WhenMark Ruffalo’s Hulk wasintroduced inThe Avengers, after being recast fromEdward Norton’s version of the character inThe Incredible Hulk, it seemed we were finally getting an effective and engaging exploration of the two sides of his character, especially the cryptic yet iconic line “I’m always angry.” However, while this arc continued throughAge of UltronandThor: Ragnarok, his development has taken a sharp dive. From taking away a lot of what makes the character interesting by removing his rage, and having him appear in open-ended cameos that feel like they could be ignored moving forward, Hulk needs intervention, but not for the betterment of Bruce Banner himself, but quite the opposite, to make him engaging again.
With theannouncement of his inclusion inSpider-Man: Brand New Day, this is the perfect opportunity for such a change in the character’s arc, as it would bringnot only a new kind of challenge forSpider-Man (Tom Holland), but would return Hulk to the complexity we miss about him.
Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk Has Been Uninspired Since ‘Avengers: Endgame’
As previously mentioned, the exploration of the battle between Bruce and The Hulk had been the central focus of the character throughout Phases 1-3 of the MCU. However,Avengers: Endgamethrew this development in the bin when they introduced Smart Hulk when Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) goes to him for help. This transition was entirely too rushed, as we only ever got a single line explaining that Hulk kept the brain and the brawn and now has the “best of both worlds.” However, it feels less like a combination of the two personas and more like they have effectively killed off The Hulk and given Bruce Banner a physical transformation. Since he is completely in control, never showing any anger,Hulk may as well not exist anymore, and we have already seen how it takes away a lot of what makes the character interesting.
Banner’s arc has been meandering at best sinceEndgame, which gave him arguably the second most important moment of the film when he snapped to bring back the other heroes who had been dusted. His appearance inShe-Hulk: Attorney at Lawset up the introduction of his son, yet it feels like we are unlikely to ever see this touched on again, and even thecringey dad-energy of Banner when showing off his son felt like a subplot that we didn’t want to see, like a half-arsed episode ofMalcolm in the Middlewith Hal (Bryan Cranston)andMalcolm (Frankie Muniz). If Hulk was always a small character, it may not have been so egregious, but this effectively reduced the original Avenger to feeling rather redundant.
The 10 Best Hulk Scenes in the MCU, Ranked
Incredible scenes for an Incredible Hulk!
‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ Can Save Hulk’s Character By Making Him Savage Again
With the announcements and rumors of Bruce Banner,Punisher (Jon Bernthal), and Mr. Negative being in theBrand New Dayfilm, it feels like Peter will be balancing differing agendas as all three of the aforementioned characters are thoroughly different. Therefore, bringing back an out-of-control Hulk feels like an effective way to maximize this chaos and also truly test Peter’s ability in combat. InCaptain America: Brave New World, we saw that a hero facing a Red Hulk (Harrison Ford) could be terrifying even in a lesser movie, andSpidey’s agile and slight frame should make such a battle even more of a contrast between strength and speed.
Furthermore, Banner containing a monstrous side makes his character far more interesting. We see far more emotional depth when he has to reckon with the fact that he can do so much good as a scientist, yet is most known for the destruction he causes as a beast. It is also an effective analogy for the rage most people carry within them andhow it can hurt those we care about or turn you into a different person, literally in this case.
Overall, it would feel like a sorely missed opportunity if Hulk is merely another mentor to Peter inSpider-Man: Brand New Day. Seeing Peter have to learn a lesson about maturity feels tired, and it is time he became a voice of reason if people are trying to kill a Hulk who is destroying a city while he is trying to save Bruce. There is still so much we don’t know aboutBrand New Day, buthow Hulk will be portrayed is the first thing to keep an eye out foras we move ever closer to trailers and the release next year.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day
