Warning: This article contains spoilers for Captain America: Brave New World.
Marvel still doesn’t know how to handle one of the most importantMCUsuperheroes 17 years after their debut, and their snub fromCaptain America: Brave New Worldproves that.Captain America: Brave New Worldmarked Anthony Mackie’s theatrical debut asSam Wilson’s Captain America, and his first feature film adventure as the Star-Spangled-Man was made stronger by other returning MCU stars. Unfortunately, however, not everyone who perhaps should have appeared inBrave New Worlddid, which raises new questions about one MCU hero’s uncertain future.
Despite receiving a mixed response,Captain America: Brave New Worlddelivered a thrilling adventure for Sam Wilson, and fit into the overarching story of the MCU’s Multiverse Saga well. The inclusions of Thaddeus Ross, Samuel Sterns, Joaquín Torres, Betty Ross and Bucky Barnes inCaptain America: Brave New World’scasthelped to cement the Phase 5 movie as an important part of the MCU’s history, but Marvel could have taken this one step further. It’s a shame one central MCU character was omitted fromBrave New World, but this is indicative of a bigger problem for Marvel.
Bruce Banner Didn’t Appear In Captain America: Brave New World, Despite Its Hulk Connections
Captain America: Brave New World Is The Perfect Sequel To 2008’s The Incredible Hulk
With villains such as Tim Blake Nelson’s Samuel Sterns andHarrison Ford’s President Thaddeus Rossat the center of the action,Captain America: Brave New Worlddid a fantastic job at resolving major loose ends from 2008’sThe Incredible Hulk. The Phase 1 movie introduced Bruce Banner to the MCU, then played by Edward Norton, with Sterns helping him find a cure for the Hulk, and Ross hunting him with the full force of the United States military. The return of these MCU characters inBrave New Worldmade many think Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk would also be appearing.
Bruce Banner hasn’t been seen in the MCU since 2022’sShe-Hulk: Attorney at Law, which ended with him introducing his son, Skaar, to his family. The emergence of a new Hulk, Thaddeus Ross' Red Hulk, andSamuel Sterns' Leadermaking himself known inCaptain America: Brave New Worldsurely would have caught Banner’s attention.Brave New Worldwould have been the perfect opportunity to bring the Hulk back to the MCU after over two years, especially since he could even have reunited with his lost love, Liv Tyler’s Betty Ross, but Marvel completely missed the trick.
What If…? Season 3 Made Us Want To See Bruce Banner & Sam Wilson Together In Live-Action
Captain America & The Hulk Formed A Bond In What If…? Season 3
Some could argue that it makes sense that Bruce Banner was left out ofCaptain America: Brave New Worldas he has little connection to Sam Wilson’s story in the MCU. Putting asideBrave New World’sovertThe Incredible Hulkconnections, Marvel Studios has actually already teased astrong friendship between Sam Wilson and Bruce Bannerthat would have been great to explore further in the Phase 5 movie.2024’sWhat If…?season 3, episode 1, “What If… the Hulk Fought the Mech Avengers?,” established a connection between the two powerful heroesthat could have been developed in live-action.
The MCU Just Made Hulk’s Return In 2025 Far More Urgent Despite Marvel Ignoring The Best Opportunity
Marvel Studios may be ignoring the best opportunity to bring Bruce Banner’s Hulk back to the MCU, especially after the events of What If…? season 3.
DuringWhat If…?season 3’s premiere, Sam Wilson and Bruce Banner formed such a bond that it was the former being in danger that spurred the latter to try and cure himself by exposing himself to more gamma radiation. This ultimately caused the Gamma War that raged for years after, but Sam Wilson and Bruce Banner’s friendship persisted, even when Banner became the monstrous Mega-Hulk.Captain America: Brave New Worldcould have easily established Wilson and Banner as being friends in the live-action MCU, too, but the Hulk’s absence made this impossible.
Hulk’s Inclusion Could Have Made 1 Brave New World Storyline Even Stronger
Sam Wilson Almost Reformed The Avengers In Captain America: Brave New World
During the first moment that Sam Wilson and President Ross share on-screen inCaptain America: Brave New World,Ross questions whether Sam Wilson would be up for rebuilding the Avengers as a superhero team working under the guidance of the United States government. The Avengers team has been inactive since the Battle of Earth inAvengers: Endgame, but is set toreform ahead of 2026’sAvengers: Doomsday. Sam Wilson’s Captain America seems to have been set up to rebuild and lead the new superhero team, and there’s little doubt Bruce Banner’s Hulk will be a member.
Sam Wilson’s new Avengers team has been speculated to include the Hulk, She-Hulk, the Black Panther, Ant-Man, Captain Marvel, Shang-Chi and more. Marvel Studios hasn’t yet confirmed the Avengers team’s new line-up, however.
Bruce Banner became one of the six original Avengers back in 2012, and has since been featured in every iteration of the group, except during the team’s Civil War in 2016.Captain America: Brave New Worldwas heavily theorized to be introducing the new Avengers team, but this plot thread instead went pretty much nowhere, aside from Joaquín Torres' Falcon being teased as the team’s first official recruit. Bruce Banner’s involvement inCaptain America: Brave New Worldcould have elevated this storyline, and would have made clear steps toward introducing theAvengers' new line-up in the MCU.
Marvel Keeps Missing Perfect Opportunities To Include Bruce Banner’s Hulk
Marvel Should Make More Effort To Include The Hulk In The MCU
Since Universal Pictures still owns the distribution rights to the character of the Hulk,Marvel Studios is unable to produce any further solo projects featuring Mark Ruffalo’s gamma-empowered hero. However, Marvel is able to use the Hulk in team-up and crossover projects, as well as those focused on other individual heroes, allowing him to appear in theAvengersmovies,Thor: Ragnarokand more.Captain America: Brave New World’sconnections toBruce Banner’s MCU timelineand his related characters meant this was the perfect place for the Hulk to return, so it’s shocking he didn’t.
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If anything, Marvel should be making a more determined effort to include Bruce Banner in a wider variety of MCU projects, since he isn’t able to embark on his own solo adventures like many other heroes.This is now the longest we’ve gone without an appearance from Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk since the actor made his MCU debut in 2012’sThe Avengers. While he’s expected to return as a member of the new Avengers team in 2026, Marvel Studios really missed a fantastic opportunity to make Bruce Banner more central to the MCU inCaptain America: Brave New World.
