Spider-Man: Brand New Day's newest Funko reveal seems to spoil Hulk's updated MCU design. Brand New Day may mark the long-awaited return of Tom Holland's Spider-Man after almost five years since No Way Home, but many MCU fans are most excited to see another superhero back in action: Mark Ruffalo's Hulk. Seven years after the Russo Brothers turned Bruce Banner into the Smart Hulk that audiences know (and largely despise) today, Spider-Man 4 is finally letting the OG Avenger unleash his gamma-fueled rage as the Savage Hulk.
Funko officially unveiled a brand-new, super-sized figure to celebrate Hulk's return in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, confirming a key design change. Not only is Mark Ruffalo's Avenger finally savagely Hulked-out again, but he also now has grey hair on the sides and black on top, which seems to conflict with other recent merch.
Strangely, Hasbro's Marvel Legends Hulk figure for Brand New Day aged the gamma-infused rage more than ever, with grey hair all over, not just on the sides, raising confusion about which is accurate to his big screen appearance.
Meanwhile, an especially bulked-up Hulk figure from Hasbro simply featured all-black hair, akin to his earlier MCU appearances, with no tinge of grey present. That figure was dubbed the "Savage Smash Hulk," while Funko's was simply "Hulk."
Despite that, what appears to be an actual promo shot of Banner's Hulked-out form in Brand New Day from the box of that very same toy shows hair closer to his Funko figure, with grey on the sides and black on top. While Spider-Man 4's merch is giving conflicting clues, it appears the Funko is most reflective of his true look.
Marvel Studios has noticeably been aging the Hulk with grey hair since Thor: Ragnarok, which makes a lot of sense. While he was away on Sakaar for only two years in Earth time, things moved faster on the faraway planet, with some estimates suggesting Hulk's trip lasted hundreds or thousands of years for him.
Even when Banner and his alter ego reconciled their differences to create the infamously controversial Smart Hulk in Avengers: Endgame, his greying continued.
Those who missed She-Hulk may be confused about how Hulk is in his human form again in Brand New Day's trailer, but the Disney+ series gave a very explanation, beyond likely a studio desire to conserve budget.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day swings into theaters on July 31, delivering Mark Ruffalo's first appearance as Hulk in almost four years, now alongside Tom Holland's Spider-Man and Jon Bernthal's Punisher.
Why Is Hulk Savage Again in Spider-Man: Brand New Day?
Marvel Studios played its cards carefully with the first trailer for Spider-Man: Brand New Day, only briefly featuring Mark Ruffalo in his Bruce Banner form. That quick glimpse confirmed that the OG Avenger is now a professor at Empire State University (or at least a guest lecturer) and Peter Parker (seemingly a student there) will turn to him for advice about the strange spidery mutation he is enduring.
For the time being, Marvel Studios has yet to directly address Banner's savage twist and return as the Savage Hulk in Brand New Day. However, as the studio hasn't hesitated to spoil it through merch, toys, and promo art, it seems likely that the Hulk's comeback will be shown off in a future trailer ahead of release.
Fans will be waiting until July 31 to know for sure why Hulk transforms again for the first time in nine years, but there are a couple of possibilities. Either the Hulk Inhibitor he's been wearing on his wrist to prevent transformation could be damaged, or the movie's mind-control villain could hijack Banner and let him loose.
If the rumors prove true, that mind-bending foe is Sadie Sink's Jean Grey, a future member of the MCU's X-Men and a superhero, not a villain. However, with reports swirling that Grey is on the run from Damage Control, perhaps she will let Hulk loose as a means to keep them, and Spider-Man, rather busy.
