Marvel Legends and SH Figuarts Leaks Point to Savage Hulk in Brand New Day

Spider-Man: Brand New Day is already full of fan favorite characters, which include iconic Spider-Man villains like The Scorpion, Tombstone, and MCU alums like The Punisher and Bruce Banner. Further, certain merch leaks in the past few months have also indicated that one character that has not been seen since Avengers: Infinity War might return to the MCU: Savage Hulk.

Since losing to Thanos, The Hulk has been absent from the big screen. Bruce Banner and Smart Hulk have appeared in multiple projects since. Now, a look at Hasbro and Bandai Namco-backed toy line has suggested that the Savage Hulk might finally return to the MCU. The toy description in one such leak makes a case for why Savage Hulk would appear in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, beyond the novelty of a returning fan favorite in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The Toy’s Description Link’s Banner’s Struggle to Peter Parker

In Brand New Day, as seen in the first trailer, Peter Parker seems to be facing some issues with his powers. There is a lot of talk of metamorphosis, which makes the whole situation an ideal environment for bringing back Bruce Banner, who has struggled with similar issues. The particular piece of merch in question here is the Bandai SH Figuarts action figure, which depicts the Hulk in his savage form. A description is attached to the toy (via France-Figures), which states:

In Spider-Man: Brand New Day , Bruce Banner uses an inhibitor that keeps him in human form since the events of Endgame . But this constraint has its limits: the film marks the return of the Hulk in his feral form, a departure from the Smart Hulk of previous films. Banner and Peter Parker, both grappling with an uncontrollable transformation, find themselves in a narrative parallel at the heart of the film.

A similar leak, focusing on Hasbro’s Marvel Legends line, linked A Savage Hulk action figure to Spider-Man: Brand New Day (via Hasbro Pulse). Now, reintroducing Savage Hulk in a Spider-Man film could raise some concerns. There is already a lot of narrative baggage on the film, and one might be concerned that the Hulk could hijack the story and derail what looks like a classic Spider-Man film. However, the solution to such a problem exists in the panels of Marvel Comics itself.

Spider-Man Could Calm The Hulk Using An Iconic Comic Panel

The last time The Hulk needed calming, Thor was lucky enough that the Quinjet had a recording of Natasha Romanoff calming the Hulk down. However, the Black Widow is gone, and while there has been no need to calm the Hulk since then, Brand New Day, if the above leaks are to be believed, might pose such a problem for characters like Parker and possibly The Punisher. Plot rumors about the film suggest that the duo will take on an enraged Hulk.

However, there is a way to calm the Hulk that the MCU could adapt. Lately, a few panels from Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #2 (2005) have been making the rounds online. In these panels, Spider-Man engages the Hulk in combat and manages to get him to revert back to Bruce Banner, with a knock-knock joke of all things.

— Spider-Man Daily (@SpiderManComic_) August 17, 2023

While the joke itself is not revealed in the panels, it is effective, and it would be a brilliant piece of now-celebrated Marvel history that could make it to the big screen. Spider-Man need not even use a knock-knock joke, given his quippy nature, but just having Spider-Man disarm the Hulk using a joke would be a brilliant treat for fans.

Name	Spider-Man: Brand New Day
Director	Destin Daniel Cretton
Cast	Tom Holland Zendaya Sadie Sink Jacob Batalon Jon Bernthal Tramell Tillman Michael Mando Mark Ruffalo
Production Companies	Columbia Pictures Marvel Studios Pascal Pictures

Do you think we will finally see Savage Hulk return to the big screen? Let us know in the comments!

Spider-Man: Brand New Day hits theatres on July 31, 2026.