Marvel Gave Hulk The Dumbest Weakness - And We Could See It In The MCU
Hulk has been around since 1962, and over the decades, Marvel's Jade Giant has gone through a number of distinct phases, including some that haven't even been particularly large or viridescent. Regardless of the character's status, however, he's traditionally been an unstoppable force with very few weaknesses ... that is, except for an extremely silly mid-1990s storyline where he turns into a berserker Bruce Banner if he becomes too angry.
Issues #424 and #425 of "The Incredible Hulk" dropped in December 1994 and January 1995. They're part of the "Fall of the Pantheon" story arc that features an intelligent "merged" Hulk, a combination of the traditional green Savage Hulk, Bruce Banner, and the grey Joe Fixit Hulk persona. Under the guidance of writer Peter David, he spent several years in this state, but when a major conflict between the Pantheon and Endless Knights causes an injury to Betty Ross, the inevitable happens, and Hulk overloads with rage. Instead of getting even stronger, however, he turns back to Banner for the first time in ages — but the transformation comes with a twist. Where this version of Hulk is smart, this Banner is angry and feral, but still just as weak as you'd expect him to be.
As it happens, the Pantheon-era merged Hulk is also known as Professor Hulk, the same version Mark Ruffalo currently portrays in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Professor Hulk's full MCU story has remained more or less untold since he transformed offscreen in the years between "Avengers: Infinity War" and "Avengers: Endgame." However, if this version is truly taking its cues from the comics, he might have a similar safeguard built in to deal with any potential excess fury. Let's see why this is and what it might mean for the MCU's future.
The worst possible people created the MCU's Professor Hulk
Bruce Banner creates the MCU version of the intelligent Professor Hulk in Mexico, with funding and assistance from Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.). This doesn't seem like a bad thing considering the Science Bros' combined massive intellect. That is, until you remember that the dynamic duo has an abysmal track record when it comes to superhero experiments. Banner and Stark's most notable scientific team-up before Professor Hulk is an artificial intelligence that becomes Marvel's Avengers villain Ultron (James Spader) and nearly destroys the world in "Avengers: Age of Ultron."
Imagine the pair tinkering away in Mexico with full knowledge of their Ultron failure while also coping with the mental anguish from Thanos' victory in "Avengers: Infinity War," and ... well, let's face it, there's no way they wouldn't include some fail-safes in case of a Hulk overload. A comics-style forced transformation to Banner when Hulk becomes too angry would be extremely on-brand, as would the unintended side effect of introducing a savage version of the meek scientist. A berserker Mark Ruffalo attempting to attack an enemy while in full Hulk rage mode sounds like a very MCU-style gag.
There's also a legitimate storytelling reason for introducing a new weakness in the MCU Hulk. Traditionally, his only Achilles heel has been his own emotions. With the Professor Hulk mode combining the best of Banner and Hulk, he has no real reason to get angry or scared anymore. After all, he's a super-smart scientist with a body strong enough to use the Infinity Gauntlet and survive. But superhero stories abhor perfection, and since Hulk likely hasn't made his last appearance in the MCU, the franchise will need a way to nerf the guy before long.
The MCU Hulk is all set up to become terrifying
There's also a far more sinister reason the MCU Hulk may need to develop a weakness sooner rather than later. The movies and TV shows appear to have been stealthily building toward a darker version of the character for a while, and without a kill switch like the Banner transformation from the comics, there are few characters a villainous Hulk wouldn't be able to tear through with ease.
"She-Hulk: Attorney at Law" sends Hulk back into space and introduces his son, Skaar (Wil Deusner). This seems to point toward a future adaptation of the "World War Hulk" arc, where Hulk and his allies from Sakaar — last seen in "Thor: Ragnarok" — attack Earth. Marvel fans have been hoping for a "World War Hulk" movie after the "She-Hulk" finale, but even if the MCU decides against taking that direction, Hulk still seems to be heading down a grim path.
The absolute worst-case scenario for the MCU Hulk would be an adaptation of Peter David and George Pérez's "Future Imperfect" storyline, which introduces an older, evil alternate-timeline Professor Hulk called the Maestro. The bearded, formidable incarnation is the exact worst thing Hulk could become — a merciless dictator who uses violence and fear to rule. As an even stronger version of Professor Hulk, he seems like a likely MCU villain candidate at some point down the line. As such, it's high time to introduce a disadvantage that would give weaker characters — meaning, just about everyone — a chance to survive an encounter with him. Peculiar as it may seem, the Banner transformation from the "Fall of the Pantheon" arc could be just the ticket to force the Maestro to rely on his wits as well as his fists.