MCU: Every Hulk Appearance Ranked Worst To Best
Give it up for everyone's favorite jolly green rage monster.
Bruce Banner and the Hulk have been mainstays of the Marvel Cinematic Universe from the very beginning, their introductory film released just over a month after Iron Man invited us into this world back in 2008. Though that film - titled, of course, The Incredible Hulk - didn't prove to be as popular as Iron Man, the characters themselves have gone on to become beloved parts of the universe thanks to subsequent appearances in the Avengers films and beyond.
Obviously, the franchise lost original actor Edward Norton along the way due to drama behind the scenes, but his replacement, Mark Ruffalo, who made his own debut in The Avengers, quickly proved to be a solid replacement.
And even the Hulk has evolved from nothing more than a pure, rage-filled monster to a character with depth all his own, both characters having grown through the years individually and in terms of their own troubled relationship with one another.
With the MCU's first era set to draw to a close next year with Avengers 4, now is the perfect time to reflect upon the first decade of the franchise.
We've already taken a look at the time we've spent with both Captain America and Thor, so now let's shift the conversation towards Dr. Banner and his angry green counterpart, stacking up each of their appearances to date to break down what they meant for the characters, their arc, and their overall place in the franchise in order to spotlight which film served them best.
6. Iron Man 3
Just like Tony Stark made a surprise appearance in The Incredible Hulk, Bruce Banner returned the favor to his friend by popping up in the post-credits of Iron Man 3, the film revealing that he was who Tony Stark's narration throughout the story we'd just seen was directed at, though Bruce himself wasn't all that engaged.
It's an incredibly brief appearance, one used for comedic purposes more than anything, but it did serve to highlight how Bruce and Tony had become friends following the events of The Avengers. The fact that Tony, of all people, would be opening up like he did to Bruce said a lot about Tony's trust in his new friend, and set up their dynamic for Avengers: Age of Ultron.
Even further, it highlighted the two actors' chemistry with one another, while also giving Ruffalo the chance to make an appearance - however small it was - outside of Avengers films since a Hulk sequel was off the table, an ultimately welcome cameo that further endeared him to audiences.