Warning: MAJOR spoilers ahead for Avengers: Twilight #5!In a shocking betrayal to the team, a major member of the Avengers has officially teamed up with the Red Skull. Despite what many fans believe, the heroes that make up the Avengers don’t always get along. There have been numerous stories in Marvel’s long history that featured characters like Iron Man, Captain America and Doctor Strange stepping out of line in massive betrayals to the Avengers name. However, a major twist in a future timeline has made one of the mainline Avengers commit the worst act of treachery in the comics yet, as they join the Red Skull.
In Avengers: Twilight #5 by Chip Zdarsky and Daniel Acuña, the Red Skull has officially begun his final plan to take over the U.S. government in a massive battle in Washington D.C. When Iron Man manages to stop an attack on the Defenders’ various bases in the area, Red Skull implements his last-ditch strategy by deploying a destructive weapon toward the city. The heroes at first believe it to be a nuclear missile. However, when Thor goes to stop it before it can strike, he realizes in horror that the ultimate weapon isn’t a bomb, but the Hulk himself.
The Hulk has officially joined forces with the Red Skull. While the visible implants in his skin make it likely that he has been brainwashed, it’s a shocking betrayal that will undoubtedly see the Avengers in a fight for their lives.
Red Skull Sees Hulk’s Strength as the Ultimate Counter to the Avengers
What’s interesting about this twist is that it essentially confirms what fans have theorized about the Hulk for decades. Ultron saw Hulk’s strength as a benefit in the earlier issues of Avengers: Twilight. He and the Red Skull have kept the rage-filled hero in captivity for years after H-Day to ensure their bid for power would never be crossed should resistance rise.
They see the Hulk as a major force to be reckoned with that’s equal in power to the force of nuclear weaponry. This is confirmed by Tony Stark’s son, James, when he compares the Hulk to “a nuclear payload.” Plus, with the reveal that the “H” in H-Day actually stands for “Hulk,” not “Hero,” it’s clear that getting the Hulk to betray the team was a conscious and strategic effort that serves more than just a big twist in the story’s endgame.
The Avengers May Need to Kill Their Friend to Save the Day
The upsetting truth behind this reveal is that, if the Avengers want to save the country from Red Skull’s tyranny, they may need to face a difficult task: killing the Hulk. It won’t be an easy thing to do, given the history the team has with the Jade Giant. However, it’s an entirely possible outcome given the number of heroes who have been killed so far in Avengers: Twilight, including Daredevil. Efforts could be made to get through to Bruce Banner, but based on the technology Red Skull has grafted to Hulk’s skin to control him, the hero’s death could be the only answer.
With the next issue of Avengers: Twilight set to be the last of the miniseries, the battle between the older Avengers and the Hulk could be one of the deadliest in Marvel history. The Avengers are fighting for the soul of the country, so the battle will undoubtedly be more destructive than fans could ever imagine. Plus, with the Hulk joining the Red Skull‘s side, the Avengers have many obstacles ahead of them as they make their last stand in their future timeline.
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The Avengers
The sixth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers is an action superhero film that sees the heroes assembled across the franchise face off with a deadly galactic threat. With the arrival of Thor’s brother, Loki, heroes such as Captain America, The Hulk, Iron Man, and Black Widow are brought together to stop him from unleashing an alien race upon earth.
