Speculation has suggested that a villainous Hulk variant will be appearing in Avengers: Doomsday alongside other evil versions of our favorite Marvel Cinematic Universe characters, and the perfect actor already has a relationship with Marvel. Edward Norton made his brief debut as Bruce Banner in The Incredible Hulk, but it’s Mark Ruffalo incarnation who has become a central part of the MCU. He has learned how to control the Hulk, and has put his scientific genius to use, becoming one of the most notable superheroes on Earth, but Phase 6 might twist his fate.
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Several villainous variants have been rumored to appear in Avengers: Doomsday, perhaps forming a team helping Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom on his quest. One of these evil characters could be a twist on Bruce Banner’s Hulk such as the Maestro. In Marvel Comics, Maestro was a dark and corrupt Hulk from a post-apocalyptic future, who uses Banner’s intelligence and the Hulk’s unbridled strength for malevolent purposes. While Mark Ruffalo might be returning as the Hulk in Doomsday – this isn’t yet confirmed – another actor could play Maestro, and the perfect candidate may be Lou Ferrigno.
Lou Ferrigno’s Marvel Past Explained
Actor and retired bodybuilder Lou Ferrigno is perhaps best known for playing the Hulk in the original The Incredible Hulk TV series from 1978, opposite Bill Bixby as Dr. David Banner. Ferrigno reprised the role in The Incredible Hulk Returns, The Trial of the Incredible Hulk, and The Death of the Incredible Hulk, and even took on the role in the MCU itself. As well as having a cameo appearance as a security guard in The Incredible Hulk, Ferrigno also provided the voice of the Hulk in The Incredible Hulk, The Avengers, Avengers: Age of Ultron, and even Thor: Ragnarok.
Having Lou Ferrigno, who most recently appeared as Lenny Montana in Paramount+’s The Offer in 2022, play Maestro in Avengers: Doomsday would be a fantastic way to pay homage to his career as the Hulk. Maestro made his Marvel Comics debut in 1992’s The Incredible Hulk: Future Imperfect #1, coming from a future ravaged by a nuclear war, dubbed Earth 9200. Maestro did indeed join forces with Doctor Doom in Marvel Comics to bring down AIM, before they turned against each other, so this could be explored in the MCU’s Phase 6, too.
Maestro has technically already appeared in the MCU, with a brief cameo at the very end of What If…? season 3 – where he appeared as a sorcerer. This proves this evil Hulk variant does exist in the MCU’s multiverse, which perfectly sets him up for his live-action debut in Avengers: Doomsday. Bringing back Lou Ferrigno as Maestro could hark back to his almost-five-decade-long career as the monstrous superhero, and would finally bring one of the most heavily-rumored Hulk variants into the MCU in the best way possible.
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