Warning: Spoilers for Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame ahead.
MCU Hulk fans are likely still a little disappointed that the self-proclaimed “strongest Avenger” didn’t get much in the form of recompense against Thanos after the decisive thrashing he took in the opening scene of Avengers: Infinity War.
Hulk did play a crucial role in the following film, being one of the few remaining Avengers (maybe even the only one) physically formidable enough to deliver the “reverse Snap” without dying, but he never did get to face Thanos again in combat, avenging his loss — instead, after a bout of inner turmoil in Avengers: Infinity War, Bruce Banner and his hulking, gamma ray-irradiated alter ego were able to find a happier emotional equilibrium in the form of “Smart Hulk” in Endgame; as the name implies, the “Smart Hulk” in Avengers: Endgame demonstrated a more balanced temperamental rapport between Bruce Banner and Hulk, trading some physical strength but retaining more of Banner’s intelligence and composure.
So the Hulk found inner peace and a Professor Hulk equilibrium — is that the extent of Bruce Banner’s Hulk personalities we’ll see on the big screen? Probably not.
In the next MCU Hulk movie, we may see yet another side of the Hulk that will make “the strongest Avenger” live up to his name and then some — that’s because the next MCU Hulk movie is strongly rumored to be World War Hulk, which would introduce the unyielding, uncompromising World Breaker Hulk from the 2007 World War Hulk comic book event.
In World War Hulk, the Hulk is banished to the planet Sakaar (the planet on which you might recall Hulk battling Thor in gladiatorial fashion in Thor: Ragnarok) by the Illuminati, a group of elite superheroes and some of the Marvel Universe’s most revered intellects (Mister Fantastic, Namor, Black Panther, Professor X, Doctor Strange and more); after his isolation on Sakaar in the comics however, Hulk didn’t return to Earth in a happier state of mind. In fact, during his time on Sakaar, events transpire which Hulk blames solely on The Illuminati — events for which Hulk seeks irrevocable revenge. If that summation for the premise of World War Hulk piques your interest and you’re interested in learning more about what happened in World War Hulk, check out this 3-minute video from the official Marvel Comics YouTube channel.
So what does World War Hulk have to do with the next MCU Hulk movie, the first solo Hulk outing since 2008’s The Incredible Hulk? According to sources from The GWW, the next MCU Hulk movie is tentatively titled World War Hulk and is slated to begin production in late 2022 after the events of the She-Hulk mini-series on Disney+.
According to the source, “[the next MCU Hulk movie] is also said to be yet another piece in the puzzle that also sets up a future film project [they] hope to reveal later.”
Are you excited that the next MCU Hulk movie could very well be World War Hulk? Let us know in the comments.
