There are many areas in which the Marvel Cinematic Universe could improve upon, but one thing it usually excels at is the portrayal of its iconic heroes and anti-heroes. You could even argue that the reason the bad guys fall flat in most movies is because the good guys had the majority of screen time to themselves, allowing them to shine and further resemble their comic book counterparts. Even when creative liberties are taken, they are usually in the best interest of a character's arc. However, there has been one big exception to this rule in recent years.
Ever since the release of Avengers: Endgame, fans haven't been pleased with Hulk's treatment in the MCU. The raging green monster is now a shadow of its former self, and the worst part is that we didn't get many chances to watch the anti-hero wreak havoc before turning smart. Sure, he was partially responsible for the destruction of Johannesburg in Avengers: Age of Ultron, but he was under the influence of Scarlet Witch's spell. Beyond that, we've only heard stories of how Bruce tried to end his life because of how destructive "the other guy" was. Unfortunately, we haven't actually seen Hulk thrive amidst chaos, but that might be soon to change.
Savage Hulk is finally coming to the MCU, reports say
For months now, it has been heavily rumored that Savage Hulk will make his debut in Spider-Man: No Way Home. However, his story could go beyond one single project. During a Q&A published in The Cosmic Circus, reliable insider Alex Perez indirectly confirmed that Savage Hulk will appear in the wall-crawler's upcoming movie (and perhaps even Avengers: Doomsday). Furthermore, Perez teases that Hulk will be "scarier than ever before" and that "he might even kill someone".
For the time being, it's unclear why the Smart Hulk persona will suddenly vanish and something worse will take its place. Initially, fans theorized that Mr. Negative would be the main antagonist of Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and that he would be responsible for Bruce Banner's transformation into a raging monster yet again. However, multiple reports indicate that Martin Li won't be in the movie, which complicates things a bit further.
Scooper That REDACTED Guy revealed that Spider-Man: Brand New Day will be a gang-war movie, and the only reason Savage Hulk makes an appearance is because someone will use him as a diversion to keep Punisher and Spidey busy. So, perhaps it will be enough for the movie's main antagonist to kidnap Bruce and expose him to a dose of Gamma Radiation for Savage Hulk to make his explosive entrance.
Regardless of why the monster is set loose, it's nice to hear that he won't be treated as a one-and-done appearance. Savage Hulk's arc possibly extending onto Avengers: Doomsday could mean grave problems for Earth's Mightiest Heroes, and it could also open the door for a potential World War Hulk adaptation down the line. The Avengers could realize that Hulk is such an unstoppable threat that they could send him to space as a last resort. Granted, this could be a bit derivative of Bruce's arc in Avengers: Age of Ultron, but the upcoming path could lead somewhere greater this time around.
Despite being one of the original Avengers, Bruce hasn't had a chance to star in a project of his own in the MCU. That comes down to the fact that Universal owns the distribution rights to any Hulk movie, as opposed to Disney. As such, the Green Goliath has been relegated to appear as a secondary character in multiple projects, such as the Avengers movies, Thor: Ragnarok, and now Spider-Man: Brand New Day. That means there's a big possibility that the upcoming World War Hulk adaptation could be released as a Disney+ series instead of a feature film to avoid any licensing issues.
It's been a while since the Hulk lived up to his comic book reputation on the big screen, so regardless of where he shows up next, let's hope that we can see him wreak havoc in the MCU once again.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day will be released on Jul. 31, 2026.