Since 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, the MCU has given audiences a very different version of Bruce Banner and The Incredible Hulk. During the five-year Blip, it was revealed that Bruce Banner figured out how to merge the two halves of his being together. The result was a version of the Hulk with Banner still retaining his mind, colloquially known by the fandom as Smart Hulk. However, MCU fans who’ve wanted a return to “Savage Hulk” ever since will finally get their wish next month with Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
By merging his brain with the Hulk’s brawn, Banner’s “Smart Hulk” was a calmer, more controlled, and far less chaotic hero overall. Although that evolution made logical sense for the character, several MCU fans have missed the OG rage monster from the MCU’s earlier phases. Now, the latest trailer for Spider-Man: Brand New Day has confirmed that Savage Hulk is indeed on the way, 7 years after the debut of Smart Hulk.
That being said, I’m not fully convinced Savage Hulk’s comeback will last all that long. Considering the way Brand New Day’s trailers have been teasing the emergence of Savage Hulk, I really don’t think it’s going to be as permanent a return as many MCU fans are hoping for.
The MCU Confirms Savage Hulk Returns In Spider-Man: Brand New Day
The latest trailer for Spider-Man: Brand New Day gives fans many of the things they’ve been asking for, including Bruce Banner’s reversion to Savage Hulk. Indeed, the new footage shows the Hulk behaving far more like his classic MCU rage monster self, facing Spider-Man as a major threat that Tom Holland’s Webslinger will no doubt struggle to contain.
Friendly Neighborhood Assessment · MCU Era Tom Holland’s Spider-Man Trivia
🏠Homecoming2017
✈️Far From Home2019
🌌No Way Home2021
😈VillainsSinister…
🤖MCUAvengers
01
Before getting his own solo film, Tom Holland’s Peter Parker made his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut by being recruited by Tony Stark to help in a massive superhero conflict. In which MCU film did Holland first appear as Spider-Man?
✓ Correct! Tom Holland first appeared as Spider-Man in Captain America: Civil War (2016), where Tony Stark visits Peter in Queens and recruits him for the airport battle against Team Cap. His quippy, starstruck portrayal instantly won over audiences.
✗ Web miss! The answer is Captain America: Civil War. Holland debuted in the 2016 film before Homecoming (2017). He was recruited by Tony Stark for the iconic airport fight scene, stealing Captain America’s shield with his webs in one of the film’s most memorable moments.
02
In Spider-Man: Homecoming, Peter faces a blue-collar salvage contractor who turned to arms dealing after being shut out of the Chitauri cleanup by Damage Control. Using an alien-tech wingsuit, he becomes one of Spider-Man’s most grounded villains. Who is he?
✓ Correct! Adrian Toomes, played brilliantly by Michael Keaton, is the Vulture — a working-class father who builds a criminal empire selling alien-derived weapons. The twist that he’s the father of Peter’s date Liz is one of the MCU’s best surprises.
✗ Web miss! The answer is The Vulture (Adrian Toomes). The Shocker and Tinkerer are his henchmen in the film, and Scorpion (Mac Gargan) only briefly appears. Toomes is the main antagonist who personally confronts Peter in the unforgettable car ride scene.
03
Tony Stark built Peter a high-tech suit loaded with features Peter didn’t even know about, including an AI assistant that helps him in combat, provides tactical analysis, and even gives dating advice. What name does Peter give this AI?
✓ Correct! Peter names his suit’s AI “Karen,” voiced by Jennifer Connelly. She assists him with web shooter modes, reconnaissance, and even his love life. Friday is Tony Stark’s AI, and E.D.I.T.H. is the Stark satellite system that appears in Far From Home.
✗ Web miss! The answer is Karen. Friday is Tony Stark’s personal AI, E.D.I.T.H. is the Stark defense satellite Peter inherits in Far From Home, and Jocasta is an AI from the comics. Karen, voiced by Jennifer Connelly, is Peter’s suit assistant throughout Homecoming.
04
In Spider-Man: Far From Home, Peter encounters a seemingly heroic figure who claims to be from an alternate Earth, battling elemental creatures across Europe. In reality, he’s a disgruntled former Stark Industries employee using advanced holographic drones. What is his real name?
✓ Correct! Quentin Beck, played by Jake Gyllenhaal, is Mysterio — a master of illusion who uses Stark Industries’ B.A.R.F. holographic technology and weaponized drones to fabricate the Elementals and pose as a hero. His final act of revenge shapes the entire third film.
✗ Web miss! The answer is Quentin Beck. William Ginter Riva is one of Beck’s team members, Aldrich Killian is the villain of Iron Man 3, and Justin Hammer is from Iron Man 2. Beck is Mysterio, the illusionist who manipulated Peter’s trust across Europe.
05
In one of the MCU’s most shocking mid-credits scenes, J. Jonah Jameson broadcasts doctored footage from Mysterio’s final moments that completely upends Peter Parker’s life. What does this broadcast reveal to the entire world?
✓ Correct! Mysterio’s doctored footage, broadcast by J. Jonah Jameson (J.K. Simmons reprising his iconic role), exposes Spider-Man’s identity as Peter Parker to the entire world. This revelation drives the entire plot of No Way Home as Peter desperately seeks to undo the damage.
✗ Web miss! The answer is that Spider-Man is Peter Parker. While the footage also frames Spider-Man for the London drone attack, the earth-shattering reveal is Peter’s unmasked identity being broadcast globally by The Daily Bugle’s J. Jonah Jameson.
06
With his identity exposed and his loved ones under threat, Peter seeks help from a powerful sorcerer to cast a spell that would make the world forget he is Spider-Man. Peter’s constant modifications to the spell cause it to fracture the multiverse. Which sorcerer casts this spell?
✓ Correct! Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) casts the memory-wiping spell at Peter’s request, but Peter keeps asking for exceptions — for MJ, Ned, May, and Happy to still remember him. These constant changes corrupt the spell and tear open the multiverse, pulling in villains from other Spider-Man universes.
✗ Web miss! The answer is Doctor Strange. While Wong is the Sorcerer Supreme and actually warns Strange against it, it is Stephen Strange who agrees to cast the spell. Wanda’s multiverse interference occurs in Multiverse of Madness, not here.
07
Throughout all three films, Peter’s loyal best friend serves as his “guy in the chair,” helping with tech support and keeping his secret. In No Way Home, this character even discovers he can open magical portals using a Sling Ring. Who is Peter’s best friend?
✓ Correct! Ned Leeds, played by Jacob Batalon, is Peter’s best friend and self-proclaimed “guy in the chair.” He discovers Peter’s secret identity in Homecoming, supports him across all three films, and in No Way Home he accidentally uses Doctor Strange’s Sling Ring to open portals to other Spider-Men.
✗ Web miss! The answer is Ned Leeds. Flash Thompson is Peter’s rival and bully who ironically idolizes Spider-Man. Harry Osborn is Peter’s friend in the Raimi and Webb films but doesn’t appear in Holland’s trilogy. Miles Morales is only hinted at. Ned is the irreplaceable “guy in the chair.”
08
At the emotional climax of No Way Home, Peter makes an enormous personal sacrifice to save the multiverse. Doctor Strange completes the spell, and when it takes effect, Peter is left completely alone. What does the final spell do?
✓ Correct! The final spell makes every person in every universe forget that Peter Parker exists. MJ, Ned, Happy, the Avengers — everyone. Peter visits MJ at the coffee shop afterward but decides not to re-introduce himself, choosing to protect them. He starts over completely alone, sewing his own suit in a small apartment.
✗ Web miss! The answer is that everyone forgets who Peter Parker is. The spell doesn’t erase Spider-Man — people still know the hero exists — but nobody remembers Peter Parker the person. This devastating sacrifice means MJ, Ned, and even Happy Hogan have no memory of him at all.
Assessment Complete Your Spider-Sense Rating
/ 8
Are you an Avenger — or just a friendly neighborhood bystander?
However, the new trailer also seems to be hinting that Bruce Banner isn’t acting of his own free will. It’s heavily implied by the framing and a line from Banner himself that he’s been overtaken by Brand New Day’s mysterious hooded mind-controlling antagonist, who’s widely speculated to be Sadie Sink’s unidentified character (with theories pointing to Jean Grey). At any rate, Banner looks to be a victim with his Savage Hulk transformation being weaponized as a means to deal with Spider-Man himself.
While mind control and external forces could serve as the explanation for Savage Hulk’s return over Smart Hulk, it also leads me to believe that the return might not last beyond Spider-Man: Brand New Day, as much as I’d love to see Savage Hulk in one or both of the next Avengers crossovers.
Is Savage Hulk Here To Stay? (I Don’t Think So)
Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) in Spider-Man: Brand New Day
If the trailer teases prove correct and Bruce’s transformation is directly tied to the villain’s mind-control abilities, it follows that he’d likely regain the balance of Smart Hulk the moment he regains control of his mind. Likewise, we also know that Bruce Banner has his inhibitor device to keep the Hulk in check and regulate his condition when he wants to be more human. Unless something major happens that permanently destroys/undoes whatever Banner did to merge his halves, I have a hard time believing that Smart Hulk won’t reemerge as the MCU Hulk’s default.
Admittedly, it’s a disappointing thought, though it also sounds like the most likely outcome based on what we currently know and have seen from the upcoming MCU movie. I’d love to be proven wrong. In any event, the chance to see Spider-Man taking on a more classic version of The Hulk in the MCU is something I’m incredibly excited to see, nonetheless. Likewise, there are also rumors suggesting that Banner might also become Gray Hulk for the first time in the MCU, which would be a pretty cool development and fun connection to the original comics.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day releases July 31st from Sony and Marvel Studios.
