Hulk's Bizarre MCU Power Upgrade Has Convinced Me Marvel Will Finally Explore The Storyline We've Been Waiting Years For

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Hulk's Apex form from What If...? season 3 episode 1 marks the first time an alternate Hulk personality appears in the MCU. Since his introduction in 2008, the MCU's Hulk has only starred in one movie, The Incredible Hulk. Since then, Hulk's MCU story has covered major milestones like his time as an Avenger, his exile in space, and the birth of a Hulk-Banner fusion called Smart Hulk. However, the MCU continues to sideline Bruce Banner and his Gamma-powered alter ego well into the Multiverse Saga.

In 2025, Captain America: Brave New World is set to bring back two of Hulk's biggest enemies: Red Hulk and the Leader. Captain America will go face-to-face against a raging Red Hulk, and he will try to stop the Leader's conspiracy to destabilize world governments. Smart Hulk seems to be completely unaware of his enemies' whereabouts, but their public appearances might motivate him to fight them in a future movie. Whether this reunion comes in a crossover movie like Avengers: Doomsday or in a long-awaited Hulk solo movie is yet to be seen.

What If…? Season 3 Introduced A Crucial New Hulk Identity

What If...? Season 3 Episode 1 Features The MCU's First Alternate Hulk Personality

In What If...? season 3 episode 1, "What If... The Hulk Fought The Mech Avengers?", Bruce Banner tries to suppress his alter ego with a special device, but instead of eliminating the Hulk or simply transforming into him, he spawns an even bigger creature that continues to increase in size until it becomes a Godzilla-like kaiju. What If...? season 3's Apex Hulk isn't just another version of the original Gamma monster, but a brand-new Hulk with a mind of its own.

Gladiator Hulk in Thor Ragnarok with Avengers Captain America, Doctor Strange, and Kate Bishop

The MCU Doesn’t Need A Hulk Solo Movie For Any Of His Best Future Storylines

Although Mark Ruffalo's Hulk is unlikely to get his own MCU solo movie anytime soon, there are other ways Bruce Banner's story can continue.

In the source material, Bruce Banner develops multiple Hulk personalities besides his traditional Savage Hulk alter ego — each with their own identity and motivations. These alternate personalities often fight for control of Bruce Banner's mind and body, and they have even come to blows with each other and freed themselves from Banner's body in order to become separate characters altogether. This seems to be the case with What If...? season 3's powerful Apex Hulk, as Bruce Banner transforms into the original Hulk in order to defeat it and replace it as the new Apex.

Why Smart Hulk Doesn’t Really Count As A Separate Hulk Personality In The MCU

Smart Hulk Displays One Big Difference To His Comic Book Counterpart

Smart Hulk in She-Hulk and Angry Hulk in Avengers Age of Ultron

The MCU's Smart Hulk is the result of Bruce Banner's efforts to merge "the man and the monster" into a single being. But as soon as Smart Hulk first appeared in Avengers: Endgame, it was immediately obvious that this character was still Bruce Banner. Smart Hulk retains all of Bruce Banner's memories and personality traits, but possesses a big part of the Hulk's strength, speed, and endurance. Banner can even revert to his human appearance using a suppressor device he designed some time after achieving his Smart Hulk form during the Blip.

The MCU Needs To Break A Nightmarish 12 Year Long Hulk Streak Before It’s Too Late

2012’s The Avengers was the last time audiences saw an essential part of the Hulk’s experience shown onscreen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Smart Hulk's comic book counterpart, Professor Hulk, isn't just a Hulked-up version of Bruce Banner in the source material. Instead, he's just another splinter of Bruce Banner's fractured psyche — one holding together Banner, Savage Hulk, Gray Hulk, and Joe Fixit. Professor Hulk does possess Bruce Banner's intellect and part of Savage Hulk's strength, but he also has an identity of his own. After an unfortunate sequence of events, however, Banner developed even more personalities and Professor Hulk has remained absent in the comics for years.

Hulk’s Other Personalities Could Be Coming To The MCU Soon

Apex Hulk Could Be The Start Of A New Era For The MCU's Hulk

Although the events of every What If...? episode are completely separate from the MCU's live-action timelines, Apex Hulk's introduction in What If...? season 3 episode 1 could be a sign that Marvel will soon explore Hulk's alternate personalities in the MCU's main universe. Some of the biggest Marvel Comics storylines the MCU has yet to adapt include World War Hulk, World War Hulks, and Planet Hulk — all of which feature personalities such as Green Scar / World-Breaker Hulk and Devil Hulk in important roles. And similarly to Professor Hulk's unfortunate fate in the comics, Mark Ruffalo's Smart Hulk could end up splitting into various Hulks soon.

Hulk Personality

Standout Trait

Savage Hulk	Original rage-fueled monster
Professor Hulk	Intelligent and calm
Gray Hulk	Cruel, selfish
Joe Fixit	Street-smart
Doc Green	Intelligent but unfriendly
Green Scar	Vengeful, Strategic
Devil Hulk	Pure evil

Red Hulk’s introduction and the Leader’s return in Captain America: Brave New World suggest that the MCU's Hulk will soon be relevant once again. If the Leader doesn't die in Captain America: Brave New World, he could eventually target his old enemy and awaken the Hulk’s dormant personalities when they meet again. In fact, the reason why the Leader turned President Ross into Red Hulk might have something to do with his obsession with the original Hulk's power back in The Incredible Hulk. Now that he has found a new way to create similar monsters, the Leader could try to spawn more.