What If...? Season 2's Bearded Hulk Could Mean Something Terrible
With the Marvel Multiverse becoming more fleshed out, the anthology series "What If...?" becomes all the more intriguing. The first season established variations of classic heroes audiences know from the movies, and "What If...?" Season 2, which is set to debut on December 22 on Disney+, looks to up the ante. The trailer for "What If...?" Season 2 features ample variants, including a version of Hulk that may have some comic book readers nervous.
In a brief moment, a bearded Hulk turns around and yells while in an ominous red light. It's hard to determine what segment he may be part of, but this version of the hero is often affiliated with Maestro in the comics. Maestro is an alternate version of Hulk who goes insane following a nuclear war and becomes a tyrannical dictator over a population unsubtly known as Dystopia.
Given what some of the episodes look to feature, such as Captain Carter (Hayley Atwell) fighting the Hydra Stomper (Josh Keaton), it's hard to envision when Maestro would come into play. An episode could also include simply a passing reference to the character without focusing on Maestro's misdeeds too much. He's a fairly dark villain and one the Marvel Cinematic Universe may not be too eager to adapt fully. That's assuming this Hulk is, in fact, Maestro and not someone else.
What if... Hulk just grew a beard?
To be fair, there's a good chance this Hulk isn't Maestro at all. Maestro is usually depicted with a bald head and white beard. The Hulk in the trailer has long dark hair and a similar dark beard. If he's not Maestro, he could be another variant of Hulk, such as the one who served as a pet to King Thanos in a different comic book arc. In another reality, Thanos basically turned Hulk into his pet dog, who would go on to lose his humanity and eat some of the Avengers. That's also a pretty dark story to adapt to something on Disney+, but "What If...?" has delved into some sinister territory in the past, like a Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) variant destroying his entire reality.
It could also simply be Hulk with a beard. There's no shortage of potential stories where Hulk could've been imprisoned or didn't have access to a razor for a long time and has a beard in one episode of "What If...?" Season 2. That's probably the most likely explanation, especially since this Hulk doesn't seem substantially older than how audiences know him in the mainline MCU.
Giving heroes a beard doesn't have to come with confusing lore. Captain America (Chris Evans) sported some facial hair in "Avengers: Infinity War," and everyone seemed okay with that. But if Marvel Studios feels brave at some point in the future, an adaptation of the Maestro story would be pretty hardcore.