The Hulk’s Journey in the Marvel Cinematic Universe: A Look Back at his Many Highs and Lows
The Hulk’s Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) journey has been a challenging one, with both highs and lows. First introduced in 1962, the Hulk has become one of the most popular and well-known comic book heroes. He was also one of the first Marvel heroes to get a regular TV show, which began airing in 1977 and spawned multiple sequels.
Since 2003, the Hulk has appeared in two solo movies and several MCU blockbusters, but bringing the character to the big screen has been a difficult task. Both of the early movies had issues that fans were quick to point out. However, nearly 20 years since the last solo Hulk movie, some aspects of the character’s time on the big screen have actually improved with time.
The first solo Hulk movie, directed by Ang Lee, was released in 2003 and starred Eric Bana as Bruce Banner. Despite the potential for success, the movie failed to generate the level of excitement and anticipation that the studios expected, leading to the franchise being rebooted just a few years later.
However, when Mark Ruffalo took on the role of Bruce Banner in The Avengers (2012), the character underwent a redesign, resulting in a more humanoid appearance that linked the human and the monster better. This redesign has persisted, making it easier to adapt to the character’s changes through the MCU.
The Hulk has become known for his humor and power, with memorable quotes like “Puny god” cementing his reputation. While the character has evolved, the classic Hulk remains iconic, and the introduction of Smart Hulk has served a purpose. Despite the challenges of bringing the character to life on the big screen, the Hulk’s journey in the MCU has had its highlights, and it will be interesting to see where the character goes from here.
