MCU: People Hate Hulk Being Treated Like a ‘Punching Bag’
The Hulk is one of the most popular characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and there are a lot of good reasons for that.
Many superheroes are extremely smart or have access to some really advanced technology, and then there’s Hulk, who’s a guy that’s so angry that he becomes incredibly strong.
That hasn’t stopped the comics or the movies from giving him some depth though, after all, Bruce Banner is actually a really smart guy when he’s not the Hulk.
That said, some Marvel fans don’t think that the MCU has treated the Hulk very well. Here’s a look at how some Marvel fans think that the Hulk is the punching bag of the MCU.
That time that the Hulk was an actual punching bag
As Marvel fans on Reddit talked about, in the beginning of Infinity War, Thanos finally gets a proper introduction in the MCU. Infinity War starts off right after Thor: Ragnarok ended, and Thanos’ ship has captured Thor and Hulk’s ship. Many of Thor’s friends are killed off-screen, and Thanos has beat Thor in a fight as well.
That’s when Hulk comes in to try to save the day. However, because Thanos has the Power Stone, he is able to quickly and easily beat up Hulk in their short fight. In fact, Thanos beat Hulk so badly that Hulk refused to “come out” again. Because of that, Banner spent the rest of the movie fighting in one of the suits that Tony Stark built for him.
The Hulk was a ‘punching bag’ in other movies too
This wasn’t the only example of the Hulk getting beat up by somebody in the movies, according to Marvel fans. Like Marvel fans said, whenever Marvel wants to show off how strong someone or something is, Marvel will pit them against Hulk, and then have Hulk get roughed up.
As one fan on Reddit wrote: “why is the Hulk MCU’s punching bag, every time they want to show how strong a character is, they make that character win in a fight against Hulk.”
This has happened in multiple movies, according to Marvel fans. For example, in Age of Ultron, Stark built a brand-new Iron Man suit called the Hulkbuster that’s supposed to counter Hulk.
After the Scarlet Witch messes with Hulk’s mind, he goes on a rampage, and Stark puts on the Hulkbuster suit to stop him. The fight was close, but ultimately, Stark’s suit did its job.
Something similar happened in Thor: Ragnarok. Thor is supposed to fight the Hulk in a gladiator match, and while both had their moments, Thor ultimately got the upper hand after he started using his thunder powers.
That said, right before Thor could beat the Hulk up with his thunder powers, the Grandmaster cheated and the fight technically ended with the Hulk winning.
Why this happens and why Marvel fans don’t like it
Like Marvel fans on Reddit said, this happens very often in movies, TV shows, and other pieces of media. By having someone or something beat up a character that everyone knows is strong and tough, the creators can easily show how powerful that someone or something is.
Since everyone knows that the Hulk is one of the strongest and toughest Avengers, whenever something can go toe to toe with him, or even beat him, then that something is clearly a significant threat.
That was the point of the scene in Infinity War when Thanos knocked Hulk out in less than a minute. By doing that, Marvel showed audiences just how powerful Thanos was, since he defeated the Hulk so quickly and easily.
But Marvel fans still don’t like it. Like Marvel fans said, the Hulk is one of the most powerful Marvel characters for a reason. The Hulk shouldn’t be beaten up so often, and he should only be beaten up a handful of times.
That said, there is some hope, as Marvel fans expect that the MCU will be making the Hulk more powerful in the future.
