Hulk’s Apex form fromWhat If…?season 3 episode 1 marks the first time an alternate Hulk personality appears in theMCU. Since his introduction in 2008, the MCU’s Hulk has only starred in one movie,The Incredible Hulk. Since then,Hulk’s MCU storyhas covered major milestones like his time as an Avenger, his exile in space, and the birth of a Hulk-Banner fusion called Smart Hulk. However, the MCU continues to sideline Bruce Banner and his Gamma-powered alter ego well into the Multiverse Saga.
In 2025,Captain America: Brave New Worldis set to bring back two of Hulk’s biggest enemies: Red Hulk and the Leader. Captain America will go face-to-face against a raging Red Hulk, and he will try to stop the Leader’s conspiracy to destabilize world governments. Smart Hulk seems to be completely unaware of his enemies' whereabouts, but their public appearances might motivate him to fight them in a future movie. Whether this reunion comes in a crossover movie likeAvengers: Doomsdayor ina long-awaited Hulk solo movieis yet to be seen.
What If…? Season 3 Introduced A Crucial New Hulk Identity
What If…? Season 3 Episode 1 Features The MCU’s First Alternate Hulk Personality
InWhat If…?season 3 episode 1,“What If… The Hulk Fought The Mech Avengers?”, Bruce Banner tries to suppress his alter ego with a special device, but instead of eliminating the Hulk or simply transforming into him, he spawns an even bigger creature that continues to increase in size until it becomes a Godzilla-like kaiju.What If…?season 3’s Apex Hulk isn’t just another version of the original Gamma monster, but a brand-new Hulk with a mind of its own.
The MCU Doesn’t Need A Hulk Solo Movie For Any Of His Best Future Storylines
Although Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk is unlikely to get his own MCU solo movie anytime soon, there are other ways Bruce Banner’s story can continue.
In the source material, Bruce Banner develops multiple Hulk personalities besides his traditional Savage Hulk alter ego — each with their own identity and motivations. These alternate personalities often fight for control of Bruce Banner’s mind and body, and they have even come to blows with each other and freed themselves from Banner’s body in order to become separate characters altogether. This seems to be the case withWhat If…?season 3’s powerful Apex Hulk, as Bruce Banner transforms into the original Hulk in order to defeat it and replace it as the new Apex.
Why Smart Hulk Doesn’t Really Count As A Separate Hulk Personality In The MCU
Smart Hulk Displays One Big Difference To His Comic Book Counterpart
The MCU’s Smart Hulk is the result of Bruce Banner’s efforts to merge"the man and the monster"into a single being. Butas soon as Smart Hulk first appeared inAvengers: Endgame, it was immediately obvious that this character was still Bruce Banner. Smart Hulk retains all of Bruce Banner’s memories and personality traits, but possesses a big part of the Hulk’s strength, speed, and endurance. Banner can even revert to his human appearance using a suppressor device he designed some time after achieving his Smart Hulk form during the Blip.
The MCU Needs To Break A Nightmarish 12 Year Long Hulk Streak Before It’s Too Late
2012’s The Avengers was the last time audiences saw an essential part of the Hulk’s experience shown onscreen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Smart Hulk’s comic book counterpart, Professor Hulk, isn’t just a Hulked-up version of Bruce Banner in the source material. Instead, he’s just another splinter of Bruce Banner’s fractured psyche — one holding together Banner, Savage Hulk, Gray Hulk, and Joe Fixit. Professor Hulk does possess Bruce Banner’s intellect and part of Savage Hulk’s strength, but he also has an identity of his own. After an unfortunate sequence of events, however, Banner developed even more personalities and Professor Hulk has remained absent in the comics for years.
Hulk’s Other Personalities Could Be Coming To The MCU Soon
Apex Hulk Could Be The Start Of A New Era For The MCU’s Hulk
Although the events of everyWhat If…?episode are completely separate from the MCU’s live-action timelines,Apex Hulk’s introduction inWhat If…?season 3 episode 1 could be a sign that Marvel will soon explore Hulk’s alternate personalities in the MCU’s main universe. Some of the biggest Marvel Comics storylines the MCU has yet to adapt includeWorld War Hulk,World War Hulks, andPlanet Hulk— all of which feature personalities such as Green Scar / World-Breaker Hulk and Devil Hulk in important roles. And similarly to Professor Hulk’s unfortunate fate in the comics, Mark Ruffalo’s Smart Hulk could end up splitting into various Hulks soon.
Original rage-fueled monster
Intelligent and calm
Cruel, selfish
Intelligent but unfriendly
Devil Hulk
Pure evil
Red Hulk’s introduction and the Leader’s return inCaptain America: Brave New Worldsuggest that the MCU’s Hulk will soon be relevant once again. If the Leader doesn’t die inCaptain America: Brave New World, he could eventually target his old enemy and awaken the Hulk’s dormant personalities when they meet again. In fact,the reason why the Leader turned President Ross into Red Hulkmight have something to do with his obsession with the original Hulk’s power back inThe Incredible Hulk. Now that he has found a new way to create similar monsters, the Leader could try to spawn more.
