A rumor from Nexus Point News (NPN) suggested that Spider-Man: Brand New Day may see the big-screen return of Mark Ruffalo's Bruce Banner (Hulk). This rumor has not been confirmed, but it might solve a major Hulk-related problem that has plagued the MCU.
NPN claimed that Hulk's role will be "much larger than a cameo," signalling a significant role in advance of the character's future appearance in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, both directed by the Russo Bros. It certainly should be taken with a grain of salt, given that other recent rumors suggested a World War Hulk film might be set up in Captain America: Brave New World, which would have made sense (given Red Hulk's inclusion) and didn't happen. If it were to happen, a Spider-Man: Brand New Day appearance could be exactly what Hulk needs.
How the Russo Bros. Sent Hulk on a 'Nerfed' Arc
The core of the Hulk, baked into its comic book origins, is the character's Jekyll/Hyde dynamic. Bruce Banner is a morally upstanding, brilliant scientist who gets taken over by an angry, destructive monster. As Bruce Banner/Hulk, Mark Ruffalo has done a brilliant job of capturing Banner’s brilliance, his angry green side, and the former's regret over the latter.
At the same time, Hulk has been treated poorly in the MCU compared to the larger roster of original Avengers. Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America all received slates of films centering on their individual character development. Black Widow got a solo spin-off; even Hawkeye was bestowed a torch-passing series. By contrast, despite appearing in many MCU projects, Ruffalo’s Hulk has failed to receive a single solo outing in the MCU. He has been so sidelined that Hulk's nemeses like Abomination, Red Hulk, and The Leader are introduced to the MCU in other heroes' films!
Part of the issue is that the Russo Bros. famously (and admittedly) “nerfed” Hulk in their MCU blockbusters Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame because they "didn’t know what to do with him." Unless they've had a sudden epiphany since Avengers: Endgame, that's not likely to change for their forthcoming Avengers entries.
Why We Need Savage Hulk Back
There is nothing inherently bad about the Professor Hulk version of the character. It allows Ruffalo to exhibit warmth and depth while being large, green, and strong (or at least he should be), and he has an excellent interpretation of the character. At the same time, Savage Hulk is the most prominent Hulk iteration, and it's central to the character's struggle.
Savage Hulk isn't interesting just because of angry 'Hulk smash!' moments. The Hulk's boundless strength and unbridled anger are interesting because he's a useful weapon but can be dangerous to the team. Using the Hulk is always a gamble; without Black Widow's ability to calm him, it's a high-stakes one. Banner's mournful regret over his actions as Hulk, and his relationship to his monstrous half, are also dramatically interesting. It's easy to find "what to do" with the Hulk if these elements are kept in mind.
It's more than the right time to allow Hulk to do something interesting, be it to revert to Savage Hulk, to evolve into World Breaker Hulk, or Maestro Hulk, Devil Hulk, "Joe Fixit," anything beyond keeping him weak and smart but sidelined. Here's to hoping that he does appear in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and as someone other than Professor Hulk, before he's downgraded into inert green matter in the first scene of Avengers: Doomsday.
