The MCU finally delivered on a sequel to The Incredible Hulk, but I don’t think it quite measures up to the sequel we could have enjoyed 16 years ago. Ever since starring in his solo MCU movie in 2008, Hulk has largely been sidelined in the MCU as the Big Three took center stage and periodically starred alongside the Jade Giant in Avengers movies. These movies are where most of Hulk’s character development has taken place, though I think this has been underserved compared to what a solo sequel might have done for the Avengers mainstay.

Still, the narrative threads that were left hanging in The Incredible Hulk were finally addressed 17 years later. Secondary stars of The Incredible Hulk, including Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, Samuel Sterns, and, to a much lesser extent, Betty Ross, recently reappeared on the big screen as the MCU finally started rounding out their character arcs. While I am glad to see the MCU addressing hanging plot threads, it’s impossible to overlook the fact that the sequel we received was not the sequel Hulk deserved.

Captain America: Brave New World Was A Sequel To The Incredible Hulk

Many Stars Of The Incredible Hulk Were Developed In Captain America: Brave New World

Captain America: Brave New World has proved to be another divisive MCU installment, but there is one factor that most audiences can agree on: It was a sequel to The Incredible Hulk. This was because it centered around two core characters from The Incredible Hulk, namely Thunderbolt Ross and Samuel Sterns, and depicted their transformations into Red Hulk and The Leader, respectively. It brought a touching conclusion to Thunderbolt Ross’s character arc, turning him into the latest sympathetic MCU villain, and finally delivered on the last sH๏τ of Samuel Sterns in The Incredible Hulk and his villainous transformation.

Nevertheless, Captain America: Brave New World skipped out on two major factors that would have more intrinsically tied it to the Hulk mythos. Specifically, Hulk himself and the fact that Hulk’s transformation in the MCU was the result of a failed attempt to replicate Dr. Abraham Erskine’s super soldier serum – a plot point that would have made all Hulk-related factors in Captain America: Brave New World a lot more justifiable had it been addressed at all. With that in mind, I can’t help but lament the loss of the sequel that never was and, possibly, never will be.

The Incredible Hulk’s Original Director Wanted To Make A Sequel

Louis Leterrier Had Big Plans For The Incredible Hulk 2

The Incredible Hulk 2 was always a part of the plan, according to The Incredible Hulk director Louis Leterrier. In fact, plans for the sequel had gotten so far as to explore particular story beats that were ultimately largely delivered in subsequent MCU movies. Leterrier revealed this in an interview with Comicbook.com in 2023, where he also divulged that Mark Ruffalo’s current iteration of the Jade Giant, who was recently seen practicing yoga with his cousin, is “very far” from the vision he had for the character. Regarding the sequel, Leterrier said:

“Yeah there was like a whole sequel…There was like Grey Hulk, Red Hulks – there was a lot of good stuff that we were planning.”

In Marvel Comics, Grey Hulk (AKA Joe Fixit) is a manifestation of Bruce Banner’s Hulk that exhibits more intelligence than his savage persona at the expense of his strength. With the MCU debuting Smart Hulk in Avengers: Endgame, it’s clear what Leterrier means when he mentions how the MCU has departed from his original vision. This also teases that The Incredible Hulk 2 would have adapted Bruce Banner’s tragic backstory from Marvel Comics, something we’ve been deprived of so far in the MCU. Furthermore, it would have seemingly delivered on the fight that I desperately wanted to see.

The Incredible Hulk 2 Would Have Had The Hulk Vs Red Hulk Battle The MCU Ignored

We May Never See Hulk And Red Hulk Exchanging Blows

Captain America: Brave New World was conspicuously devoid of Bruce Banner, despite the characters with whom he is most closely ᴀssociated making pivotal appearances throughout. I find it hard to believe that Banner would not have gotten wind of the gamma-adjacent occurrences throughout the movie. More than that, however, I feel cheated out of the fight that really should have occurred on-screen, even if it only meant featuring Mark Ruffalo’s Smart Hulk for a matter of minutes – and it’s one that The Incredible Hulk 2 would have seemingly delivered more than a decade ago.

Red Hulk is traditionally a Hulk rival, and it’s sad to think that this dynamic will never play out on screen now that Thunderbolt Ross has been imprisoned on the Raft, perhaps for good. While the Red Hulk vs. Captain America fight at the end of Captain America: Brave New World was a clear highlight of the movie, I’m sad that it didn’t help rectify the loss of a sequel to The Incredible Hulk by depicting a brawl between the two rage monsters. Still, with Ross surviving the events of the movie, there’s still hope that this can eventually occur.

Upcoming MCU Movies

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  Thunderbolts*

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  May 2, 2025
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  The Fantastic Four: First Steps

  Release Date

  
  July 25, 2025
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Avengers: Doomsday (2026)

  
  
  
  
  

  
  

  
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  Spider-Man Homecoming 4

  Release Date

  
  July 24, 2026
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Avengers: Secret Wars

  Release Date

  
  May 7, 2027
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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Source: Comicbook.com