The Incredible Hulk is returning in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, fulfilling a promise that the MCU made to fans of the character 18 years ago. Ever since the release of 2008’s The Incredible Hulk, Bruce Banner and his green alter-ego have been in a state of flux, only appearing as a supporting character in Avengers and Thor movies. To make matters worse, Bruce has been Smart Hulk since 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, leaving Savage Hulk nowhere to be seen.
However, Spider-Man: Brand New Day is finally making a change for the better. It has been heavily rumored that the upcoming film will see Smart Hulk turn back into Savage Hulk, with Spider-Man having to take down the rampaging superhero. Now that Bruce Banner has been seen in the first Brand New Day trailer, this theory seems even more likely, and some fans are excited to see the character finally get restored in the upcoming sequel.
Brand New Day Will Finally Tell Another Savage Hulk Story After The Incredible Hulk
Needless to say, the way that the MCU has used Hulk has been weird. In Marvel Comics, when Hulk is crossing over with other superheroes, he is frequently seen rampaging and fighting the various heroes who hope to thwart him. However, this hasn’t been the case in the MCU. After The Incredible Hulk, Hulk appeared in The Avengers. While there was a little rampaging, he seemed to be a much more in-control member of the superhero team for the vast majority of the film. Hulk also rampaged in his next appearance, Avengers: Age of Ultron, but this was while he was under Wanda’s control rather than rampaging of his own volition.
In Thor: Ragnarok, Hulk is either under the control of the Grandmaster or helping out Thor, with him not rampaging at all in this film. Hulk is only seen fighting Thanos once in Infinity War before becoming Smart Hulk in Endgame, meaning that it’s been a long time since we’ve had a true Savage Hulk rampage. This is a shame, because The Incredible Hulk promised a much greater role for the character in the MCU than what he’s been receiving.
At the end of The Incredible Hulk, Bruce has escaped to British Columbia, where he is seen attempting to undergo more controlled transformations. This, combined with the film’s tease of the Leader, implied that Hulk would be one of the MCU’s main focuses, especially since this was the franchise’s second film. However, the exit of Ed Norton and the introduction of Mark Ruffalo as Bruce led to the MCU distancing itself from The Incredible Hulk, breaking the promise that the 2008 film made to viewers.
Luckily, Spider-Man: Brand New Day at least seems to be hearkening back to the spirit of The Incredible Hulk. The upcoming film is moving away from Smart Hulk and back to Savage Hulk, which is a big step in the right direction. Plus, the film will likely feature a true Hulk rampage rather than simply having him team up with another superhero. This is what fans have been hoping to see for years, and Brand New Day may finally deliver.
Hulk Really Needs His Own Movie After Brand New Day
Image Courtesy of Marvel
If Savage Hulk is back in Brand New Day, now would be the perfect time to finally release another solo Incredible Hulk movie. A movie about Smart Hulk would never have worked, but the stage is now set for another film about the iconic raging monster. Spider-Man: Brand New Day could set up an interesting conflict for another Hulk movie, such as Bruce going on a journey to regain his balance while struggling with his relapse into Savage Hulk.
Despite Mark Ruffalo proving that he is one of the most talented actors in the MCU, he still hasn’t gotten a solo film to prove his acting chops. A Hulk movie would finally put Ruffalo in the leading role, moving him away from playing second fiddle to actors like Chris Hemsworth and Tom Holland.
Finally, a proper Hulk movie would finally allow the lore of the character to be properly expanded. Hulk characters like Red Hulk, the Leader, Skaar, and more have been introduced in projects not centered on Bruce, meaning that it’s been hard to properly integrate them into the MCU. Right now, the franchise has all the building blocks of a fantastic Hulk movie, and the MCU just needs to deliver.
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