Producer Gale Anne Hurd says that one of the main super-villains that will appear in Marvel Studios' developing 3rd feature film version of "The Hulk" will be 'The Leader', aka 'Samuel Sterns'.
The character debuted in Marvel Comics "Tales to Astonish" #62 (1964), created by writer Stan "The Man" Lee and Steve "Spider-Man" Ditko in a "Hulk" story featuring the villain 'The Chameleon'.
Appearing in the live-action 2008 film "The Incredible Hulk", portrayed by actor Tim Blake Nelson, 'The Leader' is a professor who helps 'Dr. Bruce Banner' through encrypted e-mails and online chat under the alias 'Mr. Blue'. It is Sterns that injects 'Emil Blonsky' with a serum that turns Blonsky into 'The Abomination'. During a fight with the creature, Sterns is cut and some of the serum drips into his head wound, causing his body to mutate.
The comic book 'Leader' has superhuman mental acumen from an explosion of gamma-irradiated waste, gaining enhanced intuition, pattern solving, information storage and logical/philosophical structuring, with an ability to predict probable outcomes of tactical and strategic scenarios bordering on clairvoyance.
In addition to his superhuman intelligence, the comic book Leader has telekinetic/telepathic powers and able to mentally control non-gamma-mutated individuals by touching them. His knowledge of genetics, physics and robotics are superior, designing sophisticated weapons, vehicles, computers, androids and synthetic humanoids...
