The Incredible Hulk has been smashing his way through comics and movies since the character was introduced in 1962. However, he’s gained more popularity in the last few years when marquee actor Mark Ruffalo took over the role in 2012’s The Avengers.
Over on the subreddit r/marvelstudios, user cayoperico16 posed an interesting question that got other fans talking: Was the latest Hulk appearance in She-Hulk his best ever? You can check out the whole thread on Reddit.
“Is SH:AAL Bruce’s/Hulk’s best appearance? Endgame was my prior favorite but this SH episode has proved even better in terms of development & entertainment for this character imo.”
While Hulk’s appearance was indeed great, user LittleYellowFish1 said it may be too soon to decide considering it’s only the first episode of the series.
“I’ll probably wait until the end of She-Hulk to decide (going well so far, though) but personally Ragnarok is my favourite Hulk appearance, because it’s the only one where both Banner and Hulk are pretty much equally developed and focused on.”
Other users, like Bobdude586, agree with that sentiment. “My favourite rendition was the Thor: Ragnarok one, because it developed the Hulk alter more than any other project had done so before.”
Another user, DocDjohnson, said Ruffalo’s latest portrayal in She-Hulk proves that it’s time the character gets a tentpole movie of their own.
“I’d say this is certainly on the right track. And hopefully it’s setting up that looooooong awaiting World War Hulk movie…Mark Ruffalo deserves a solo tentpole. He’s been a class act and an unwavering cheerleader for all things MCU. As far as I know he hasn’t discussed exiting the MCU and I hope he sticks around for a long time more.”
What if that’s the plan here all along? That’s something brought up by user FutureMilitaryWorld.
“I think it’s setting up a solo hulk too because it’s a lot of Banner lately, which is great but the Ragnarok Hulk is soo good. who knows, maybe Hulk is in limbo getting a little smarter while banner is in control. Smarter and more angry.”
A smarter version of savage Hulk would indeed be exciting. User the-magnetic-rose put in a rare vote for 2012 Avengers Hulk.
“2012 Avengers was the best Banner/Hulk imo. The only time I felt like the MCU really let him be a sad and menacing character. There’s a certain way I want Bruce’s storyline to go in She-Hulk so I’m reserving judgement on his character in the show until then.”
Everyone seems to at least agree that Hulk is a complicated character with not only a lot of depth but a lot of destructive power. User WatchingInSilence explained:
“Avengers just glossed over the collateral damage Hulk was causing because the Chitauri were the greater threat. Age of Ultron really showed the danger that an accidental Hulk episode could cause. Ragnarok was one of my top picks because it showed Hulk getting to be in charge for an extended period of time.
Infinity War had probably the best application for the Hulk, showing how much stronger Thanos was than the Strongest Avenger.”
The argument seems to be that while the latest iteration of Hulk in She-Hulk is a good one, we still haven’t seen the best of savage Hulk, as evidenced by user xneurianx.
“Best as Banner and his character development. Not best as HULK SMASH.
I would like to see furious Hulk makes one last appearance. A fist fight on a ruined alien planet against a super strong foe. A fight were Banner knows it’s just him and the enemy on a planet were there is no risk of collateral damage and he can just fully unleash unbridled Hulk. Slap some monster about with chunks of a long-dead civilisation, or on an alternate abandoned Earth.
With a character like Hulk, some of the audience want Banner and character growth, some want Hulk doing insane things, and some kinda want both.
But personally, this just ever so slightly pips Ragnarok. Slightly.”
There is something to be said about how Hulk is the MCU character that seems to change the most over the years. Of course, a lot of this is due to changing technological abilities of the studio. User Garmgarmgarmgarm especially noticed this.
“I really wish they would stop changing the character model so much between projects. I understand that CGI has come a long way during the MCU, but it’s a little weird to look at a noticeably different hulk every time you see him.”
Regardless, Marvel is definitely cashing in on Hulk’s popularity as well as cooking something up for the future.