The Incredible Hulk
Now that the first three stage of the Marvel Cinematic Universe have wrapped up withAvengers : Endgame , it ’s sport to go back and link all the dots that make upthe so - called “ Infinity Saga ” . However , something that quick becomes ostensible when re - inflict the last 11 long time ’ Charles Frederick Worth of MCU motion picture is that some installation are more important to the franchise ’s overarching story than others .
Ostensibly , The Incredible Hulkis the poster child for the latter category . Indeed , a quick online search makes it clear just how many devotee have dismissed Louis Leterrier ’s 2008 picture show as the most insignificant entry in the wider MCU canyon . But this is actually a major misconception – as this list shows , The Incredible Hulkis just as crucial to MCU continuity as any of its big screen brethren !
Tony Stark Consults Thunderbolt Ross On The Avengers Initiative
get ’s kick things off with the most obvious MCU tie - in inThe Incredible Hulk : Tony Stark ’s cameo in the final scene before the credits . Not only does the front of Iron Man ’s civilian alter - ego immediately establish a connexion between this film and Shellhead ’s debut outing released a calendar month in the first place , but it also further teases then - upcoming team - up outing , The Avengers .
rightful , subsequent MCU developments make the odds of Tony being sent by S.H.I.E.L.D. to discuss the Avengers Initiative with Thunderbolt Ross seem slim – Stark having fallen out of favour with the espionage agency inIron Man 2 . However , Marvel One - Shot unretentive filmThe Consultanthas since explained away this discrepancy , and this pre - credits bunco game remain a all important instant in the formation of Marvel ’s pre - lofty supergroup .
Nick Fury’s Classified Surveillance Report
The Incredible Hulk ’s opening credit sequence – which quickly recapitulate the Hulk ’s origin and everything that hap forthwith after – is a treasure trove of Easter eggs . While at least one of these is just a neat shout out to comics continuity ( hello , Rick Jones ! ) , two , in peculiar , relate to the broader MCU mythos .
We ’ll touch on the moment of these later in this list , but for this entry , we want to focus on a blink - and - you’ll - miss - it appearing by none other thanMCU spymaster Nick Fury … or his name , at least . Fury is basically the connective tissue paper that links the entire uber - franchise together , so his handgrip appearing at the top of a classified report on the manhunt for Bruce Banner is kind of a adult deal .
Banner In Exile Overseas
Bruce Banner returns to the MCU after a four - year absence inThe Avengers , afterBlack Widowtracks him down in Kolkata , where the unspoiled doctor is providing medical assistance to the poor . On the face of it , this seems like a case of author - manager Joss Whedon rebooting Banner and his green - skinned alter - ego – but he ’s really just building on a pre - existing platform .
Indeed , Banner ’s circumstances at the start ofAvengersperfectly align with his movements at the end ofThe Incredible Hulk . At the end of that picture , Bruce was in hiding outside the US – specifically , British Columbia – and it cause horse sense that he would continue to head further overseas to evade Thunderbolt Ross ’ clutches .
The Basis For Veronica’s Codename
Bruce Banner ’s former flame Betty Ross is hands - down the most ill treated love interest in the MCU . Sure , Thor ’s ex - girlfriend Jane Foster was unceremoniously dumped from the dealership afterThor : The Dark World – but she still shop a mention inThor : Ragnarok , and even bagged a small cameo inAvengers : Endgame .
By comparison , Betty ’s name is never let out on - screenland following her first and last MCU show inThe Incredible Hulk – which is n’t to say she ’s been forgotten all . For case , Iron Man ’s Hulk - neutralizing roving weapons weapons platform inAvengers : Age of Ultronwas key after Betty . Typical of its inventor ’s horse sense of humour , the platform is codenamed “ Veronica ” – a crafty reference to the Archie - Betty - Veronica love trigon inArchie Comics , and Banner ’s mislay love .
Hulk “Breaks” Harlem
The climactic set piece inThe Incredible Hulkis a titanic brawl between the Jade Giant and Abomination that take post in Harlem , laying wasteland to one of New York City ’s most iconic areas . These events are n’t discount whenThe Avengersrolls around – on the opposite , Bruce Banner ’s taciturnity to show his aspect in NYC again is chalked up to his alter - ego “ breaking ” the region !
This is n’t the only prison term that the Hulk / Abomination showdown is referred to in the MCU , either . TheNetflixDaredevilseriesincludes a small nod to this pontifical street competitiveness , courtesy of a framed newspaper publisher clipping hanging on the paries in Ben Urich ’s federal agency .
The Debut Of Thunderbolt Ross
A key part of the perceived disconnect betweenThe Incredible Hulkand the eternal sleep of the MCU staunch from original Bruce BannerEdward Norton being replaced with Mark RuffalofromThe Avengersonwards . This meant that for the longest clip , none of the lead actor who had starred inThe Incredible Hulkreturned in other MCU features – making that moving picture seem less legitimate as a solution .
However , this all alter when General Thaddeus “ Thunderbolt ” Ross was reintroduced to the enfranchisement inCaptain America : Civil War . Ross ’ pivotal purpose inCivil War – and his subsequent pass - on parts inAvengers : Infinity WarandEndgame – have not only validatedThe Incredible Hulk ’s place in MCU canon but reinforce its importance as well .
The Watchers’ Informant
Spotting the in style cameo by Marvel Comics co - designer , the late Stan Lee , was always a highlight of each MCU installment – and his brief appearance inThe Incredible Hulkwas easily one of his best . In a more plot - centric persona than usual , Lee impersonate a elderly citizen who unwittingly drinks a tonic taint with the Hulk ’s irradiate blood .
It ’s a cute jape , but how does it tie - in with the wide MCU ? Well , Guardians of the Galaxy Vol . 2revealed that Stan Lee was actually playing a cosmic being in disguise , the Watcher Informant , every clip he popped up in the franchise – essentially have him the mucilage that holds this fictional universe together !
Banner Learns How To Control His Transformations
“ I ’m always angry ” – with these tidings , Bruce Banner put down arguably the biggest thunderbolt inThe Avengers : that he ’d secretly been capable to transform into the Hulk at will all along . And while this come as a jounce to many viewers , buff conversant withThe Incredible Hulkreally should have seen it coming .
After all , the approximation of Banner harnessing his craze to weaponize the Hulk play a key part in the 2008 flick ’s finale , and the final shot of Bruce – all smiles and glowing green eye – strongly hint that he ’s gained greater control condition over the Green Goliath . With foreshadowingthisheavy , what ’s really surprising about that majorAvengersmoment is that anyone was surprised at all !
Stark Industries Supplies The Sonic Cannons Used Against The Hulk
The second entry pore aroundThe Incredible Hulk ’s initiative credits ; this time around we ’re babble about the film ’s other , less - obvious connection toIron Man . yield attention during the credits , and you ’ll spy a set of blueprint for the sonic cannon deployed against the Hulk during his skirmish with Thunderbolt Ross ’s troops at Culver University .
You ’ll notice that these design channel the logotype ofStark Industries , the global technical school conglomerate headed by Tony Stark . Heck , if these schematic drawing were mop up up by Tony himself , this marks the first ( but sure as shooting not the last ) instance of him devise ironware adequate to of convey Hulk to a standstill – yet another connection to the larger MCU !
The Super-Soldier Serum Is Taken Out Of Mothballs
It ’s a well - known fact thatThe Incredible Hulknearly sport a elusive cameo by fellow MCU hero Captain America before its original opening move was strike . However , just because Cap himself does n’t show up in the moving-picture show , that does n’t mean that the First Avenger ’s comportment is n’t felt . On the reverse , as limn inIncredible Hulk , Cap and Hulk ’s histories are far more twine in the MCU than they are even in the comics .
How ? Well , it change by reversal out that the goal of Bruce Banner ’s research was to relaunch the samesuper - soldier programthat gave Steve Rogers his peak - human being chassis – and Banner ’s less stable , Vasco da Gamma - infuse blood serum is also what end up metamorphose Emil Blonksy into the Abomination , too !
NEXT : All References To The Incredible Hulk In Later MCU Movies ( That Prove It ’s canyon )
