A Big MCU Phase 4 Villain Twist Proves How Badly Marvel Failed Hulk

Phase 4 delivered a better Smart Hulk story with an unexpected MCU villain than it did with Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk himself. After only a few appearances since the beginning of Hulk’s MCU story, the traditional Savage Hulk merged with Bruce Banner to become the calm and intelligent Smart Hulk — a combination of both personas with Hulk’s strength but Bruce Banner’s consciousness. Smart Hulk’s introduction in Avengers: Endgame came as a surprise after Hulk’s defeat at the hands of Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War, as it seemed like the monster gave up and let Bruce Banner take the reins full-time.