Marvel Fans Keep Saying The Same Thing About The MCU Hulk

The Incredible Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) has earned his place as a Marvel Cinematic Universe staple. Since his franchise introduction in his 2008 self-titled film, Dr. Bruce Banner — played by Edward Norton, who was later fired from the MCU, in that movie alone — has done pretty much all there is to do. He has helped establish the Avengers, battled world-threatening foes, become a gladiator on a faraway planet, and has even embraced fatherhood. Now, Banner and Hulk have merged into one being, signifying the end of their struggle to coexist within one form. Unfortunately, many fans aren't overjoyed with the character's personal narrative and overall use in the MCU.

Over on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @blurayangel asked MCU fans if they feel the Hulk has upgraded or downgraded since his debut in "The Incredible Hulk." Overwhelmingly, commenters expressed their belief that the character has taken a turn for the worse since his solo movie. "They went from him being an all-out, nearly unstoppable powerhouse, to being totally runover by Thanos in 2 seconds flat, to being a very milquetoast Professor Hulk being played for comedic effect," wrote @GeekToMeRadio, with @DaltonPaz2003 voicing support for Norton's take on the character over Ruffalo's.

Another commenter hit on an interesting point that could explain why this is the prevailing perception of the MCU's Hulk.

As numerous X users expressed their disappointment in the MCU's take on Hulk, one user looked at the situation from a different perspective. @GetFitWithJared commented, "I liked the one in Incredible Hulk. They then smashed his various comic versions together from Avengers through his latest appearance in She-Hulk and all the big character changes happened off screen and could not be properly appreciated." With that, they touched on an overarching point on the topic of why MCU fans haven't taken to the franchise's Hulk interpretation.

At the time of publication, Hulk's only solo MCU movie is 2008's "The Incredible Hulk." Ever since, he has been relegated to a supporting character, playing second-fiddle to the likes of Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and the fourth-wall-breaking She-Hulk (Tatiana Maslany). While it has been easy to track his journey from an uncontrollable monster to a subdued gamma-infused scientist in his supporting capacity, this transition isn't very substantial. Fans are given the broad strokes of his transformation and don't get much time to sit with Hulk and Bruce Banner as they work out the finer details and explore their emotions. Thus, the end result is a character who feels half-baked with years of wasted potential behind him.

With him still in the MCU mix, hopefully, Hulk will get more time to shine and somehow redeem his rather disappointing franchise tenure a bit — especially if the rumors are true that the Hulk's movie rights have reverted to Marvel from Universal. Then again, as a longtime MCU presence, it's equally likely he continues to fade into the background as newer heroes take the spotlight. Either way, fans will continue to take notice.