Tim Blake Nelson Felt ‘Despair’ Earlier than He Returned to Marvel (Unique)

After practically 16 years, Tim Blake Nelson is again within the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

As Nelson, 60, joined his Captain America: Courageous New World costars at San Diego Comedian-Con on Saturday, July 27, the actor spoke with PEOPLE about lastly rejoining the massive display screen Marvel films after he final appeared as his character Samuel Sterns in 2008’s The Unbelievable Hulk — one of many movie’s credited for kicking off Marvel’s trendy superhero craze.

Whereas that movie arrange his character — also called the Chief — as a possible villain for the Hulk down the street, Nelson was by no means requested to reprise the position till now.

“You already know, 12 months after 12 months, as I received additional and additional away from the introduction of the Chief by way of Samuel Stern, I might despair as a result of I assumed, nicely I assume I am by no means going to get to try this,” he tells PEOPLE, additionally noting that he as soon as anticipated to play a villain position for an un-produced sequel to 2015’s Unbelievable 4 film.

“So I used to be fairly heartbroken and I used to be fairly resigned to by no means attending to have the opposite shoe drop with Samuel Sterns and the Chief, so I used to be completely ecstatic when Nate and Kiana referred to as me to ask me to return again. I am actually grateful to Kevin Feige.”

Nelson appeared alongside Anthony Mackie, whose Marvel character Sam Wilson has taken on the title of Captain America, in addition to Danny Ramirez, Giancarlo Esposito and Harrison Ford throughout the Courageous New World portion of Marvel’s Comedian-Con presentation. The group introduced that Esposito, 66, will painting a personality referred to as Sidewinder; Ramirez performs the brand new Falcon to Mackie’s Captain America, whereas Ford, 82, seems as Thaddeus Ross, the character beforehand performed by the late William Damage, who died in 2022.

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“After assembly with newly elected U.S. President Thaddeus Ross, performed by Harrison Ford in his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut, Sam finds himself in the course of a world incident,” reads an official synopsis for the upcoming film. “He should uncover the explanation behind a nefarious international plot earlier than the true mastermind has the complete world seeing pink.”

Nelson’s Comedian-Con expertise included strolling the conference dressed as a Star Wars stormtrooper with one in all his youngsters on Saturday, as he tells PEOPLE.

“It is the one manner I might stroll to the ground, as a result of they needed to, I suppose, conceal which forged members had been gonna present up on the stage,” he says of disguising himself previous to Marvel’s panel. “It was fairly enjoyable strolling round as a stormtrooper.”

Captain America: Courageous New World premieres in U.S. theaters on Feb. 14, 2025.