General Ross
After his debut in 2010’s The Incredible Hulk, General Thaddeus Ross disappeared from the MCU for six years before he finally returned in Captain America: Civil War. This appearance slightly revamped the character so that he was the voice of the government rather than a military man, having been promoted to Secretary of State.
It was a big surprise that he turned up in that movie and it was even more of a shock that he got a cameo in Infinity War, too. His role here is very much an extension of his part in Civil War. He attempts to order Rhodey to arrest Steve Rogers and his team for going against the Sokovia Accords for the past two years. However, Rhodey does what he should have done back in Civil War and ignores the man.
It’s always been a point of annoyance with fans that Hulk has been practically wiped from continuity, so it’s good to see that William Hurt is a recurring player in the MCU now. Even though he doesn’t get too much to do here – and only appears via hologram – Ross serves as an interesting foil to the Avengers.
Red Skull
For years, fans have been wondering if and when Red Skull would make a return to the MCU. At the end of Captain America: The First Avenger, Hugo Weaving’s HYDRA leader vanished when he held the Space Stone (or Tesseract, as we knew it then). Given its power set, though, it was theorized that Red Skull didn’t die but was merely transported across the galaxy.
In Infinity War, this long-held theory has finally been confirmed. When Thanos and Gamora travel to Volmir in search of the Soul Stone, they meet a mysterious cloaked figure. It turns out to be Johann Schmidt, who reveals that he was transported here after he attempted to harness the power of the Tesseract. He believes that he was cursed into service of a greater power that he was doomed never to wield.
This is probably one of the biggest fan-pleasing moments in the film. Casual viewers might be left stumped by this weird red-faced guy, but MCU diehards will be thrilled by the genuinely surprising cameo. We’d heard rumours about it in the past, but it seemed like Infinity War had too much to do without adding in a return for this long-forgotten foe.
In all the excitement, you also might not have noticed that Red Skull sounded or looked a little different (underneath the prosthetics). That’s because it’s not Hugo Weaving who portrayed the character this time. Ross Marquand – most well known as Aaron on The Walking Dead – took over the role for this movie. He did a great job, too, so we’d love to see him return at some point.
