If Rick Jones was introduced in The Incredible Hulk, he could have been an important character in the MCU. Stan Lee wrote the teenager into the lives of many Marvel residents. Rick brought out the three dimensions of the heroes from the four colors. But it seems that he’s nowhere to be found in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Did we miss out on anything from his absence?

Origin of The Hulk

Before the resurrection of Secret Wars, Marvel thrived into a multi-verse. The original, created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee, has been dubbed the “616” Universe. When Mark Millar wrote Ultimate X-Men in 2001, he launched a whole new universe.

One of the many differences between the two is the origin of the Hulk. In the 616, when Bruce Banner was testing on gamma radiation, he saw a young boy out in the testing field. He ran out to push him out of the way- the boy was safe, but Bruce wasn’t. His multiple personality disorder, and the gamma his mother was exposed to, both caused by his abusive father, kept him from dying. In The Ultimates, the gamma radiation was a little less vague.

Millar explained that it was used to recreate a Super Soldier Serum for SHIELD. Banner’s mental issues got the better of him, however, when Nick Fury turned the project over to Dr. Henry Pym. And when he thought Betty left him for Freddie Prinze, Jr., Bruce snapped, and used his serum on himself. The Incredible Hulk, starring Edward Norton, took a page from the Ultimate universe, and used the Super Soldier Serum so it could plant seeds for Captain America. Neither Rick Jones, nor Freddie Prinze, Jr. were involved.

He could be retconned, though, into a flashback for Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk. With small doses in the Avengers movies, and an upcoming role in Thor: Ragnarok, we’ve yet to see anything call back to Norton’s performance. Though, William Hurt will reprise General Ross in Captain America: Civil War. Rick could have been an intern for Dr. Banner. Maybe he volunteered to take the serum? As his superior, Bruce could have told him “no,” that he was taking it instead.

One of Captain America’s Sidekicks

As the only person Hulk listened to, Rick became his sidekick. When the Avengers were formed, the boy tagged along. But when the jade giant left, the wannabe hero stayed behind. Even though Hulk smashes with Cap on-screen, neither stayed at the Avengers’ Mansion together, until many years later. So upon one Avenger’s departure, another filled his place- the team found their way to the South Pole, and found the “Cap-Sicle.” With Bucky gone, Rick tried to fill the void in Steve Rogers’s new life. The soldier trained Jones and the rest of the Teen Brigade, but his guilt kept him from accepting another sidekick. He must of eventually let his guard down for Falcon.

The Teen Brigade from the ’60’s may have been too cheesy for a movie set in the 2010’s. So, instead of Rick Jones vying for Cap’s attention, it was Agent Coulson who hero-worshiped the first Avenger.

Trading Places with Captain Marvel

If you think about it, Coulson could be the MCU version of Rick Jones. On Agents of SHIELD, he found a Kree in the real T.A.H.I.T.I. Since blood from the being was the key to his resurrection, many thought he was to become Captain Marvel. But, before Paul Bettany was announced, many thought Coulson would become The Vision. In the comics, Mar-Vell, a Kree soldier, found a friend in Rick. Eventually, they shared the same space; Mar-Vell would use his Nega-Bands to switch their bodies, placing the other in a micro-verse. It’s been announced that Captain Marvel will actually center around Ms. Marvel, who’s taken up the mantle in the 616. But hopefully, Mar-Vell will serve as a supporting character.

The Rick Jones Show

If Marvel is interested in doing half-hour comedies, such as Damage Control, how about Rick Jones’s talk show? Hulk and the Agents of SMASH modernized it, as Rick uploads his team’s adventures online with reality show cutaways. The cartoon also uses Rick’s gamma form, A-Bomb. I find it funny that, after what Bruce went through to save Rick, he became infected anyway. We could see a late-night show like Jimmy Kimmel or Fallon set in the fictional universe. We were told that cameos from Robert Downey Jr and Chris Evans on Agents of SHIELD would take away its integrity. But the integrity of The Rick Jones Show would be their appearances.

This far into the MCU, would it be worth it to introduce Rick Jones now? Dr. Pym wasn’t Ultron’s creator because he wasn’t introduced until the movie after. Already attached to Tony Stark, audiences could feel the emotional connection better than with a fresh face. I, for one, would still love to see Rick make his live-action debut. But would retcons be enough to fill our hearts?