| Thunderbolt Ross | |
|---|---|
 Art by John Romita Jr. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | The Incredible Hulk #1 (May 1962) As Red Hulk: Hulk #1 (January 2008) |
| Created by | Thunderbolt Ross: Stan Lee (writer) Jack Kirby (artist) Red Hulk: Jeph Loeb (writer) Ed McGuinness (artist) |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Thaddeus E. "Thunderbolt" Ross |
| Species | Human mutate |
| Team affiliations | Hulkbusters United States Army Air Corp United States Air Force Offenders Avengers Thunderbolts Power Elite Control |
| Notable aliases | General Ross, Red Hulk, Rulk, The Thing (Future Imperfect) |
| Abilities | As Thunderbolt Ross:
As Red Hulk:
|
General Thaddeus E. "Thunderbolt" Ross (also known as the Red Hulk) is a fictional character who appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics featuring the Hulk. Ross is a United States military officer, the father of Betty Ross, and the ex-father-in-law of both Glenn Talbot and Bruce Banner.
A jingoistic war hawk, Ross is portrayed as the military head of the gamma bomb project that turned Banner into the Hulk. After the creation of the Hulk, Ross pursues the creature with a growing obsession, and, after learning that Banner and the Hulk are one and the same, Ross hunts Banner as well. His motivations vary between different iterations, from a petulant hatred of Banner himself, to a Captain Ahab-esque desire to defeat the Hulk in combat, and sometimes even more villainous motivations such as hoping to harness the Hulk's abilities and create similar bioweapons for use by the US government. 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.
The character has been merchandized in various products, such as toys and statues, and appeared in numerous media adaptations, including animated television series, video games, and live-action feature films. He was portrayed by Sam Elliott in the 2003 film Hulk, and by William Hurt and Harrison Ford in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films.