Bruce Banner’s current status seems like a peaceful end to his MCU journey, but Hulk‘s long history says otherwise. If Mark Ruffalo’s absence in Avengers: Doomsday‘s cast announcement means Smart Hulk won’t return until Avengers: Secret Wars, then Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner will have been Smart Hulk for the same amount of time he was the original Hulk before Avengers: Endgame. Taking Avengers: Endgame‘s five-year jump into consideration, that will be at least one year sooner. The last time Bruce Banner’s original Hulk alter ego made a full on-screen appearance was in Avengers: Infinity War, nine years before Avengers: Doomsday.

Bruce Banner was tormented by Hulk before the MCU even began, and he spent almost his entire Infinity Saga journey trying to reconcile both sides of himself. Luckily for Banner, Thanos’ Snap gave him enough time to find a seemingly permanent and pacific solution to his conflict with the Hulk. Smart Hulk is the goal Bruce Banner had been aiming for over the previous decade or more, but it also meant that the original Hulk couldn’t return. However, Smart Hulk may not be as permanent as Bruce Banner thinks.

Smart Hulk’s Story Is Secretly Horrifying To Think About From Hulk’s Perspective

Bruce Banner’s Smart Hulk Achievement Is A Nightmare In Disguise

Bruce Banner’s control of the Hulk as Smart Hulk fulfilled Banner’s dream, but it was an unfair deal for the Hulk. As Banner recalls in The Avengers, he tried to take definitive measures with his alter ego, but “the other guy” spit out the bullet. Banner tried to hide and rebuild his life, but he was hunted down. When Banner turned Hulk into a superhero, his enemies weaponized Hulk’s uncontrollable nature, leading to mᴀssive collateral damage. And when Hulk had the chance to stop Thanos before the Mad тιтan arrived on Earth, he failed. To top it off, Banner took full control of Hulk’s body.

Ever since Bruce Banner’s off-screen Smart Hulk transformation, Smart Hulk has been the most level-headed and well-adjusted member of the Avengers. However, Banner may be forgetting that Hulk is a separate individual with his own desires and impulses. Banner practically stole Hulk’s body, retained his full idenтιтy, and gave the Gamma monster absolutely nothing in return — all after several years of murder attempts on the Gamma monster. Instead of making peace with the other guy, Bruce Banner may have suppressed the Hulk by force, and all his bottled-up pressure may explode catastrophically sooner rather than later.

The MCU’s Recent Releases Make A Smart Hulk Reversal Seem More Possible Than Ever

The MCU Might Bring Hulk Back Out One Way Or The Other

Smart Hulk is one of the few original Avengers still alive and in shape for battle. However, Smart Hulk is far too collected to do any damage if he were to face enemies like Red Hulk, Sentry, or Doctor Doom. Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom is about to bring multiversal war to the MCU, and Smart Hulk may need to tap into the rage he fought so long to contain. Considering that Bruce Banner merged his body with Hulk’s instead of eliminating Hulk altogether, there’s a chance the original Hulk can awaken once again — this time angrier and more powerful than ever before.

Bruce Banner may have done the same thing Hulk did to him in Thor: Ragnarok: push his alter ego to the pᴀssenger seat for years. Similarly to how Hulk accidentally let Banner take the wheel when he entered the Quinjet and saw a clip of Natasha Romanoff, something could lead Banner to lose control and awaken the Hulk in Avengers: Doomsday or Avengers: Secret Wars. At this point, there are many characters who can make this happen. For instance, the Leader could reawaken the Hulk through Gamma manipulation, Doctor Doom could do it through magic or technology, and Sentry could do it through the Void.

The Hulk Transforming In The Multiverse Saga Would Be A Huge Event

Doomsday And Secret Wars Owe Hulk What Avengers: Endgame Didn’t Give Him

Hulk hasn’t participated in an Avengers battle since 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, at least not properly. Bruce Banner wore the Hulkbuster Mark II armor to fight Thanos’ Outriders in Avengers: Infinity War, and a wounded Smart Hulk relied on his working arm to help the rest of the Avengers resist Thanos’ forces in Avengers: Endgame. After an entire Saga as Smart Hulk, Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars could bring back the original Hulk as a major player in the Avengers’ battles against Doctor Doom.

While reverting his Smart Hulk transformation would be tragic for Bruce Banner, becoming a game-changing character in an Avengers movie would be a long-deserved shift for the Hulk’s MCU story. Besides his limited role in crossover events, Hulk hasn’t starred in a movie of his own since 2008’s The Incredible Hulk, and that doesn’t seem to be changing anytime soon. The least Marvel Studios can do to do the Hulk justice in the MCU is make him an influential member of Avengers: Doomsday or Avengers: Secret Wars‘ cast before Mark Ruffalo bids farewell to his character.

Hulk

First Film

The Incredible Hulk Returns

Latest Film

Avengers: Endgame

First TV Show

The Incredible Hulk

Latest TV Show

She-Hulk: Attorney at Law

Upcoming MCU Movies

• 
  

  
  

  Thunderbolts*

  Release Date

  
  May 2, 2025
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

  Powered by

  
  

  
  Expand
  Collapse
  

• 
  

  
  

  The Fantastic Four: First Steps

  Release Date

  
  July 25, 2025
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

  Powered by

  
  

  
  Expand
  Collapse
  

• 
  

  
  

  Avengers: Doomsday

  Release Date

  
  May 1, 2026
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

  Powered by

  
  

  
  Expand
  Collapse
  

• 
  

  
  

  Spider-Man: Brand New Day

  Release Date

  
  July 31, 2026
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

  Powered by

  
  

  
  Expand
  Collapse
  

• 
  

  
  

  Avengers: Secret Wars

  Release Date

  
  May 7, 2027
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

  Powered by

  
  

  
  Expand
  Collapse