In the MCU, almost every Avenger has a case for being the strongest MCU character. Thor is up there, with all that thunder and what not, Captain Marvel packs a punch, and Black Panther shouldn’t be sniffed at. For Avengers: Endgame directors Joe and Anthony Russo, one who isn’t in contention is Hulk.
During their Wired autocomplete interview, the Russo Brothers are asked who they said was the strongest Avenger in the action movie franchise. They roll off a few contenders, and definitely say Hulk’s not one of them. “We said Wanda at one point. Captain Marvel at another point, Thor,” Joe Russo starts, Anthony adding: “Certainly never said it’s the Hulk.”
Joe doubles-down at this point, kicking the mean, green hero while he’s down: “Certainly not the Hulk. He’d be low on the list. Like right underneath Groo the Wanderer.” These comments are tongue-in-cheek, poking fun at an extremely subjective questions, but they do circumvent an obvious answer. Hulk does instantly come to mind, but what about Wanda? Or Thor? Or Doctor Strange? Power comes in many different forms, not just rage-induced punching.
The MCU has largely done a disservice to the Hulk, making him a recurring co-star in the franchise. Though due to rights issues with Universal, it’s still an issue that no doubt plays on everyone’s minds in Marvel Studios.
Will we ever see a solo Hulk MCU series or Marvel movie? Who knows. Groo the Wanderer, a spoof of Conan the Barbarian, is probably more likely because its rights are held by Dark Horse, rather than being split between a number of companies.
You can be as big and brawny and green as you like, but the greatest strength in the movie business will always be holding the IP, because capitalism. Check out our guide to Marvel’s Phase 5 for what’s coming up.