Discussion: Hulk’s MCU arc

Obviously, the Hulk has been misused in the MCU due to IP rights, but in a perfect universe the Hulk should have grown more savage and strong with each Hulk-out. Banner would be more and more reticent to Hulk-out while Leader was pulling the strings in the background to put him in Hulk situations. Eventually, the Worldbreaker Hulk would have to be shipped off world.

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Commentaires

BroaDeMilhoEmtoBom2025-10-23 01:41

I wish they had explored more of his backstory in the MCU, kinda like the 2003 movie did. It's been a while since I watched the TIH but I don't think they mentioned anything of Bruce/Hulk's past. While I don't think they should've done another origin story for the character, I really wish they would add more depth to them

And I know Joss Whedon is an asshole, but I gotta be honest, his versions of Bruce/Hulk are by far my favorites

Ranos1312025-10-23 02:17

The MCU has been good because they didn’t do everything the and way they did in the comics. Hulk was not “misused”. He was used differently and to great effect.

Hulk going kite and more savage in the comics worked because there were dozens and dozens of issues where they could show the slow change and have him still be a hero rather than nothing but a monster. That wouldn’t have worked on the screen because people would have quickly grown tired of the hulk just getting worse and worse.

This is like wanting Tony to have become more and more of an alcoholic in the movies until Rhodes replaced him. It just wouldn’t work.

They made the movies for the general audience, not just the diehard comic fans.

Big_Epsilon2025-10-23 07:32

You know, I think parts definitely count as change, and good change, and parts are enforced ‘misuse’ that led to less than the best results for the character.

I’ve liked much of what they’ve done with the situation they’ve been put in, and I like that they don’t just pump out complete copies of the comics, but the Hulk comics I’ve read and the lore I’ve learned from others on Reddit does show there’s so much we miss out.

Equally, some of it would be very, very hard to pull off. They do now, at least, have someone in Sentry who could arguably open up the old wounds of Banner in a way that can let the darker stories and tone come out.

Ranos1312025-10-23 08:09

I’m sorry. “Enforced misuse”? Don’t think Feige was telling the writers they had to misuse Hulk? I can see it now. “I want the Hulk in this movie but I want it to be bad. Yep. I want you to misuse the Hulk. That’s an order or you’re all fired.”

I don’t know what you were intending by saying “enforced misuse” but it came across as asinine.

Maybe you and OP think this misuse is due to Universal having the rights to solo Hulk films and that if Marvel had the rights they would have made more than one. What you’re failing to see is the numbers. Ironman had more than double the box office that Incredible Hulk did. That’s the reason we don’t see another solo Hulk movie.

For the general audience, a solo Hulk movie just isn’t a big draw. The Hulk is violent for the sake of violence. That’s triggering for people that were physically abused by a parent, significant other or authority figure in ways that other characters aren’t triggering. Hulk with one or more other characters who can keep him in check is doable but by himself is a big no go.

And only diehard comic fans want to see Hulk just completely out of control all the time and getting worse. Most people want to see a positive evolution of a hero. We got that for the Hulk in the MCU while also getting a taste of him being out of control in Incredible Hulk, Avengers and Age of Ultron. That was enough.

Big_Epsilon2025-10-23 08:57

My mistake, I shouldn’t have engaged.

knotsteve2025-10-23 02:28

\> Obviously, the Hulk has been misused in the MCU due to IP rights

That's not really what happened, but it is an opinion.

If Marvel were interested in pursuing Hulk solo movies, they would have found a way. The way the Hulk has been developed is not really a result of Universal's distribution rights. How many times do general movie audiences want to see Hulk destroy property?

HankSteakfist2025-10-23 05:07

Even the arc he did have was mostly offscreen. They set up Hulk and Banner to have this meaningful breakthrough in Infinity War and then just skip over it for a scene that plays up the transformation into Smart Hulk for laughs.

Then they go and use one of his major villains in a movie that doesn't even feature him.

It's pretty frustrating being a Hulk and an MCU fan honestly.

Wooden-Radish-90082025-10-23 05:17

I personally like what they did in the MCU. The Hulk getting angrier and stronger doesn't sound like a compelling narrative to me at all.

devoid01012025-10-23 07:50

Now with even more SMASH

AwarenessOk77482025-10-23 06:02

I believe that Banner's story came to its logical end at the end of the game: he suffered and clashed with the Hulk for a long time, and they finally found common ground, resulting in the creation of the Smart Hulk. It was necessary to develop him.
Instead, he was humiliated in SH and will be further humiliated here, completely devaluing his journey by bringing back the Savage Hulk from an unknown source (although they could have done this after the Secret Wars), and clearly defeating him (since he was beaten on set). It's a pathetic sight...

spidervenom6192025-10-23 07:07

The issue is that they simply can't do the other Hulk's Storyline due to the heavy connection to Banner's father the other Hulks has with that Abusive prick. David Banner's is simply not a bad enough father in the MCU for something like the Devil Hulk to happen or any other Hulks.

Honesty, the best that can happen is probably either a Maestro Hulk or a Joe Fixit style hulk later on in the story but those are the only other Hulks that can come out. Maybe they can tried to tell the the One Below All Hulk without Devil Hulk but it's going to be extremely hard to do.

r01-85062025-10-23 07:46

Indeed. Hence, it would be better for example for him to share a movie with: Hulk vs The Thing (eg. "Famous Battles" in Marvel Series 1 cards), Hulk vs Brown/Tan Wolverine (eg. DP&W). Deadpool & Wolverine proved two superheroes equally sharing the movie actually works.

If he has Logan and Ben, then he can go all out and unleash everything on them since those two can take it and survive.

devoid01012025-10-23 07:49

I STILL don’t understand why Hulk wouldn’t come out during End Game. Anyone?

Able_Resident_12912025-10-23 10:37

I always thought that it was because he'd been beaten by Thanos and had retreated to the safety of Banner, but the canonical reason given by the Russos is:

>A lot of people had interpreted that the Hulk was scared of Thanos. The Hulk has had his ass kicked before, and so it wasn’t like the minute he gets his ass kicked he’s going to run and hide. It’s really the notion that the Hulk and Banner have a very dysfunctional relationship, which was explored even further in Thor: Ragnarok. And I think that relationship is starting to strain between the two of them and the Hulk is not interested in playing the hero to Banner anymore," Joe Russo said. "I don’t know if the Hulk sees the value in the relationship. They both want to control Hulk’s body. The Hulk brings fighting and strength to the table and he’s not quite sure what Banner is bringing yet. So, I think this is becoming a stubborn push and pull between two very despaired personalities stuck in one body.

Personally I prefer the "Hulk couldn't cope with being beaten" because the groundwork for the sort of interpersonal drama described above really isn't there in the films

devoid01012025-10-23 15:20

Yes, that’s for the quote. It was not ever explained adequately to my liking.

devoid01012025-10-23 07:51

HULK VS WOLVERINE IS WHAT WE WANT, MARVEL. Savage Hulk, with X-men / Avengers crossover , and you earn 2 billion dollars.

igby12025-10-23 10:50

As someone that never read the comics I found it fascinating to learn how powerful they made him there.

Destroying a *planet* would’ve been very hard to pull off in the MCU in live action just from a story perspective.

2MinuteSamurai2025-10-23 16:40

It’s not necessarily that Hulk should grow stronger with each transformation, it’s how Bruce and Hulk’s relationship with each other evolve and how they eventually become in tandem within the same body. There’s multiple ways to explore this but I do think the MCU executed it poorly and the biggest way to help would’ve been Hulk sequels, but alas we’re probably never getting one.