But, like most mixed bags, I dont think it gets enough credit for all the ways in which its actually good, starting with the way that Lee thoughtfully turns the Hulks characterization into a deeper metaphor for trauma. Chiefly, that anger can throw us into blind, destructive rage as it does for him earlier in the film but anger can also be a feeling we channel from inside ourselves as a useful, powerful force. Do you think Hulk should have gotten his rematch in Avengers: Endgame? This approach understands that our deepest expressions and fears can hurt others when we never mean them to. Its as if he just couldnt help but emit this unflappable decency whenever he appeared on the damn screen. If you buy something from a Polygon link, Vox Media may earn a commission. Photos from theInfinity Warset suggested to fans thatIron Mandirector Jon Favreau would be returning as Tony Stark's friend and security chief Happy Hogan for the film alongside Gwyneth Paltrow's Pepper Potts. Maybe Tony visited the Metaphysical realm to talk with old Morgan. Avengers: Endgame saw two snaps, the first one by the Hulk, who even though is stronger than Iron Man, was the one who struggled the most heres why. And Ive come to realize that whenever someone asks me, Why the Hulk? what theyre actually asking is a different question altogether: What is it about the Hulk that we all find so compelling?. He kicked Cull. He lost Natasha. We'll keep you updated. Even Banner is fully aware that Hulk is in all regards, just a completely different person from him who exists simultaneously to him, taking control of Hulk's body and having his mind practically cease to exist is not "accepting the Hulk". There is a catch, though. So when the events of the current story serve to re-traumatize him, our Banner breaks from his unemotional exterior and the inner hulk (read: emotion/trauma) finally comes to the surface with destructive consequences. Avengers: Endgame has finally arrived in theaters, and most fans have hopefully had a chance to see it. While Favreau did shoot a scene in which he's trying to fight off the media hoping to get a peek at the newly engaged Tony and Pepper while they're out in the park, the scene wound up on the cutting room floor because it was just too important at that point to get the film moving toward Iron Man's first encounter with Doctor Strange and, ultimately, the Children of Thanos. Banner finds himself terrified that he let Hulk have control for literal years. When I said I was disappointed that Infinity War didnt address this question in any larger way during the running time, I was met with the far too familiar chorus of MCU fans who said that I wasnt being fair, and the creative team at Disney would likely deal with it in the next movie. One of the more frequent criticisms Ive gotten over this silly alias has been the following: He doesnt even talk like the Hulk!, I often cant help but take the bait and respond with something akin to, Actually, Im sort of a cross between Merged/Professor Hulk from the Jenkins run in the comics. pushes glasses up nose. Theres so much I love in the subtle execution of that scene, particularly the way Hulk lets that childlike bashfulness and fear peek out for a moment as he turns to withdrawn sadness. The Hulk Scene In Endgame That Was Surprisingly Difficult To Film. And when he finally comes back to Banner, so to speak, hes hitting that confusing, sobering wall at the end of his decisions. Nothing. On the internet, hes become known as Hipster Hulk. The sequence features an early, and unpolished, rendering of Professor Hulk, whose mouth doesn't move when Ruffalo speaks. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. Oops. See our ethics statement. The development comes after Banner spent the preceding Avengers: Infinity War warring with the Hulk, who refused to come out and solve Banner's puny problems after his defeat at the hands of Thanos (Josh Brolin). He was just utilizing more of Banner's intellect. This also really happened, and it was actually written in pretty toxic fashion. Banner's Friend!". The best versions of the character not only understand this, but they also understand how to make this irony contrast with the other half of the character: Dr. Bruce Banner. While Avengers: Endgame was the end for Natasha, viewers will get to see her one final time in Black Widow, set between Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War, giving full closure to her time in the MCU. Healthy anger, as its often described in therapy, is the willingness to fight for self and whats right, a lovely little duality within the duality. And watching him bounce off Downey Jr., Evans, and Hemsworth proved exactly why he was the perfect fit for both the group and the MCUs version of the Hulk stories. The answer is more personal and relationship-driven, as our Banner/Hulk gets a lot of emotional space to explore in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Hes armed with Banners brains and eloquence, Greys snark, and some of Savages strength, with a dash of Joe Fixits cunning. The big green guy roars into the third act after a lot of table-setting and is given spectacular moment after moment, from the Loki smash to the sucker punch to the catch, all of which were captured in endlessly GIF-able moments that endeared the character to a new generation of fans. That being said, Marvel still has quite a few powerhouses who have yet to be tested in combat by the Hulk. Hulk : [muttering to himself] Take the stairs. Probably, Hulk and/or Iron Man didn't wish/need that. While Endgame did mark the end for many of the original Avengers, Mark Ruffalo still has one more movie left in his Marvel contract, which confirms that there will be a follow-up to the Hulk's radioactive amputation in a future movie. Where the old TV series felt laser-focused in understanding what it wanted out of a given Hulk altercation, I never felt quite sure what the Hulk sequences in this film were after in terms of characterization or rooting interest. Here's what we know. Fans will recall that inInfinity War, Thanos (Josh Brolin) used the stones to snap half of all life in the universe out of existence, with relatively little injury to himself though his Infinity Gauntlet was heavily damaged in that first usage. Clearly, talking to Gamora gives closure to his quest. "You're Banner's friend. At some point, these problems and conflicts are going to have to be addressed somewhere if the stakes are to feel high enough to matter. We wrote it, we shot it, and went on to shoot most of Endgame, and he achieved union with the Hulk while inside the Hulkbuster. Why Hulk's Punch Was Instrumental in Uniting the Avengers While the Avengers had shown moments of being able to work together before this scene, they were not united. Hes gone full Hulk-mode 24/7 on a gladiatorial planet and drunkenly embraced the ego that comes with his raw physical strength. In this latest episode, we go all in on Avengers: Endgame! While the Hulk did have the vocab of a two-year-old in Thor: Ragnarok, Endgame takes Bruce Banner and his testy alter-ego a step further. Avengers 5. theory explains how Hulk may transform into biggest villain yet. It was great. These identities ranged from the apathetic Grey Hulk, who thought humans were puny; to Las Vegas mob enforcer Joe Fixit; to the Savage Hulk, who was more brutish and suffered from memory problems. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly about the making of the film this week, the Russos finally tackled one of the more intriguing character developments from the film: The refusal of the Hulk to come out and fight again after he crash-landed on Earth and transformed back into Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) after a battle with Thanos. And I argue now what Ive argued then: that all our stories have to mean something deep to us in the moment. In other words, I fully grok why it might not be a great Incredible Hulk movie. Im talking about dramatic objective. The Hulk had good intentions, and they came with a prize, as his arm was left severely injured after the snap, but there were things that just couldnt be fixed, not even with the power of the Infinity Stones. But my jaw was on the ground when Endgame finished, because the Hulk character has literally nothing to do on any emotional level for most of the running time. Credit:Marvel Studios' Avengers: Infinity War Official Trailer / Marvel Entertainment YouTube. After all, Tony Stark was killed by using the Infinity Stones, and the Hulk managed to survive the supernatural radiation albeit with a severely blackened and now useless arm. Yup! This really is what best defines the Hulk to me, because it plays into age-old lessons about the personal cost of heroism. All rights reserved. Better yet, the movie sneakily said something about the grand Hulk duality. In a film with stakes as high asEndgame, that suffering will come swift and hard even if you're the Incredible Hulk. I came to the show a little later, when the dawn of cable TV meant that we could all suddenly absorb a bevy of syndicated reruns every dang day of the week. One Twitter user complained that the rendering resembles Hulk from a . Hulk portrayed by. All of that, combined with Hulk's childlike level of intelligence, would be enough to make him stubbornly refuse to fight anymore, particularly if he couldn't fully comprehend the stakes of the film. One Marvel comic tried. The result is known as Professor Hulk, a dapper,. It is just one of many undermining thematic choices of Endgame, from the problematic 180-degree reversal on Thors thematic journey, to the troubling timey-wimey resets of Phase-One Loki and Gamora, to Bucky having absolutely nothing to do, which helps prove how little he made sense as the MCUs Helen of Troy. Because of that, he sought to use his mind rather than his fists. Could the Avengers go back in time to kill baby Thanos? In the end, we knew that every episode would come with the smallest of victories, but often at the greatest of costs to our dear Bill Bixby. The arm loss sets up a majorly different look for the Hulk moving forward, along with a new curve in his character arc. That includes the future of Bruce Banner, aka Professor Hulk. Its that there have been so many different versions of the character over the years that its practically impossible to define him in any specific way. And he had three stand-out starring roles before he ever got to his Hulking days: first as the alien-hiding straight man in My Favorite Martian, then as a widowed young dad in The Courtship of Eddies Father, and then as the only magician-detective that I care to recognize: Tony Blake in The Magician. Is this about the deeper fears that the toughest men in the universe have underneath their burly exteriors? It could be a chance to explore the destructive mindset of barbarism, or the controlling mixed messages of the patriarchy, or even exploring feelings of inadequacy in comparison to one Freddie Prinze Jr. Marvel Studios' head of visual development Ryan Meinerding also explained that in earlier development, they considered giving Hulk a more substantial injury in the form of physically shrivelling his arm, but ultimately abandoned the idea due to technical problems presented in later fight sequences. There was an awkward hello and then no other conversation. Director Louis Leterrier never really had a deft dramatic hand or an ear for comedy something that most Marvel directors would have going forward so all the references in the world cant save it from the clunky execution of its obvious aims. But this event is also tied up with his own buried Hulk-genes, which were a direct result of his fathers self-destructive scientific experimentation, which of course just doubles down on the whole metaphor of inherited abusive traumas. Oops. The Hulk says as much. "In the past I felt like both Hulk and I had a hand on the wheel, but this time it's like he had the keys to the car and I was locked in the trunk". It makes sense that Hulk himself would evolve as Banner's own. He is much taller and larger than Korg. But they didn't seem to be much use after he wielded the Infinity Stones, as his arm was left forever scarred. And then theres the Hulk, the fully busted-out expression of the raging subconscious id within us all. But unlike the bottled magic of the combo of Robert Downey Jr. and Jon Favreau in the first Iron Man, this pairing results in a comparative thud. directors finally explain their most controversial character change. A weekly roundup of the best things from Polygon. Endgame's doling out of terrible prices for each small victory was poetic and effective, because it illustrated that even for Earth's Mightiest Heroes, reversing an action as drastic as the Snap would truly require (say it with us) whatever it took. The Hulk is one such character that fans enjoy seeing in a fight. Link your TV provider to stream movies, full episodes, and live TV. While this is obviously devastating for the Hulk, it is not all that bad in the grand scheme of things. According to Infinity War and Endgame co-writer Stephen McFeely, the answer to that question is more practical than narrative. Endgame. Avengers: Endgame introduced a new version of Bruce Banner when he merged himself with the Hulk by spending eighteen months in the gamma lab to "put the brains and the brawn together.". Avengers: Infinity War saw Thanos finally collecting the Infinity Gauntlet and all six Infinity Stones, while the MCU heroes did their best to stop him from doing so and later from wiping out half of life in the universe. See the seller's listing for full . First Banner pulled him on for the finalRagnarokbattle, and then Loki used him as a ploy to get the jump on Thanos inInfinity War. In the Green Goliath's case, . Every Iron Man suit in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and their comic roots, Destroying the Infinity Stones is next to impossible, at least in the comics, A history of Marvel comics heroes whove dared to wield the Infinity Gauntlet, What the comics tell us about Falcons Avengers: Endgame ending, Avengers: Endgame finally gives Pepper Potts one of her famous comic moments, The worthy heroes who have wielded Thors hammer in the comics. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, sweepstakes, and more! But in that space, you could see how quickly Bixbys kind emotions would turn to fear as the anger or defensiveness built up inside him, afraid of the hulking transition to come and the disasters that would surely follow. He was ready to beat up the Ancient One to secure the Time Stone. why didn't the hulk fight in endgame. I saw Drunk Hulk on Twitter and thought it would be funny to have a Hulk doing New Yorker-style reviews. But even still, it all comes with an important caveat: There is nothing that actually defines the Hulk. And as he traveled throughout the country, on the run from the law, his Banner couldnt help but help people in turn. But it's the Hulk who addresses every concern you might have. Note that, it is not because we didn't see such a scene that it didn't happen. ), hearing that question so often has forced me to examine my own history with, relationship to, and understanding of the character at large. Its almost as if you can hear the storytellers say, Dont worry folks! All in all, the populist aims make sense and work as needed. James Gunn Reveals New Superman, Batman Movies and More, Bruce Banners Hulk Situation in Avengers: Endgame Explained, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty Fan Poster Shows the Return of Kang the Conqueror, Hugh Jackman Teases He'll Play Multiple Wolverine Variants in Deadpool 3, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Casts Deadpool Star Karan Soni as Spider-Man India, Groot Teams Up With the Marvel Universe on Stormbreakers Variant Covers, Fantastic Four Fan Art Shows Outer Banks Star As the MCUs Human Torch, Thunderbolts Fan Art Transforms Steven Yeun Into the MCUs Sentry, Black Panther: Marvel Studios Reveals Voices Rising The Music of Wakanda Forever, Guardians of the Galaxy Releases New Teaser for Grootfall. Sure, Hulk's had rough fights before, but Thanos just completely dominated him, and the theory was that it had intimidated the big green guy into inaction. By the end of the film, Banner gave himself over to Hulk in order to try and defeat Hela, and Hulk was back in control at the time ofInfinity War, but as Russo points out he was being used as a wrecking ball yet again. Avengers: Endgame is bringing closure to the heroes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe or the first generation of them, anyway: Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Hawkeye, Black Widow, and, of course, the Hulk. Make sure to subscribe now and never miss an episode! One Marvel comic tried. Because Bixby never played the role as meek, repressed, or unemotional. Avengers: Infinity Waris a film so packed with details and characters that, more than three months after its release, we're still asking questions about some of them. Hulk's Arc in Endgame Sucked So when "Hulk" first shows up, who clearly now is just Green Banner he explains that the entire time his struggle was because he though of Hulk as more of a disease than a part of him and all he had to do was learn to accept him. I didnt have many expectations for the conceit beyond the initial lark, but soon it started evolving. dossiers, and checked in . While some were confused by the fact that the film didnt take time to outright explain it afterward, the Thats my secret, Cap: Im always angry line reflects what Banner has learned about his relationship to anger. Something went wrong. Hulk's refusal to play in Infinity War was part of his ongoing journey as a character separate from Bruce Banner, co-director Joe Russo revealed in an interview on the Happy Sad Confused podcast,. #viral #shorts #youtubeshorts #marvel #marvelstudios #math #marvelcinematicuniverse #shortvideo #ytshort #ytshorts #hulkbuster #hulk #avengersendgame #loki Be the first to know what's trending, straight from Elite Daily, It's Never Been Trendier To Hate Billionaires, Disney's New Cinderella Wedding Dresses Are Giving Princess Vibes. Sadly, Thanos got what he wanted with just the snap of his fingers, leaving the surviving heroes (and viewers) wondering what was going to happen next. I know this has been . Avengers: Endgame has come and gone, rocked the box office, and smashed all the records. According to the Russos, though, that's not how they saw it. Other heavy hitters have just not accomplished what the Hulk has. By using our Services, you agree to our use of cookies. Avengers: Endgame saw two snaps, the first one by the Hulk, who even though is stronger than Iron Man, was the one who struggled the most - here's why. But it all brings us to Infinity War, which now inherits Hulks story and the responsibilities that come with it. With Bixby, it was about the curse of power, seeing the Hulk as a monstrosity operating against our most humble and good-natured selves. The big-brained, sweater-wearing new Hulk has the physicality of the Green Goliath but with all the genius of Bruce Banner, who five years after the snap that erased half of all life in the universe is somewhat of a celebrity, complete with adoring fans. Written in pretty toxic fashion worry folks its almost as if you can hear the say... Literal years sense that Hulk himself would evolve as Banner & # x27 ; t the Hulk forward! Conceit beyond the initial lark, but soon it started evolving that our deepest expressions fears! 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