Throughout these appearances, many MCU scenes have defined Hulk, and he has undergone multiple distinct narrative arcs. Some are widely praised and beloved by fans, while others are distinctly less popular. There is a considerable distance in quality between some of the MCU’s Hulk stories, some of which have made the character seem truly incredible, while others have made him look completely redundant. With that in mind, here is every Incredible Hulk story in the MCU so far, ranked from worst to best.
7) Mentor Arc in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law
Image courtesy of Marvel Studios
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law is one of the least popular MCU TV shows, and Hulk’s role in it reflects that. In the show, Bruce Banner appears as a mentor to his cousin after she transforms into the titular hero. From the perspective of Hulk himself, the story is an incredibly weak one, as it makes him seem an ineffective and pretty redundant character. What’s worse, it doesn’t last very long at all, making it one of the shortest and worst Hulk narratives in the MCU.
6) MCU Introduction in The Incredible Hulk
Image Courtesy of Marvel
The Hulk’s first outing in the MCU established the character within the franchise, serving up an origin story of sorts. While it didn’t explore his earliest transformation, the story followed Bruce Banner’s attempts to understand and control the Hulk, all while being hunted by General Ross and the Abomination. In narrative terms, it’s a pretty underwhelming story that has had only a very slight impact on the character’s later appearances in the MCU.
5) Performance Issues in Avengers: Infinity War
Image courtesy of Marvel Studios
There are multiple times that the MCU made the Hulk look weak, but few stand out as strongly as his story in Avengers: Infinity War. After encountering Thanos and being thoroughly beaten by the Mad Titan, Hulk spends the rest of the movie in hiding. Banner’s attempts to transform are all futile, and he eventually fights the Battle of Wakanda in the Hulkbuster armor because of his inability to talk Hulk out of his fear.
4) Joining a Team in The Avengers
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2012’s The Avengers was a landmark title for the MCU, as it introduced the titular team into live-action. It also featured some of the funniest Hulk scenes to date, as its story saw the hero forced to work alongside others for the first time. Its Hulk story was a huge improvement on that of his previous solo movie, offering a more interesting insight into the character and exploring how he could ultimately come to work well alongside other Marvel heroes on the big screen.
3) Professor Hulk’s Debut & Time Heist in Avengers: Endgame
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Professor Hulk is one of the most powerful Hulk forms in the MCU, as it combines the intelligence of Bruce Banner with the physical strength of the Hulk. His introduction in Avengers: Endgame may have been a little unceremonious, but his story in the movie, which involved traveling through time to collect the Infinity Stones and using them to undo Thanos’ snap, was very good. It gave the Hulk one of his most heroic MCU moments to date, and also balanced him well as part of a huge roster of heroes.
2) Savage Hulk & Romance Arc in Avengers: Age of Ultron
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Though some consider Age of Ultron the worst Avengers movie in the MCU, the way it handled the Hulk was one of its best aspects. His story in the movie features two distinct developments, as he is sent on a rampage by the Scarlet Witch’s chaos magic, introducing the Savage Hulk to the MCU, and establishes the romantic connection between Bruce Banner and Black Widow. The two-sided nature of his Age of Ultron story only further builds upon the tragic nature of the character, setting up an even better story for his following appearance.
1) Gladiator Hulk in Thor: Ragnarok
Image courtesy of Marvel Studios
Thor: Ragnarok is one of the funniest MCU movies, and the Hulk plays a major role in making that work. His story in the movie starts with Thor discovering him living in self-imposed exile on Sakaar, fighting as a gladiator in the Grandmaster’s arena. It explores the growing friendship between Hulk, Thor, and Valkyrie, and touches on the deeper ideas behind Hulk as a character in his own right. As such, it remains the MCU’s best Hulk narrative to date.
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