Highlights
- Hulk's romance with Natasha Romanoff in Avengers: Age of Ultron was unexpected, but their shared experiences as outsiders helped explain their connection.
- Monica Rappaccini, in an alternate universe, becomes a capable partner to Hulk, showcasing her strength and abilities.
- Hulk's relationship with Caiera resulted in them ruling together and having a child, making them a powerful and genuine Marvel power couple.
Nearly every major Marvel superhero has had one or more love interests in the comics and movies alike. Including their love interests gives personal stakes to the story and makes it about more than fighting villains and saving the world. Hulk is no exception.
After his transformation into Hulk, Bruce Banner struggled with finding his way to people, and he didn't trust he would control himself. Despite the fact that his personal life was far from simple, Bruce has dated multiple people in the comics and movies as well. Some of them naturally stand out, either because of their importance to him or the role they played in the story.
5 Natasha Romanoff
The developing romance between Natasha and Bruce in Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) took a lot of the MCU fans by surprise because, in the previous movies, Natasha didn't seem interested in Bruce. It became a controversial point for some who believed the pairing had no real basis. However, at a closer look, some notable similarities between Natasha and Bruce help explain why they found their way to each other.
Both of them had things happen to them that they didn't want (Bruce became Hulk, Natasha was in the Red Room), and as a result, they feel like outsiders, even monsters at times. What's more, the relationship plays with the well-known fairytale theme of "The Beauty and the Beast" and turns it upside down. If the relationship got more space, it could have left a stronger impression, but at least it doesn't twist what the audience knows about the characters.
4 Monica Rappaccini
If there is one thing that Marvel fans can count on it's that the comics offer a large variety of alternate storylines and universes where the lives of established characters happen differently, or at the very least, they find their way to people who might have been absent from the main universe. That's also the case with Monica Rappaccini. On Earth-58163, where a war between humans and mutants erupted, Hulk becomes nothing less than a leader of Australia, and he partners up with Monica.
As an agent, Monica is no fragile damsel in distress and is more than capable of keeping up with Bruce both when fighting and in their more intimate moments. Due to the fact that the story takes place on an alternate Earth, the MCU is unlikely to ever use it, but at least fans of Monica from the comics can see her in Marvel's Avengers.
3 Caiera
A lesser-known fact about Hulk is that he even had a child at one point. It happened in the Planet Hulk storyline, which is universally hailed as one of the best Hulk comic book arcs. While Hulk resides on the planet Sakaar, he and Caiera get together and eventually rule side by side, which is no easy task considering the nature of Sakaar and its people.
Despite the difficulties they face, the couple manages to pull it off. What's more, they have a child together, a son named Skaar, who inherits a part of his father's remarkable strength. Just like multiple Hulk romances, this one doesn't end with "and they lived happily ever after" but that doesn't diminish the fact that while they were together, Hulk and Caiera were a genuine Marvel power couple.
2 Zarda
The relationship between Hulk and Zarda more or less fits the popular fiction trope "enemies to lovers." And it also proves that Hulk has a soft spot for powerful women who can take care of themselves. Since Zarda's known as the Power Princess, it's easy to deduce that she's not the one who needs saving in this relationship. Zarda isn't afraid to speak her mind and more often than not, it seems to be her who has the upper hand in their romance.
These two strong-headed individuals clash a lot, but it's usually over less serious things (such as what will be for breakfast). And when it comes time to show it, it becomes obvious that the affection between them is real. Zarda appeared in Ultimate Hulk Annual #1 and to this day, she remains one of the most underrated strongest female heroines in the comics.
1 Betty Ross
The audiences haven't seen much of Betty Ross in the MCU. The only exception is the animated series What If...? and the 2008 movie The Incredible Hulk where Liv Tyler played Betty and Edward Norton portrayed Bruce before being replaced by Mark Ruffalo for all subsequent MCU movies. However, Betty is a much more prominent character in the comics as she holds the position of Bruce's one true love.
Just like the MCU did with Natasha Romanoff, Betty was able to calm the Hulk down when he got angry and was able to get to him when nobody else managed it. Their story might not have had a happy ending, but that doesn't change the fact there was a unique understanding between the two.