Avengers: Infinity War left a lot of dangling questions.
Among the most important: where was the Hulk?
The big green guy all but abandoned Bruce Banner in the battle against Thanos.
Was his absence just build-up for an Endgame triumph?
It's a good bet that he'll be back in the big Infinity Saga finale, which makes us ask
one big question: could a vengeful Hulk actually put Thanos to bed permanently?
Here's all the ways we think that might happen.
One of the most defining elements of the Hulk is that the mean green brute is strong.
Really, really strong.
There are so many layers of pure, unadulterated muscle that it has always been a primary trait
over the decades, whether it be on the printed page, television set, or cinematic universe.
After all, the Hulk's the best there is at what he does, and what he does is, well…
“Hulk Smash!"
At this point, everyone knows that if you hit Hulk hard, you're only going to be hit
back harder.
Of course, this natural ability to "muscle up" makes Hulk a prime choice to use in any
kind of one-on-one showdown.
If Hulk starts smashing, you can bet there's a fair chance that Thanos' demise might occur
under those two giant green fists.
But, of course, the question that naturally arises from that statement is whether he'll
start smashing in the first place.
The biggest mystery about the Hulk when it comes to Infinity War is just where he was
during the whole ordeal.
When push came to shove, with the universe at stake, Hulk was a non-starter.
He had a peek around, took a few lumps from Thanos, and called it quits quicker than anyone
else in the film.
Of course, that doesn't mean Hulk was really done.
Anyone who watches that opening scene can pretty quickly see that the Jade Giant wasn't
quite in character.
He looks dazed, confused, and half-committed.
It turns out, according to the Russos themselves, Hulk wasn't so much scared by the confrontation
as genuinely angry about it.
Director Joe Russo stated plainly on the commentary track:
"People have speculated on whether there was some fear on the Hulk's part about having
to face Thanos again but I think ultimately, what it is, is that he's tired of playing
hero to Bruce Banner."
And after two years spent in control on Sakaar, can you blame him?
Regardless, if Hulk's going to stop Thanos, he's going to need to get over his hurt feelings
and take the reins once again.
Of course, Hulk's absence actually plays nicely into his chances of dealing the final blow
to the Mad Titan.
As of the end of Infinity War, Thanos sees the Hulk as nothing more than a passing annoyance.
His attention in Endgame will probably be more focused on characters like Thor, who
already stabbed him in the chest, and Captain Marvel, who's been confirmed to be the most
powerful superhero in the MCU.
This could play into the Avengers' hands nicely, as everyone else knows that Hulk really is
one of their best chances at beating the living daylights out of Thanos.
Perhaps, rather than a straight-up brawl, it'll be the element of surprise that could
help the Hulk rise to the occasion and be the one to take down Thanos.
Once Hulk gets over his hurt feelings, he might feel a twinge of embarrassment at having
left everyone to fend for themselves during what was clearly the largest crisis that the
Avengers have ever faced.
If he really did sit out because he was being a baby about the whole losing control issue,
once he has a chance to process things with Banner, he might even feel a little remorse
and regret at how everything went down.
Plus, the fact that he was made to look like a fool could give Hulk a healthy dose of inspiration,
not to mention a vendetta against the guy who made him look like an idiot while he was
taking a time-out.
Before we move on to more specific ways that Hulk could take down Thanos, let's talk about
one more "big picture" element that could factor in here.
Hulk is strong, sure.
But, honestly, he's not the only member on the team that can go toe-to-toe with Thanos
and have a fighting chance.
Even Iron Man got him to bleed a little, right?
"All that for a drop of blood."
But one thing the Hulk has that the others don't is the exponential scaling of his rage.
Hulk literally thrives in adversity.
If he feels outmatched, he gets angry and his strength scales along with it.
He's virtually untouched by fear, too.
If the Green Goliath can get angry early enough in a fight with Thanos, there's a good chance
the Mad Titan side of that equation is going to have a rough go of it.
While the thought of a furious Hulk giving Thanos a run for his money is as good as gold,
there's one weapon that Hulk could use that would make the entire affair that much better.
For a while now it's been heavily rumored that Tony Stark's part in the endgame of Endgame
involves him reassembling the Avengers and building his own Infinity Gauntlet.
Another rumor indicated that it might be none other than the Hulk who wields the second
gauntlet in battle against Thanos.
The theory even comes with the added speculation that Hulk may end up losing an arm in the
process.
Whether he loses an arm or not, though, the simple fact that Hulk could end up wielding
the Infinity Stones could give him all the power he needs to kill Thanos.
While it's fun to think up "Hulk smash" scenarios that could lead to Thanos' demise, the truth
is that after Infinity War, there seems to be something of a Hulk special being cooked
up at Marvel Studios.
A while back, actor Mark Ruffalo explained that the Hulk had a story arc taking place
over the course of three separate movies: Thor: Ragnarok, Avengers: Infinity War, and
Avengers: Endgame.
This led to a bunch of rumors that point to the idea that Hulk's story may actually end
in reconciliation between himself and Bruce Banner.
A burying of the hatchet between the two could finally pave the way for the arrival of Professor
Hulk, a version of the character who has the brains of Banner and the brawn of the Hulk.
A Hulk that's as smart as he is strong could be just hero to finally take down Thanos.
Speaking of Professor Hulk, even if we're fairly certain about his appearance in Endgame,
Marvel Studios has been tight-lipped about how the synthesized character could actually
appear.
And, of course, whenever Marvel is reticent about something, the fans are ready to step
up to the plate.
One particularly interesting theory about the transformation actually involves The Ancient
One, Tilda Swinton's character in Doctor Strange.
The theory suggests that Banner will head back in time along with everyone else via
the Quantum Realm.
Once there, he'll cross paths with the Ancient One, who will help teach him how to control
his anger and bring about the healing that the two so desperately need.
There's some evidence to support it, too: Mark Ruffalo did refer to working with Swinton
in an unnamed project back in 2017.
The Ancient One has also been reported to be among the action figures being made for
Endgame, so it's certainly possible.
While there's no doubt that Hulk is a top contender to take Thanos down, he's certainly
not the only option on the table.
In fact, there are quite a few other people who are actively standing in line in front
of him.
The guilt-laden Tony Stark has a laundry list of reasons to be the guy who takes the kill
shot.
Nebula's list might be even longer at this point, and besides, she was critical in toppling
Thanos in the Infinity Gauntlet comics.
Thor is just plain angry about everything at this point and wants some revenge somewhere.
But even if someone else actually kills Thanos, Hulk could be an instrumental piece of that
scenario simply by being a distraction.
How often do the Avengers get the important stuff done while Hulk is busy doing the dirty
work?
In the Battle of New York, Cap led the team and Iron Man saved everyone's butts by dealing
with the nuke.
But Hulk was the point man, taking down alien hordes right and left in a spectacle that
drew a ton of attention.
"And Hulk.
Smash!"
He's done the same in numerous other battles.
If his ultimate role is to play the distractor, he'd know the part backward and forward by
now.
Another way that Hulk could ultimately kill Thanos might be by simply stepping aside and
letting Bruce Banner do the work for him.
While he may have been dodging his responsibilities in Infinity War, getting the Hulk to come
out and play isn't necessarily the key to everything going well.
In fact, puny Bruce Banner may have a much more important part to play than we think.
One heavily rumored element that could be critical in Endgame is the aforementioned
time travel via the Quantum Realm.
The problem is, who's going to be able help everyone move back and forth through time?
Scott Lang has the experience, but he's lacking the scientific know-how.
Shuri might be able to do it, but based on what we've seen in the Endgame trailer, she's
fallen victim to Thanos' snap.
At the end of the day, having someone like Bruce Banner on hand to guide the team through
the Quantum Realm could be just the brainy ticket the team needs to take Thanos down.
We've spent a good amount of time breaking down Hulk's furious rage and how it could
be a factor, but one popular theory is that we'll get to see World Breaker Hulk.
Who is World Breaker Hulk?
In essence, it's the strongest manifestation of Hulk that we've ever gotten to see in the
comic books, and certainly one that could give Thanos a run for his money, with or without
his fancy pants Infinity Gauntlet.
One popular fan theory pointed out that the timing would be pretty fitting.
Thor has pretty much finished his evolution into a nearly all-powerful being, while Hulk
is lagging behind and due for a story arc finale.
And, as we know, Avengers: Endgame represents the end of the arc that Mark Ruffalo has discussed
in interviews in the past.
Perhaps the stars are aligning for World Breaker Hulk to take on Thanos and reverse the results
of their first meeting.
Whether it's due to his strength, his fury, a second Infinity Gauntlet, or anything else,
Hulk needs to have one more critical factor going in his favor if he's going to topple
the Mad Titan: he needs to have an interest.
Hulk's care-free attitude toward Thanos has crippled his ability to have any positive
impact on the storyline.
On the contrary, his actions seem to have simply allowed the universe to go to hell
in a handbasket.
No matter how many Captain Marvels or Ant-Men show up to try and save the day in Endgame,
Hulk is going to need to get his act together in the big Avengers finale.
He has to get over any petty squabbles with Banner and team up to focus on the true danger
at hand.
Both characters have serious upsides, especially if they're working together.
Oh, and Banner's probably going to need to get angry.
"I'm always angry."
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