Hulk is finally returning to the MCU in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and while it is exciting to see him back in the spotlight, I’m worried that the film will continue this awful Hulk trend. Hulk has been used sparingly throughout the MCU, with his only solo film being 2008’s The Incredible Hulk. Hulk’s absence from Captain America: Civil War and his strange Professor Hulk story arc have made his MCU arc a peculiarity, and that is mostly thanks to this odd characterization choice.
Very few details about Spider-Man: Brand New Day are known, but it has been revealed that the film will feature Spider-Man, The Punisher, and Hulk. Rumors have heavily suggested that Bruce Banner will revert from Professor Hulk back into Savage Hulk, with some scoopers even saying that he will become Grey Hulk this time around. While this is incredibly exciting for Hulk fans who haven’t been wild about the Professor Hulk arc, it could end up contributing to the aforementioned/ Hulk problem.
Hulk’s Biggest MCU Plot Points Keep Happening Off-Screen (& It Could Happen Again In Brand New Day)
Image Courtesy of Marvel Studios
Despite Hulk being one of the first characters introduced to the MCU, all of his biggest plot points since Avengers: Age of Ultron have occurred off-screen. The first time this happened was in Thor: Ragnarok, in which Thor found Hulk on Sakaar. Thor discovers that Hulk has become the Grandmaster’s champion of the gladiatorial planet, but this wasn’t seen on-screen. Instead, Hulk’s transformation and reign over Sakaar happened in the gap between Age of Ultron and Ragnarok, meaning that Hulk fans weren’t able to watch this incredibly exciting story.
The biggest development Hulk has had in recent years is his evolution into Professor Hulk, which happened during Avengers: Endgame‘s time jump. It undoubtedly took a lot of effort for Bruce Banner to balance his identities, with this being a major storyline in the comics. Unfortunately, it was all left to the imagination, as Endgame was too overstuffed to focus on that. When Banner is next seen in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings‘ post-credits scene, he has figured out a way to become Bruce again, something that isn’t shown.
Then, when Hulk appears in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, another major development happens off-screen. This time, Hulk reveals that he has a son named Skaar. Skaar is a major character in Marvel Comics, and while he may never appear again in the MCU, a son is a major deal for Bruce Banner.
Now, Spider-Man: Brand New Day is expected to see Hulk become Savage Hulk again after years of being Professor Hulk. If this happens during the movie, it would be great. We would finally see Bruce Banner go through an on-screen transformation and character arc, something that hasn’t been seen in years. However, there is the scary possibility that Professor Hulk becomes Savage Hulk before the movie starts, with it immediately jumping into this arc.
Hulk has been done dirty by the MCU, and Brand New Day has the chance to finally put him back in the spotlight. I’m crossing my fingers that the film does this transformation right, but based on the franchise’s track record, I’m not feeling confident.
The MCU Desperately Needs To Give Hulk Another Movie
It has been almost two decades since Hulk got his own movie, and Mark Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner has never gotten a solo film. After years of ignoring the character, the MCU really needs to give him his own film after Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Being forcibly turned from Professor Hulk back into Savage Hulk will undoubtedly take a toll on Bruce, and a movie would be a great place to explore the aftermath of this.
There are still tons of The Incredible Hulk storylines that the MCU could adapt, with the most obvious being World War Hulk. While it would have to be a loose adaptation, it would be fun to see Hulk take on some of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. A team-up movie centered on Hulk, Red Hulk, She-Hulk, and Skaar would also be a lot of fun.
Sadly, so many Hulk stories have been done in non-Hulk movies that it is hard to use some of his most iconic elements. Red Hulk and The Leader were the villains of Captain America: Brave New World, Abomination returned in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, and now there is a chance that Grey Hulk could appear in Brand New Day. Hulk has been done dirty in the MCU, and a movie is the only way to make up for it.
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