Summary
- Bruce Banner’s Hulk has undergone various iterations throughout the MCU, from uncontrollable to gladiator to Smart Hulk.
- The Hulk has been a crucial member of the MCU’s superhero storylines, particularly after he became a founding member of the Avengers, when he brought back Thanos’ snapped victims and through his training of Jennifer Walters’ She-Hulk in Phase 4.
- The Hulk has appeared in alternate realities in the What If…? series, showcasing different versions and even new power upgrades.
Marvel Studios has shown Bruce Banner’s violent transformation into the Hulk on many occasions since his MCU debut back in 2008’s The Incredible Hulk. Bruce Banner was originally portrayed by Edward Norton in The Incredible Hulk, but has more prominently been played by Mark Ruffalo, who debuted during 2012’s The Avengers. Since Bruce Banner became the Hulk in The Incredible Hulk, Ruffalo’s raging Avenger has undergone more changes than most other characters in the MCU, culminating in him becoming Smart Hulk in Avengers: Endgame.
Bruce Banner’s MCU story began with an experimental attempt to recreate the super-soldier serum that transformed Steve Rogers into Captain America during World War II. Replacing vita rays with gamma radiation, Banner inadvertently altered his physiology, meaning that whenever his heart rate increases to 200bpm, he transforms from a regular human into a giant green monster. This process has been seen on many occasions over the duration of the MCU, both in the MCU’s main live-action continuity and across the alternate realities of the multiverse.
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19 Bruce Banner’s Original Experiment Creates The Hulk
The Incredible Hulk (2008)
The opening montage of The Incredible Hulk detailed Bruce Banner’s first transformation into the Hulk. Observed by his love interest and lab partner Betty Ross and her father, General Thaddeus Ross, Banner undergoes an experiment in an attempt to recreate Dr. Abraham Erskine’s super-soldier serum, but with dire consequences for Banner. This transformation startles the Hulk, ending with him inadvertently injuring Betty and her father, and leading to a years-long man-hunt for Banner.
18 Emil Blonsky’s First Attack Triggers The Hulk
The Incredible Hulk (2008)
While hiding from SHIELD and the United States military as a worker at a bottling factory in Rio de Janeiro, Bruce Banner seeks a cure for the Hulk. Unfortunately, his relatively peaceful life is interrupted by General Ross, who sends former special-ops commander Emil Blonsky to apprehend Banner and obtain the lost super-soldier serum experiment in his veins. Blonsky’s first attack on Banner unleashes the Hulk, however, allowing him to easily defeat Blonsky and his team, but beginning Blonsky’s transformation into the Abomination.
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17 Emil Blonsky’s Attack At Culver University Reveals The Hulk To The World
The Incredible Hulk (2008)
After being injected with another super-soldier serum, Emil Blonsky launches a second attack on Bruce Banner, following his return to the United States and reunion with Betty Ross. At Culver University, the military’s attack causes Banner to transform into the Hulk, and the ensuing battle being caught on camera reveals the future Avenger to the world. Even though Blonsky has been enhanced with super-soldier serum, he is still easily defeated by the Hulk, who takes Betty Ross to safety, showing some semblance of humanity.
16 Bruce Banner Begins To Transform Into The Hulk In Samuel Sterns’ Lab
The Incredible Hulk (2008)
Bruce Banner and Betty Ross’ hunt for a cure for the Hulk leads them to Mr. Blue, a.k.a. Dr. Samuel Sterns. Banner and Sterns had been exchanging data for several months with the hope that the latter could cure the former’s infliction. During the test of the cure in Sterns’ Harlem laboratory, Banner begins to transform into the Hulk, but soon reverts to his human form, never completing the transformation and seemingly proving that the cure has worked – though this would soon be disproved.
15 Bruce Banner Jumps From General Ross’ Helicopter
The Incredible Hulk (2008)
Following Bruce Banner seemingly being cured, Emil Blonsky blackmails Samuel Sterns into injecting him with Banner’s gamma-irradiated blood. The Hulk’s blood combines with the super-soldier serum already in Blonsky’s body, transforming him into the grotesque Abomination. With the Abomination wreaking havoc throughout Harlem, Bruce Banner jumps from a military helicopter and transforms into the Hulk, allowing him to battle the Abomination one-on-one in a more evenly matched battle, which the former would eventually win, earning him freedom from SHIELD and the United States military.
14 Bruce Banner Controls His Hulk Transformation
The Incredible Hulk (2008)
Throughout The Incredible Hulk, Bruce Banner’s transformations had been shown to be completely unpredictable and uncontrollable. However, the final moments of the 2008 film prove that Banner finally has a hold on his condition. Through meditation and breathing exercises, Banner begins the change on his own volition. This control would later be demonstrated brilliantly in 2012’s The Avengers, though this would be the last time that Edward Norton is seen as Bruce Banner’s Hulk in the MCU.
13 Loki Attacks SHIELD’s Helicarrier
The Avengers (2012)
Mark Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner becomes one of the six initial recruits for the original Avengers team in 2012, being brought onto SHIELD’s helicarrier to track the stolen Tesseract. Unfortunately, Loki’s mind-control of several SHIELD agents, including Clint Barton’s Hawkeye, allows him to attack the helicarrier, which triggers Banner’s transformation into the Hulk. This leads to a battle between the Hulk and several SHIELD agents and new superheroes, such as Natasha Romanoff’s Black Widow and Thor, which ends with the Hulk being thrown from the helicarrier and falling to Earth.
12 Bruce Banner Joins The Battle Of New York
The Avengers (2012)
Despite being separated from the Avengers during the attack on the SHIELD helicarrier, Bruce Banner still joins his fellow superheroes for the Battle of New York. There, he gets the opportunity to prove his control over the Hulk, as he quickly transforms into his stronger alter ego and immediately brings down a Leviathan with a single punch. The Hulk proves pivotal in defeating the God of Mischief Loki, as he batters the Asgardian villain in Stark Tower, dubs him a “puny god,” and saves Tony Stark’s Iron Man during his fall back through Loki’s portal.
11 The Hulk Fights HYDRA With The Avengers
Avengers: Age Of Ultron (2015)
Bruce Banner was missing for most of the MCU’s Phase 2, but he returns alongside the other Avengers in the opening moments of 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, fighting HYDRA forces at a Sokovia outpost led by Baron Strucker. Bruce Banner’s transformation into the Hulk prior to Age of Ultron’s opening wasn’t seen on screen, but these moments did show his budding connection and romance with Natasha Romanoff’s Black Widow. Romanoff is shown to be able to lull the Hulk back into Bruce Banner, calming him enough to bring some semblance of control to the strongest Avenger.
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10 The Scarlet Witch Manipulates Bruce Banner
Avengers: Age Of Ultron (2015)
While Bruce Banner was shown to have some sort of control over the Hulk prior to Avengers: Age of Ultron, the introduction of Wanda Maximoff’s Scarlet Witch unleashes the savage Hulk once again. The Scarlet Witch’s manipulation of Banner sends the Hulk on a violent rampage through the streets of Johannesburg, where he enters into battle with Tony Stark in the Hulkbuster armor. This catastrophic event puts the Hulk back in the public eye as a destructive force, rather than a hero, which is ironically the same treatment Wanda Maximoff sees in the opening moments of Captain America: Civil War.
9 Black Widow Awakens The Hulk For The Battle Of Sokovia
Avengers: Age Of Ultron (2015)
After his escapades in Johannesburg, Bruce Banner displays fear about turning into the Hulk again, but he is deemed necessary to battle the artificial intelligence Ultron in Sokovia. After saving Natasha Romanoff from Ultron’s captivity, the SHIELD spy throws Banner into a deep hole, prompting the Hulk to emerge to save his human persona. The Hulk battles alongside the Avengers, defeating many Ultron drones, but realizes his destructive potential at the end of Age of Ultron, which culminates in his self-imposed exile, leading to him traveling to Sakaar for Thor: Ragnarok, where he remains as the Hulk for two years.
8 Bruce Banner Transforms Into The Hulk To Fight Hela’s Forces
Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
Thor meets the Hulk during a gladiator battle on Sakaar for the Grandmaster’s pleasure, where the former Avenger reveals that he has been trapped as the Hulk for two years since the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron. When the Hulk listens to a recording of Natasha Romanoff in his old SHIELD quinjet, however, he transforms back to Banner, but the Hulk once again presents himself during the final battle against the Goddess of Death Hela and her undead forces on Asgard, when Banner throws himself from one of the Grandmaster’s ships. The Hulk battles Fenris, but once again finds himself unable to revert to his Bruce Banner persona.
7 The Hulk Refuses To Come Out & Battle Thanos
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
During Avengers: Infinity War’s opening moments, the Hulk battles the Mad Titan Thanos one-on-one and is easily defeated. He is sent to Earth by Heimdall where he transforms back into Bruce Banner and warns his superhero friends of Thanos’ impending attack. While the Hulk would have certainly been helpful in this battle, Banner’s alter ego refused to come out, citing feeling used by his fellow heroes simply for his strength. Banner does go green on several occasions in Infinity War, but the Hulk doesn’t actually emerge.
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6 Bruce Banner Becomes Smart Hulk
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
Although occurring off-screen, Bruce Banner’s transformation into Smart Hulk prior to Avengers: Endgame saw him combine the brains and brawn into one body. Smart Hulk has the personality of Banner in the body of the Hulk, allowing him to retain his intelligence and his strength. Banner currently still exists as Smart Hulk in the MCU’s Phase 5, having worked for 18 months in his Mexico laboratory to make the permanent change with the help of Tony Stark.
5 Bruce Banner & Jennifer Walters Transform Together
She-Hulk: Attorney At Law Season 1, Episode 1 (2022)
Despite changing permanently into Smart Hulk, Bruce Banner still created an inhibitor that allowed him to revert to his human body, as seen in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. However, in She-Hulk’s premiere episode, Banner’s inhibitor is broken after a car crash, culminating in Banner’s transformation back into the Hulk. Before his transformation, some of Banner’s blood gets into his cousin, Tatiana Maslany’s Jennifer Walters, which also unlocks the Hulk within her for the first time.
4 The Hulk’s Culver University Battle Ends In His Death
What If…? Season 1, Episode 3 (2021)
What If…? season 1, episode 3, “What If… the World Lost Its Mightiest Heroes?,” introduced an animated multiversal variant of Bruce Banner. Taking place during the period prior to The Avengers, the Hulk’s Culver University battle is revisited, but instead of being targeted only by Emil Blonsky, Banner is also attacked by Hank Pym’s Yellowjacket. Pym’s attack culminates in the Hulk’s continued inflation and eventual explosion, killing the Avenger before he could ever join the MCU’s premiere superhero team.
3 The Monster In The Mask Is Awakened By Captain Carter
What If…? Season 2, Episode 8 (2023)
What If…? season 2, episode 8, “What If… the Avengers Assembled in 1602?,” introduced yet another Hulk variant, dubbed the Monster in the Mask. This version of Bruce Banner was triggered to Hulk out by Captain Carter and attacking guards, but joins the former’s team to thwart a multiversal incursion. The Hulk is calmed back into Bruce Banner by a 1602 version of Tony Stark, proving their constant brotherhood across the multiverse.
2 The Hulk Battles Happy Hogan’s Freak In 1602
What If…? Season 2, Episode 8 (2023)
Still in 1602, Bruce Banner’s Hulk once again burst onto the scene to battle Happy Hogan’s Freak – empowered with the Hulk’s own blood from What If…? season 2, episode 3, “What If… Happy Hogan Saved Christmas?” While Captain Carter tries to uncover the truth about the Forerunner, the Hulk keeps the Freak busy, both of whom were presumably brought to 1602 by Steve Rogers’ creation of a temporal anomaly while battling Thanos. It’s unclear what happened to this version of Bruce Banner after these events.
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1 The Hulk Has A Power Upgrade In What If…? Season 2’s Finale
What If…? Season 2, Episode 9 (2023)
A brand-new variant of Bruce Banner’s Hulk is seen in What If…? season 2’s finale, “What If… Strange Supreme Intervened?” This version of the Hulk seems to have been empowered with gifts similar to those of Thor, the Asgardian God of Thunder, as he sports armor and a crown similar to Thor’s from the live-action MCU. This super-powered Hulk also wields massive swords that glow with gamma-irradiated lightning, and these prove pivotal to Captain Carter and Kahhori’s battle with Strange Supreme in What If…? season 2’s final episode.