10 Movies With Plot Points That Go NOWHERE
7. Dr. Sterns' Transformation - The Incredible Hulk
Though the Marvel Cinematic Universe has a pretty strong track record of paying-off its established plots, that's sadly not the case with 2008's The Incredible Hulk.
The film overtly sets up a villain for the planned sequel by having Dr. Samuel Sterns (Tim Blake Nelson) be attacked by the Abomination (Tim Roth), causing one of Bruce Banner's (Edward Norton) blood samples to seep into a cut on his forehead.
This causes Sterns' head to begin pulsating, implying his transformation into the Marvel supervillain The Leader, yet over 12 years later, the MCU hasn't ever followed up on it.
The reasoning for this is likely that The Incredible Hulk remains the MCU's lowest-grossing film to date, and given the big green guy's subsequent success as played by Mark Ruffalo in an ensemble capacity, Kevin Feige and co. would probably rather leave this movie in the past.
Even so, Nelson was perfectly cast in the role, and it's a shame we'll likely never get to see him take center stage in an MCU Hulk sequel.