Warning: This article contains spoilers for Captain America: Brave New World.Marvel revealed Samuel Sterns' Leader to be the mastermind behind some world-changing events inCaptain America: Brave New World, but he might have actually been manipulating events in theMCUsince the very beginning. Tim Blake Nelson made his valiant return to the MCU after 17 years inBrave New World, reprising the role ofSamuel Sterns, a.k.a. the Mr. Bluewho helped Edward Norton’s Bruce Banner try and find a cure inThe Incredible Hulk. Sterns' return to the MCU came with some major revelations, however.
Captain America: Brave New Worldconfirmed that, after he was enhanced by exposure to Bruce Banner’s gamma-irradiated blood inThe Incredible Hulk,Samuel Sterns was taken captive by Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross. Held at Camp Echo One,Sterns' increased intelligence and probability prediction skills saw him develop mind control techniques that allowed him to conduct his own experiments. This included gradually enhancingPresident Ross into the Red Hulk, and Samuel Sterns' Leader might have manipulated many other unexplained events in the MCU’s history.
10Sharon Carter Becomes The Power Broker
The Falcon & The Winter Soldier (2021)
One of the most controversial storylines of the MCU’s Phase 4 wasSharon Carter being revealed to be the villainous Power Broker, a crime boss lording it over the citizens of Lowtown, Madripoor.FollowingCaptain America: Brave New World, Marvel could very easily reveal that the Leader was behind Sharon Carter’s relocation and rise to power in Madripoor. Samuel Sterns could have even been the mysterious person that Sharon Carter spoke to on the phone after being pardoned by the government in the final moments ofThe Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
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Emily VanCamp’s Sharon Carterbeing revealed to be the villainous Power Broker was a polarizing decision by Marvel Studios, and this has been made even worse by the fact that it hasn’t yet been resolved or addressed. Explaining Carter’s descent into darkness as being the work of the Leader would give this divisive transition more weight and meaning, and perhaps make it less jarring.Sharon Carter may have been vulnerable to manipulation after becoming a fugitive inCaptain America: Civil War, which may have made her susceptible to the Leader’s schemes.
9Aldrich Killian Perfects Extremis
Iron Man 3 (2013)
Back in 1999, Maya Hansen and Tony Stark struggled to perfect the Extremis that the former had been developing, meaning the serum was still highly volatile and explosive.It was Guy Pearce’s Aldrich Killian who seemingly managed to crack the mystery, getting Extremis so right that it transformed him into a fire-breathing monster. It’s unclear exactly how Killian accomplished this goal in the MCU, but sinceExtremis has appeared several times since 2013’sIron Man 3, it seems whatever Killian did was long-lasting.Captain America: Brave New Worldmay suggest this wasn’t Killian’s work at all.
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Samuel Sterns could have very easily had a hand in the legitimization and development of AIM in the MCU, even though he had nothing to do with the nefarious organization in Marvel Comics.The Leader was revealed to have been conducting transformative genetic experiments inCaptain America: Brave New World, and the success of these experiments could have altered Extremis to make it safe for human use. This could explain one of theMCU’s oldest mysteries, and allow Extremis to continue to have a role in the MCU’s future.
8Sonny Burch Steals Hank Pym’s Quantum Technology
Ant-Man & The Wasp (2018)
One of the most annoying mysteries in the MCU’s history is the identity ofSonny Burch’s mysterious benefactor from 2018’sAnt-Man and the Wasp. Walton Goggins showed a great deal of interest in Hank Pym and Hope van Dyne’s Quantum Tunnel technology inAnt-Man and the Wasp, but not for himself, rather for his enigmatic buyer. Seven years later,Marvel Studios has still not revealed the identity of this figure, which creates the opportunity for them to be revealed as Samuel Sterns' Leader.
Walton Goggins was reported to be returning as Sonny Burch inArmor Warsback in September 2022, but this project’s uncertain status throws this MCU future into jeopardy.
There’s no doubt that Sterns would have shown an interest in quantum technology from his position in Camp Echo One. He may have predicted the coming ofKang the Conqueror and the Council of Kangs, including the former’s exile in the Quantum Realm, and may have been studying quantum technology to thwart the multiversal villain. Marvel’s new direction means this may no longer be the case, butthe Leader easily could still have employed Sonny Burch to carry out the work he is unable to, given his captivity.
7HYDRA Targets The World With Project Insight
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
Captain America: The Winter Soldiersuggested that the entirety ofHYDRA’s Project Insight planshad stemmed from Arnim Zola’s digitized brain and destructive algorithm. However, the Leader could easily have planted the seeds for this scheme to come to fruition, especially sincethe success of Project Insight would have seriously altered the power scale and landscape of the MCU. Many villains would have benefited from Insight going ahead, including Samuel Sterns, as this could have shuffled Thaddeus Ross into a position of power much quicker, spurring him to free Sterns.
Project Insight planned to wipe many significant figures off the board, including a wide array of superheroes who have often come into opposition by Thaddeus Ross. Now, that’s not to say Ross had a hand in implementing Project Insight - he would have wanted to stay far removed from this scheme - but the Leader may have manipulated Zola and HYDRA to aid in Ross' rise to power.Eliminating heroes such as Doctor Strange, Captain America and the Hulk as part of Project Insight would have helped Ross significantly, though may have caused more issues down the line.
6SWORD Reboots White Vision As A Weapon
WandaVision (2021)
Some of the greatest technological minds in the MCU surely work for SWORD, which means it isn’t too far-fetched to imagine the organization figuring out how torebuild Vision’s body inWandaVision. However, SWORD was shown to have some pretty nefarious purposes for putting Vision back together, soit wouldn’t be a surprise to reveal that the Leader was behind the acquisition and reforming of the Vision’s vibranium body. Vision could be the most powerful weapon the world has ever seen, as proven inWhat If…?season 3, and the Leader could easily have exploited this.
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White Vision
Paul Bettany is set to return as the White Vision inMarvel Studios' upcomingVisionseries, where he’ll once again come face-to-face with James Spader’s Ultron. This could present the perfect opportunity for Samuel Sterns' Leader to also return to the MCU afterCaptain America: Brave New World.Vision has proven himself to be a formidable threat to any hero and villain, so it would make sense that the Leader would want to control this machine, and employing SWORD to rebuild him as a weapon would have been a great way to accomplish that.
5Todd Phelps Gets She-Hulk’s Blood
She-Hulk: Attorney At Law (2022)
She-Hulk: Attorney at Lawis one of Marvel Studios' most divisive installments, but included some fun storylines that deserve to be addressed in the MCU’s future. One of the biggest plot threads inShe-Hulk: Attorney at Lawinvolved Todd Phelps usingIntelligencia to acquire She-Hulk’s bloodin hopes of enhancing himself into a new Hulk and stealing her power.The focus on Jennifer Walters' gamma-irradiated blood and enhancing a regular human into a new Hulk sounds eerily familiar - it’s the Leader’s entire planinCaptain America: Brave New World.
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Todd Phelps managed to become the HulkKing inShe-Hulk: Attorney at Law’sfinale, though this story was rewritten by Jennifer Walters during a conversation with KEVIN. Even so, it would be great to seeIntelligencia return to the MCU, and since Samuel Sterns is at the head of this organization in Marvel Comics, it would make sense to establish this connection in the MCU, too.The Leader could use Intelligencia for any number of evil purposes, perhaps even employing its members as test subjects in his future genetic experiments.
4Mysterio Knows About The Multiverse & Earth-616
Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)
Ever since Marvel Studios confirmed that the MCU’s main timeline, theSacred Timeline, is designated Earth-616, there have been questions about how the fraudulent Quentin Beck, a.k.a. Jake Gyllenhaal’s Mysterio, knew this designation inSpider-Man: Far From Home. Naming the MCU Earth-616 gave Mysterio credibility, but he was soon outed as a disgruntled former Stark Industries employee, sothere was no clear way for him to know the universe’s actual designation. Someone who easily could have known, however, is the Leader.
Quentin Beck claimed that he came from Earth-833, which was introduced to Marvel Comics during the Spider-Verse storyline.
Samuel Sterns could have easily figured out that the MCU’s main continuity is designated Earth-616, whether through probability means or by deducing this designation in some other way. Quentin Beck may have had contact with the Leader, who could have provided him with a backstory capable of tricking and manipulating Nick Fury and Maria Hill (even though they were revealed to be Skrulls) and Spider-Man. Connecting Mysterio and the Leader could finally explain this annoying six-year-old MCU mystery.
3Zemo Has Information About The Winter Soldier & The Starks’ Deaths
Captain America: Civil War (2016)
Captain America: Civil Warcentered around the machinations ofDaniel Brühl’s Baron Helmut Zemoto divide the Avengers from the inside out. He used the implementation of the Sokovia Accords as a perfect time to attack, and sought to trigger the Winter Soldier programming inside Bucky Barnes to divide them even further, with the final blow being the reveal that the Winter Soldier killed Tony Stark’s parents in 1991.Zemo was resourceful, so surely could have researched everything he needed to pull this off, but the Leader also had a motive to break apart the Avengers.
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Thaddeus Ross was the one to inform the Avengers of the Sokovia Accords, and showed no qualms about displaying his distaste for having superpowered individuals knocking around unchecked.It’s possible he could have urged the Leader to employ Baron Zemo to divide the Avengers, hoping to rid the world of its enhanced vigilantes. It would be brilliant to seeZemo return to the MCU, perhaps as early as Marvel Studios' upcomingThunderbolts*movie, and this connection means Samuel Sterns' Leader could also come back after his return inBrave New World.
2Kingpin Regains Power In New York City
Daredevil: Born Again (2025)
Captain America: Brave New Worldrevealed that it was Samuel Sterns' manipulation and prediction of certain events that allowed Thaddeus Ross to maneuver into a position of power, the President of the United States, no less.Ross isn’t the only MCU character who has seen a rise to power in recent years, however, which suggests that the Leader could also have been helping the budding political career of Wilson Fisk.Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpinis set to return inDaredevil: Born Againwith his eyes on the Mayorhood of New York City.
Marvel Studios has seemingly been setting up an adaptation of Marvel Comics' Mayor Fisk storylines, perhaps most notably2021’sDevil’s Reignevent. This saw Fisk outlaw vigilantes in New York City, which impacted the lives of several iconic heroes.The Leader could easily be in support of this wild new law, particularly after aligning himself with President Ross, who has an outspoken hatred for enhanced individuals.Daredevil:Born Againcould confirm this connection, which would make Wilson Fisk an even more scheming and scary villain.
1Valentina Recruits The Thunderbolts
Thunderbolts* (2025)
Another upcoming MCU movie will see yet another individual in a position of power gain even more influence.Julia Louis-Dreyfus' Valentina Allegra de Fontainewas introduced inThe Falcon and the Winter Soldieras a mysterious figure rebranding and recruiting John Walker’s US Agent, and was next seen with Yelena Belova in her employ inBlack Widow.Black Panther: Wakanda Foreverrevealed Valentina to be the Director of the CIA, so she would certainly know about Samuel Sterns' imprisonment and abilities, and would have no qualms about exploiting him for her benefit.
Trailers for Marvel Studios’Thunderboltsseem to imply that Valentina and the CIA have manufactured their own superhero in the form of Lewis Pullman’s Sentry. The Leader’s predictions and scientific knowledge may have made this genetic enhancement possible, andthis may lead to the formation of the Thunderbolts unit when Sentry suddenly shifts into the villainous and terrifying Void.Thunderboltsis expected to lead directly on fromCaptain America: Brave New World, and a crossover movie full of villains and antiheroes might be the perfect place for the Leader to return.
