What the Heck Is Marvel Doing With the Hulk Anyway!?

Marvel's latest Spider-Man installment, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, brings back Bruce Banner, also known as the Hulk, played by Mark Ruffalo for the fourth time. While the film promises enthralling action set pieces and a focus on small-scale drama, it raises questions regarding the character's continuity and portrayal. The inclusion of Hulk in this installment, while entertaining, does not align with his previous MCU depictions.

This inconsistency is not unique to the Hulk, as Banner's character has undergone significant changes in the MCU, making his appearances feel disjointed and confusing.

In the movie, Banner is introduced as a physics professor at Empire State University, where he discusses the gamma inhibitor, a device designed to prevent Hulk from transforming unexpectedly. This plot point echoes previous appearances in Shang-Chi and She-Hulk, where Banner's inhibitor has played a crucial role in managing his transformations.

However, the most recent appearance of Bruce Banner in the MCU is markedly different. The Hulk that emerges from the damaged inhibitor is the Savage Hulk, a far cry from the version we saw after Thanos' victory in Infinity War. Despite Banner's efforts to cleanse himself of the Savage Hulk, this transformation occurs without clear justification, leaving viewers to wonder why Banner reverted to this form. The film does not provide a clear explanation for this change, leaving the question unanswered.