The word “hulk” and the word “anger” are virtually interchangeable. It is an essential facet of the character, and it can be found at the center of several of his most well-known tales. The phrase “I’m always angry” spoken by Bruce Banner in “The Avengers” is widely regarded as one of the funniest and most memorable lines from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Since the events of Avengers: Endgame, the Hulk no longer possesses the trait of rage in his persona.
It would appear that rage will no longer play a role in the Hulk’s journey through the Marvel Cinematic Universe after the introduction of Smart Hulk in Endgame. In the film, he explains that he “placed the brain and the brawn together,” which is the same thing. The fact that the Hulk might never be able to revert to his original, irascible self is unfortunate, but in an odd sense, it’s also kind of a shame.
The relationship between Hulk and Bruce Banner, also known as the “Jekyll and Hyde” dynamic, is the facet of the Hulk persona that is the most intriguing. The path that Hulk took across the Marvel Cinematic Universe required him to strike a balance between his two parts. That he should arrive at that conclusion is something that makes perfect sense. However, there is one minor issue with the manner in which this decision was made in Endgame: the event in question took place completely off-screen.
Since Banner’s voyage was cut off before it was shown on film, it would appear that the current iteration of the Hulk has nowhere else intriguing to go. It appears that audiences will never see Banner and Hulk in their prime incarnations ever again in any of the Marvel movies or television shows. Hulk may never be angry again.
But there is still cause for optimism. The answer can be found in the first episode of the She-Hulk: Attorney at Law television series. Even though Bruce is not the focus of the show in any way, this episode does hint to a potentially exciting path forward for him. Bruce Banner believes that he is ready to assist Jennifer Walters on her path to becoming She-Hulk because he has chronicled the lengthy transformation process that he himself went through to become the Hulk. But instead, he discovers that Jen is always surprising him: she can converse instantaneously in both Hulk and human form, and there is no “other guy” for her to wrestle with; she simply continues to be herself.
Very quickly, Jennifer is able to acquire a hold on what it means to be the Hulk, whereas Bruce is persuaded that there is an angry aspect to being the Hulk that needs to be contained. When Jen reveals that she has already become an expert at regulating her anger as a result of the lived experiences she has had as a woman navigating a patriarchal and sexist world, something very crucial becomes obvious. Bruce Banner did not acquire the fury that would later define the Hulk as a result of his exposure to gamma radiation. That rage has always been emanating from Bruce, who admits that he is “always angry.” This is a really interesting fresh perspective on the character. Consequently, while it’s possible that the Hulk from the Marvel Cinematic Universe will never be as angry as he was in the past, Bruce Banner now has a new set of psychological demons to battle, which could have long-lasting effects on the MCU.
