The Hulk's arm seems totally fine in the She-Hulk series, which raises the question of how and when it managed to heal. The latest She-Hulk trailer reveals that, despite not being a show about Bruce Banner, the Disney+ MCU series will offer the best and probably longest look at the Hulk character since Avengers: Endgame. As the only founding member of the Avengers to not have received another solo project since the 2012 team-up film, the Hulk remains a secondary player in the MCU and continues to be used to serve other heroes' stories, as he did in Thor: Ragnarok and will do next in She-Hulk.

The MCU's Hulk problems began in Avengers: Age of Ultron, but the issue of the Hulk no longer being an important part of the action in the franchise traces back to Avengers: Infinity War. Endgame expanded on that idea by introducing Smart Hulk (a.k.a. Professor Hulk), which is a balanced combination of the Hulk and Bruce Banner who did not share the same enthusiasm for battles and rage as his previous versions. The Hulk's ability to take on a fight suffered an even bigger blow after he used the Iron Man Gauntlet to snap his fingers and bring everyone back from the Blip, severely injuring his arm in the process. The Hulk was then barely seen in Endgame's final fight against Thanos, and his arm still looked in bad shape at the end of the movie.

Related: Why She-Hulk's CGI Looks So Bad

In the She-Hulk trailer, however, Smart Hulk is seen with his arm looking totally fine. More than looking healed, the Hulk's arm is not even scarred in the She-Hulk trailer, as if he never had the injury in the first place. One simple explanation for such an odd change is that She-Hulk could be set before the events of Endgame. That would not only explain why the Hulk's arm is fine, as the injury has yet to happen, but also why the character is in his Smart Hulk form when the Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings post-credits scene features a human-form Bruce Banner.

Captain Marvel and Bruce Banner as holograms in Shang-Chi post-credit scene

If that is not the case, and She-Hulk is set in the present-day MCU, then explaining how the Hulk healed from his impressive Avengers: Endgame snap becomes more complex. The Hulk is by definition one of the strongest beings in the Marvel universe and has survived some major hits, but the impact that using the Infinity Stones has on an individual – Thanos's hurt arm and face being the other example – cannot be compared with anything else. If the Hulk managed to completely recover from performing the snap without any scars, then it is a testimony to the extent of his healing factor.

The MCU's Phase 4 timeline has been rather confusing so far, but if She-Hulk is indeed set in the present, then the Hulk's arm recovery would have had to be completed in the time between Shang-Chi's post-credits Hulk cameo and the Disney+ series. Bruce Banner, not Smart Hulk, was wearing a sling during that post-credits scene, which means that his injury was serious enough to affect his arm even after his transformation back to his human form. Another interesting possibility is that, despite being able to return to his human form, Bruce Banner realized that his arm injury would only be healed if he stayed in the Smart Hulk form long enough – which would explain him reverting to that mode in She-Hulk.

The Hulk's status in the MCU's Phase 4 has become one of the most curious plotlines in the franchise, and now his arm being perfect in She-Hulk leaves things even more complicated. Despite not having a solo movie since 2008, the Hulk is one of the MCU's original Avengers to have gone through the most changes, both in looks and personality. It remains to be seen in what other ways She-Hulk will contribute to that.

Next: Why Hulk’s Phase 4 Changes Could Redeem The Fat Thor Storyline

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