10 Villains Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk Needs To Face (That Aren’t Red Hulk)

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Despite being in the Marvel Cinematic Universe since its very first year (2008), this version of Bruce Banner, played by Oscar nominees Edward Norton and Mark Ruffalo, really hasn’t gone toe-to-toe with many actual Hulk villains from the comic books. A big reason is because of the messy solo film rights for the character between Marvel Studios and Universal Pictures, meaning Hulk hasn’t had a film or story to himself since The Incredible Hulk back in 2008.

This limitation led to several major missed opportunities for Mark Ruffalo’s iteration of the character. Edward Norton had the chance to go up against Abomination (Tim Roth) in his film, butRuffalo hasn’t faced any recognizable Hulk villains. However, through his continued inclusion in the MCU via She-Hulk: Attorney at Law and The Avengers franchise, and the new inclusion of his son, the potential is still there for villains to come in and fight Hulk as they were always meant to. This list will discuss the main villains that Ruffalo’s Hulk must face in the MCU, whether because of their importance to the character’s comic journey or because of their similar power scales.

10

The Leader (Tim Blake Nelson)

Step aside, Cap. It’s Hulk’s turn!

Despite being the primary antagonist of Captain America: Brave New World, The Leader (Tim Blake Nelson) is traditionally a Hulk villain in the Marvel Comics universe. What makes him so special as a Hulk villain is that the story pins one of the smartest people on the planet against one of the strongest. Both are green, too, which is pretty fun.

If the end of Captain America: Brave New World made anything apparent, it’s that The Leader is sticking around and could potentially have a big part in the conflict to come in Avengers: Doomsday based on that end-credits scene. Thus, there still could be a chance for Hulk and this classic comic book villain to face off. They may not have that iconic dynamic anymore, but seeing them on screen together would still be awesome.

9

General Ryker

So General Ross, but way worse.

In the MCU specifically, there are not many Hulk villains more recognizable than General-turned-President Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross (William Hurt and Harrison Ford). While Ross turned into a monster via the Red Hulk transformation, General Ryker is a true monster within. Ryker is a master strategist and tactician, a ruthless military general (with that firepower included) who absolutely loves playing mind games and waging mental warfare.

With Ross now being the MCU’s official Red Hulk, if Marvel Studios wants to fill the military-villain void left by him, General Ryker would be the perfect option. One of Hulk’s biggest villains will always be society, and if there’s anyone who can lead that charge, it’d be this Marvel general. Foes like Ryker are perfect for a character like the Hulk, which is what people love most about Ross in The Incredible Hulk.

8

Wendigo

We miss the ruthless Hulk, so give him a ruthless villain!

One of the biggest disappointments to come from Mark Ruffalo’s time as Hulk is the transition to “Smart Hulk” in the time between Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. Fans deeply miss the wild, animalistic Hulk who was uncontrollable and ruthless. In the comics, however, there is a villain who represents that boundless rage and does not have any humanity left to revert to: Wendigo.

Wendigo is one of Marvel’s more supernatural villains. They are a person placed under a curse that turns them into an uncontrollable beast filled with bloodlust. A villain like this, who fights on pure instinct and animalistic tendencies, would be perfect for the current-day MCU Hulk because it may force him to get a bit brutish again to defend himself and bring back more of the Not-So-Jolly Green Giant people miss so much.

7

U-Foes

Sometimes, it takes a village.

Often, one villain isn’t enough to take down the Hulk. Sometimes, a team needs to come together to face him down—Spider-Man’s Sinister Six-style. The U-Foes are exactly that for the giant green rage monster. Imagine a team that is essentially an anti-Fantastic Four. Each member of the team can combat the Hulk effectively in completely different ways. With the respective powers of telekenisis, transforming into gases, being made of radiation, and having an indestructible body (and strength to add to it), the U-Foes hit Hulk from every corner of weakness.

Vector, X-Ray, Vapor, and Ironclad put up an intense fight for Hulk in ways not many other villains do. If Marvel Studios is so intent on giving audiences a “Smart Hulk,” then they better put those smarts to the test and see if he has the brains and brawns to take on four villains at once. This would be the perfect way to test the hero in this new age of the MCU.

6

The Wrecker

Hulk fought aliens, but can he take a street fight?

Being in the Avengers means Banner is typically taking on some grand-scale, Avengers-level threats like Ultron (James Spader), Loki (Tom Hiddleston), or Thanos (Josh Brolin). One of the best fights in the MCU, however, was a big street brawl in Harlem in The Incredible Hulk. If the studio wanted to cash in on this hype, then bringing The Wrecker into the fold would bring action like this back to life for the character once more.

The Wrecker is what one gets when they enhanced a street-thug with an enchantment of profound strength from Asgard itself (which is exactly what happened to create this villain). Seeing Hulk fight is one thing, but seeing him fight dirty is another, and if Bruce Banner were going to tango with The Wrecker, he’d need to do exactly that. This foe brings in yet another chance to challenge Hulk in his new status quo. The Wrecker has also already made an appearance in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, so he’s in the MCU, waiting to be used.

5

The Juggernaut

He’s the Juggernaut, b****!

Everyone’s heard the question about what would happen if an unstoppable force met an immovable object, but what would happen if an unstoppable force met yet another unstoppable force? That’s exactly what happens when the Hulk goes toe-to-toe with The Juggernaut. Normally a villain from the X-Men’s corner of the Marvel Comics world (his most notable film appearance being in X-Men: The Last Stand), Juggernaut also makes a great Hulk villain for pretty obvious reasons.

Marvel Studios is looking to incorporate the X-Men into the MCU as they head into the next era of the cinematic universe.If they wanted to include a character from that realm in a film before the MCU X-Men’s appearance, Juggernaut is a perfect Hulk villain to introduce that world a bit more. He’s also an adversary that genuinely matches both Hulk’s strength and love for fighting.

4

Absorbing Man

Does whatever… anything can!

Much like the members of U-Foes, Absorbing Man has a set of abilities that directly contradicts Hulk and almost anyone else he goes up against. With the power to literally turn his body into any material he touches, Absorbing Man can adapt to any sort of thing that Hulk throws at him—literally and figuratively. At times, he’s even absorbed and adapted to having the same super-strong flesh that the hero does, giving him a taste of his own medicine.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, the guy is genuinely so difficult to kill. He’s faced so many “deaths” over the years—blowing up, disintegration, the works—but thanks to his powers, he can simply reform his body. If Hulk is an unstoppable force, then Absorbing Man is the ideal immovable object to throw his way. Even the current Bruce would have an extremely tough time thinking his way out of this battle.

3

Zzzax

Not even Hulk is immune to a good shock.

This antagonist is actually an incredibly underrated Marvel villain overall. Zzzax faces Hulk in a way far different from what most of his villains do (physically). This being is made of pure energy, meaning he can throw a boatload of electricity, power blasts, and other elemental and energy powers at Hulk. He’s also shown mind-control capabilities in the past, too.

Zzzax would also be a very visually electrifying (pun intended) character to see on screen, as well. Hulk can only withstand so much energy from things like electricity. Yes, he has far more resistance than the average Marvel hero, but that doesn’t make him completely invulnerable to said attacks.

2

Harpy

What happened to Betty Ross?

Much like her father, Betty Ross has also found herself in a monstrous red form in the past that acted as quite the opposition to the Hulk. There’s something so tragic and intimate about the story behind Harpy and what that means for Bruce Banner and Hulk, respectively. After being turned into Harpy by some of Hulk’s smartest villains, M.O.D.O.K. and The Leader, Betty Ross became a creature that wanted nothing more than to fight and kill her former lover.

Many of the raging green monster’s adversaries are simply physical foes, but Harpy is an immensely tough emotional threat, too. Why would he want to fight the love of his life? While they’re not together currently in the MCU, seeing her come back into his life, but in this horrific manner, would be super compelling. With Liv Tyler recently making her reappearance at the end of Captain America: Brave New World, the chances of seeing her becoming Harpy are higher than ever.

Even Hulk has daddy issues…

That’s right, Bruce Banner’s very father actually just so happens to be one of the greatest and most horrifying foes he’s ever had to face. Brian Banner is not just some bulky supervillain that Hulk has to give a beat down on. He is a psychological horror villain straight out of a Blumhouse film.Not much is known about the MCU version of the hero’s past, so Brian is the perfect reason to delve deeper into it.

Everything that both Hulk and Banner fear and loathe, not to mention the source of their trauma, comes from Brian. The anger within Bruce that would lead to his transformations was born of the terrible things his father put him through as a child. With where he’s at in the MCU right now, it’s kind of the perfect time to throw off his life again with the re-emergence of his dad. The MCU has some pretty bad parents, but Brian would make them all look like model figures.

NEXT: 10 Comics to Read if You Love ‘Daredevil: Born Again’

“}]] The Leader, the U-Foes, and The Juggernaut are some of the iconic Marvel villains that Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk must one day face in the MCU.  Read More