Avengers: Infinity War might've pleased audiences everywhere, but if you're a fan of the Incredible
Hulk, the film may have been a bit frustrating to watch.
Why?
Well, we might as well get this big, green, spoiler out of the way right now:
In the beginning, the green giant withstands a brutal beating by Thanos before being whisked
away to Earth by Heimdall, and that's the last time you see him in his full green glory.
Bruce Banner tries and fails several times to get his other half to come out and play,
but the Hulk refuses to emerge.
So why is the Hulk being shy all of a sudden?
The most obvious answer is that he simply doesn't want to endure a second round against
the Mad Titan, but there might be more to it than just that.
Let's take a look at why the other guy doesn't want to play the hero game anymore.
Father of mine
One regrettable aspect of Bruce Banner's portrayal in the MCU is that, as popular as Banner's
"I'm always angry" line from Avengers has become, the movies have never explored exactly
why that rage is always with him.
So, it's possible that directors Joe and Anthony Russo are using Thanos to finally give us
a glimpse of that story.
In the 1985 comic Incredible Hulk #312, longtime Hulk writer Bill Mantlo wrote one of Bruce
Banner's most memorable and influential stories.
Most of the tale is a flashback to Banner's younger days.
We learn that both Bruce and his mother Rebecca endured extreme emotional and physical abuse
at the hands of Bruce's father, Brian Banner.
Brian eventually ends his wife's life for trying to escape from him.
Mantlo essentially told readers that the gamma bomb blast from 1962's Incredible Hulk #1
didn't create the Hulk.
The trauma Bruce endured created the Hulk, the gamma blast just set him free.
It's possible that what's stopping the Hulk from emerging in Infinity War isn't that the
beating he took from Thanos scared him, but that it reawakened his childhood trauma.
In fact, this could be why a certain bizarre scene was deleted from Thor: Ragnarok.
In the scene, Banner expresses regret at missing his father's death because he was too busy
working.
"I missed my own father's death because I was focusing on my destiny."
But that would be a strange thing to say, since not only did the comic book Banner have
no fluffy feelings for his father, but it was eventually revealed that Bruce Banner
actually killed his father.
If the Infinity War filmmakers plan to use Hulk's shyness as a way to introduce the abuse
backstory, the conversation from the deleted scene wouldn't have made sense.
A Hulk humiliated
Maybe the Hulk isn't scared and maybe the Hulk isn't traumatized.
Maybe he's just embarrassed.
The Hulk has never experienced the kind of defeat Thanos handed him in the opening of
Avengers: Infinity War.
And the Green Goliath doesn't just have the intelligence of a toddler; he has the emotional
maturity of one too.
The beating he took may have destroyed his confidence.
The Hulk doesn't have any particular skills like his teammates.
Instead the Hulk's sole purpose is to beat people up.
If he can't do that then, in his mind, how could he be anything but worthless?
It's worth remembering that not only is Banner around other Avengers each time he tries to
change into the Hulk in Infinity War, but there's a specific Avenger he's being reminded
of, Tony Stark.
Tony's the only guy other than Thanos who's managed to knock the Hulk out.
The first time Banner tries to change in Infinity War, Tony's right there, urging him to Hulk
out.
The second time, during the battle in Wakanda, Tony's nowhere to be found, but Banner is
inside the Hulkbuster armor...inside the suit that not only gave the Hulk one of his only
defeats, but was created solely for the purpose of beating up the Hulk.
It's possible that it was the wrong time to remind the Green Goliath of that.
Third rock from the sun
But maybe the reason Hulk refuses to emerge may not have anything at all to do with Thanos
at all.
Maybe it's the Earth that's the problem.
Thor, Loki, Valkyrie, and even Banner may have been fine with leaving Sakaar in Thor:
Ragnarok, but the Hulk didn't have much say in the matter.
During their first one-on-one dialogue scene together, Hulk even told Thor plainly he had
no intention of returning to Earth.
Why?
"Earth hate Hulk."
On Sakaar, Hulk was treated better than he'd ever been.
No one even knew about Banner.
The people of Sakaar didn't run screaming from him for smashing his enemies; they cheered
him.
They had parades for him.
Why would he want to leave?
So perhaps after he's sent to New York, Hulk decides he just doesn't want to fight to protect
the place that seems to hate him so much.
The blame game
We've already talked about the Hulk's fear and humiliation.
But it's also possible Hulk's refusal to fight was about guilt,.and friendship.
Right after the Hulk is defeated by Thanos, Heimdall uses his last few breaths to transport
Hulk to Earth so he can warn them.
That means the first time Banner tries to Hulk out, as far as the Hulk knows, he's the
only survivor of the Asgardian refugee ship, and that Thor, Valkyrie, and everyone else
is dead.
Considering Thor and Hulk formed a bond during Ragnarok, perhaps his belief that he wasn't
strong enough to save his friend would be crushing.
If so, the revelation that Thor was really alive during the Battle of Wakanda could be
a huge relief, and might help clear the way for Hulk's arrival in Avengers 4.
So he can do this again:
Thanks for watching!
Click the Looper icon to subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Plus check out all this cool stuff we know you'll love, too!