The Incredible Hulk has been a staple of the MCU since the start, but to say he hasn’t reached his fullest potential would be an understatement. He initially serves as the unpredictable heavy of the Avengers and resembles something akin to his Marvel Comics counterpart. He smashes and bashes his way through enemies as Bruce Banner tries to come to grips with his past and alter-ego. This takes him to Sakaar where Hulk takes the wheel from Banner to become a successful gladiator. Of course, on his way back to Earth, he’s beaten mercilessly by Thanos (Josh Brolin), remaining hidden inside Banner until the two merge.
As of this writing, Hulk’s latest MCU appearance came on the Disney+ series “She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.” He’s in control of his anger and it’s revealed that he has a son named Skaar (Wil Deusner), who almost had a much better look for his live-action debut. Thus, it appears Hulk’s days as a destructive rampaging beast are far behind him. He has found inner-peace and is focused on being a jolly green dad. That’s nowhere near Immortal Hulk territory, so if the minds at Marvel Studios want to adapt that version properly, some serious creative overhauling or Multiverse shenanigans are necessary. Seeing as he’s already over a decade into his MCU tenure, and that Immortal Hulk is just too powerful and frightening for the franchise, it’s best not to hold your breath over such a move.
“Immortal Hulk” is a fascinating take on the Hulk mythos and one of the strongest Marvel Comics tales period. It’s just too bad that a big-screen adaptation is so out of reach for more reasons than one.
