Tired of the MCU Hulk being kind of a joke?
There's one story from the comics that could bring out the devil in him.
She-Hulk, also known as Jennifer Walters, has finally arrived in the Marvel Cinematic
Universe, and luckily for her, she has a Hulk to teach her the ropes.
Although the Disney+ series is very much Jennifer's story, her cousin Bruce Banner is also a key
part of it — at least to start.
He's the reason she gets her powers following a car accident.
Not only that, a Sakaaran ship that causes the crash in the first place, and it's clearly
looking for the green champion who once fought on the planet as a gladiator.
So Marvel Studios may be gearing up to take a stab at the full "World War Hulk" storyline.
"Sakarran class-A courier craft.
They're probably trying to deliver a message.
I gotta get to the bottom of that."
The Hulk has become more of a comedic character of late thanks to Professor Hulk.
An adaptation of "World War Hulk" would help him get back his dark edge, but another would
take things even further: writer Al Ewing and artist Joe Bennett's "Immortal Hulk."
The series not only takes a deep dive into what makes Bruce Banner tick, but it recontextualizes
the Hulk's powers, his origin, and his place in the wider Marvel Universe.
The story sees Bruce as a nomad who roams the United States while trying to keep both
hands on his mental steering wheel.
Ewing and Bennett also hold up a mirror to the ugliest parts of society, and how the
Hulk reckons with humanity.
The first issue sees the Hulk hunt down a man who accidentally kills a 12-year-old girl
in a gas station robbery gone wrong.
From there, the stories only get darker.
It essentially proposes the idea that while Banner can be killed, the Hulk takes over
at night, resurrecting him if he has to.
It also reveals that the Hulk's worst identity, Devil Hulk, has become the most dominant personality.
While the MCU has acknowledged Banner's trouble balancing his personalities over the years…
"Come on!
Come on!"
"Nooooo!"
…it has never relished in letting the Hulk loose.
He got to smash bad guys in all the "Avengers" movies, but it's not the same as having him run wild.
And what better way to let him off the chain than by analyzing his psyche in a dark, intense story?
The only problem with adapting "Immortal Hulk" is the stunning body horror that Al Ewing
and Joe Bennett weave throughout their series.
It's impressive that Marvel let the duo get away with some of the grotesque imagery on the page.
For example, there's the infamous moment involving the Abomination in "Immortal Hulk" #18.
Although Hulk assumes that it's Emil Blonsky, the monster looks different because his head
looks like a closed fist.
It's actually two closed fists, and when they unfurl, they reveal the two distorted faces
of former Hulk sidekick Rick Jones, who's been experimented on by a nefarious organization.
It's a truly grim revelation, and it's just one of many violent designs that pop up over
the course of the series.
Although the MCU has dabbled in horror with the likes of the "Doctor Strange" movies,
depicting graphic gamma-induced transformations and breakdowns might be too far for the House of Mouse.
But with some clever concessions, Marvel Studios could still bring the story to life.
After all, if Scarlet Witch can ruthlessly slaughter the Illuminati in "Doctor Strange
in the Multiverse of Madness," there's a way of showing the Rick Jones Abomination.
MCU head Kevin Feige confirmed at San Diego Comic-Con 2022 that the current era of the
MCU is titled "The Multiverse Saga," building toward "Avengers: The Kang Dynasty" and "Avengers:
Secret Wars."
An "Immortal Hulk" movie could absolutely fit into that frame.
A huge part of the story revolves around the idea that there's a terrifying realm that
lurks at the very bottom of the multiverse.
"I'm sorry.
You're saying there's a multiverse?"
And it's growing!
In "Immortal Hulk," the Below-Place is essentially hell for anyone who's been transformed by gamma radiation.
People who have been there can come back from the dead, they won't remember their time there.
It's ruled by a cruel force called the One Below All, who is hell-bent on wiping out
all life in the multiverse.
Essentially, this terrifying entity can possess most gamma-irradiated monsters as a host,
although the Hulk eventually manages to cut it off from the rest of the multiverse.
So an "Immortal Hulk" movie would introduce a new realm of existence, just like "Shang-Chi,"
"Loki," Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness," and "Thor: Love and Thunder" have.
So not only could an "Immortal Hulk" movie slot perfectly into the current direction
of the MCU, but it would deliver a completely fresh take on Hulk and Bruce Banner.