Even the might of the Hulk is no match for the power of all six Infinity Stones.
During a recent Twitter Q&A with Wired, Avengers: Endgame directors Joe and Anthony Russo revealed
the reason the Green Goliath failed to heal after using the stones to resurrect the dusted
heroes in the film's final act.
Simply put: the combined power of the stones would have been too much for virtually any
being in existence to handle, and Bruce Banner is probably lucky to still be breathing.
You'll remember that in Endgame, Banner volunteered to use the stones — housed inside a brand
spanking new, Tony Stark-built Infinity Gauntlet 2.0 — to reverse the destruction wrought
by Thanos' infamous snap at the conclusion of Avengers: Infinity War.
Banner was convinced of his destiny by the stones' radiation signature, which was "mostly
gamma" — the same type of radiation that endowed him with the power of the Hulk.
"It's like, uh…
I was made for this."
But his snap, while successful, took a terrible toll.
The arm on which he wore the gauntlet was seen to be largely useless after his heroic
action, and fans looked to the Russos to explain why such a powerful being would suffer such
shocking consequences from using the stones.
Twitter user Victor Stone Meanmuggin tweeted:
"Hold on.
The Hulk has a whole healing factor… why didn't his arm heal?"
Anthony Russo replied that, healing factor or no, using the combined power of the stones
is simply too much for any being to walk away from — even Thanos, who famously slapped
the Hulk around like a rag doll in the opening scene of Infinity War.
Joe Russo explained:
"The Hulk has never come up against every Infinity Stone in a gauntlet, and the pure
power of the stones.
Thanos is nearly invincible, and he did not heal, either.
So, clearly, when you wield the full power of the Infinity Stones, it does irreparable
damage to your being."
Then Anthony Russo added, quote, "If it doesn't even kill you."
Oof.
Too soon, man.
Rest in peace, Mr. Stark…
Anywho, the ace directing duo also offered some insight as to what led Banner to merge
the two halves of himself, which was a crucial development — considering that it's likely
that nobody would have been able to talk the Hulk into wielding the Stark Gauntlet, had
he not been possessed of Banner's personality and intellect.
"Eighteen months in the gamma lab.
I put the brains and the brawn together.
And now look at me.
Best of both worlds!"
Anthony Russo explained:
"We wanted to track how every single one of the Avengers was moving forward from the experience
of Infinity War.
And Banner had this very unique experience, where… in the opening of Infinity War, he
loses to Thanos as the Hulk, [and] later in the film he loses to Thanos as Banner.
And so, he is left with this reality that… neither version of himself could stop Thanos.
So, in the five-year time [jump] that happens early on in Endgame, he sort of dedicates
himself to trying to better himself so that this never happens again.
And that's sort of the proper motivation for him to finally figure out how to reconcile
the two sides of himself."
It was a brutal but necessary outcome for the mightiest Avenger, and one that will have
a lasting impact.
The Russos have gone on record stating that, as far as they're concerned, the Hulk's injuries
are permanent — meaning that if Banner were to make any future appearances in the MCU
— which he almost certainly will — he may be decidedly sidelined when it comes to
throwing down with superpowered adversaries.
We say "may" because, as you may have heard, the Russos are finished directing MCU pictures
for the foreseeable future — and it's not as if another director couldn't come up with
some plot device by which to heal the Green Goliath's injuries.
Although, should Banner actually remain sidelined or even fade from the picture entirely, it's
pretty certain that his legacy will remain.
For the selfless action he took to undo the deaths of millions, he'll always be among
the greatest heroes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe — and somehow, we find it likely
that moviegoers haven't heard the words "Hulk smash!" for the last time.
"I think it's gratuitous, but whatever."
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