Thunderbolt Ross has suddenly become a very important character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The passing of actor William Hurt, who played Ross numerous times, might have readily resulted in the character quietly making an exit. Instead, Harrison Ford has been announced to replace Hurt as Ross, and the high-profile news suggests that the MCU has some big things in store for the character.

That will likely entail Ross's transformation into The Red Hulk, which came to define him after years of chasing Bruce Banner as a non-powered military leader. The change also brought with it several new villains to challenge Ross, notably Black Fog. Ross' perseverance in the MCU may signal a major showdown with said villain, and his central position in the franchise would make such a fight more than incidental.

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Black Fog Has a History with Red Hulk in Marvel Comics

Black Fog Marvel

Ross was a part of the comics ever since The Incredible Hulk #1 (Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Paul Reinman and Artie Simek), but the bulk of his comics' history posits him as a normal man obsessed with hunting down The Incredible Hulk. That changed with Hulk Vol. 2 #1 (Jeph Loeb, Ed McGuinness, Dexter Vince, Jason Keith and Comicraft), which marked the first appearance of The Red Hulk. Ross was secretly imbued with Hulk-like powers by MODOK and The Leader as a means of countering his green-skinned nemesis. Despite that, he could still serve as a hero in certain circumstances, and he joined The Avengers for a period.

That led to a number of battles against straight-up villains, some of whom became as fixated on The Red Hulk as Ross himself had been on The Incredible Hulk That included Black Fog, a near-mythic serial killer from Hyderabad, India, who first appeared in Hulk Vol. 2 #32 (Jeff Parker, Gabriel Hardman, Elizabeth Breitweiser and Ed Dukeshire). Freed from prison by the techno-organic Zero/One, he's given cybernetic limbs and placed under his rescuer's mental control. Armed with a mystic blade and the ability to teleport through self-generated mist, he became a tenacious foe of The Red Hulk.

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Black Fog Makes a Strong Villain for the MCU

Concept art of Thunderbolts members.

Ross' continued presence in the MCU may not entail a transformation into The Red Hulk. Regardless, Black Fog represents a compelling choice to bring into the franchise, either as a foe of The Thunderbolts or a more direct antagonist for Ross himself. In the first place, he represents a sharp visual distinction from the bruisers who tend to be thrown at The Hulk, such as The Abomination. The character's stealth also provides a visual distinctiveness that could differentiate a battle with The Red Hulk from one of Banner's various fights in the MCU.

Furthermore, Black Fog's origins can be readily integrated into the MCU. While Black Fog has an air of mysticism and legend to him, his powers keep with The MCU's style of technology, giving him a ready springboard to explain his appearance. He also makes a strong foil for the likes of Bucky Barnes and Yelena Belova, with both complimentary physical skills and a past as a brainwashed assassin.

Perhaps most importantly, Black Fog is associated strongly with The Red Hulk and Ross rather than Banner. That keeps Ross from being pinned to Banner and allows him to develop a separate sense of identity. With Ross still in the picture, Black Fog could be the antagonist the MCU needs -- even in titles, Ross is not confirmed to appear in yet.