Newly surfaced concept art revealed that Mark Ruffalo's Hulk came dangerously close to a more frightening takeover in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Now playing in theaters, the blockbuster marks the MCU's first real reunion with the Savage Hulk fans used to know. That version of the character vanished after fusing with Bruce's intellect to become Smart Hulk sometime between Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame, leaving many to think he might be gone for good. Luckily, Brand New Day brings him roaring back to the big screen, though it turns out his return almost took a much darker (literally) turn.
Bruce Banner spends the first half of Spider-Man: Brand New Day living a quiet life as a physics professor at Empire State University until Jean Grey (Sadie Sink) psychically hijacks him, forcing the hero to destroy his wrist inhibitor that's kept the Hulk dormant. That first transformation sends Smart Hulk tearing through the Department of Damage Control (DODC) building, squaring off with Spider-Man (Tom Holland) and Punisher (Jon Bernthal) before Jean's grip on him finally breaks and Bruce briefly returns to human form.
When Peter tries to keep him calm with his universal inhibitor, Banner is in pain, and something far worse can't be stopped: the Savage Hulk, an uncontrollable version of the character not seen since Infinity War. Long before any of that made it to screen, though, the Brand New Day concept art team was busy sketching out just how to make the Savage Hulk's return feel epic. The Art of Spider-Man: Brand New Day shows exactly how much darker and grayer things almost got.
As had been rumored for months, Marvel Studios drew up a Gray Hulk for Brand New Day, but he never made it to the screen. This piece of concept art shows the alternate coloring in full rage mode, shirtless, and ready to fight.
Lined up next to the finished shot, the comparison makes clear that Hulk's stature, beefiness, and general silhouette were planned early in the process. The only real swap was trading that gray look for the classic green.
Essentially the same design, minus the gray, was also shown; the green skin is back, with noticeably more of Bruce's dress shirt still clinging to him as it tears away.
When shown side by side with the final CGI, it's obvious this was the version that stuck. The transition from the painted concept to the finished shot is clear, even if the scene is slightly altered.
The next one's a little different; it looks like an enraged Smart Hulk, clothes only just beginning to tear, matching the actual movie scene where Punisher and Spider-Man first clash with Bruce before he ever goes full Savage Hulk.
A close-up keeps Ruffalo's clearly visible within the Smart Hulk, glasses and all, a look that was ultimately never used.
There's something tragic about the next piece of concept art: Bruce back in human form, his clothes stretched and ruined from the transformation, glasses dangling from his hand. It's a moment that plays out almost exactly like this in the film, just moments before the Savage Hulk takes over for good.
Easily one of the scariest pieces in the book, Hulk is hunched low to the ground in pouring rain and near-total darkness. This specific shot didn't make the final cut, but it shows how far the team leaned into horror imagery as they were figuring out this version of the character.
Placed next to the final film, the comparison shows the crouched, rain-soaked concept and the finished Hulk sharing a similar grimace.
A dimly lit close-up makes clear the monster is truly back, though the finished movie version ended up noticeably bulkier than what's shown below.
The next image is another clear example of the team brainstorming exactly how the character's return should look, with this version having more of a shirt wrapped around his body.
A last close-up leans away from Ruffalo's actual features entirely, landing closer to the more generic, comic-accurate Hulk look the MCU has favored in the past.
While this is a cheer-inducing moment for fans in theaters, it was somber for Bruce. After years of being under control, Jean broke something in his head, and now the true Hulk is back in the MCU.
The Future of the MCU's Hulk
Brand New Day makes one thing clear: the real Hulk is back, and it's hard to imagine Marvel Studios walking that change back anytime soon. That makes Bruce's next chapter truly compelling. This was a character who'd found real peace in the MCU, settled into a quiet life teaching physics in the community, only to have it violently stripped away. Where he goes from here matters.
The obvious next stops are Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars, and it'd be a shock if Hulk sat out both. Mark Ruffalo has already said he's not part of Doomsday, but that only strengthens the case for Secret Wars; rumors are already circulating that he'll Hulk out there.
Either way, fans deserve more unfiltered Hulk Smash moments after years of the more restrained Smart Hulk. Longer term, it's worth wondering whether Secret Wars ends up being Ruffalo's send-off entirely. The film is expected to shake up the MCU's main timeline in a major way, and with Ruffalo now in his late 50s, a younger recast could fit in with future heroes like Sink's Jean Gray, David Jonsson's T'Challa Jr., and Holland's Spider-Man.
