With Quantumania beset by trouble both onscreen and off, one of the MCU’s legacy superheroes may be set up to put the franchise back on track.
A few short months ago, the Marvel Cinematic Universe was riding high. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was a huge critical and commercial hit. The film eventually garnered an Oscar nomination for star Angela Bassett and Disney+ delivered a big pair of winners with Werewolf by Night and The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. Things have quickly taken a turn. The franchise’s Phase Five opened to the by-the-numbers Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which failed to generate much excitement after the extended build-up of Phase Four. On the heels of that came disturbing news of star Jonathan Majors’ arrest for a variety of domestic violence charges.
With Majors’ Kang the Conqueror serving as a linchpin for the MCU’s future, the entire franchise finds itself scuffling for traction. The success or failure of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will have an impact, but that won’t address the saga’s more long-term problems. With most of the original Avengers gone, the MCU lacks a central hero to bind the various storylines the way Tony Stark and Steve Rogers did during the saga’s first three phases. Marvel seems well aware of the problem and looks to be stepping up with the biggest legacy character still in the game. Bruce Banner’s Incredible Hulk has the potential to help The MCU through the choppy waters it finds itself in.
The Incredible Hulk Is One of the Few Original Avengers Left
One of the ongoing creative challenges faced by the MCU is the sudden dearth of legacy characters. Avengers: Endgame culminated in the loss of three major figures — Stark, Rogers, and Natasha Romanoff — and a considerable vacuum to fill. Of the remaining three, both Thor and Clint Barton look to be at the end of their creative arcs, with Hawkeye actively coveting retirement during his Disney+ miniseries and Thor: Love and Thunder feeling very much like the Asgardian’s swan song.
That leaves Bruce Banner, who not only left a footprint during Phase Four but successfully branched out the “Hulk brand” with She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. That series ended its first season with the introduction of Banner’s son Skaar and comes on top of expanded roles for a number of The Hulk’s supporting cast, including The Abomination in She-Hulk and Thunderbolt Ross in a bevy of upcoming projects. Indeed, Thunderbolt Ross is sufficiently important to recast the character following the death of William Hurt.
With Harrison Ford stepping into the part, one of The Hulk’s most tenacious adversaries looks to play a huge role in the franchise going forward. At least three Hulk-based characters are slated to appear, with Liv Tyler’s Betty Ross and Tim Blake Nelson’s Leader joining Ford in the production. Between those projects and potential future appearances from Jennifer Walters and Skaar, Phase Five looks to lean heavily on The Hulk’s side of Marvel. It remains largely unexplored in comparison to other figures like Iron Man, which means there could be strong material for Phase Five to develop.
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The Incredible Hulk Has a Deep History to Draw On
With the exception of Spider-Man, no character has been as central to Marvel year in and year out as The Hulk. Among other things, that standing provides a staggeringly rich history for the MCU to draw upon. To a certain extent, it’s already happened, as Banner has slowly taken control of his giant green alter ego. By Avengers: Endgame, he had fully integrated his personality and intellect into The Hulk’s body — a common trope from the comics — while opening the door to further changes and developments as well. That includes everything from The Red Hulk to Mr. Fixit, and with other characters in his pantheon now deployed, any or all of those storylines could give Phase Five a much-needed boost.
The MCU is a long way from done, of course, and it’s overcome similar challenging moments in the past. If its upcoming projects do well, Quantumania’s issues will look like a hiccup rather than a trend. But it’s hard to deny the need to address the franchise’s problems as it careens forward into suddenly murky waters. The Incredible Hulk may be their best option to get through it, and considering his suddenly high profile, the franchise looks to be all in.
