Infinity War’s Hulk Troll Worked (But Avengers: Endgame’s Didn’t)

Avengers: Infinity War decided not to feature the Hulk for most of the movie, and while that flipping of expectations was justified, the same cannot be said about Avengers: Endgame’s disappointing Hulk role. With legal matters regarding distribution rights to the Hulk movies preventing Marvel from granting The Incredible Hulk a sequel, Bruce Banner’s role in the MCU became restricted to the Avengers movies and other team-up stories like Thor: Ragnarok. The fact that the Avengers movies are the Hulk’s biggest source of screen time in the MCU gives them the extra responsibility of nailing the character, which unfortunately did not happen toward the final stretch of the Infinity Saga.

According to Avengers: Infinity War directors Anthony and Joe Russo in an interview with Happy Sad Confused, the reason why Hulk did not appear in the Wakanda Battle or for most of the movie was that they wanted to explore the relationship between Bruce Banner and the Hulk. Given that Thor: Ragnarok was more focused on the Hulk than it was on Bruce, it made sense for Infinity War to give Mark Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner more screen time. Having Banner being both the brains and the muscles in an Avengers mission was an interesting change of dynamic for the character, but after keeping the Hulk out of the Avengers’ most important battle yet, Marvel should have given the Hulk one last memorable fight in Avengers: Endgame. Essentially, it was too soon for Smart Hulk to be a thing in the MCU.

Infinity War’s Hulk Role Subverted Expectations (& Gave Banner A Role)

After Infinity War opened with Hulk fighting Thanos, it would seem like the Emerald Giant would play a central role in the fight against Thanos and his army for the Infinity Stones. The Hulk was sent to Earth to warn the Avengers about Thanos, and after Banner reunited with Tony Stark, everything pointed to Hulk and Iron Man fighting side by side for the first time since Avengers: Age of Ultron. However, in a surprising twist, the Hulk refused to appear once the fight against Thanos’ Black Order began. More than a comedy bit that worked for the overall tone of the Avengers movies, Hulk choosing not to join the fight in Infinity War allowed the movie to explore a different side of the relationship between Hulk and Banner.

The Hulk had been in control from Age of Ultron to Thor: Ragnarok, and given how time passes differently in Sakaar, Bruce Banner may have been in the backseat for far longer than he realizes. Ragnarok suggested that Hulk was resentful of Banner and the Avengers, and the Emerald Giant was not interested in letting Bruce return. Ragnarok was the first movie in the MCU to distinctly treat Banner and Hulk as two different characters, which set up Hulk’s “betrayal” in Infinity War.

On top of adding another layer to the dynamic between Hulk and Banner, having Hulk refusing to appear in Infinity War allowed the film to give Mark Ruffalo more time to shine, which makes sense considering that the actor was never part of a solo Hulk movie. Infinity War was the beginning of the end for the Infinity Saga, and with most of the original Avengers cast bidding farewell to the MCU after Endgame, more Bruce Banner instead of more of the Hulk was welcomed.

Infinity War’s Hulk Troll Set Up A Bigger Role For Hulk In Endgame

Though Infinity War’s Hulk “troll” worked, it set up a bigger role for Hulk in Endgame, which did not happen. Granted, Hulk saved the universe in Endgame by using the Infinity Stones to bring everyone back. But, aside from that moment, Hulk had little to do in Endgame. Instead of establishing that Banner and Hulk had gotten along and that the Hulk was now ready to fight again, Avengers: Endgame took the character in a completely different direction with the Smart Hulk reveal. An adaption of the Marvel comics’ “Professor Hulk”, the Smart Hulk sees Bruce Banner with full control of the Hulk form in a seemingly irreversible way, meaning that the warrior Hulk is no more.

Avengers: Endgame even had a visual gag to show how different the Smart Hulk was from the regular Hulk. When going back to 2012’s Battle of New York, the Smart Hulk was embarrassed by seeing how rageful and uncontrollable the classic Hulk was. The Smart Hulk could barely destroy a car with his own hands despite technically having the same strength as the classic Hulk, which shows how different Endgame Hulk was from what audiences had learned to expect from the character.

The Smart Hulk did play an important part in Endgame’s time travel plot, as Bruce Banner is one of the most brilliant minds in the Marvel universe. Still, after Infinity War’s first and only Hulk scene saw the Hulk losing badly to Thanos in a hand-to-hand fight, audiences were expecting the Hulk to have at least one memorable fight in Endgame. Between Infinity War and Endgame, each of the original Avengers had one or two fights in which they were in the spotlight, but not the Hulk.

Marvel’s Smart Hulk Happened Way Too Soon

The MCU’s Smart Hulk was a natural progression for the character, and it borrowed from Hulk’s comic book history, but it happened way too soon. If the plan was for Mark Ruffalo to continue playing the character in the MCU, then there was no reason to rush into the Smart Hulk development in Endgame. As the final movie in the Infinity Saga and the culmination of a decade worth of stories, Avengers: Endgame was supposed to see the Avengers at the height of their powers.

For example, Tony Stark’s nanotech armor was far more advanced than anything he ever wore up until Infinity War, Captain America was able to lift Mjolnir, and Thor unlocked his full potential following the events of Thor: Ragnarok. As such, it was expected that the Hulk would also be at the peak of his strength, which obviously did not happen. The Smart Hulk storyline could have begun in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings or even in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, thus allowing Endgame to feature the classic Hulk one last time.

Endgame Robbed Hulk Of One Final Avengers Fight

The biggest problem with Avengers: Endgame’s Smart Hulk storyline is that it robbed Hulk of one final fight alongside the original Avengers. The Hulk continues to be a part of the MCU, and there are even reports of a World War Hulk movie potentially happening. Still, following the deaths of Iron Man and Black Widow, and Steve Rogers retiring as Captain America, the Hulk will never get to fight side by side with the original Avengers again. Endgame’s final battle featured dozens of heroes, yet there was a clear focus on the remaining original Avengers. Moments like Captain America summoning Mjolnir and Iron Man sacrificing himself to stop Thanos were highlights of Avengers: Endgame and honored the MCU’s original heroes, a chance that Hulk as a character was not offered. There is more to Hulk than just his strength, but still, wrapping up the Infinity Saga without at least one memorable Hulk fight scene was a mistake.