As Long As Bruce Banner Is Smart Hulk, Avengers: Doomsday Has To Bring Back Red Hulk

Smart Hulk has some clear advantages over his predecessor, but as long as he’s around, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)

needs a raging goliath like Red Hulk for upcoming movies like Avengers: Doomsday

to shine. Bruce Banner’s incredible mind makes him an invaluable consultant to Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, but when it came time to get to work, his alter ego stepped up. In the 2012 Avengers movie, Hulk was a pivotal part of the story, who was able to smash Loki, save Tony Stark from falling to the ground from the wormhole, punch Leviathan’s in the face, and generally act as the team’s muscle.

And while Bruce has finally managed to strike a balance with his other half, the price of creating Smart Hulk has proven to be insurmountably high. Smart Hulk contains the best parts of Bruce Banner, with some of Hulk’s strength, but a lot more restraint that actually puts the hero into an awkward position. As a result, Banner is not confident in his strength, unable to unleash his rage, and overall a weaker version of the hero who proved their invaluable role in the team. But thankfully, there are other Hulk’s in the MCU who could take his spot.

There Are Plenty Of New Hulk’s That Could Join The Heroes

Since the arrival of Smart Hulk, the MCU has introduced a couple of other contenders who have the ability to Hulk out. Banner’s cousin, Jennifer Walters, had some of Bruce’s blood mixed with hers, granting her the ability to transform into the mighty She-Hulk. Banner introduced his son from Sakaar, Skaar, who possesses the same physique as his green giant father. And most recently, Thaddeus Ross transformed into the immensely powerful Red Hulk.

Between these various iterations of Hulk creatures, and others that came before, like Abomination, there are plenty of characters who have the strength, and the willingness to fight at full force, that could step up to become a Hulking hero. And in addition to these characters, there are other characters who have a less than heroic alignment, or have yet to display Hulk powers that could also step up. This includes Billy Maximoff’s boyfriend, Eddie, is likely to be the comic book character who becomes Hulkling, a small number of other Hulk’s were introduced in She-Hulk including HulkKing, and the animated Marvel projects like What If…? and Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man introduced even more potential Hulks.

Smart Hulk contains the best parts of Bruce Banner, with some of Hulk’s strength, but a lot more restraint that actually puts the hero into an awkward position.

With all of these potential replacements, Smart Hulk can continue to operate as a vital consultant and scientist for the Avengers, but as a field agent, Banner is not the most useful. True, he could be motivated to push the limits of his strength, and embrace more of his Hulk powers, but Banner has spent years refining his ability to control his rage, and switching that back on is proving a challenge. So, maybe it’s just time to hand the baton over to someone else, and let a new Hulk step up as the muscle for the heroes.

The Most Interesting Hulk Story Isn’t Possible With Bruce Banner

Bruce And Hulk Have Already Completed Their Story Arc

As mentioned above, Banner refined his ability to regulate his emotions. He no longer has the inner conflict that made his journey so compelling. But in resolving that conflict, some of the most interesting parts of the characters’ story have been lost. With Smart Hulk, it’s difficult to see any art of Hulk’s personality peeking through, which indicates that the character has largely disappeared. But when it comes to including a Hulk character in future MCU films, Smart Hulk is not the most interesting character to follow anymore.

He no longer has the inner conflict that made his journey so compelling.

Jennifer Walters also appears to have incredible restraint in her She-Hulk form, retaining her own personality and control over her actions. Likewise, Emil Blonsky has honed his ability to operate as Abomination without flying into a rage. The only remaining character who appears to have a savage side is Thaddeus Ross, when he transforms into the immensely powerful Red Hulk. Red Hulk in the comics is usually not a savage being, as Ross retains control, but the MCU appears to have taken the character in a different direction.

As a result, Red Hulk’s story just became a lot more interesting than Smart Hulk’s. On top of this, Red Hulk possesses some unique powers and abilities that the traditional hero doesn’t, such as emitting radioactive energy in the form of heat and burning things that he comes in contact with. Red Hulk also displays all the same tendencies as the original Hulk, flying into a rage and causing immense chaos, though Ross can be reached with some diplomacy.

Red Hulk Can Fill The Gap Of A Savage Hulk In The New Avengers Movies

Red Hulk Has A Bigger Story To Explore In The MCU

And fortunately for Sam and the other heroes, Ross is securely tucked away on the Raft, ready to be called upon whenever he is needed. If the threat proves to be large enough, and Avengers: Doomsday promises to bring potentially the hero’s most powerful villain ever into the MCU with Doctor Doom, then Sam Wilson will need to form a team of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes fast, and he can’t afford to be too picky. Yes, Ross clearly had some misaligned intentions, but he has spent a long time in the military, and, as an enhanced Hulk, he could be a key player for the new hero team.

Bruce Banner is likely to come back, and he will likely use his strength to aid the team, but in terms of raw power, Banner’s most meaningful contributions are more likely to come through his intelligence, not his strength. That’s where Ross can step up, reluctant to transform, but desperate to redeem himself. Ross can make amends for his misguided efforts and his trust in someone so corrupt as The Leader by stepping up to fight Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom and his legion of Doombots. This would make for an incredible display as Red Hulk unleashes his full rage and savage intensity on the opposing forces.

Bringing Red Hulk back to fight with the heroes would make the most sense for his character arc.

There is a chance that Avengers: Doomsday will try to slot Bruce Banner into this role, but realistically, the best chance to deliver on something like the incredible display from Hulk in The Avengers is no longer likely to come from Smart Hulk. But that doesn’t mean the Avengers don’t need a rage-fuelled Hulk. Bringing Red Hulk back to fight with the heroes would make the most sense for his character arc, it would deliver similar fun and compelling moments as seen in earlier Hulk appearances, and it would redeem Thaddeus Ross, who is unlikely to be around for much longer in the MCU past Avengers: Doomsday.

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