Key Takeaways
- Hulk’s character in the MCU has been dramatically changed towards a more humanized version.
- Hulk’s inner conflict, fear-inducing menace, and uniqueness have been lost over time.
- Marvel faces a challenge in returning Hulk to his former, powerful, and uncontrollable glory.
The Incredible Hulk is one of the most iconic superheroes of all time, and people can instantly recognize and discuss him. That’s why Marvel immediately tapped into the character by having him be part of the original Avengers team and a core character for all of the main movies running through the Marvel Cinematic Universe so far.
However, Hulk’s character has changed dramatically from his first appearance in the MCU to his most recent one in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. Nowadays, he’s been humanized, which has caused Marvel a problem that is seemingly impossible to fix moving forward.
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How Marvel Ruined The Incredible Hulk
Things got off to a good start with Hulk, despite most people forgetting about 2008’s The Incredible Hulk and the fact the character was recast to Mark Ruffalo. However, since then, nobody in the MCU has changed more than the Avengers’ most powerful weapon, which has ruined the character that people love. At the start of the MCU, he is an uncaged beast who everyone fears, and the carnage that he causes is even problematic for his fellow Avengers as they look for ways to calm him down so that he does not cause more damage than good.
Over time, that monster element of Hulk has been chipped away at until Avengers: Endgame, when he became Smart Hulk. It blended
Bruce Banner with Hulk, allowing him to be cool and calm while green, which is when people would associate him with causing problems. Seeing him as Smart Hulk was fun at first and paid homage to the comics, but it has only hurt the character moving forward as he’s no longer seen as the most powerful and destructive Avenger that could blow up in anger at any moment. The MCU has forgotten what makes Hulk so popular, with the suppressed emotions and the uncontrollable nature making him compelling and easy to connect with as people can understand having rage to unleash and holding it within.
He’s Lost His Inner-Conflict
The character aspect of Hulk that makes him so special is the inner conflict that the character has to fight back his anger and general feeling toward good vs. evil. Bruce Banner is an incredible scientist, one of the most intelligent people on the planet, and someone who is very calm and relaxed. However, Hulk is the total opposite as he provides carnage, aggression, and anger to the highest level, which is supposed to make him uncontrollable and unpredictable. Unfortunately, over time, Marvel has weakened Hulk to the point where he feels like another character in the Avengers rather than one that should be able to go toe-to-toe with any villain while also putting fear into his own teammates.
There were times when Hulk caused more negatives for the Avengers due to how much destruction he caused. But the fact that he’s now smart enough to recognize that does take away some of the interesting aspects. It has also essentially lost Banner in this mix. Even though he can now return to being human whenever he wants, it doesn’t make sense when he can be just as smart as Hulk. The character’s Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde aspect is gone, which is a shame because Banner, on his own, could provide something completely different from Hulk; plus, seeing the character constantly as Hulk doesn’t feel as unique.
Marvel Can’t Go Back With This Character
While many fans enjoy some of the comedic moments that Hulk has provided and the human aspect of the character, there’s always an underlying feeling that Hulk isn’t being used to his full potential as a character anymore. Bringing back some of the basic aspects of his character that made him great at the start would help that, as he still brought a few laughs at the beginning of the MCU before he was taken too far. However, it seems impossible for Marvel to get him back to that stage. Audiences would anticipate when Banner would become Hulk, what sort of damage he’d cause, and if anyone could stop him. However, the fact that he can now switch between being human and Hulk easily is disappointing as it takes that away.
Marvel cannot get Hulk back to the point where everyone fears him and destroys everything because he’s showcased understanding and how to control his anger. On top of that, he has brought a lot of humor to the movies he’s been in, which leads to many people expecting and demanding it whenever he’s involved in a story. That’s an issue for Marvel because they must constantly make him funny, which takes away the essence of who Hulk is and means that a once powerful character now feels ordinary.
For a long time, people wanted to see a stand-alone Hulk movie with Ruffalo in the role, but the rumors and speculation surrounding that have died down in recent years because the character isn’t as interesting. Without Hulk’s inner turmoil, anger, and monstrous side, he just feels ordinary, which should never be the case for such a destructive force. But that’s the stage that Hulk has now reached, presenting Marvel with one of its biggest challenges to date, which is how to get the character back to the point where he can offer more than just one-liners.
Marvel
Marvel is a brand associated with a wide array of popular superhero comics, movies, television shows, and merchandise. The company owns the rights to popular characters like The Avengers, Spider-Man, Black Panther, Deadpool, and many more.