who drains people of their life energy, attacks Gamma Base in search of a strong host, in this case the Hulk.

After a failed assault on the Hulk, Ross and his men are captured and placed in chains under the watch of the Warbound, the army he has brought back from space.

[10][11] Although Kenneth Johnson, the creator of the 1970s TV series The Incredible Hulk, had suggested a red Hulk for that adaptation decades earlier,[12] Marvel editor-in-chief Joe Quesada proposed the idea for the comics to debut a red version of the character whose human identity was a secret.

2) series that premiered in 2008 established that the Red Hulk is very aggressive, as he murders the Wendigo and Abomination; destroys the Helicarrier of the spy organization S.H.I.E.L.D.

In a subsequent storyline, the Collector places the character with other villains on a team called the Offenders, an evil version of the Defenders, in a bid to prevent the Hulk from reuniting with Jarella.

[16] In that story, the Red Hulk siphons the Power Cosmic from the Silver Surfer, seemingly killing him, steals his board along with Terrax's cosmic axe, and uses the power to kill Namor, Tiger Shark, Doctor Strange, Baron Mordo, the Grandmaster, Terrax, Hulk, and Psycho-Man.

[17] The Red Hulk was created as part of a Super Soldier program by several persons, including Doc Samson and the criminal think tank the Intelligencia, headed by MODOK.

The Red Hulk is occasionally assaulted by Ross' former protégé General Reginald Fortean, a scientist given superhuman mutations by MODOK named Zero/One, and the Indian serial killer Black Fog.

[26] The Red Hulk plays a vital role in the Infinity Gem crisis of the "Heroic Age" story line.

[27] During the 2011 "Fear Itself" story line, the Red Hulk attempts unsuccessfully to stop the Thing (in the form of Angrir, Breaker of Souls) from destroying Avengers Tower,[28] as MODOK Superior and Black Fog converge on both combatants during the fight.

This leads to a battle in which Doc Green subdues the Red Hulk and injects him with a formula that reverts him back to Ross.

[37] Red Hulk has also been shown to have a weakness to Negative Zone energy, which caused him burning pain and drained him when he attempted to absorb it.

De Blieck liked Loeb's lack of subtlety when giving out clues, saying "this is a book where anytime someone is about reveal the solution to the big mystery, they get knocked out by a slap in the face from the Red Hulk or a machine gun to the gut."

[45] IGN reviewer Jesse Schedeen was generally critical of the series, citing a lack of character development and the emphasis on action over the ongoing question of Red Hulk's identity.

[47] Claiming bad dialogue, poor pacing and maltreated characters, Schedeen stated that Ed McGuinness' artwork was the only saving grace for the title.

[63] Director Joe Russo revealed the character's transformation into the Red Hulk was considered during production of Captain America: Civil War, but it was decided that there was not enough room in the narrative to substantiate that development.

[64] Screenwriter Christopher Markus stated that Red Hulk's inclusion was briefly considered again in Avengers: Endgame, and that it was possible Ross could evolve into that character one day.