2008’s Incredible Hulk Is A Better MCU Movie Than You Remember

2008’s The Incredible Hulk is easily one of the most overlooked entries in the MCU. Sandwiched between the breakout success of 2008’s Iron Man and its sequel in 2010, the second MCU film starring Edward Norton is often dismissed as an awkward early experiment. Regardless, I believe there are genuine things to love considering Hulk’s full MCU legacy.

Following this week’s Super Rant Rewatch, I’m confident in the claim that 2008’s The Incredible Hulk is far better than its reputation suggests. Sure, it’s moodier and has a darker tone compared to later MCU entries. However, The Incredible Hulk still feels like a bold swing that deserves far more credit than it typically receives.

2008’s The Incredible Hulk Was A Bold Second Chapter For The MCU

Edward Norton's Hulk roars in 2008's The Incredible Hulk — Edward Norton’s Hulk roars in 2008’s The Incredible Hulk

As the MCU’s second film released the same year as Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk had the job of proving that the prior 2008 movie wasn’t a fluke, and that Marvel Studios was indeed building toward a shared universe, one that would soon see the assembly of live-action Avengers for the first time.

When viewed as a singular movie, the film plays like a modern fugitive thriller, differentiating itself from Iron Man and many of the MCU movies that would come after it. At the same time, The Incredible Hulk also reinforces the promises made by Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury of a “bigger universe” in Iron Man’s post-credits scene.

SHIELD does indeed have a background presence in the movie as General Ross uses various intelligence networks to track down Bruce Banner, while also injecting Emil Blonsky with attempted recreations of the Super Soldier Serum used to enhance Steve Rogers as Captain America, eventually turning Blonsky into the Abomination.

Additionally, Ross (originally played by the late William Hurt), is a very entertaining antagonist, obsessed with controlling and militarizing the highly dangerous gamma-derived power within Banner, which he fails to fully understand. That core flaw is something we see Ross hold onto throughout the MCU (even as recently as last year).

tony stark cameo in the incredible hulk (2008)

Most importantly, the movie’s final scene, featuring Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark meeting with General Ross, doubled down on the idea that the Avengers Initiative was real and would soon be coming to the big screen. By the time credits roll, it genuinely feels like the shared universe concept is accelerating and off to the races.

The Incredible Hulk truly has one of the most peak MCU movie endings, one I remember had me so hyped when I first saw it 18 years ago, especially with the tease that Banner was learning to control his meaner and greener half.

Edward Norton Was The Perfect Fugitive Seeking To Cure His “Curse”

Edward Norton as Bruce Banner in The Incredible Hulk examining a vial

Overall, I’m pretty sure I rank The Incredible Hulk higher than most, usually around a six or a seven, and a big reason for that comes down to the film’s tone and Edward Norton’s performance.

While it’s by no means perfect, I do think The Incredible Hulk captures the spirit of the original Hulk comics pretty well, a cerebral modern-day Jekyll and Hyde story set within a greater world of superpowers.

One of the strongest things about The Incredible Hulk is that we basically meet Bruce Banner already on the run from Ross and the US Army, hiding out in Brazil, and desperately seeking to cure what he fully views as a curse.

Remarkably, the opening credits montage covers Banner’s Hulk origin and the gamma experiment in minutes, a genius choice given the wider familiarity of the character, while also allowing the movie to dive into the current high stakes and action that much quicker.

Edward Norton Eyes Green In The Incredible Hulk

Norton himself plays Banner as exhausted, intelligent, and genuinely afraid of himself and what the dangerous power within him might do if it’s unleashed and/or replicated. As such, it makes those transformations into The Hulk something to be genuinely feared and in awe of (despite not every CGI shot being perfect).

When it comes to debuting the MCU’s Bruce Banner as a struggling scientist fugitive seeking to rid himself of his condition before ultimately embracing the power, Norton nailed this more serious depiction, considering the movie’s overall tone.

Hulk pursues Black Widow on the helicarrier in the avengers 2012

As much as I really do appreciate Norton’s take, I’ll also admit I like it…to a point. When we start thinking about the Hulk’s future in the MCU after his debut movie and becoming an Avenger, I do believe Mark Ruffalo stepping into the role a few years later in 2012’s The Avengers was the right call for the franchise.

Note: Bruce Banner’s Hulk was recast with Ruffalo for 2012’s The Avengers, following various creative differences between Edward Norton and Marvel Studios.

Overall, Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner brings a far more collaborative energy and chemistry that meshes perfectly with the ensemble of heroes we see in the rest of the MCU, chemistry I struggle to imagine Norton having, had he remained as the MCU’s Banner (at least not on the same level).

Regardless, it’s no secret that the Hulk’s full MCU journey has been undeniably strange. Rights issues have long prevented a direct Hulk solo sequel, explaining why we’ve only seen Banner in the Avengers movies or paired with other heroes like Thor, She-Hulk, and soon with Spider-Man.

Likewise, the character’s evolution into Smart Hulk with Banner and his greener half merging in Avengers: Endgame has proven quite divisive since 2019. Last year’s 2025’s Captain America: Brave New World was also a struggle for some Hulk fans, as it very much functioned as a quasi-Hulk sequel 17 years later…without Banner starring in the movie at all.

Mark Ruffalo's Hulk in Thor: Ragnarok (2017) next to Red Hulk roaring in Captain America: Brave New World (2025) — Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk in Thor: Ragnarok (2017) next to Red Hulk roaring in Captain America: Brave New World (2025)

This was despite Brave New World featuring returns of Betty Ross, Samuel Sterns’ The Leader, and Thaddeus Ross, now the MCU’s US President, and finally Red Hulk (played by Harrison Ford who took over from the late William Hurt). Even so, 2008’s The Incredible Hulk remains a strong launch point for the character overall, as the MCU’s Hulk debuted as the true force of nature he’s long been on the page.

With recent reports suggesting that the Hulk will soon revert to his more classic Savage Hulk depiction over Smart Hulk in July’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day, it should be exciting to see the character returning to his original raw intensity, especially with the next two Avengers films on the way.

Let us know your thoughts about The Incredible Hulk (2008) in the comments, and be on the lookout next week for our Super Rant Rewatch of Iron Man 2 (2010)! You can also check out our Super Rant: Doomsday Preppers podcast on Spotify and YouTube.