The Harrison Ford role that was inspired by ‘An American Werewolf in London’
It’s safe to say that plenty of actors have been inspired by Harrison Ford over the years. As either Han Solo or Indiana Jones, he was the epitome of movie star cool: a handsome, no-nonsense hero who was just as adept with a whip or a pistol as he was with a humorous quip. Even recently, as the actor settles into his 80s, he is still trying new things with appearances on TV shows like 1923 and Shrinking.
In 2025, Ford added another career first to his list. He joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Captain America: Brave New World, replacing the late William Hurt as Thaddeus ‘Thunderbolt’ Ross. Comic book fans got very excited when the trailers revealed that the film would be leaning into Ross’ legendary alter ego, Red Hulk, bringing the character to the big screen for the very first time. Did this single-handedly change the fortunes of the ailing MCU? Not quite, but it was still pretty cool.
Although he had played the President of the United States before, Ford had never portrayed a proper superhero before, let alone one that transforms into a giant, musclebound CGI monster. The task of transforming the beloved pensioner into this crimson nightmare fell to director Julius Onah, who was also making his MCU debut. In an interview with Indiewire, he revealed his approach to this character, including which film influenced his presentation of Ford’s big reveal.
“A key inspiration for this was looking at An American Werewolf in London,” he said. “To lean into some of the body horrors of transforming into Hulk, and, from a character standpoint, to lean into the angry is that Thaddeus Ross has been trying to suppress the whole movie.”
Onah wanted to use Ross’ daughter Betty, played by a returning Liv Tyler, to fuel his descent into rage. “This was very important for me to help illustrate the emotional arc for Ross seeking to reconnect with his daughter and run away from being the volatile ‘Thunderbolt,’ who once hunted Bruce Banner’s Hulk,” he continued, referencing the character’s original appearance in the 2008 film The Incredible Hulk.
An American Werewolf in London was released in 1981 and follows an American tourist who suffers a terrible curse while in England. The scene Onah references is the first time audiences see David (David Naughton) transform into the hairy beast. Despite the film’s comedic leanings, this moment is full-on horror, with Naughton writhing in agony as his bones expand beneath his skin and his teeth extend from his jaw.
It’s a classic scene, one that lasts long in the memory and inspires a slew of young creative minds. Edgar Wright has often spoken about how seeing the movie as a young man prompted him to get into filmmaking. Michael Jackson’s appreciation for John Landis’ work gave the director the opportunity to make a video for the ‘King of Pop’. That turned out to be ‘Thriller‘, one of the greatest music videos of all time.
Brave New World probably won’t go down in history quite as well as An American Werewolf in London. However, it’s fascinating to see that a low-budget comedy horror from the 1980s is still inspiring major blockbusters over 40 years after its release.
