Even though the Hulk is one of the MCU’s strongest characters, the franchise has occasionally made him look pretty weak. Since first being introduced in 2008’s The Incredible Hulk, Bruce Banner’s big green alter-ego has become one of the MCU’s heaviest hitters. As well as serving as a founding Avenger, the Hulk has played a major role in many movies in the MCU, almost always as part of a wider superhero team. Commonly called in to act as the gamma-infused muscle of the Avengers, or occasionally for his scientific expertise as Bruce Banner, the Hulk and his human counterpart have been counted among the MCU’s most useful and powerful heroes.
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The franchise hasn’t always been consistent in that portrayal of the Hulk, though. For every great Hulk fight scene, there’s at least one moment in which the Jade Giant seems far weaker than he deserves. In other words, the MCU has developed an unfortunate habit of making one of its strongest characters look weak, with Hulk losing fights he could have won or otherwise being depicted as less formidable than he deserves.
7) Being Unable To Lift Mjolnir
Of all the MCU weapons used to fight Hulk, Mjolnir didn’t make an especially powerful impact. However, the scene in The Avengers that sees Hulk and Thor throw down actually makes Hulk look weak in another way. When Hulk attempts to grab Mjolnir, he’s unable to move the hammer and grows frustrated with it. As well as demonstrating that Hulk isn’t worthy of the weapon, it’s a moment that depicts the immensely strong character as having clear limitations in terms of physical strength.
6) Being Manipulated By Wanda & Then Beaten By Iron Man
Avengers: Age of Ultron sees Hulk hit one of his lowest moments in his MCU story. First, Wanda’s chaos magic manipulates him into blind rage, transforming him into his Savage Hulk form and leading to the large-scale destruction of Johannesburg. The ensuing fight with Iron Man in his Hulkbuster armor sees Hulk throw a powerful punch, although it doesn’t have the intended effect. Instead, Iron Man is able to defeat Hulk using his new armor, making him look weak in comparison to the cool-headed tech expertise of Tony Stark.
5) Attempting To Fight Surtur
Thor: Ragnarok is arguably the MCU film in which the Hulk is best explored as a character in his own right outside of Bruce Banner’s perspective. Its climactic battle sees Hulk assist Thor in taking on Hela’s forces, only for the heroes to lose Asgard to the Goddess of Death. After Thor calls in Surtur to destroy his home, Hulk decides to attack the huge, fiery being and is unceremoniously flung aside. The scene shows that Hulk may be physically strong, but he can’t compete with colossal cosmic beings in the MCU, making him look weak by comparison.
4) Getting Easily Beaten By Thanos
Avengers: Infinity War begins by having two of the MCU’s original Avengers encounter Thanos. Hulk takes on the Mad Titan, only to be brutally beaten down without much fanfare, with Thanos shrugging off the Hulk’s attacks. Though the villain was admittedly bolstered by the Power Stone, seeing Hulk so easily beaten is undeniably one of the hero’s weakest moments in his entire MCU story.
3) Hiding From Thanos
The aftermath of Hulk’s beating at the hands of Thanos leads to another moment in which the Avenger looks decidedly weak. After returning to Earth, Bruce Banner warns of the impending arrival of Thanos’ forces, but finds himself unable to transform, as he claims the Hulk refuses to come out. It’s explained that the Hulk is hiding from Thanos as a result of their earlier interaction, which is not at all the rage-filled mindset fans had come to expect from a hero as powerful as the Hulk.
2) Meeting The Ancient One
Avengers: Endgame saw Bruce Banner and the Hulk reconciled into a single being, retaining the former’s intelligence and the latter’s size and strength. As part of the movie’s time heist, Professor Hulk returns to 2012, where he meets one of the MCU’s most powerful magic users, the Ancient One. The Ancient One is able to easily separate Banner and Hulk with a simple move, showing just how weak the Hulk can be against the more mystical side of the MCU.
1) His Appearance In She-Hulk
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law introduced several Hulks into the MCU, and it also saw the titular hero face off against her cousin as part of her Hulk training. Everything about the episode featuring Professor Hulk makes the hero seem weak in comparison to She-Hulk. Not only is she able to master her transformations far more easily than Bruce, but she is capable of holding her own against the Hulk in a fight despite having no real experience or training. Considering the Hulk’s years of fighting alongside the Avengers, it makes him seem pretty weak compared to someone who has only just begun their Hulk story.
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