Samuel Sterns

"Why are you always hitting people?! Now what... could I have possibly done... to deserve such aggression?"

- The Leader

Samuel Sterns, also known as the Leader, is a cellular biologist who was finding a cure for Bruce Banner. He turned into The Leader when affected by Banners blood.

The Incredible Hulk
Sterns was initially a scientific ally to an on-the-run Bruce Banner and they communicated with each other as Mr. Green and Mr. Blue while collaborating to find a cure for Bruce's condition. Upon meeting in the flesh, Dr. Samuel Sterns was shown to be an eccentric man who was infatuated with the potential power of gamma-radiation. After witnessing Banner transform into the Hulk as a test and successfully reverting him back with their finalized suppressant, it was revealed that he had been experimenting with Bruce's blood samples on animal test subjects without Bruce's knowledge. He was physically threatened by Emil Blonsky who desired to be further mutated. Sterns eagerly complied. Once Blonsky mutated, he became insane and proceeded to injure Sterns and demolish his lab. Sterns was accidentally infected with Banner's blood via an open wound on his forehead and he was last seen with his head expanding as he smiled in joy.

Fury's Big Week
Sterns' mutation has gone wild, and his brain power has incremented exponentially. He's found by Natasha Romanoff, who has a brief dialogue with him, during which Sterns identifies Black Widow's birth place from a hint of accent in her voice. Sterns then attempts to bribe her, promising he'll help her come back to Stalingrad, but the Widow shoots him the leg and arrests him. Sterns is now in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s custody referred to as "Project: Mr. Blue."

Relationships

 * The Hulk - Ally
 * Betty Ross - Ally
 * Abomination - Creation and Enemy
 * Black Widow - Enemy

Trivia

 * In the original comic, Sterns was not a scientist, but instead was a menial laborer with only average intelligence. He was exposed to gamma radiation while he was transporting hazardous materials. Also, he became the Leader before Banner became the Hulk.
 * During the course of the film, a drop of Bruce Banner's blood falls into a scar on Sterns' forehead, an obvious nod to him becoming the Leader.
 * Sterns uses the online name Mr. Blue to communicate with Banner. In the comic, Mr. Blue was an alias used by Betty Ross to keep in contact with a fugitive Banner.