TheMCUfinally delivered on a sequel toThe 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 beensidelined in the MCUas the Big Three took center stage and periodically starred alongside the Jade Giant in Avengers movies. These movies are wheremost of Hulk’s character developmenthas 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 inThe Incredible Hulkwere finally addressed 17 years later. Secondarystars ofThe 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 Worldhas proved to beanother divisive MCU installment, but there is one factor that most audiences can agree on: It was a sequel toThe Incredible Hulk.This was because it centered around two core characters fromThe 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 intothe latest sympathetic MCU villain, and finally delivered on the last shot of Samuel Sterns inThe Incredible Hulkand his villainous transformation.
With that in mind, I can’t help but lament the loss of the sequel that never was and, possibly, never will be.
Nevertheless,Captain America: Brave New Worldskipped 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 allHulk-related factors inCaptain America: Brave New Worlda 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
The Incredible Hulk 2was always a part of the plan, according toThe Incredible Hulkdirector 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 withComicbook.comin 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.”
Grey Hulk was the original iteration of Hulk when he was first introduced in Marvel Comics in 1962’s “The Incredible Hulk.”
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 inAvengers: Endgame, it’s clear what Leterrier means when he mentions how the MCU has departed from his original vision.This also teases thatThe Incredible Hulk 2would 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.
We May Never See Hulk And Red Hulk Exchanging Blows
Captain America: Brave New Worldwas conspicuously devoid of Bruce Banner, despite the characters with whom he is most closely associated 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 thatThe Incredible Hulk 2would have seemingly delivered more than a decade ago.
World War Hulk: Plot Details & Everything We Know
Marvel Studios has been putting the chess pieces in place for a World War Hulk movie, which could be the biggest non-Avengers event movie in the MCU.
Red Hulk is traditionally a Hulk rival, andit’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 atthe end ofCaptain America: Brave New Worldwas a clear highlight of the movie, I’m sad that it didn’t help rectify the loss of a sequel toThe Incredible Hulkby 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.
The Incredible Hulk
Cast
The Incredible Hulk (1977): In this film, scientist David Banner suffers a gamma radiation overdose, triggering a transformation into a giant, muscular green creature whenever he becomes angry. This condition compels him to undertake a journey to understand and control his monstrous alter ego.
Captain America: Brave New World
Captain America: Brave New World (formerly titledNew World Order)marks Sam Wilson’s first MCU big-screen appearance as Steve Rogers' successor after receiving the suit and shield in Phase 4’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Anthony Mackie returns as the titular Avenger alongside Danny Ramirez as Joaquin Torres, Carl Lumby as Isaiah Bradley, and Tim Blake Nelson as The Incredible Hulk’s former ally Samuel Sterns. Harrison Ford makes his MCU debut replacing the late William Hurt as Thaddeus Ross.After meeting President Thaddeus Ross, Sam is caught in a global crisis. He must expose the mastermind behind a sinister plot before the world descends into turmoil. Captain America: Brave New World marks the big-screen debut of Sam Wilson as Captain America, and Harrison Ford makes his MCU debut, replacing the late William Hurt as Thaddeus Ross.
