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. "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.
