This article contains mild spoilers for Captain America: Brave New World, in theaters now.

When The Incredible Hulk was released in 2008, I remember immediately falling in love with how it balanced so many inspirations behind the character. From the man on the run narrative that came from the TV show to him being hunted by Ross with technology unlike anything the world had seen, it was clear that the movie knew what worked with the character but also left a lot on the table for things to grow. But, what I didn’t know was that seeing the Hulk explode back onto the big screen would be the start of a slow decline that has, unfortunately, made the character anything but incredible in my eyes.

Mark Ruffalo’s turn as Bruce Banner was a surprise, but not in a negative sense, as he represented a new take on the character that fits well with the Avengers. Edward Norton’s Bruce Banner was someone who didn’t work with others, while Ruffalo showed that he was far more open to the idea, even with his reservations. However, as Captain America: Brave New World has proven, this iteration of the character evolved in a way that made it so it was much harder to like him, and as the loose ends from his solo film have been slowly tied up without him, it also sets up that the character may be past a point of no return and something drastic may have to be done with his story to put him in a place that feels more fitting for the strongest one there is.

The Hulk Has Been in a Bad Place For Some Time

Many of us can probably remember the last time the Hulk truly appeared on screen in Avengers: Infinity War. As a Hail Mary against Thanos, the Hulk tried to beat the Mad Titan in a fight, but Thanos quickly proved more powerful. I spent the rest of the film waiting for him to get his rematch but was sadly disappointed as it appeared the Hulk was too scared to come out. Since then, canonically 6-7 years later, he still hasn’t, and the Smart Hulk has taken his place. This has since been a shift that no fan has enjoyed, and, for me, it has gone on for far too long.

But while this marked the steep decline of the Hulk, this trend actually started the moment he appeared in The Avengers. While the movie established Bruce Banner as a key player, I always thought it was an interesting but crucial misstep that he wouldn’t use SHIELD resources to check in on Betty Ross in the way Thor checked in on Jane Foster. At that point, there was no reason to think he didn’t love her anymore. However, with Avengers: Age of Ultron, the choice was made to try and make Bruce and Natasha Romanoff star-crossed lovers for seemingly no reason at all. It’s a trend that, even into Avengers: Endgame, felt somewhat forced and largely strange, even if it worked on paper, solely because it was done without properly closing Betty’s Chapter.

That said, leading up to Brave New World, it was also odd having the Abomination learn the error of his ways and squash the beef between him and the Hulk with a kind-hearted letter off-screen. It felt like a hollow end to a rivalry that has defined the Hulk in the comics for decades. Furthermore, it wasn’t even Bruce who got to properly end their testy relationship as it was his cousin who represented the Abomination in court in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. In fact, this represented the start of a bad trend for the Hulk that was exemplified in Brave New World and made it hard to make Bruce Banner work as a character in the MCU.

Brave New World Puts the Hulk in an Even Worse Position

I can’t speak highly enough about Captain America: Brave New World and how it properly showcased why Sam Wilson deserves the shield after Steve Rogers. However, it’s not lost on me that the antagonists and plot threads of the movie are intrinsically tied to the events of The Incredible Hulk. From The Leader’s return to Betty Ross and the Red Hulk, this is a Hulk film disguised as a Cap movie. It’s almost like how Thor: Ragnarok adapted the Hulk narrative Planet Hulk without giving the Hulk the spotlight he deserved, unfortunately. But the thing that made Ragnarok work was that the Hulk still had an active role in the narrative and took control of his story.

In Brave New World, Sam Wilson took on the Leader, fought the Red Hulk, and even got in touch with Betty. Of course, this worked for the film, but it made me realize that over the years, it was characters like Sam and She-Hulk who were picking up the slack for situations that were set into motion because of Bruce’s actions. To make matters worse, as it happened, Bruce was either chilling in his island bar or off in space to learn about his son. Obviously, these plot threads aren’t an issue, but it’s always bothered me that Bruce wasn’t, nor did he seem to want to take an active role in plots that are his and his alone. Though there were likely legal or studio reasons for this, narratively, it only hurts Bruce as it looks like he just doesn’t care.

I absolutely loved seeing the Red Hulk in action as it reminded me of what a Savage Hulk was like and how we haven’t seen one in years. I also loved seeing Betty Ross and the Leader again, as they are such important parts of the Hulk’s lore and deserved some form of resolution or revitalization. But without Bruce there, his character is lowered every time another from his past is elevated. A part of me feels like it may be too late for the Smart Hulk to get savage and get to the root of the character’s drama and lore, but I also know that there are ways that this character can be brought back and face his mistakes, making the Hulk tragic and incredible once again.

“Saving” the Hulk Can Only Be Done By Returning to His Roots

In my opinion, at this rate, having the Hulk and Bruce Banner return to how they used to be early in the MCU or more akin to how he used to be in the comics may be too late. But if there were a chance to bring the character back in a big way, the source material may be the key, as well as having Bruce face the consequences of his inaction. I know that it couldn’t be easy for Betty to move on from Bruce, and if they hadn’t spoken off-screen, it would have been a good idea to have him face that reality and the potential that he may truly lose her forever by not having spoken to her. Furthermore, the fact that he’s prime to lose control again could be a great chance to finally dive deep into Banner’s psyche and adapt some truly iconic comic book runs.

For Bruce to lose control, it would mean that he would have to have a falling out but also show that there are more sides to the character than previously understood. This would be a great way to tap into the Peter David run of the character, which was famous for exploring the character’s mental illness and multiple Hulk personas, including the Grey Hulk. The return of the Leader and the debut of the Red Hulk is enough to show that Bruce hasn’t been taking care of his issues enough, and that could either put stressors on him or make the Hulk mad that he didn’t take on Ross himself. Either way, it’s a perfect way to really explore the deeper characteristics of Bruce and show the tragedy in how tragic his character can be.

However, if it’s harder to push Bruce back to his old self, considering how hard he’s worked to find peace, an internal exploration of his past and how it’s changed him by adapting elements from The Immortal Hulk by Al Ewing could have us see him deal with his internalized guilt and finally understand who Bruce Banner was before the Hulk. Ultimately, I’m a die-hard fan of the character, and it’s been too long since we’ve seen the tragedy and power of Bruce Banner and the Hulk, and as of now, if we don’t see that again soon, it could be too late.