SPOILERS: This post contains details about Captain America: Brave New World.
With Captain America: Brave New World, Liv Tyler made her long-overdue return to the MCU, sans Bruce Banner.
Director Julius Onah recently detailed how he convinced the actress to return for the latest installment in the Marvel franchise, reprising her role as Dr. Betty Ross from 2008’s The Incredible Hulk.
“We knew Liv was willing to come back when I had a Zoom with her. You dream these things, you work these things out, but then you just have to actually go talk to the human being,” he told Collider.
“She had taken a bit of a step back from acting, focusing on other things in her life, and she’s such an incredible human being,” added Onah. “But I just went and did a Zoom and had a very honest conversation with her, like I did with every other actor who was going to become involved, as to emotionally and thematically what this movie was trying to accomplish and why I thought it would be worth their time and their talents. Luckily, she responded.”
Tyler’s Betty makes a brief cameo in the final moments of the movie, visiting her father President Thaddeus ‘Thunderbolt’ Ross (Harrison Ford, stepping in for the late William Hurt) in prison after he hulks out and destroys the White House.
Liv Tyler attends the world premiere of ‘Captain America: Brave New World’ on Feb. 11, 2025 in Hollywood, California. (Valerie Macon/AFP via Getty Images)
Despite the short appearance, Onah had to secure Tyler early in the production in order to make the scene work.
“It was right during the development process,” he explained. “I think I had the Zoom with her probably in early 2023 because it takes time to make a deal and prep and all that other stuff. So, it had to be well in advance so that if for some reason it wasn’t going to work out, whether scheduling or whatnot, we would have the opportunity to make another choice or decision.”