As a longtime Hulk stan, there’s one line that’s been flexed by the character even longer than the meme-enshrined “That’s my secret, I’m always angry” and just as long as the iconic “Hulk smash!” It’s a line that’s followed Marvel’s Green Goliath for decades: “Hulk is strongest there is.”
First chest-thumped in Tales to Astonish #75 way back in 1966, it’s a catchphrase that’s basically been Hulk’s personal brand ever since. Throughout the decades in the comic books, he’s consistently framed as one of Marvel’s ultimate powerhouses – arguably the physically strongest being in the universe, with near-limitless strength fueled by ever-building rage.
But if you’ve been tracking Hulk’s journey in the MCU, especially since he got pieced up by Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War, that classic quote might feel… well, a little inaccurate. While core Avengers like Cap, Iron Man, and Thor received full arcs (and in some cases, full redemption) across Infinity War and Endgame, Hulk’s treatment feels comparatively lackluster. After his opening loss to Thanos, the savage Hulk we once watched one-shot a Chitauri Leviathan (a 300-foot-long, 12,000-ton biomechanical space whale) or ragdoll Loki or punch a vibranium-plated Ultron drone into orbit, vanished entirely. Unlike the others, Hulk never gets a rematch with the Mad Titan in Endgame’s final showdown. Instead, he pretty much disappears into the background and never makes that big, heroic comeback fans were waiting for. It leaves the impression that Hulk wasn’t just sidelined, he was scared. Puny, even.
Instead, Endgame introduces us to Smart Hulk: the calm, fully integrated blend of Bruce Banner’s intellect and Hulk’s physique. On one hand, it’s satisfying to see Banner finally at peace, no longer fearing the loss of control that used to accompany his transformations. But it comes at a cost. And it’s not just seeing Smart Hulk dab while taking selfies with children in Endgame.
It’s the fact that Smart Hulk isn’t as strong as the classic savage Hulk. Yes, he’s still able to pull off some commendable feats in Endgame – like surviving the Infinity Stones long enough to snap half the universe back into existence – but the source of Hulk’s limitless strength has always been his rage. And Smart Hulk’s whole thing is, well… not raging.
So the question remains: Does the MCU still owe Hulk a true redemption story?
Yes, we understand that the MCU isn’t bound to operate like the endlessly rebootable comics, where Hulk can remain a city-leveling rage monster just as Tony Stark stays the genius inventor and Captain America the eternal super-soldier in perpetuity.
That being said, the reasons behind Hulk’s limited presence post-Infinity War are pretty clear.
To start, the Russo Brothers, Anthony and Joe, directors of Infinity War and Endgame, have openly acknowledged that Hulk was intentionally sidelined. In an interview with Wired, Joe Russo admitted, “We nerfed the Hulk,” using a gaming term for when a character or element is purposefully weakened. He went on to explain, “We just didn’t know what to do with him. We were like, ‘What’s this big powerful character? What do we do with this big powerful character? To people who think we nerfed the Hulk? He deserved it.”
Hulk actor Mark Ruffalo has reiterated the Russo’s statements, explaining that the Russos wanted to explore a different character arc for Bruce Banner than simply Hulking out and saving the day. According to Ruffalo, when Banner commandeers the Hulkbuster Iron Man armor in Endgame, he was originally supposed to “come busting out of the Hulkbuster at the end” and finally come out of hiding.
“Even to the point where we were shooting [Avengers:] Infinity War, and Hulk was supposed to come busting out of the Hulkbuster at the end,” Ruffalo said at the Emerald City Comic Con in 2023. “I don’t know if you know that. And we shot that. We shot it four times and it wasn’t working. And then, we realized that — well, the [Russo] brothers realized — that we couldn’t have Hulk, again, save the day. That we had to have Banner lose without Hulk.”
Second, ever since his standout, smash-everything performance in 2012’s The Avengers, the Hulk has suffered from what TVTropes categorizes as “The Worf Effect.” The term comes from Worf in Star Trek: The Next Generation, a Klingon warrior raised on honor, toughness, and a survival-of-the-fittest culture. Klingons are typically bigger, stronger, and more battle-hardened than humans, and even among them, Worf is considered a formidable fighter with an impressive record of victories.
And yet… Worf gets his ass handed to him. A lot. Especially whenever the writers need to establish a new villain or quickly signal that someone is a serious threat. If they can take down Worf, then everyone else should be scared. That narrative shortcut – using a powerful character as a benchmark to make others look dangerous – is what’s known as the Worf Effect. We see it play out with the Hulk in moments like his battle with a leveling-up Thor in Thor: Ragnarok, and most famously, Hulk being brutally overwhelmed by Thanos in the opening minutes of Infinity War.
The third and arguably most frustrating reason has nothing to do with storytelling hurdles or creative roadblocks. It’s simply business. Marvel Studios and Disney may control the Hulk on screen, but Universal still holds the character’s solo movie theatrical distribution rights. Which means Universal (not Disney) would pocket most of the revenue from any Hulk-centered film. And with that kind of financial imbalance, it’s no surprise Marvel has been reluctant to pour resources into a solo Hulk project. Or to make Hulk shine on the big screen recently in such a way that fans would be clamoring for more.
While a true solo Hulk film from Marvel Studios may seem unlikely right now, there’s still plenty of reason for Hulk fans to keep the faith. Avengers: Doomsday, arriving in December 2026, will pave the way for December 2027’s Avengers: Secret Wars – an adaptation of the biggest crossover event in Marvel Comics history. And if those stories are even half as ambitious on screen as they are on the page, the MCU is going to need a fierce, fully unleashed Hulk to stand against Doctor Doom and whatever cosmic threat comes next. In other words: the Green Goliath’s biggest moment may still be ahead.
And if you’re looking for signs of hope beyond the MCU, the comics have recently offered some faint, jade-green glimmers. The 616 Hulk just scored a major, long-awaited victory – well, as close to a true one-on-one win as it gets – against Thanos in The Incredible Hulk Annual #1 (2024). It’s his first definitive triumph over the Mad Titan, and for fans who always wished Hulk had gotten another crack at him in Endgame, it’s definitely cathartic. Better yet, it feels like a promising omen for what the future might hold for the Jade Giant and a reminder that the old boast still rings true: “Hulk is strongest there is!”
Does the MCU still owe Hulk a true redemption story? Tell us what you think in the comments.
