Despite being widely perceived as underused, Bruce Banner and the starring in The Incredible Hulk in 2008. Since then, Hulk has only starred in Avengers movies and played a secondary role to others, like Thor and his cousin, Jennifer Walters.
He was last seen with the latter in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, appearing as Smart Hulk and bringing his son, Skaar, into the MCU. Mark Ruffalo was not included in the Avengers: Doomsday cast announcement's first wave, but is nonetheless expected to reprise his role in that movie and Avengers: Secret Wars. While there is a huge opportunity for either film to deliver the saddest Hulk moment ever, these are the saddest Hulk moments in the MCU so far.
10 Smart Hulk Sees Hulk Rampaging During The Time Heist
Smart Hulk Is Embarassed By His Past Self
Bruce Banner merges his mind with Hulk's body in the five years between the Snap and the Blip. This was one of the most significant developments in Hulk's MCU arc, dispelling what Bruce Banner believes to be a curse for good as the destructive Savage Hulk persona is finally subdued for good. While audience reactions to Smart Hulk's permanence have been mixed, Bruce Banner saw the transformation as incredibly beneficial.
This epiphany is laid bare when Smart Hulk embarks on the Time Heist with his fellow Avengers. When traveling back in time to the Battle of New York, Smart Hulk witnesses the Savage Hulk in action, watching his previous destructive behavior with much regret. The moment is a reminder of how far Bruce Banner has come, cementing him as one of the MCU's most tragic figures.
9 Hulk Is Humbled By Thanos
Thanos Ostensibly Removes Hulk From The MCU With One Fight
Before Bruce Banner wrestled control of Hulk's body, his Savage Hulk persona was last seen in Avengers: Infinity War. This appearance was as brief as it was illuminating, proving Thanos to be more than a match for one of the strongest Avengers as he almost effortlessly made quick work of the Jade Giant in hand-to-hand combat aboard the Statesman. The moment was one of many in the MCU that used Hulk's defeat as a way of showcasing the power of another character.
The consequences of Hulk's defeat on this occasion were particularly stark. The confidence shown by Loki as he announced the Hulk's presence was shown to be woefully misplaced, and Hulk seemingly found the defeat to be so humiliating that he refused to emerge from that point onward. While his defeat was saddening enough, the fact that this spelled the end of Savage Hulk's MCU tenure was one of the MCU's most tragic developments.
8 Hulk Shares A Tender Moment With Betty Ross
Hulk Calms When Around Betty In A Cave
The Incredible Hulk is Hulk's first and (currently) only solo movie, and centers on Bruce Banner's struggle with his ruinous alter-ego. Bruce struggles to keep the Hulk contained throughout the majority of the movie, monitoring his heart rate to ensure it doesn't rise too high to trigger a transformation. He is ultimately provoked into a transformation as Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross attempts to capture him, causing Hulk to engage in a rampage.
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Hulk then takes Bruce Banner's love, Betty Ross, to a safe haven away from the violence. Despite Hulk's arrival being synonymous with rage, Hulk is humanized in the moment he shares with Betty Ross, who seems to have a special connection with him as she does with his alter ego. It becomes one of the most tender moments that the Hulk was a part of, which is later reflected in his interactions with Natasha Romanoff.
7 Hulk's Hex-Induced Rampage In Johannesburg
Hulk's Mind Is Warped As He Endangers Civilians
Avengers: Age of Ultron introduced the titular villain alongside Wanda and Pietro Maximoff, who were initially allied against the Avengers. One of their first encounters saw Wanda manipulate the minds of the Avengers, provoking Bruce Banner's transformation into the Hulk. Hulk then proceeds to embark on a rage-fueled rampage in Johannesburg, endangering its citizens, before Iron Man proceeds to deploy his Hulkbuster suit of armor to subdue him.
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The moment is tragic insofar as it proves the danger Hulk poses to the world, despite ostensibly being a superhero. It also forces a fellow Avenger to turn on his teammate. The consequences are also disheartening, as Bruce is forced to face the fallout, with his pain apparent in the subsequent interaction with Wanda Maximoff.
6 Hulk Listens To Natasha's Recording On Sakaar
Hulk Is Reminded Of What He Left Behind
Upon recognizing that he is too dangerous for humanity, Hulk exiles himself from Earth and inadvertently makes his way to Sakaar, leaving behind his friends, teammates, and a budding romance with Natasha Romanoff. Hulk remains in control for two years while on Sakaar, making a name for himself in the Grandmaster's Contest of Champions. Eventually, Thor arrives on the same planet and lures Hulk back to his crashed Quinjet.
The scene shows how much Hulk still cares for his teammates in a moment evocative of his tender moment with Betty Ross.
While in the Quinjet, Hulk inadvertently witnesses the last message that Natasha had transmitted to him in an attempt to get him to return to Earth and disable the Quinjet's stealth mode. Upon recognizing Nat's face, Hulk is visibly filled with emotion, prompting him to withdraw and relinquish control to Bruce Banner. The scene shows how much Hulk still cares for his teammates in a moment evocative of his tender moment with Betty Ross.
5 Bruce Realizes His Struggle Was Unique
Jennifer Walters Does Not Struggle With An Alter-Ego
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law was the last time that Bruce Banner was seen in the MCU. After accidentally causing his cousin, Jennifer Walters, to transform into a Hulk, Bruce immediately gets to work attempting to train her. He is immediately stunned, however, to discover that Jen's transformation does not give way to an alter-ego like Bruce's transformation into the Savage Hulk.
There is a palpable sense of regret when Bruce discovers that his struggles were entirely unique, despite Jen Walters being transformed by his blood. Bruce is possibly ing the damage he caused as the Hulk, such as his rampage in Johannesburg, and wondering why he could not have been afforded the same privilege.
4 Smart Hulk Reacts To Natasha's Death
Bruce Banner Takes The News More Harshly Than Most
Although Avengers: Age of Ultron established a romance between Bruce Banner and Natasha Romanoff, this romance isn't explored much further in subsequent MCU installments. Nevertheless, it is still addressed in Avengers: Endgame as Bruce seems to take Natasha's death worse than the remainder of his teammates, save for Clint Barton. As the Avengers realize Natasha isn't returning, Smart Hulk is overcome with emotion, launching furniture into the nearby lake.
It stands to reason that Bruce Banner would take Natasha's death particularly hard. Not only did the two share a romance at one point, but Natasha was the only one able to talk Hulk down with her "sun's getting real low" speech. Although Bruce Banner no longer needed Nat's special ability while being Smart Hulk, this history alone is enough for Nat to be particularly special to Bruce, making his response to her death particularly heartbreaking.
3 Hulk Leaves Betty For Good
Hulk Would Never Reunite With Betty
There was a touching amount of chemistry between Bruce Banner and Betty Ross in The Incredible Hulk. Like Natasha, Betty held a special place in Hulk's heart, too. Nevertheless, Bruce later realizes that being around Betty endangers her while he is still susceptible to becoming the Hulk and drawing the attention of enemies like Abomination.
This forces Bruce to make the agonizing decision to leave Betty alone for good. After subduing Abomination on the streets of Harlem, Hulk looks at Betty one last time before leaving. His departure is made all the more tragic in retrospect by the fact that he would never reunite with Betty Ross, even after she recently reappeared in Captain America: Brave New World.
2 Bruce Banner Recounts An Attempted Suicide
Bruce Once Attempted To End It All
When Mark Ruffalo debuted as Bruce Banner in The Avengers, he continued the characterization founded by Edward Norton. At this point, Bruce Banner appears to be mostly in control of his transformations, as was established at the end of The Incredible Hulk and later demonstrated in the Battle of New York. In the space of the same movie, however, Hulk is forced to emerge and imperil everyone aboard the Helicarrier, proving that he is still a danger to all those around him.
Bruce Banner appears to be referencing a deleted scene from The Incredible Hulk.
Prior to this, while lamenting what he considers to be a curse, Bruce Banner recounts a tragic tale where he attempted to end it all. Telling the Avengers that he attempted to "put a bullet in [his] mouth" before the "other guy spit it out." The shocking ission shows just how tortured Bruce Banner is by his condition, revealing that the "other guy" won't even allow him to die if he wanted to.
1 Hulk Sends Himself Away
Hulk Makes A Poignantly Rational Decision
Avengers: Age of Ultron builds on Bruce Banner's regret over his condition, proving himself correct as Wanda causes him to go on a destructive rampage. Although Bruce Banner sticks around to help in the final fight against Ultron in Sokovia, Hulk later resolves that he is too much of a threat. After fighting Ultron, Hulk boards the Quinjet, engages stealth mode, and flies it off-world.
In Marvel Comics, Hulk is banished from Earth by Tony Stark and other of the Illuminati.
Hulk's self-exile is tragic enough, ostensibly retiring him from the Avengers after several years fighting alongside them. It is also sad to see the Hulk making this realization himself, a sentiment that is typically reserved for his more level-headed alter-ego. Thankfully, this wasn't the last time the Hulk would appear, though it remains one of his most touching and rational decisions while transformed.
- Created By
- Jack Kirby
- First Appearance
- The Incredible Hulk (1962)
- Alias
- Robert Bruce Banner
- Alliance
- Avengers, Defenders, Horsemen of Apocalypse, Fantastic Four, Pantheon, Warbound, S.M.A.S.H., Secret Avengers
- Franchise
- Marvel
