The Russos confirm Rage Hulk is gone, and that Smart Hulk is the new status quo. If you have ever read any of my articles on the Hulk, you already know my opinion on this story. I’m less than happy about it, to put it mildly.
The Russos have been on social media answering questions from fans about their Marvel movies. One fan asked the directors whether Rage Hulk was gone, or whether he still lives inside Smart Hulk. This was the Russos reply.
https://twitter.com/Russo_Brothers/status/1254924745717383168
Frankly, this decision from Marvel, if it is genuine, is astoundingly bad for me. It kinda sounds like the Russos are saying that Hulk can now only be the Smart Hulk version we saw in Endgame? I genuinely hope they are being coy, or making sure they only reference the current iteration of the character. Why? Because one movie with Smart Hulk was quite enough for this fan.
RELATED: Smart Hulk: Original Introduction In Avengers: Infinity War Didn’t Work
The Russos and their writing partners Markus and McFeely, have clearly struggled with Hulk as a character. I get that, he didn’t work in the movies they wanted to make and the Smart Hulk idea really worked for Endgame. That’s a choice each filmmaker has in their own story, I guess. I’m a big fan of the Hulk character. There are only three MCU movies where I felt they got Hulk right for me. Avengers, Avengers: Age of Ultron, and Thor: Ragnarok.
Each of these movies I listed shows some evolution in the Hulk character, but retains the Bruce/Hulk dynamic. For me, Smart Hulk was a sensible way to take the character in Endgame because of what he had to do. However, I think as time goes by, I notice more and more that they simply couldn’t get Hulk to work in Infinity War.
Markus and McFeely, the writers of Infinity War and Endgame recently discussed Hulk in Infinity War. The pair confirmed that Hulk was originally supposed to turn into Smart Hulk during the climax of Infinity War. However, it seems Marvel just couldn’t get the idea to work. Hulk’s transformation was therefore pushed into the 5-Year gap within Endgame. I think we as fans missed out on having normal rage Hulk appear towards the end of Infinity War. Given what Banner already does in Infinity War, it’s not like it would have taken a huge rewrite, to get him to Hulk out. The Russos could easily have allowed Thanos to change Hulk back to Banner using the gauntlet. Almost using the exact same shot where Banner is in the suit and Thanos sends him into a wall.
RELATED – Want A Standalone Hulk Movie? So Does Mark Ruffalo — But Is It Possible?
Ultimately, I feel I’m not dying alone on this hill looking at the replies to that Tweet from the Russos. I love the internal conflict in Banner and the idea that these are two separate individuals. So here is a plea to Marvel Studios. Please, Marvel. This might be the current Hulk situation, but change it up. There are many ways to reverse this process and have Hulk remain in the MCU for quite some time yet. I’ve even given a few ideas for reversing Hulk myself in my What This Fan Wants From… column. Feel free to check those out, HERE!
So, the Russos confirm Rage Hulk is gone, but this fan says bring him back. Marvel, Hulk is too good a character to lose, listen to the fans.
What do you think of this, do you agree with me, or is Rage Hulk no more a good thing? Leave your thoughts below as always.
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SOURCE: The Russos (via Twitter)
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