Mark Ruffalo says he sees World War Hulk or “Berserker Hulk” in MCU future

Mark Ruffalo says World War Hulk or “Berserker Hulk” could happen in the MCU after She-Hulk.

When the Hulk was first introduced into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he was meant to be frightening. In The Avengers, he was a one-man wrecking ball, destroying buildings and punching an alien mothership in the face with ease.

Over time, his power has been diminished. It began with Tony Stark’s Hulkbuster win in Age of Ultron, before Thor whooped him in Ragnarok and Thanos laid him out in Infinity War.

Now, he’s “Smart Hulk”, a blend of Bruce Banner and his green alter-ego. But if She-Hulk’s latest tease is anything to go by, we may see the old Hulk once more.

Mark Ruffalo addresses World War Hulk tease in She-Hulk

In She-Hulk Episode 2, Banner (Ruffalo) is seen jetting off into space in the same ship that caused the crash at the beginning of the show. It’s likely he’s heading back to Sakaar, where he was once the champion of the Grandmaster (Jeff Goldblum).

But why? Could it be setting up an adaptation of World War Hulk in the MCU, a storyline in which the Hulk sought revenge on The Avengers, X-Men, Fantastic Four, and others after he was banished from Earth?

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Ruffalo said: “The cool thing about this world is that it could just be anything. 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. That’s the exciting part – I’ve played five different versions from beginning to now, and that’s kept it interesting for me and I hope interesting for other people.”

Berserker Hulk was originally planned for Age of Ultron, which would have seen him transform into a grey, deformed version of the character after Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) messed with his mind.

Mark Ruffalo says there should be a standalone Hulk movie

Ruffalo is keen to see the unexplored parts of the Hulk’s story; for example, what happened in the years between Infinity War and Endgame, and how did he actually pull off merging the Hulk with Banner?

“I think this is a good entry into that time period, that two years between Infinity War and what happened in Endgame – there’s a gap where we don’t know what happened to him, and all of a sudden he’s a professor and he is no longer Banner after he couldn’t turn into the Hulk,” he continued.

“I love how we start to open up that world, but I think there’s almost a standalone story to be told for just those two years.

“How did we go from a Banner who couldn’t turn into the Hulk anymore to all of a sudden this fully integrated version? This is a really nice way to introduce that story, but I also feel like it doesn’t satisfy exactly what happened in that time period. I think there’s a lot more to say about it.”

She-Hulk Episodes 1 and 2 are available to stream on Disney+ now.