You Won’t Believe the Leader’s Original Look in Captain America: Brave New World!

In the long-awaited Marvel Studios production, “Captain America: Brave New World”, actor Tim Blake Nelson reappeared as the malevolent Samuel Sterns, or the Leader, a character hinted at in “The Incredible Hulk”. He was the film’s main antagonist, causing all of Sam Wilson’s troubles. Interestingly, initial makeup tests by Blue Whale Makeup made the Leader appear quite distinct from his on-screen portrayal. The original design bore a closer resemblance to the Leader’s look in Marvel Comics. However, during reshoots, the character’s appearance was altered for the film. Now, Blue Whale Makeup has shared images of their original concept of the Leader from “Captain America: Brave New World” on Instagram, along with a video demonstrating the makeup test applied to Tim Blake Nelson. You can view it here:

In this adaptation of Captain America: Brave New World, the Leader resembles the classic Jack Kirby design with a stretched skull. This was similar to how he appeared in The Incredible Hulk comics for many years. However, as the 90s approached, artists started depicting Stern’s oversized brain seeming to bulge from his head, which appeared more grotesque. More recent Marvel Comics artists have tended to favor this version, but neither the unused makeup nor the on-screen version is more accurate than the other; they represent different eras of comic book art.

It’s likely that whether you enjoyed “Captain America: Brave New World” or not, your feelings about the movie weren’t significantly influenced by Tim Blake Nelson’s makeup or appearance as The Leader. However, the fact that his character underwent such a dramatic change at one point suggests that the MCU didn’t have a clear picture of how to develop his character beyond the basics. It’s possible that if The Leader ever returns to the MCU, he might look completely different again without any explanation. Marvel has already shown this kind of inconsistency with Tim Roth’s Abomination, who had a different appearance in “The Incredible Hulk” and later in “Shang-Chi” and “She-Hulk”. If they decided to change the look of one character from an MCU film, why not two?

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2025-04-25 20:02