Spider-Man will fight a familiar version of Hulk (and no, not the Savage Hulk at first) in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Brand New Day, which hits theaters on July 31, will dive deep into Peter Parker's newfound physical transformation as he struggles with accelerating mutations, prompting him to seek help from Bruce Banner (who wears a Hulk inhibitor device to stay in human form). However, the second trailer and the wave of promotional materials confirmed that an unexpected clash between Spider-Man and the Savage Hulk will occur in the upcoming MCU installment, leading to further destruction in New York.
A brand-new Spider-Man: Brand New Day promo confirmed that Spider-Man will fight two distinct versions of the Hulk: the articulate, controlled Smart Hulk introduced in Avengers: Endgame and the Savage Hulk. In the 30-second video, Spider-Man showcased his agility with a flip maneuver to evade Smart Hulk, taking down the Green Goliath, who is seemingly being mind-controlled by Brand New Day's main villain (who may or may not be Sadie Sink's Jean Grey).
Smart Hulk, who can be seen wearing his familiar blue sweater, is enraged in the official promo. The escalation could be triggered by a powerful psychic influence from Sink's mystery MCU character, prompting the transformation and leading to a deadly confrontation.
It's clear that this moment happens right before the most talked-about shot in the second trailer, where Spider-Man is seen coming face-to-face with Savage Hulk. This promo essentially confirmed that Bruce will transform into Smart Hulk before being pushed to the limit by the psychic trigger, leading to full Savage Hulk chaos.
It's also worth noting that official Spider-Man: Brand New Day merchandise has already confirmed that Smart Hulk will appear in the film. For example, Hot Toys' collectible bag clip blind box merchandise for the film depicts Smart Hulk in his signature casual blue sweater, the same look featured in the trailer.
This merch strategy cleverly foreshadowed the two-phase fight between Spider-Man and the Green Goliath, letting fans know they'd get both versions of the Hulk in one movie, rather than just the Savage Hulk.
Watch the official promo for Spider-Man: Brand New Day below:
Why Smart Hulk's Return Is Important in Spider-Man: Brand New Day
Spider-Man: Brand New Day's confirmation that Smart Hulk will be prominently featured in the movie strongly suggests that the Savage Hulk rampage won't be permanent.
Showing Banner in his controlled, articulate Smart Hulk form before the psychic trigger forces the transformation indicates that the merged Banner-and-Hulk personality remains the baseline, meaning Banner can revert to that usual form once the trigger dies down and he regains control.
This revelation gives the Savage Hulk's chaos real weight without making it feel like a permanent regression, giving Bruce a last-ditch option to revert to his angrier Hulk if the situation requires it while maintaining the choice to become Smart Hulk.
Smart Hulk's return also conveys that the loss of identity and power can be scary, but control can be reclaimed. This is a lesson that Peter must learn in Brand New Day as he struggles with the duality of his responsibility as the web-slinging hero.
