I Still Don't Understand How Hulk Has A Son In The MCU After 47 Years Of Cursed Movie Romances

One of the biggest surprises in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s TV shows so far was the introduction of the Hulk’s (Mark Ruffalo) son, Skaar (Will Deusner), which doesn’t make much sense after the Hulk’s cursed movie romances for years. For over a decade, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been bringing some of Marvel Comics’ most popular characters to life, and among them is the Hulk. Unlike his fellow Avengers, Bruce Banner/Hulk was recast after his only solo movie, which has become mostly forgettable after everything he has gone through in the MCU.

Just two months after the release of Iron Man, in 2008, the MCU brought The Incredible Hulk, the second live-action Hulk film after Ang Lee’s 2003 adaptation. The Incredible Hulk introduced Bruce Banner (Edward Norton) and followed the Hulk’s origin story as well as his struggles to control “the other guy”. Norton was replaced by Mark Ruffalo in The Avengers, and he has played the character ever since. His most recent appearance was in the TV series She-Hulk, where he surprised everyone with the introduction of his son, Skaar, which still doesn’t make sense.

The Hulk’s Movie Romances Have Been Doomed Since His First 1988 Feature

The Hulk Has No Luck In Love

Skaar’s introduction in the MCU was surprising and pretty out of the blue, but it would make more sense if the Hulk had had a successful love life in this connected universe. Unfortunately, the Hulk hasn’t just been unlucky in love in the MCU, but it’s something that has been going on for decades. Before his big screen adaptations, the Hulk had a successful run on TV, both in animated format and live-action. One of the Hulk’s most popular adaptations was the 1970s-1980s TV series The Incredible Hulk, with Bill Bixby as David Banner and Lou Ferrigno as Hulk.

In 1988, they brought the characters to life one more time in the TV film The Incredible Hulk, which served as a continuation of the above-mentioned TV series. In it, Banner was in a relationship with Maggie Shaw, a young widow, and he had not changed into the Hulk since meeting her. However, the Hulk returned when a former student of Banner’s, Donald Blake, summoned Thor, and together, they stopped a gang who wanted to steal Banner’s Transponder and kidnapped Shaw so Banner would hand them the weapon.

To save Shaw, Banner sabotaged the Transponder so it couldn’t be used as a weapon, but that also ended his chance for a cure. Hulk, Blake, and Thor defeated the gang and rescued Shaw, but Banner suspected Shaw was now aware that he and the Hulk were the same. At the end of The Incredible Hulk Returns, Banner broke up with Shaw and left to find a cure. In The Death of the Incredible Hulk, in 1990, Banner had a romance with a spy named Jasmine, but he died at the end of the movie.

In both Hulk and The Incredible Hulk, Banner was given a romance with Betty Ross (Jennifer Connelly and Liv Tyler), but both ended up being unsuccessful romances. In Hulk, Betty and Banner went their separate ways and Bruce exiled himself to the Amazon Rainforest, and in The Incredible Hulk, their relationship also ended and Banner fled New York.

Why Hulk’s Movie Romances Are So Cursed

The Hulk Is A Complex Character

The Hulk is a complex character, and given his condition, he’s bound to have a difficult and even tragic life. Bruce Banner is a shy, analytical, mild-mannered, compassionate man, while the Hulk is primitive, illogical, and at first was portrayed as simple-minded, so they are opposite personalities inside one man. Banner had trouble handling the Hulk at first, making him afraid of “the other guy” and of hurting those around him when transformed. It’s this fear that has led different versions of the Hulk to abandon his loved ones, making him a solitary character.

Although he has found ways to coexist with the Hulk and even merged Banner and the Hulk in what’s known as “Smart Hulk”, Banner still struggles when it comes to connecting with others. After Betty Ross, Banner’s only romance was with Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) in Avengers: Age of Ultron, but not even that could work, and he hasn’t been given another romantic interest ever since.

Hulk’s Movie Romance History Makes His Son’s MCU Appearance So Much Weirder

Skaar’s Presence Is Very Confusing

Skaar’s introduction was surprising and confusing because of the way it happened and because Banner hasn’t had any known romances since Natasha Romanoff. In the season finale of She-Hulk, Jennifer Walters (Tatiana Maslany) broke the fourth wall to ask the show’s writers to rewrite the climax of the episode. This resulted in the arrest of Blonsky and Phelps, Walters returning home to celebrate with her family and Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox), and Banner arriving from Sakaar and introducing Skaar.

Aside from being a Sakaarian and the son of Bruce Banner, everything about Skaar is unknown, mainly who his mother is. Bruce Banner/Hulk’s terrible track record when it comes to romances makes Skaar’s presence more confusing and weirder, and with the Hulk not announced to appear in any future MCU projects yet, the mystery around Skaar will continue.

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  Hulk

  Hulk is a 2003 superhero movie directed by Ang Lee, starring Eric Bana as the titular character. Predating the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Hulk ended up being a critical flop despite being based on a popular superhero. However, the film still made a huge profit at the box office upon release.

  Director

  Ang Lee

  Release Date

  June 19, 2003

  Cast

  Eric Bana , Jennifer Connelly , Sam Elliott , Josh Lucas , Nick Nolte , Paul Kersey

  Runtime

  138 Minutes

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  The Incredible Hulk

  The second film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is The Incredible Hulk, which was released in 2008. The film introduced a new backstory for the Hulk to differentiate it from the 2003 movie, Hulk. Actor Edward Norton played the role of the green hulk, and his alter ego Bruce Banner. He is joined by actress Liv Tyler who plays his love interest, Dr. Elizabeth “Betty” Ross. Betty’s father, General Thunderbolt Ross (William Hurt), is hoping to recreate a World War II supersoldier program and, in the process, exposes Bruce to gamma radiation that transforms him into the Hulk. He flees to find a cure for himself but is eventually tracked down by Thunderbolt, who forms an alliance with Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth). After The Incredible Hulk, Mark Ruffalo took over the character for subsequent movies in the MCU.
   

  Director

  Louis Leterrier

  Release Date

  June 13, 2008

  Runtime

  112 minutes