She-Hulk: Attorney at Law creator Jessica Gao revealed that her original pitch for the show included a villain from the upcoming Captain America: New World Order.
"In my original pitch, I did have The Leader in there. Just as an option, as a suggestion, you know? But really, I can't remember why [it was scrapped]," Gao explained to ComicBook.com (opens in new tab). "I don't remember if it was organically taken out, because we just came up with other stuff, or if we were told no. I honestly don't remember. But there was thought about either bringing him back or doing some version of a new version of Leader, or some relation to him. But, I mean truly, this was three years ago, and the show has evolved so much that I don't remember what actually happened."
Samuel Sterns aka The Leader (Tim Blake Nelson) first appeared in 2008's The Incredible Hulk. While one Hulk villain didn't make it in, another did: Emil Blonsky aka The Abomination. The film, which marks the second-ever installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, features Edward Norton as Hulk – something She-Hulk cleverly acknowledged. Though Norton's Hulk isn't canon, the rest of the movie is, with the MCU continuing its recognize the events and characters: The Leader is set to appear in Captain America 4, alongside Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson.
Captain America: New World order is slated for a May 3, 2024 release date. For more She-Hulk, check out our explainers on how the finale potentially sets up a major movie, who Skaar is, and some of the original cameo ideas for the final episode.
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Marvell
She-Hulk
Edward Norton
Anthony Mackie
Sam Wilson
Jessica Gao
Emil Blonsky