The Incredible Hulk came out 17 years ago as of 2025, and the movie remains one of the most controversial moments in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)‘s history. Understandably, The Incredible Hulk was only the second movie to be released in the MCU, just a few months after Iron Man. However, aside from its post-credits scene, it felt like something entirely different.

But more than this, there were a lot of elements in The Incredible Hulk that just don’t add up looking back. If there was a plan for this character to join a cinematic universe, and be part of a larger team, then it would make sense to work towards that. But it never felt like that. And now, after being acknowledged as canon with multiple elements from the story returning to the MCU, it remains one of the most confusing moments in the MCU’s history.

10

Edward Norton’s Bruce Banner Is Completely Different To Mark Ruffalo

Edward Norton plays Bruce Banner in The Incredible Hulk, and he does a fair job. The actor is clearly exceptionally talented, and by the time he appears in the movie, he already had two Oscar nominations under his belt. However, the way he portrays the character of Bruce is a stark contrast to Mark Ruffalo’s version in the MCU.

Edward Norton is anxious, twitchy, and constantly on guard. He fled to South America to evade capture, and while there, he uses his considerable intelligence to research his curse in secret, while working in a factory by day. Ruffalo’s version is calm, cheerful, and endlessly curious. He evades capture as well, but he also uses his knowledge to help people in need, rather than strictly hiding.

9

Tony Stark’s Appearance In The Post-Credits Created Some Confusion

As mentioned briefly above, Tony Stark has a cameo in the post-credits scene of The Incredible Hulk. He meets with General Ross, and informs him that “we are putting a team together.” However, by the time Iron Man 2 comes around, it’s clear that Stark has not been enlisted to the team, due to his challenging personality.

This makes the cameo pretty confusing, and one that has had to be bent and twisted to fit a narrative, but it’s clearly a mistake introduced too early in the series. Fortunately, things worked out, and when SHIELD needed to call in extra support, they upgraded Stark from a consultant to a fully-fledged member of the team, but this scene still makes very little sense for the MCU.

8

Bruce Banner Should Know Not To Talk To Strangers Online

While hiding out in South America, Bruce is in contact with a mysterious figure known as Mr. Blue. The two communicate online, and Bruce has been sending samples of his blood to him in order to try and get answers. However, clearly they didn’t know each other before, and Bruce is just placing trust in this mysterious figure.

He also decided to send his blood away; The thing that he is nervous could cause others to Hulk out, without much thought. Surely Bruce Banner, the genius, should know better than to communicate with strangers online, and to then send his blood out without much understanding of what will happen to it.

7

Doc Samson Ended Up Being Wasted In The Incredible Hulk

Leonard Samson is Betty Ross’ new boyfriend in The Incredible Hulk, who she met after Bruce ran away. The two make a cute couple, and with Ty Burrell, of Modern Family fame, playing the part, it was exciting to look forward to how the character could appear in the future. And considering the comic book origins of Leonard Samson, it seemed like a sure thing that Burrell would be back.

However, Ty Burrell never returned, and Doc Samson, the superhero who has strengths similar to the Hulk, never appeared. Even when the MCU revisited characters from this early release in Captain America: Brave New World, there is no reference to Leonard, or his connection to Betty Ross.

6

The Numerous Flashbacks Feel Clunky

In some ways, Universal, the studio behind The Incredible Hulk, wanted this to be a kind of sequel to the 2003 movie by Ang Lee. However, in other ways, they wanted to establish a new story. What the film ends up with is a mismatched, clunky narrative that sees Norton’s Bruce undergo experiments that were shown in the original movie, and overcrowd the film in general.

The flashbacks are jarring, and retread old ground, while not adding anything new or compelling to the movie. And as a result, it just slows down the pace every time a blurry flashback comes on. Overall, the flashbacks could have been cut, and it likely would have made for a better, more streamlined Hulk story.

5

Bruce Banner Is Terrified Of Losing Control, But By Avengers He Has Everything Under Control, Just A Few Years Later

Norton’s Banner is constantly fighting to stay in control. When he reconnects with Betty, and the two get H๏τ and heavy, he stops them from proceeding to avoid his heart rate spiking. This constant monitoring and avoiding stimulation rules his life, and causes him to live as a recluse. However, just a few years later, Mark Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner appears to have complete control of his transformations.

Yes, The Avengers does show Banner turning into Hulk after manipulation by Loki and the Mind Stone, but in general, Banner seems to be able to withstand a lot more than Norton’s version ever could. And beyond that, as the final fight in The Avengers plays out, Bruce arrives and shares his secret about keeping a cool head; “I’m always angry.” It just seems like a huge leap to see the character have such a huge transformation in such a short time, especially considering how closely he monitored things before.

4

The CGI Looks So Much Worse Compared To The Rest Of The MCU

The MCU has made incredible advances with CGI over the years, with characters like the giant purple alien Thanos appearing pH๏τorealistic. However, even in the time that elapsed between The Incredible Hulk and The Avengers, the design of Hulk dramatically changed. Looking back at the way the character appears in The Incredible Hulk, it seems so much less refined.

While the MCU was able to incorporate Mark Ruffalo’s physical appearance into their design, they struggled to make Edward Norton’s slim face work for the Green Giant. So, they created something much less true to life. The result was an odd-looking creation that appears janky and out of place in the live-action movie.

3

The Romance With Betty Ross Went Nowhere

While Betty Ross is generally seen as the ultimate romantic partner for Bruce Banner, the relationship between the two is underwhelming in The Incredible Hulk. Sure, despite being engaged to a new guy, Betty chases Bruce, and the two can’t contain their pᴀssion, but as soon as they reignite their spark, it all fizzles out to nothing.

In The Avengers, Bruce Banner develops a flame for Natasha Romanoff, and they explore that relationship briefly, but when Betty Ross returns in Brave New World, there is no mention or reference to any sort of connection between her and Bruce. Overall, it’s just deeply disappointing that this amounted to pretty much nothing.

2

The Dark Broody Tone Of The Incredible Hulk Is Not In Keeping With The MCU

After 36 theatrically released films, the MCU has developed a style and tone of voice that is generally consistent across the entire franchise. Yes, some movies dip into other subgenres, like espionage, horror, and heist, but overall, the movies incorporate humor, bright colors, and hope. The Incredible Hulk did not fit this tone or style in any way.

With it being the second release of the MCU, it can somewhat be forgiven, but the fact that it is just so starkly different is jarring from a point of view of someone trying to connect this universe together. The Incredible Hulk is supposed to be a piece of the puzzle, but its sharp, broody, and dark edges dont fit into the round, smoothy, and curvy puzzle that is the MCU.

1

The Incredible Hulk Feels Like It Exists Somewhere Else In The Multiverse

Now, the MCU has established the concept of multiple realities, and variants in the MCU. With Spider-Man: No Way Home, and ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine, it confirmed the relationship between the Fox Marvel movies, and the Sony Marvel movies, and several other projects. But The Incredible Hulk feels like it’s a little beyond the pale for this kind of treatment.

Since Captain America: Brave New World brought several characters back, and moved the narrative from the 2008 movie forward, it seems like Marvel doubled down on The Incredible Hulk’s position in the timeline. But that only makes things more confusing for the MCU. Instead, Marvel should cut the losses with that old тιтle, and acknowledge it’s an alternate reality, instead of chasing the dream that The Incredible Hulk ever had a firm place in the MCU.