Though Mark Ruffalo wasn’t the first Bruce Banner/The Hulk in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, after he debuted in The Avengers, he’s become a fixture of the franchise. Heck, thanks to his Iron Man 3 post-credit scene appearance, he became (in just 12 months) the first actor to portray this character in multiple live-action theatrical movies. From there, he’s shown up in MCU features like three Avengers sequels, Thor: Ragnarok, and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Next, he’s set to appear in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, continuing Ruffalo’s enormous MCU legacy.
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However, despite how many projects he’s appeared in, it’s still bizarre that there have never been interactions between Ruffalo’s Hulk and two especially prominent Incredible Hulk characters, both of which just appeared in the MCU’s Phase Five.
Why Has the Ross Family Never Interacted With Hulk Again?
In The Incredible Hulk, Edward Norton’s Bruce Banner/Hulk was in love with Betty Ross (Liv Tyler), even while her father, General “Thunderbolt” Ross (William Hurt), was pursuing Banner as a fugitive. Once Ruffalo took over this role, it was understandable that titles like The Avengers only made passing references (“Last time I was in New York, I kind of…broke Harlem,”) to the events of the film. Then, Hurt’s Ross returned in Captain America: Civil War, the first of several subsequent appearances of this Incredible Hulk character. After Hurt’s passing, Harrison Ford took over the character for Captain America: Brave New World, which saw Ross becoming the Red Hulk and Tyler’s Betty making her first MCU appearance in 17 years.
Save for Banner narrowly missing a discussion with hologram Ross in Avengers: Infinity War and the two characters both being at Tony Stark’s funeral in Avengers: Endgame, Ruffalo’s Hulk and the two members of the Ross family have never shown up in the same place together. They’ve also had no explicit interactions, a bizarre element given the rich history between these characters in the comics and the Incredible Hulk. Given how everything related to Samuel Sterns returned for his Leader appearance in Brave New World, the intricacies of The Incredible Hulk details are not lost on new MCU artists.
What gives? Why has Ruffalo’s Hulk been so divorced from these characters? Part of it is possibly due to Avengers: Age of Ultron introducing Black Widow as a new de facto love interest for Hulk. That detail kept cropping up throughout Phase Three, including in how Banner reacted to her demise in Avengers: Endgame. Betty is Banner’s equivalent to Mary Jane Watson, Lois Lane, or Jane Foster in the comics. However, now that Banner had his heart set on Black Widow, MCU directors might not have thought there was room for this version of the character to rub shoulders with his Incredible Hulk lover.
The Messy Nature of Modern MCU Callbacks
Ross, meanwhile, was confined to more “grounded” Phase Three and Four installments (like Civil War and Black Widow) rather than the grand cosmic exploits of Thor: Ragnarok that Hulk was inhabiting. This dissonance ensured there wasn’t time for the two to cross paths and rehash their earlier rivalry. Plus, Ruffalo’s Hulk doesn’t headline his own solo theatrical films. Since he only shows up for crossover adventures or as a supporting character in other superhero movies, there’s little time for his own supporting cast to get lots of screen time.
While there are practical reasons Ruffalo’s Hulk and Betty and “Thunderbolt” Ross haven’t spoken, it’s still a bizarre occurrence given that the latter two characters were such major Brave New World players. It’d be one thing if these Incredible Hulk players just vanished after 2008 or General Ross was relegated to one-scene appearances in espionage-themed MCU titles. Instead, Captain America: Brave New World derailed Sam Wilson’s storyline to emphasize General Ross and his strained relationship with Betty, two characters Wilson barely had any connections to. The significance of Hulk’s pursuer suddenly turning into the Red Hulk was heavily diluted without Banner around.
Phases Four and Five in the MCU have become so unwieldy with their callbacks and fan service. Brave New World letting Wilson, not Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner, have key scenes with Betty and “Thunderbolt” Ross is a microcosm of that problem. Instead of bringing these characters back in confines where they could have the most emotional impact, they’re shoved into a random MCU adventure for the sake of more fan service. With this reality, the strangeness of Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner never interacting with these two important Incredible Hulk characters has just been amplified.
Captain America: Brave New World and The Incredible Hulk are now streaming on Disney+.
What do you think of these glaring omissions? Let us know in the comments below!
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