Like many of The Incredible Hulk's ancillary characters, the MCU has seemingly turned a blind eye to Samuel Sterns (Tim Blake Nelson), otherwise known as The Leader. Betty Ross (Liv Tyler), Bruce Banner's longtime love interest, hasn't shown her face either, nor has Abomination (Tim Roth). But, the latter is returning in the Disney+ She-Hulk series. Roth is coming back in one form or another to reprise his role as Emil Blonsky. Although, details on his role remain unknown.
Knowing that Roth's Abomination is coming along for a gamma-fueled adventure starring Jennifer Walters (Tatiana Maslany), there's reason to believe Samuel Sterns could as well. In The Incredible Hulk, he fell to the floor with a vial of Banner's blood leaking onto him, and his skin pulsated as a result. The scene suggested his imminent transformation into the Leader, which we never got to witness. However, any return by Sterns would presumably reintroduce him as the fully formed villain.
Central Villain On 'She-Hulk'
Plot-wise as well, the Leader seems like the best bet to be She-Hulk's primary antagonist. Some fans might assume Abomination will break out of the Raft and become another recurring villain. Of course, that scenario would imply Baron Zemo (Daniel Bruhl) and anyone else inside the offsite prison also gets out. A breakout by Abomination wouldn't be stealthy, after all. That eliminates the possibility of him being the show's bad guy.
So without a central villain to speak of, it may thrust the Leader into the open vacancy. He doesn't have to be front and center from the get-go. However, working from behind-the-scenes to manipulate Walters, Banner, and Blonsky is a terrific setup for him. His comic counterpart possesses aspirations of world domination, so exploiting a couple of unwitting accomplices for beginners could carve out a path for him to become a global threat later on.
The reason Sterns' counterpart has a promising future in the MCU is the supervillain group assembling itself. Contessa (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) recruited John Walker (Wyatt Russell) onto her government-funded team while insinuating that other members will join him. She didn't namedrop anyone at the time, though her comments suggest U.S. Agent Walker is just one of many who'll join a version of The Thunderbolts or Masters of Evil.
Assuming the theory proves true, the Leader could presumably be one of them. He's not physically gifted like Walker, but in the scenario of Contessa recruiting Abomination, Sterns' expertise is necessary. He concocted the formula that turned Emil Blonsky into the hulk-like creature, and Sterns might be the only one who can keep Abomination under control. He might even force a transformation because of how unstable Blonsky is. Keep in mind that either scenario implies Sterns' villainous counterpart can play some role on Contessa's team of rogues.
Whether or not it happens on She-Hulk, the Leader making his debut in Phase 4 sounds highly likely. Not only would he be a force to be reckoned with, but Sterns could wind up creating more gamma creatures. Nelson's portrayal of him was a scientist obsessed with recreating the event that transformed Banner into the Hulk, and after minimal success with Blonsky, he's probably even more determined now.
