Bruce Banner’s potential journey in the Soul world would have led to an emotional reunion with his long-lost love.

mark ruffalo's smart hulk

Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk has had quite a wild journey in the MCU. His struggles of maintaining a personal romantic relationship with his Betty Ross and Natasha Romanoff were detailed throughout his MCU appearances. Hulk and Bruce Banner also had a conflicting relationship within one body and Banner had to merge the two and became Smart Hulk.

Mark Ruffalo as Smart Hulk in Avengers: Endgame | Marvel Studios

Avengers: Infinity War saw Thanos snapping half of all life and his consciousness transported to the soul world. There he meets a young Gamora. Similarly in a deleted scene from Avengers: Endgame, Tony Stark sees a grown-up Morgan in the soul world. While fans did not get to see who Banner would have gotten to see when he snapped, various clues and Easter eggs all point to him seeing Betty Ross.

Mark Ruffalo’s Smart Hulk Should Have Seen Betty Ross in the Soul World

Bruce Banner had to let go off hos love for Betty Ross for her own good in The Incredible Hulk | Marvel Studios

The Soul World was introduced in the MCU in Avengers: Infinity War where the consciousness of individuals who snapped their fingers using the Infinity Gauntlet were instantly transported there. With Thanos eradicating half of all life in the universe with the snap of his finger, the next scene saw him in the Soul World with young Gamora talking about what it costs to achieve his dreams.

A deleted scene from Avengers: Endgame revealed Tony Stark’s journey in the Soul World where he meets an older Morgan telling him about his sacrifice and her love for him. Seeing these two instances, one can assume that a person who snaps meets a person who had a great impact on their personal lives in the Soul world. (For Thanos, it’s Gamora, for Tony it’s his daughter Morgan).

Mark Ruffalo‘s Hulk also got to snap his finger and bring everybody back in Avengers: Endgame but fans did not get to see his journey in the Soul World. The writers of the film had planned for a version of it where Banner spoke to Hulk in the Soul world (but it got scrapped probably because the pairing didn’t make sense via ScreenRant).

However, if it had happened, Liv Tyler’s Betty Ross would have been the ideal choice for him to see because she is Banner’s biggest loss. She was the love of his life in The Incredible Hulk before he met Natasha, but a relationship wouldn’t have been possible due to his dangerous alter ego The Hulk. In The Avengers, Bruce tells Natasha that he couldn’t have everything he wanted, clearly indicating how he had to let go of Betty.

Bruce’s doomed romance with Betty makes her a very significant person in his life and thus makes it logical that Bruce should have seen her in the Soul World. While one does not know what the conservation between them would be, it would certainly be bittersweet and emotionally resonant as two past lovers reunite after a very long time.

Mark Ruffalo Feels A Solo Hulk Move Would Be Very Expensive To Make

After his appearcne in She-Hulk, Mark Ruffalo could retur in the MCU in Avnehers 5 | Marvel Studios

The Hulk has not received a solo Hulk film since 2008’s The Incredible Hulk starring Edward Norton as the Hulk. With Marvel Studios being its own studio now, making another Hulk movie under the studio is impossible as Universal still holds the rights to the character. In an interview with GQ, Mark Ruffalo stated that making a solo Hulk film would be too expensive now.

Ruffalo expressed his desire to do a Hulk film but doing a whole film based on a CG character would cost too much. The actor also revealed that Marvel uses the Hulk cautiously and sparingly to cut down on unnecessary costs. Ruffalo said,

I’d love to do a standalone Hulk, I just don’t think that’s ever going to happen. It’s very expensive if you did a whole movie, which is why they use the Hulk so sparingly. I priced myself out!

Ruffalo’s Hulk was most recently seen in 2022’s She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. The character is expected to be part of the upcoming Avengers film (via Deadline) which will be a giant ensemble piece, written by Michael Waldron. It remains to be seen how Hulk factors in the future of the MCU.