Hulk’s 2026 MCU return is officially confirmed, and Marvel Studios keeps finding new weapons to point at him. Mark Ruffalo reprises his role as Bruce Banner in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which opens in theaters on July 31. Ever since the Green Goliath tore through Culver University in The Incredible Hulk, somebody in this franchise ends up designing hardware meant to slow him down.
The newest of those weapons appeared in international promos for the Tom Holland sequel, which show Spider-Man firing a modified Shocker gauntlet at a rampaging Hulk. That device is the seventh piece of anti-Hulk tech in MCU history, extending a lineage that goes all the way back to 2008. The footage also delivers the clearest look yet at the film’s feral Savage Hulk, confirmation that Banner’s monster returns as a genuine threat rather than a friendly professor.
The footage surfaced through TV spots released for overseas markets, including teasers shared by Sony Pictures’ Korean and Japanese channels. The spots throw viewers into a brutal downtown brawl, with the Hulk smashing through a gutted building while Peter Parker swings into the chaos to meet him.
The most intriguing detail is strapped to Peter’s wrist. He counters the Hulk with a gauntlet that discharges powerful energy blasts, and its design immediately points to the signature weapon of Shocker. Bokeem Woodbine played Herman Schultz in Spider-Man: Homecoming, inheriting the vibro-gauntlet after the Vulture killed its first wearer. Rumors of Woodbine’s return have circulated for months, though Sony and Marvel Studios have not confirmed his involvement, and the gauntlet is the strongest hint yet that Schultz’s tech is back in play.
Hulk’s role in the film runs deeper than one fight scene. The official trailer introduced Ruffalo’s Banner as a university professor who "found a way to suppress mutating DNA," making him the one scientist Peter can turn to as his own powers begin changing in unpredictable ways. Because of the memory spell from Spider-Man: No Way Home, Banner no longer remembers his old Avengers ally, yet he still becomes a mentor figure before everything goes wrong.
And it goes very wrong. The version of the Hulk tearing through these promos is a monster. The hunched posture, torn pants, and animal snarl all recall the early days of the MCU rather than the composed Smart Hulk of Avengers: Endgame. Tie-in toys already labeled this persona the Savage Hulk, and the trailers suggest Sadie Sink’s mysterious character could be the one who unleashes him, possibly even controlling his movements. Her role remains unrevealed, with the persistent Jean Grey rumors still unconfirmed by the studio.
Peter doesn’t fight the Hulk alone, though; he gets a partner many fans never imagined would show up in an MCU Spider-Man film. The TV spots show Jon Bernthal’s Punisher opening fire on the Hulk as Spider-Man leaps past him. This marks Frank Castle’s big-screen MCU debut after years of portraying the character on television. Holland already teased that the pairing may stick around, telling Collider he "wouldn’t be surprised if Spidey and the Punisher become a recurring duo."
The MCU’s 6 Previous Anti-Hulk Weapons
Stark Industries' Sonic Cannons
General Thaddeus Ross deployed the first dedicated anti-Hulk weapon during the Culver University battle in The Incredible Hulk. The truck-mounted sonic cannons fired concentrated sound waves strong enough to bring the monster to his knees, and a blueprint glimpsed in the film’s opening credits reveals Stark Industries designed them. Hulk still won, though. He crushed one cannon with a hurled chunk of metal and leapt beyond the other’s range. It's no surprise that other options were developed in subsequent films.
The Helicarrier Containment Cell
SHIELD came prepared in The Avengers with a reinforced glass cell aboard the Helicarrier, rigged to drop its occupant from 30,000 feet at the press of a button. Nick Fury made clear the cage was designed with something far stronger than Loki in mind. The trickster god turned the weapon around anyway, trapping Thor inside and ejecting him mid-flight while Banner raged elsewhere on the ship.
Tony Stark’s Hulkbuster Armor
The most famous entry on this list arrived in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Tony Stark and Banner co-designed the Veronica system together, a satellite-launched suit of oversized armor made for the day the Hulk could not be talked down. That day came in Johannesburg, after Wanda Maximoff twisted Banner’s mind. Stark won the fight, barely, at the cost of a partially demolished city block. Banner himself later wore the armor against Thanos' forces in Avengers: Infinity War.
The Obedience Disks
On Sakaar, the Grandmaster controlled his gladiators through electrified obedience disks that could drop any fighter instantly. The film never shows one attached to the Hulk directly, but the system kept the entire arena compliant, and the Grandmaster used Thor’s disk to end the brothers' duel the moment his champion looked beatable. Notably, these disks are from the Planet Hulk comics.
Hulk Inhibitor Device
First seen in the Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings post-credits scene and explained in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, the wrist-worn Hulk Inhibitor suppresses the gamma radiation in Banner's body and lets him stay human, something the Smart Hulk merger took away. The original device shattered in the car crash that gave Jennifer Walters her powers. A new version appears on Banner’s wrist in the Brand New Day trailer, where he jokes that anyone who sees him without it should "Run!"
Inhibitor Collars
In She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, a judge granted Emil Blonsky parole on the condition that he wear an inhibitor collar blocking his transformation into Abomination. Blonsky, however, violated those terms and was later seen in his Abomination form. He was subsequently taken into custody by Damage Control, but in the finale's post-credits scene, Wong broke him out.
Geraldo Amartey is a writer at The Direct. He joined the team in 2025, bringing with him four years of experience covering entertainment news, pop culture, and fan-favorite franchises for sites like YEN, Briefly and Tuko.
