‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ Had Savage Hulk - But This Forgotten Movie Made Him Even Stronger

The Incredible Hulk is one of the Marvel Universe's most beloved characters and remains an icon even though his most brutal version has been MIA in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026) brought back the angry and savage Hulk once again, and it got fans reminiscing about past iterations.

Hulk (2003) was one of those examples of nostalgic revisits, as fans continue to shine a light on the divisive Ang Lee film. Not only did the movie explore his psyche, but it also delivered the strongest version of the hero, yet ultimately struggled under the weight of the story it was telling.

‘Hulk’ Gave Us a Tragic Look at the Hulk’s History

Modern audiences see the Hulk and Bruce Banner as two sides of a tragic coin, in which Banner must live a life of solitude, with rare moments of happiness, before the Hulk takes over and ruins everything. Meanwhile, the Hulk fights for a place in the world and respect while protecting Bruce.

But even though seeing him lose control and the Hulk destroying buildings and fighting bad guys is the main attraction, he's also suffered a painfully tragic life that Hulk tried to dissect. While we did get some destruction and battles, Ang Lee's vision was much more about exploring why the Hulk existed and what Bruce Banner's life was like.

The film borrowed from the history of the character, which included an abusive father and the death of his mother, as well as the Hulk being a physical representation of his childlike self protecting him. It was a cerebral look at the character that was nothing like what people expected from his first cinematic outing, but it was fresh, daring, and never explored in that way again.

Ang Lee’s ‘Hulk’ Delivers the Strongest Iteration of the Hero Yet

While the movie was focused more on the character work, that didn't mean we were robbed of the Hulk in all of his destructive glory. Instead, we got an even more unique take that turned his anger into a physical attribute, while also scaling him higher than anything you could imagine.

In the film, the Hulk is awakened by the gamma radiation Bruce Banner is exposed to, and the nanomeds in his bloodstream, microscopic robots, would heal him. As a result of those two elements, the madder Bruce got as the Hulk, the bigger the Hulk would get. By the end of the film, he's pushing 9 feet tall and can carry an adult with one hand.

Because of this, we see the potential of the Hulk's strength, as he has never actually fought an enemy of equal physical strength. However, every transformation and surge of his rage makes the Hulk more and more terrifying and potentially suggests that he could grow forever as long as his mind and body can take it. 

Compared to the MCU's Hulk, whose strength alone grows with anger, what we see is more terrifying and almost cosmic in its horror. The MCU's Hulk may be strong, but Ang Lee's Hulk could grow forever and annihilate anything or anyone in his way.

Why Did ‘Hulk’ Split Fans After Release?

In the end, while the exploration of the Hulk's psyche was unique and handled well, and seeing the Hulk in action was relentless and fun, Hulk still struggled to connect with audiences. There are many reasons why this could be, but the biggest issue was pacing.

The movie was over two hours long and you could feel every minute. By the final battle, the film felt like it was running on fumes, and the balance between Banner and Hulk was skewed, with almost an hour passing before we saw the Green Goliath. This pacing issue makes it hard to sell a movie that appeals to adults and younger audiences alike.

The lack of a true villain in the movie also stood out. We had David Banner as a version of the Absorbing Man, but it wasn't a battle of throwing punches. It was more a metaphorical exchange of blows as the Hulk lets go of his trauma and resentment against his father. 

It works on paper but visually doesn't have the same impact as the Hulk fighting Abomination. In the end, Hulk was a movie we needed, with the stranger version of the character, yet it got in its own way of standing out in that time.