Despite its poor reception,The Incredible Hulkhas aged surprisingly well seventeen years after theMCUmovie’s 2008 release.Phase 1 laid the foundations for a thriving MCUwith the introduction of all six original members of the Avengers, but few of Marvel Studios' early MCU movies were a massive success.Iron Man 2wasn’t nearly as well-received asIron Man, for example, andThe Incredible Hulkunderperformed at the box office. Likewise,ThorandCaptain America: The First Avengerwere seen as serviceable first installments in each of their protagonists' flourishing MCU journey, compared to some of their much more popular sequels.
All doubts about the MCU’s potential were cleared whenThe Avengersassembled Earth’s Mightiest Heroes on the big screen for the first time.The Avengersbroke box office records and set the stage for the MCU’s Phase 2, which delivered critical and commercial hits likeCaptain America: The Winter SoldierandThe Guardians of the Galaxy. Due toUniversal’s ownership of Hulk’s movie distribution rights, Marvel Studios shifted focus away from Hulk’s solo stories and integrated the hero into other characters' titles, and instead gave other heroes their own solo movies and trilogies.
The Incredible Hulk Saw Some Divided Reception Upon Its First Release
The Incredible Hulk Wasn’t As Groundbreaking As Iron Man
Hulk is a difficult character to adapt in solo live-action movies due to the Gamma monster’s destructive nature. Ang Lee’s 2003Hulkdelved deep into the psychological aspects of Bruce Banner and the Hulk’s duality, which didn’t suit the superhero genre’s usual spectacle expectations. Five years later, Louis Leterrier’sThe Incredible Hulkput more focus on action, but it fell short of making the Hulk a leading solo franchise figure. UnlikeIron Man, which launched the MCU with a well-defined lead and a clear stylistic vision,The Incredible Hulkstruggled to establish a consistent visual and narrative identity.
One ofThe Incredible Hulk’s most widely cited flaws lies inits inconsistent pacing and lack of emotional depth, as it rushes through key character moments and misses the opportunity to dive into Bruce Banner’s internal struggle with the Hulk.Bruce Banner’s recast and Hulk’s redesign inThe Avengersfurther distancedThe Incredible Hulkfrom the franchise and emphasized its different tone and style. Ruffalo brought a more lighthearted and comedic energy to Bruce Banner, which contrasted with Norton’s more somber performance.
13 Years Later, The Incredible Hulk Looks Stronger For The Lack Of Central Hulk Stories
The Incredible Hulk Is Still The MCU’s Best Exploration Of Hulk’s Mythos
AfterThe Incredible Hulk, Marvel Studios chose not to move forward with new Hulk solo movies, and instead turned Hulk into a recurring secondary hero. Movies likeThor: RagnarokandAvengers: Endgamehave contributed important developments toHulk’s MCU story, such as the Jade Giant’s time as a Sakaarian champion (inspired byPlanet Hulk) and Banner’s embrace of his dual identity as Smart Hulk. However, these changes have often occurred off-screen or through exposition, with limited time dedicated to Banner’s inner conflict.
The MCU’s increased reliance on humor has diluted Hulk’s dramatic potential and reduced the emotional weight of his storyline even further
Without solo films to explore his character arc in depth, Hulk’s MCU journey has felt fragmented, which has accidentally ledThe Incredible Hulkto stand out as the only MCU film to truly center on Hulk’s emotional core. Much like Steve Rogers’s core conflict is being a “man out of time” and Peter Parker’s is being a regular young man with superhero responsibilities,Bruce Banner’s isolation, guilt, persecution, and desperation for a cure are at the heart of Hulk’s story. Yet,The Incredible Hulkis still the only MCU movie to center around those aspects.
The Incredible Hulk Is A Reminder About How Different The Character’s On-Screen Story Could Have Been
The Incredible Hulk Could Have Been The First Chapter Of A Long MCU Sub-Franchise
Despite the similarly lukewarm reception to their first MCU movies, Captain America and Thor evolved into two of the most complex and popular characters in the whole MCU, all thanks to sequels likeCaptain America: The Winter SoldierandThor: Ragnarok, which kept the spotlight on the titular heroes while pushing the MCU’s overarching storylines forward. Had Marvel given Hulk a second chance afterThe Incredible Hulk, Hulk’s second, third, and possibly fourth solo movies could have been deep explorations of Bruce Banner and Hulk’s intricate conflict. Naturally,Hulk would now be acknowledged as an MCU figure with a legacy on par with Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor.
Hulk would now be acknowledged as an MCU figure with a legacy on par with Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor.
How exactly Marvel would have built Hulk’s MCU trilogy is unknown, asthose unmade Hulk sequels would have led to huge changesin other movies. For instance,Thor: Ragnarokprobably wouldn’t have adaptedPlanet Hulk, which would instead be a Hulk movie of its own. Bruce Banner’s development of the Smart Hulk persona could have also been the main subject of a Hulk sequel’s plot, and villains such as Red Hulk and the Leader could have been the main antagonists ofThe Incredible Hulktrilogy’s second or thirdinstallments.
