MCU’s Hulk character debuted in the 2008 film The Incredible Hulk, brought to life by Edward Norton. Norton was later replaced by Mark Ruffalo as the character in The Avengers. The Hulk played a role in all the Avengers team-up movies in the Infinity Saga. However, many criticized Marvel for not fleshing out the Hulk’s storyline properly. A particular deleted scene from Avengers: Infinity War supports the critics’ point that Marvel did the Hulk dirty.
When Infinity War was released, fans were disappointed at how little they saw of the big guy in the film, despite posters featuring him prominently. Fans mostly got to see Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner and then his Hulkbuster avatar. However, a deleted scene now reveals that the Hulk was originally planned to emerge at the climax of the film.
Mark Ruffalo’s Smart Hulk Was Supposed To Feature In Avengers: Infinity War Climax
In the initial moments of Avengers: Infinity War, Mark Ruffalo‘s Hulk is thrown off the Asgardian ship by Thanos. The Hulk transforms back into Bruce Banner, who continues in the human form throughout the rest of the movie. Fans only witness the Hulk again as Smart Hulk in the next film, Avengers: Endgame. They were not particularly happy about this Hulk situation. However, the high-stakes storyline of the two movies overshadowed any immediate complaints.
However, deleted scenes from Infinity War, included in the Infinity Saga box set, reveal that the Hulk was originally set to appear in the final scenes of the movie. Most importantly, both Hulk and Bruce Banner have a proper conversation and reach an agreement for the first time in the MCU in this scene. The Hulk then fights and kills the Cull Obsidian, and later reveals his smart self to Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow.
A deleted scene where Banner and Hulk come to an understanding while fighting Cull Obsidian and Smart Hulk emerges.
𝙰𝚅𝙴𝙽𝙶𝙴𝚁𝚂 – 𝙸𝙽𝙵𝙸𝙽𝙸𝚃𝚈 𝚆𝙰𝚁 (𝟸𝟘𝟷𝟾) pic.twitter.com/CYvDDsa0fa
— All Marvel, All the Time (@historyofthemcu) December 16, 2023
Fans on X were pretty disappointed that they didn’t get to see one of the most crucial Hulk moments in the MCU. One fan found it hard to believe that they cut the only conversation between Hulk and Banner. Another commented that this scene would have made Smart Hulk look cool rather than silly in Endgame. Fans also criticized Marvel’s failure to explore the Hulk’s split personalities or, worse, provide him with a solo movie. Some fan reactions read:
Still UNBELIEVABLE this was cut and unfinished. Heck, unbelievable that this is the only conversation Hulk and Banner have EVER had in the MCU thus far. https://t.co/YRoKHZXwmW
— Gunner Dobbins (2nd Invincible Era) (@GunnerDobbins) December 16, 2023
This woulda made smart hulk infinitely better, and make the reveal kinda cool instead of just silly. Also does Mark Ruffalo do the Hulk voice all by himself??? I always assumed there was some editing going on there some reason
— Quinn L-N (@QuinnLN2) December 16, 2023
I can’t lie. I wish Marvel did more with the Hulk’s split personalities.
— Khalid Brooks (Miles Morales of Earth-1218) (@KhalidBrooks1) December 16, 2023
I feel for Hulk fans deeply. It’s been 15 years since the last Hulk movie and they’ve basically been getting crumbs ever since 😭
— Oz The Mediocre (@OzTheMid) December 16, 2023
This, uh, really needed to be in the movie.
— Whiskey Dingo (@DubiousScroll) December 16, 2023
The only one who ever did something worthwhile with the Hulk in the MCU was Joss Whedon.
— Christoph N. Kellerbach (@CNKellerbach) December 16, 2023
The writers of Infinity War defended the decision to remove the scene from the movie, sharing that Hulk’s victory came at the wrong time, given the massive loss suffered by the Avengers. However, many still believe that the scene could have been placed in the movie without undermining the climactic tragedy.
Why Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk Never Got A Solo Film?
While many fans still attribute the lack of additional Hulk movies to the low box office performances of both Ang Lee’s Hulk and Marvel’s The Incredible Hulk, it turns out that this is only partly true. Indeed, the Hulk did not draw audiences as strongly as other Marvel characters, but Ruffalo’s portrayal in The Avengers received positive reviews, and fans wanted to see him shine in a solo film.
However, Universal Studios held the rights to the character before Marvel. When The Incredible Hulk was made, Universal struck a deal with Marvel to distribute the movie. Universal also retained the right of first refusal to distribute any future solo Hulk movies. Initially, this arrangement seemed sensible as Marvel was an independent studio. However, when Disney took over Marvel, they gained the capability to distribute the movies themselves.
Under the earlier agreement, Universal had the authority to decide whether they wanted to distribute the Hulk films or pass the rights to Disney. Since both entities were competitors, neither was willing to help the other in making profits. The only way Marvel could work around this issue was to make the Hulk a supporting character.
Avengers: Infinity War and other MCU movies are now available for streaming on Disney+.
