The MCU Just Paid Off Hulk’s MCU Catch-Phrase For The First Time In 11 Years

Warning! This article contains spoilers for What If…? season 2, episode 3, “What If… Happy Hogan Saved Christmas?”

The MCU has finally delivered on Hulk‘s MCU catchphrase for the first time since The Avengers, but it was in a much different way than viewers might have expected. The Hulk’s famous catchphrase from the comics and in the MCU is “Hulk Smash!.” However, besides The Avengers, Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk hasn’t done too much smashing, even in films where he’s in full Hulk mode, such as Avengers: Age of Ultron and Thor: Ragnarok. Since Bruce Banner blended his two personalities into Professor Hulk, there hasn’t been any destruction from the green rage monster.

One of the main criticisms of the current iteration of the Hulk is that he’s lost a lot of what made him awesome. He doesn’t smash anymore, and he’s become more of a joke rather than the intimidating force many want to see. In Marvel’s What If…?, Marvel gives audiences the Hulk smash moment they’ve been missing, but it comes from an unexpected source.

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Hulk Hasn’t Smashed Properly In The MCU Since The Avengers

Everyone remembers the iconic moment when Captain America tells the Hulk to smash right after the epic revolving shot around the Avengers. Hulk immediately pounds many Chitauri soldiers with no concern for the potential damage he could be causing to New York City. It was an immensely satisfying moment and a moment that viewers are still waiting for a repeat of in the MCU. The Hulk did have several great fights in Age of Ultron and Thor: Ragnarok, but there hasn’t been another moment where he has caused havoc by mowing down an entire army of less-powerful goons.

The last time Hulk was in a fight was against Thanos in Infinity War, where he got his butt whooped. Since then, the Hulk’s power has diminished, as Bruce Banner combined himself with the Hulk, giving him the strength of the big guy but also the intelligence and stability of Bruce. The last time viewers saw Ruffalo’s Hulk in the MCU, he was wearing a Hawaiian shirt at a barbecue with his newfound son, Skaar. This isn’t the version of Hulk that people want to see, and it’s strange to see where the MCU has taken this character.

What If…? Delivered A True Hulk Rampage After 11 Years

What If…? has given MCU viewers many wish-fulfilling moments in animated form. Marvel finally delivered a satisfying Hulk rampage after years of waiting, even though it came from Happy Hogan. In the What If…? Season 2 episode What If…Happy Hogan Saved Christmas?, Justin Hammer takes over Stark Tower while the Avengers are away and tries to steal a vial of the Hulk’s blood. Happy Hogan is the only person left who can stop him, and he accidentally injects himself with the blood, turning into a purple version of the character.

Still, he got the chance to have a phenomenal “Hulk Smash” moment. Happy comes across a corridor filled with Stark robots and goes full beat mode on the robots, taking them down in epic Hulk fashion. While it was animated, and it wasn’t Bruce Banner, it was the closest the MCU has gotten to giving viewers a textbook Hulk rampage. Fortunately, this wasn’t the only time Hogan Hulk made an appearance, as he returned to fight Banner Hulk in the 1602 episode of What If…?.

Will A Real Hulk Return To The MCU?

It’s unclear what the Hulk’s future is in the MCU, but there are a few possibilities. The introduction of his son could introduce one of the darkest storylines from the comics, where Skaar is on a mission to kill his father after abandoning him on Sakaar. There are also rumors of a World War Hulk movie, which is a comic book storyline that features the Hulk in one of his most violent and brutal forms. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Ruffalo said the future of the character is unknown, but he said not to rule out the return of “Berserker Hulk”.

“Five years from now it could totally morph into anything, whatever’s pertinent at the time. I almost see him going back to ‘Berserker Hulk’ or ‘World War Hulk’. It could go anywhere.”

Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk hasn’t had a solo film yet, as 2008’s The Incredible Hulk starred Edward Norton as Bruce Banner. If the MCU does greenlight a solo MCU film, World War Hulk would be fascinating to see. Even if it isn’t that storyline, Ruffalo has earned the privilege to star in his own Hulk film, but it needs to be in a story that brings back a savage Hulk.