The entire Hulk MCU timeline finally explained

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The entire Hulk MCU timeline finally explained

BY JARON PAK
Few heroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe have been as entertaining to follow over the years as the Hulk. The Jade Giant has one of the most interesting, albeit confusing, stories in the entire history of the MCU. From perpetual inner conflict — until more recent times, at least — to his temper, nearly limitless strength, and near invincibility, the character has plotted a uniquely absorbing story that few of his fellow heroes can match.

Of course, one extremely unique factor that complicates the big green guy's story is the fact that the overpowered hero shares a body with mild-mannered scientist Bruce Banner. The two characters remained locked in a running contest for literal self-control throughout nearly the entire Infinity Saga. 

At this point, the twofer superhero's adventure has gone through the fires of personal discovery, stretched across the galaxy and back again, and built to an incredible crescendo that few people could have predicted when he came galumphing onto the screen over a decade ago. But let's not get too far ahead of ourselves here — let's pick up the story at the beginning. This is the Hulk's MCU timeline, finally explained

A murky start

While "the beginning" for most MCU heroes simply requires a quick trip back to their origin film, the earliest moments of Hulk's timeline are a bit harder to pin down. The problem is, Hulk technically doesn't have an MCU origin story. Not in detail, anyway. In fact, his story begins several years after the "Other Guy" already came into existence. 

However, over time and through hints, exposition, and flashbacks, it's become known that Banner originally volunteered to test his own gamma radiation experiment on himself, and things quickly went very wrong (or as General "Thunderbolt" Ross, the head of the project would say, "very right"). The experiment leads to the creation of the Hulk, a being that, in simplistic terms, shares a body and mind with Bruce Banner — although for many years, only one can express themselves at a time. 

Not long after the accident, the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde duo find themselves on the lam. These early years are rough for our hero, as Banner is continually tracked by the U.S. Army and struggles to contain the Hulk in order to stay quiet and out of sight. After several years of moving around, the scientist finds himself living a secret life as a fugitive in Brazil, where he focuses on anger management — anger being the trigger that unleashes the Hulk — and looks for ways to reverse his "condition."

Getting nowhere fast

By 2008, Banner has spent nearly half a year hiding in Brazil, where he works in a bottling factory. However, his tenuous situation is upended when General "Thunderbolt" Ross finally tracks him down. When this happens, he transforms into the Hulk, blows his cover, and goes back on the run. The ensuing adventure sees Banner return to America, where he reunites with his sweetheart, the general's daughter Betty Ross, and continues his quest to "heal" himself from the threat of turning into the Other Guy. 

Throughout these events, he's closely dogged by General Ross' forces, and even meets them head-on in front of Culver University — where he is directly confronted by a new antagonist, Emil Blonsky, a British special-ops commando injected with a Super Soldier Serum that allows him to survive his first encounter with the Hulk. After that, he escalates the threat by having the Hulk's blood transfused into his own body, an event that turns him into the Hulk-sized villain Abomination.

Meanwhile, Banner realizes the futility of trying to heal his condition and is finally taken into custody by General Ross, just in time for Abomination to appear on the scene. The revelation of the new threat forces the general to release Banner, as it quickly becomes apparent that Hulk is the only hope they have to contain the transformed Blonsky. This leads to a catastrophic showdown in Harlem, where Abomination is subdued and Hulk flees the scene.

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