We’re still waiting to see the Hulk we desperately want in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, even though Marvel Zombies just debuted the most powerful version of the Hulk ever. Ever since his debut in The Incredible Hulk – when he was played by Edward Norton – Bruce Banner’s Hulk has been central to the development of the MCU. He became a founding member of the Avengers, one of the world’s leading scientific minds, and one of the strongest heroes ever to have lived, but we’ve only seen him become weaker and weaker as the years have passed.
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In recent years, we have been introduced to many new Hulk-like characters, while Bruce Banner himself has been the subject of “nerfing” criticism. She-Hulk: Attorney at Law debuted Jennifer Walters’ She-Hulk (Tatiana Maslany), Todd Phelps’ HulkKing (Jon Bass), and developed Emil Blonsky’s Abomination (Tim Roth). Similarly, Captain America: Brave New World transformed Thaddeus Ross (Harrison Ford) into the Red Hulk. The animated What If…? series has also featured many formidable Hulks, but Marvel Zombies just debuted the strongest of them all.
Marvel Zombies Just Introduced a New Version of the Hulk
Marvel Zombies expanded on the alternate universe first seen in What If…? season 1, episode 5, “What If… Zombies?!” back in 2021. In this world, Bruce Banner returned to Earth in 2018 to warn the Avengers about Thanos’ impending arrival, only to realize that the world had been ravaged by the outbreak of a Quantum Virus, turning millions, including many notable superheroes, into zombies. Banner joined surviving heroes on a mission for the Mind Stone, and seemingly sacrificed himself to help save the day, but Marvel Zombies revealed he had a different fate.
After T’Challa destroyed the Infinity Stones in Wakanda following a fight with the zombified Thanos, Bruce Banner arrived and absorbed the power of the Infinity Stones, transforming into the Infinity Hulk. This is the most powerful version of the Hulk – although described as not technically Banner nor the Hulk – we’ve ever seen in the MCU. The Infinity Hulk proved himself easily capable of taking on the Queen of the Dead’s horde, and while his debut was thrilling, this isn’t the Hulk we wanted to see.
We Still Want the REAL Hulk to Return to the MCU After a Decade
It’s been great to see so many Hulk characters debut in the MCU in recent years, but we still want Bruce Banner to revert to his original version of the Hulk. We haven’t seen the Hulk display his unbridled, savage strength since Avengers: Age of Ultron in 2015, where he fought Tony Stark’s Iron Man on the streets of Johannesburg and helped the Avengers take on Ultron and his drones in Sokovia. In the years since, the Hulk gained intelligence in Thor: Ragnarok and then integrated fully with Banner in Avengers: Endgame, becoming the Smart Hulk.
Most of the Hulk’s most celebrated scenes took place in the early days of the MCU where he was little more than an unhinged and uncontrollable fighter. The Incredible Hulk, The Avengers, and Avengers: Age of Ultron demonstrated the Hulk’s unpredictability and sheer power, which we would love to see brought back to the MCU. It’s shocking that it’s been a decade since we’ve seen the savage Hulk in the MCU, but Marvel Studios might finally be about to rectify this surprising mistake.
2026 Might Be the Year the True Hulk Returns to the MCU
On August 1, 2025, The Hollywood Reporter revealed that Mark Ruffalo will be returning to the MCU in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. This will be the first time we’ve seen Bruce Banner since She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, and this announcement has spurred speculation that the Hulk will be reverting to his original, savage iteration. While this is just a rumor right now, and Marvel Studios hasn’t confirmed anything official, it would be incredible to see the gritty and aggressive Hulk come back, especially since the character has been thriving more in animation than in live-action in recent years.
The Hulk needs to earn back his strong reputation in the MCU. He’s been getting progressively weaker for several years, but we can’t wait for him to get his strength back and become a central part of the MCU again. Mark Ruffalo will next be seen in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which could set up his return in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, but only time will tell what the future holds for the Hulk in the MCU.
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