Dr. Bruce Banner and his angry alter ego, The Hulk, have had a memorable journey throughout their appearances in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films, always landing a memorable line or two. Between Bruce Banner’s deep intellect and goofy sense of humor and the Hulk’s sheer rage and childlike emotional maturity, the original Avenger has been the source of some impactful lines throughout the MCU. Even though Disney’s rights to a solo Hulk film have prevented him from headlining a film more than once, the Hulk has been an integral voice in each of his appearances in the franchise.
Hulk’s role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe timeline has gone through drastically varying levels of importance. In some Avengers films, the Hulk’s power and Dr. Banner’s sharp intellect keep him in the spotlight, allowing great dialogue to be channeled through him. Even in their smaller, briefer passages in the mid-credits scenes, The Hulk or Bruce Banner usually manage to find something memorable to say.
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“Hulk crush!”
The Incredible Hulk
As simple a phrase as it may be, it’s hard to underestimate the importance of the Hulk’s iconic catchphrase appearing in his first stint in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The Hulk himself is rarely seen throughout The Incredible Hulk, getting the most sustained screen time towards the end of his film, along with his fight against Emil Blonsky, aka Abomination. At first being beaten by his monstrous opponent, Hulk can only watch as Abomination advances to kill Betty Ross.
Fortunately, the sight of this further activates the latent well of rage hidden within the Hulk, causing him to spring back into action while shouting his iconic battle cry, “Hulk smash!” Hulk’s screen time may have been sparse in this first Marvel Cinematic Universe film appearance, and his spoken words may be even shorter. That said, the film understood well when and where to abandon the character’s most famous lines.
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“That’s my secret, captain… I’m always angry”
The Avengers
Paying homage to a comic book character’s pre-existing classic lines is all well and good, but Marvel Cinematic Universe films really shine when they create their own iconic quotes. This feeling is best expressed in scenes like The Battle of New York, in which Bruce Banner is given rare license to give his all as the Hulk against a powerful foe. As a massive Leviathan Chitauri heads toward the Avengers, Captain America suggests to Dr. Banner that now might be a good time to “get angry,” only for Bruce to coldly respond with the now-iconic phrase.
Putting his money where his mouth is, Banner effortlessly transforms into the Hulk, stopping the raging beast in his tracks. This line not only precedes one of the greatest demonstrations of power in a Avengers film, but it also shows viewers how much progress Dr. Banner has made in controlling his alter ego since the events of The Incredible Hulk. It’s hard to match Bruce Banner’s aura in this phenomenal scene.
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“I don’t have… a temper”
Iron Man 3
As a supporting character, Bruce Banner has encountered a surprising number of obscure post-credits and mid-credits scenes throughout his MCU career. The first of them is in Iron Man 3, which chronicles Tony’s PTSD after the events of the Battle of New York. Tony overcomes his trauma verbally to an unseen listener in the film’s post-credits scene, who is revealed to be none other than Dr. Bruce Banner himself… who has fallen asleep.
Realizing his mistake, Dr. Banner apologizes to Tony, although he insists that his doctorate does not qualify him to play such heavy emotional baggage. Trying to explain himself, Banner suggests that he doesn’t have the temperament for therapy. While his specific word choice here is quite humorous wordplay, with Banner’s temper being a central conceit of his character, his debate with Tony’s inner complexities is also endlessly entertaining.
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“I could suffocate you without changing the shadow”
Avengers: Age of Ultron
One of the harshest realities of revisiting the Hulk’s appearances in the MCU as the universe has progressed is the loss of Bruce Banner’s edge, with Professor Hulk’s comedic style quickly eclipsing his depth as a character. In Avengers: Age of Ultron, that uncontrolled fear that lurked deep within Dr. Banner’s personality was still very much present. This appears in a chilling line that Hulk delivers to Wanda during the team’s tense second confrontation with the Maximoff twins as they decide what to do with Ultron’s perfect body that would eventually become a vision.
Having just sent the Hulk into a mindless rage that Tony barely managed to stop, Wanda admits that Dr. Banner has a right to be mad at her. Banner coldly responds that he is past the point of being controlled by anger, claiming that “I could suffocate your life without changing the shadow“. This line emphasized Banner’s control over the Hulk, with violence like that caused by Wanda being a clear exception, while also demonstrating the dark side of him that suggests his basic personality didn’t form the Hulk out of thin air.
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“Sorry! I get so angry all the time. Hulk Always… Always Angry.”
Thor: Ragnarok
Hulk’s next appearance in Thor: Ragnarok it was the beginning of his transition from a complex and troubled character to a comedy joke. That being said, the film also gave a rare opportunity for the Hulk to be in control most of the time, giving the green giant more lines in one film than the rest of his film appearances combined. Being in the driver’s seat for an extended period of time, the Hulk has the chance to speak complex sentences and even explore emotions other than anger.
During a heart-to-heart with Thor, Hulk expresses his frustration with his constant and intense anger, seemingly acknowledging that his emotional state has often been a problem. The scene works on a comedic level, transforming the Hulk into a good-hearted but hormonal teenager, being listened to by his good friend Thor. But it’s also significant for being the first and only time the Hulk has actually apologized for something, adding more depth to the hero that many may have assumed simply didn’t exist.
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“Oh, screw you, you big green idiot! I will do it alone!”
Avengers: Infinity War
The Hulk and Bruce Banner have always had a tumultuous and even adversarial relationship, with the former resenting the latter for treating him like a disease to get rid of, otherwise only useful for fighting. After a humiliating defeat by Thanos, the Hulk refuses to manifest in Bruce Banner’s body, throwing a tantrum the entire time. Avengers: Infinity War. This is much to the chagrin of Dr. Banner and the other heroes, who need the Hulk’s strength more than ever, especially when Bruce is unable to get the Hulk to come out in the fight against Black Order member Cull Obsidian.
Using his familiarity with massive bodies to pilot Tony Stark’s Hulkbuster armor, Dr. Banner exasperatedly insults his other half for refusing to fight, vowing to take care of the alien invader himself. Impressively, Banner is able to contain the powerful enemy, despite the suit being heavily damaged at the beginning of the battle of Wakanda. This line proves that Bruce Banner is just as valuable as the Hulk when it comes to superheroes.
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“We don’t even know what that is.”
Captain Marvel
Of the Hulk’s three post-credits and mid-credits scene appearances, his brief period in Captain Marvel perhaps it is the least notable. Captain Marvel was the MCU’s bold decision to release a prequel explaining the presence of its newest character after leaving audiences on the huge cliffhanger of Avengers: Infinity War. Bridging the gap between the two is the film’s mid-credits scene, which shows Bruce Banner, Steve Rogers, James Rhodes, and Natasha Romanoff meeting Carol Danvers for the first time.
In fact, Bruce Banner doesn’t have many interesting lines during this scene. He briefly explains the presence of the device that Nick Fury used to signal his former superhero friend just before he was dusted by Thanos, although he emphasizes caution due to not even knowing what the signal could mean. Her questions are soon answered when Black Widow demands to know who the target of Nick Fury’s greeting was, only to be hilariously presented with the answer the second she turns around, finding Captain Marvel staring at her.
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“Radiaton is mostly gamma. It’s like… I was made for this.”
Avengers: Endgame
In his first appearance as Professor Hulk, Bruce Banner enjoys an important role in Avengers: Endgame. When the time heist is successful, presenting the Avengers with all six Infinity Stones, the question arises of who should wield Tony’s gauntlet and make the snap that brings everyone who was dusted back. Reflecting on the Hulk’s origins in gamma radiation, making him immune to most of the intense energy emitted by the Infinity Stones, Hulk mutters “It’s like… I was made for this“, finding his ultimate calling as a superhero.
Trying hard, Professor Hulk finally manages to lift the Stones in his hand, releasing a snap that actually restores everyone who was lost in Thanos’ first snap of life. Even though the effects are only seen later, this moment ends up becoming the Avengers’ greatest triumph after the famous “portals” scene. It’s a real pleasure to see the normally science-obsessed Bruce Banner comment on concepts like destiny before impacting the MCU in a way few characters can match.
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“Welcome to the circus.”
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
The end of Bruce Banner’s post-credits cameos and his most recent appearance in the film at the time of writing occurs in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Bruce Banner evaluates the titular ten rings after they send some sort of beacon into the cosmos shortly after Shang-Chi uses them, appearing in holoform alongside Captain Marvel. Unfortunately, this meeting is still the only time Shang-Chi has interacted with the wider world of the MCU outside of his particular story.
Bruce Banner even manages to get in a cheeky line here, welcoming Shang-Chi and Katy into what he calls “The Circus“, referring to the vast and strange world of superheroes. It’s nice to see Bruce Banner maintain a sense of humor even in relatively mundane situations (for the Avengers, at least), making an impression despite his limited screen time. If he turned into The Hulk or remaining in human form, Bruce Banner always has a way with words.