Marvel Can Fix MCU Hulk By Adapting His Most Overlooked Story

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The Marvel Cinematic Universe has updated and popularized many Marvel Comics characters, some of whom were fairly obscure in comparison to their previous renown. In making the Avengers a household name, it put Iron Man, Captain America and others on the map like never before. Sadly, one truly evergreen fan-favorite has had a disappointing development, but adapting one of his best stories could finally change that.

Ever since Avengers: Endgame, many fans have had issues with how the MCU has been handling the Incredible Hulk. Somewhat watered down and far from the ferocious threat that he once was, he’s the victim of rather uninteresting off-screen development. There are a lot of potential ways to reverse this while still acknowledging how he’s grown, and one may be to adapt a futuristic storyline from the comics to a Disney+ streaming show.

Fans Aren’t Happy With the MCU’s Hulk

The Hulk’s Use Since Endgame Hasn’t Been a Smashing Success

Introduced in 2008’s The Incredible Hulk, the MCU Hulk has changed a lot since he was played by Edward Norton. Now portrayed by actor Mark Ruffalo, he’s far from the psychologically driven rage monster that he started out as. Ever since Avengers: Endgame, he’s been in the guise of Smart Hulk/Professor Hulk, which combines Dr. Banner’s intelligence with the power and body of the Hulk. This was a major development in the comics, but the movies didn’t do this justice.

Hulk’s progression into Professor Hulk in the MCU was completely off-screen, despite the transformation being based deep in the character’s psychology and mythos in the comics. The result was that the character was essentially watered down dramatically in the MCU, especially since he was missing some of the sarcastic edge that he had in the source material. This is made worse by his minimal screentime, as he’s barely appeared since Endgame, in spite of the character’s popularity. The Hulk’s appearances in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law weren’t beloved, and the show as a whole was somewhat pricey and controversial.

Likewise, the Hulk is one of many Avengers who has seeming replacements lined up in the form of his cousin She-Hulk and his son Skaar, and these sorts of mantle swaps have proven to be increasingly unpopular in both comic books and especially the MCU. It feels like a major waste given that he and Thor are the only classic Avengers still around, and yet they’ve both been reduced to mostly comic relief roles that fail to utilize them to the fullest.

Ironically, of the four “main” MCU Avengers (Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, and Captain America), Hulk is the darkest of the group, with the character very much made in the tragic science fiction monster mold. His best comics emphasize this, and one storyline in particular showcased a brutal reality in which he truly was the strongest there was.

This Story from the Late Peter David and George Pérez Is Perfect for the MCU

Easily the most iconic comic book run for The Hulk was written by the late Peter David, who greatly expanded the character’s mythos. Exploring Banner’s psychology, he built on elements such as childhood abuse to deepen the explanation behind his transformation into the Hulk. A major moment in David’s tenure came in The Incredible Hulk: Future Imperfect #1, which introduced a powerful new villain: The Maestro, a future variant of Hulk himself.

The Maestro lived in a bleak, post-apocalyptic world where most of the Marvel Universe’s superhumans, along with much of the population, had been wiped out by nuclear war. Stronger than ever due to prolonged radiation exposure, he had also become completely unhinged, ruling over the remnants of humanity as a tyrant. In an effort to overthrow him, rebels use a time machine to bring Professor Hulk from the past to battle his twisted future self. The Maestro went on to appear in various dark Marvel futures, with many of these stories also penned by Peter David.

For instance, a 2020 miniseries shined a further light on how he came to rule the rest of humanity, and it was revealed that he actually took the Maestro name after defeating the god Hercules, who ruled just as callously. Bruce Banner later lived in fear that he might one day become The Maestro in the present day, with this dark persona making his then-present intellect as The Hulk something of a danger. This added an element of threat and psychological horror back to the character, and The Maestro as a whole really showcased a world in which The Hulk was more monster than hero.

Despite its prominence, it hasn’t been readily collected by Marvel Comics too many times. The same goes for Peter David’s beloved Hulk run as a whole, which is largely out of print, namely in omnibus and Marvel Epic Collection form. Nevertheless, Maestro is perhaps one of the most successful evil variants of a major Marvel hero, predating characters such as The Maker by several years. Given how it worked in the comics, introducing the character in the MCU might make the Hulk the strongest — and scariest — there is once more.

How a Hulk Disney+ Series Could Redeem the Marvel Monster

Adapting Hulk: Future Imperfect Is the Best Way to Revive the Character

The biggest issue with using the Hulk in the MCU has to do with cinematic rights, as part of the character’s rights are still with Universal and not completely at Disney and Marvel Studios. Thus, Universal would be involved with a solo Hulk movie in the same way that Sony is with the Marvel Studios Spider-Man films. Given how 2008’s The Incredible Hulk wasn’t a massive box office success when it came out nearly two decades ago, Marvel Studios might be reticent to do a similar project and likely share the profits with another studio.

It’s the reason the Hulk’s cinematic appearances since then have been crossovers, such as the Avengers movies or his role in Thor: Ragnarok. This rule doesn’t come into play with TV shows, however, which is how She-Hulk: Attorney at Law was made. Thus, it’s possible for the Hulk to have his own show on the Disney+ streaming service, and one storyline is the best potential source material. While Al Ewing and Joe Bennett’s Immortal Hulk is acclaimed by many, there might be issues with adapting it to the MCU. For one, Immortal Hulk builds upon a legacy and mythos for the character that simply isn’t in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and this might make an adaptation lose a lot of its narrative themes.

It’s also known for its gore and body horror. Even if the show is sold in the vein of the new Disney+ show Daredevil: Born Again (which is meant for adult viewers), it could be too much for a character that Marvel has firmly associated with the Avengers and other family-friendly brands. At the same time, he does need a degree of grit and depth added to his mythos again, and emphasizing the character’s power and threat is one way to do so. It’s ironic that the Hulk lost a lot of what made him work in the events of Avengers: Endgame, which was a movie that involved time travel.

Adapting a story that also uses this narrative concept could be the way to save the brutal behemoth. A Disney+ Incredible Hulk: Future Imperfect TV show is the perfect way to fix the MCU’s Hulk, especially if it means establishing his power. The storyline doesn’t need to be changed much in order to adapt it, though Marvel Studios might need to finally introduce the Marvel Cinematic Universe version of Rick Jones in order for things to really work. There’s actually enough material for multiple seasons, though a miniseries/maxiseries on Disney+ could also work.

For instance, the first season could adapt the Peter David Maestro comic book from 2020, with Season 2 adapting the actual Future Imperfect story from the comics. Another option would be to take a page from The CW DC Comics show Arrow and use flashbacks to adapt the miniseries while the main story is based on Future Imperfect. By fighting a brutal, egomaniacal version of himself that smashes all competition into dust, the MCU’s Professor Hulk could finally become a much more compelling character and ditch the dad shirts and tacos he’s become known for.

He would come to realize his own power and how, now that he has Hulk’s strength and his own intellect, he could be a bigger danger than ever before. Harsh and violent action scenes could also be used, emulating the destruction seen in the DC Extended Universe movies by Zack Snyder. This would be a far cry from some of the more cartoonish uses of Hulk and really hone in on his power. By pulling this off and giving an overlooked storyline its due, the Marvel Cinematic Universe can put a show on Disney+ that older fans really want to watch. Most importantly, it will make phrases such as “Hulk smash” synonymous with earth-shattering strength and terror once more.

“}]] The Hulk’s recent use in the MCU hasn’t been beloved, but adapting a major story arc from the Peter David Hulk run could perfectly change his future.  Read More