The MCU Is Turning Hulks Into Its New Super Soldier Replacement

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has introduced more Hulks in Phase 4, and with this, it has turned Hulks into the replacement of the Super Soldiers. The Hulk has had a strange history so far on the big screen, and after its debut in Ang Lee’s Hulk, a new Bruce Banner returned in The Incredible Hulk, now as part of the MCU. Bruce Banner then joined the original Avengers team, but his arc has been very inconsistent, and the studio hasn’t given him enough screen time to properly develop his story. After running away, living in Saakar, and returning to join the rest of the MCU’s heroes to stop Thanos, Hulk was given a bigger role in the TV series She-Hulk.

After merging his human form with the Hulk and becoming “Smart Hulk”, Banner built a device that allowed him to return to his human form, and he helped his cousin, Jennifer Walters (Tatiana Maslany), when she gained the ability to transform into She-Hulk after coming into contact with his blood. She-Hulk had a bigger surprise up its sleeve as Banner introduced his family to his son, Skaar (Wil Deusner), who comes from Sakaar and inherited his father’s Hulk powers. This makes three Hulks in the MCU so far, and this universe is pretty much turning them into this universe’s new Super Soldiers.

How The MCU's Many Hulks Are Replacing Super Soldiers

Smart Hulk and She-Hulk in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law

Before the MCU had more than one Hulk, it had a lot of Super Soldiers. The MCU’s first successful Super Soldier was Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), and since then, there were many attempts to recreate the correct formula, but none of them with the desired success. This made way for different Super Soldiers in the MCU – some heroes and allies, other villains – such as Winter Soldier/Bucky Barnes, Red Skull, Red Guardian, and Hulk himself. Hulk is the result of a Gamma radiation accident during experiments to recreate the original super soldier serum, but for years, he was the only one of his kind while the rest of the Super Soldiers had very different side effects.

With Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) refusing to take the Super Soldier Serum and the Flag Smashers’ version of the serum destroyed, the MCU has finally put an end to this storyline, but the new Hulks feel like the replacement. With their powers deriving from the serum and sending them on very different paths and inner struggles than the actual Super Soldiers, the Hulks can take their place and be a new “tragic” figure in the MCU but also one with much more fascinating layers to explore, as they go through mental, emotional, and physical changes as a result of their condition. Just like with the Super Soldiers, the Hulks can create new heroes (like Jennifer Walters) and villains (like Abomination), though the MCU also risks using them as an excuse for the introduction of new characters and the triggering of new conflicts, as happened with the serum since Phase 1.

Why The MCU Is Introducing So Many Hulks: What It's Setting Up

Skaar in She-Hulk, World Breaker Hulk, and Iron Patriot in Marvel Comics

Hulk is finally getting more attention and space in the MCU thanks to the introduction of the two other Hulks, which in turn is making the long-rumored World War Hulk movie more likely. The World War Hulk event could bring together all the current Hulks – Banner, She-Hulk, Skaar, Abomination, and Thunderbolt Ross/Red Hulk (Harrison Ford) – and do justice to Banner after all those controversial changes and storylines he was given in the past. On the other hand, the introduction of more Hulks could be setting up Banner’s retirement, following the steps of most of his original Avengers teammates, and the most obvious set-up is that of the Young Avengers. Skaar would be his father’s representative in the long-awaited team of younger heroes, but hopefully, Marvel will have learned from its mistakes by then and give Skaar a better, more consistent and layered story than the one his father had.

Next: She-Hulk Proves Just How Badly Marvel Handled A Bruce Banner Story