I’m Convinced The MCU Could Totally Save The Hulk’s Storyline By Adapting 1 2018 Marvel Comic

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The Hulk"s recent MCU story has somewhat fallen to the wayside - but I"m convinced the franchise could flip the criticisms of the Hulk"s story in the last few years by adapting one comic storyline. With fewer original Avengers and heroes active in the MCU timeline, the Hulk is arguably more important than ever going forward. Though it"s clear Anthony Mackie"s Captain America will be heading the new iteration of the Avengers, having other key classic MCU heroes like the Hulk or Thor alongside him seems par for the course with the story amping up for some multiversal conflict.
With Doctor Doom confirmed to be the antagonist of the story of Avengers: Doomsday, it seems powerful heroes like the Hulk will be very much needed - both to face off against one of Marvel"s strongest villains, and to help show just how strong Doom is when he is able to stand against them, much like when Thanos beat the Hulk in Avengers: Infinity War. However, the matter of how to approach the Hulk"s story after he"s been more of a background figure than ever is a tricky one - though there"s one Marvel comic story that would seemingly make this straightforward.
The Hulk's MCU Story Has Stagnated In Recent Years Close While he"s one of the most popular superheroes in comicbook history, the Hulk has always taken something of a backseat in the MCU, which has been the subject of discussion and jokes essentially since the franchise first brought the original on-screen Avengers together. That said, though the Hulk has only appeared in crossover releases or otherwise in other heroes" stories following 2008"s The Incredible Hulk, the franchise did make some clear efforts with his story, be that giving him major moments taking down a Leviathan in The Avengers, or building an arc throughout its releases.
Arguably the biggest development came for the Hulk with 2019"s Avengers: Endgame, which saw the character become the Smart Hulk - a version of the character with Banner"s mind, combined with the Hulk"s behemoth form, who served as both a major change in the character"s story and a major development for the film to explore. However, with so much of the Hulk"s story focus in the comics and movies revolving around the conflict between Bruce Banner and the Hulk, this decision does seem to have played a key role in the hero"s story feeling like it"s stagnated in the years since.
This is also partially the fault of the limited focus on the Hulk and his story itself, since the few moments the MCU has dedicated to something like debuting Hulk"s son Skaar in the She-Hulk: Attorney At Law ending also go a considerable way towards limiting how much it feels like the character and his life actually matter to the franchise in the past few years. Ultimately, though, the Hulk"s current setup makes one story avenue not only an exciting possibility, but also one that could make the MCU"s sometimes lackluster prior handling of the character into a story advantage.
Bringing Immortal Hulk's "Devil Hulk" Into The MCU Could Be Just What The Character Needs Close The MCU"s Smart Hulk storyline helped establish two key concepts for the green giant"s lore in the series; firstly, that the Hulk identity as we know it can be suppressed, and secondly in setting up the idea that certain personalities can take over the Hulk form. While the Smart Hulk transformation is attributed to Banner"s scientific experimentation following the aftermath of Avengers: Infinity War and his struggle to call upon the Hulk during times of crisis during this time, this does open the gates for the MCU to adapt one of the biggest Hulk stories of the past decade.
The Immortal Hulk"s 2018-2021 run received considerable praise from its first issues onward, with the early story focusing on the character"s revival following Hawkeye killing him in Marvel"s Civil War II storyline, which led to a number of changes for the character. Having returned to life once more, the Hulk"s more traditionally heroic identities are shown to have receded deep into Banner"s mind, and the Hulk form is instead taken over by a figure known as the Devil Hulk, who serves as a more morally questionable version of the Hulk, emerging only at night unless Banner comes in harm"s way.
With Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars on the horizon, there"s a lot of potential to kickstart this storyline during the process of the multiverse-threatening upcoming plots, either via "killing" Smart Hulk, or via the Devil Hulk identity simply taking over from Banner for events that may require a more ruthless approach. This would make sense after Banner effectively suppressed the "traditional" Savage Hulk personality, and after the Hulk Inhibitor Device was revealed to allow Bruce Banner"s human form to reassert itself rather than him being perpetually in Hulk form.
Currently, it still seems the chances of a Hulk solo movie being on the horizon are smaller than ever, which makes this story opportunity all the more salient, since it would still be possible to pull off throughout crossover releases and cameo appearances. The fact it"s one that focuses on the bond the Hulk has with Banner emotionally and logistically would also seemingly assist in making the Hulk"s story feel dynamic and fresh again, especially since even the loosest adaptation of The Immortal Hulk would offer story opportunities for several other key Marvel characters linked to the hero.
The Immortal Hulk Also Has A Lot Of Other Promising Storylines For The MCU Close There are significant portions of The Immortal Hulk that would be challenging for the MCU to adapt - since they involve extensive backstories and characters that could be hard to bring naturally into the franchise at this stage of its run. However, there are also a considerable number of story avenues that it could really pay for the MCU to employ.
On a big scale, things like the comic"s exploration of the One Below All - a cosmic entity that is essentially a multiversal sort of version of the Devil, and who is innately tied to gamma energy and the Hulk - would hold major implications for the MCU, and seem timely as its bigger picture becomes more and more clear in the Multiverse Saga. However, The Immortal Hulk"s story is not just grand cosmic entities and their stories alone.
For example, Betty Ross" transformation into the Red Harpy makes particular sense for the MCU to explore soon after her return in Captain America: Brave New World, and could be set in motion by Thunderbolt Ross" own transformation into the Red Hulk in that movie. In a similar vein, the comic also expands more on other major Hulk figures like The Leader, Rick Jones, and has Banner cross paths with Amadeus Cho, which could make sense tweaked and translated into the MCU as instead a way for the character to debut in the franchise.
Debuting Amadeus Cho in the MCU soon would be a logical decision now that the Young Avengers are being set up for the future, as he would be a logical candidate for the team.
The wide range of Hulk allies and enemies that appear in the series helps strengthen the idea of adapting the Devil Hulk storyline into the MCU, as other narrative elements could be chosen alongside it to strengthen not only the Hulk"s story itself, but also the franchise more broadly speaking. Since the MCU has had relatively limited expansion into the Hulk side of things - especially in recent years - this approach could be exactly what it needs for the green giant and his path forward in the on-screen live-action world.

Marvel Cinematic Universe The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a multimedia superhero franchise that began in 2008 with Paramount's Iron Man starring Robert Downey Jr. The franchise quickly grew in popularity, with Disney eventually buying out Marvel Entertainment in 2009. The MCU consists of dozens of movies and TV shows, most notably Avengers: Endgame, WandaVision, and Loki.
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