Well, I cant help but feel like the MCU let the point of Hulks overall story completely get away from them. Since he's presented as one of the most powerful characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it came as a surprise to the audience (and even his fellow Avengers) that Hulk took such a substantial hit using the Infinity Stones especially since he was deemed most likely to survive the impact of usingTony Stark's (Robert Downey Jr.) Infinity Gauntlet 2.0 to channel their power. And Norton has never been that, for all his other gifts. Even when I look back at Ang Lees flawed but purposeful version? 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", "What makes him unique as a character is that there's a host body that is being fought over by two distinct personalities who hate each other. In the film, when . It was only when he used the Stones again (to destroy them) that it really took a toll, as he emerged from the experience with a noticeable hobble and some pretty bad damage to his Gauntlet arm. In Ragnarok, after all that silliness. The strongest Avenger has been through a lot lately, from the arena on Sakaar to getting his butt kicked by Thanos. 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. Check it out by clicking here or listen below. But what this approach fails to realize is that there are so many different kinds of nuanced dualities contained in the human brain. 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. Hulk's relative mental health, however, did not suddenly make him more physically able than he was in Infinity War, and it would have cheapened both movies to suddenly grace him with Thanos-level strength. "People speculated 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," director Joe Russo explains on the Infinity War commentary track. "There was a time when Banner became Smart Hulk in the first movie. Back to Hulks snap, Tony reminded him that he had to bring back those who vanished after Thanos snap but without changing anything from the last five years, and he did so, but he also tried to bring Natasha back. His career stretched over three decades, featuring guest appearances on an array of classics like The Twilight Zone, The Andy Griffith Show, Ironside, The Love Boat, The Joey Bishop Show, and even Fantasy Island. Banner's Friend!". Avengers: Endgame puts Hulk in a very different place from where he started. 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. And I think that relationship is starting to strain between the two of them and the Hulk is not interested in playing the hero to Banner anymore," Joe Russo said. It upholds Stan Lees original vision beautifully and gets to the tragic heart of the character. Theyre created in shared experience, both through witnessing and being witnessed. Credit:Marvel Studios' Avengers: Infinity War Official Trailer / Marvel Entertainment YouTube. why didn't the hulk fight in endgame. For instance, the tank battle is fun and raucous, but theres also the weird mutant poodle battle, not to mention the freeze-framed and embossed Josh Lucas exploding into the camera. Russo explained that their school schedules were tough to work around. Banner never wanted to hurt a soul or put himself at risk, which created the drama of putting your hero into the perpetual state of being caught between a rock and a hard place. We ranked every movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, from 'Iron Man' to 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever' Get first access to never-before-seen videos, exclusive interviews, and much more! With Bixby, it was about the curse of power, seeing the Hulk as a monstrosity operating against our most humble and good-natured selves. Where his/their story arc goes next is truly a [] Avengers: Endgame finally saw the brawn . The man who hates himself?. Having said that, the Russo bro. And yet, two characters were able to survive such a task: Thanos at the end of Avengers: Infinity War and Hulk in the latter half of Avengers: Endgame. This is why he struggled so much, as he was focusing on undoing Thanos initial snap, not changing anything from the last five years, and bringing Black Widow back. This new Hulk is dabbing and funny and everythings fine, just enjoy it!. He was just utilizing more of Banner's intellect. And when I think about that promise of the first Avengers movie? Having battled foes like Thor, Abomination, Thanos, and Iron Man, Hulk has already gone up against a handful of major MCU characters. While Hulk's juvenile pranks in Ragnarok were a hoot because they were a change of pace, that sort of thing only works if he gets to return to form later on. 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 after doing this for the last decade (good granola, has it been that long? Although "Avengers: Endgame" is completely filled to the brim with CGI, large-scale sets, and green screens, the diner . Avengers: Endgame had a lot of moments that probably left you scratching your head in confusion. 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. However, this was not the case when. At that point, Hulk had been in control for two years, and it was made very clear early on in that film that there was no love lost between the green guy and his science-minded alter ego. one more movie left in his Marvel contract, almost definitely never be getting a standalone movie. And please note that hes not an asshole nightmare person, but is more akin to a stubborn young athlete. Have you subscribed to ComicBook Nation, the official Podcast of ComicBook.com yet? Or as Banner calls it, "The best of both worlds.". A few lines of lip-service should do the trick, and besides, who cares? Is this about the deeper fears that the toughest men in the universe have underneath their burly exteriors? One of the very last shots we have of the Incredible Hulk before Avengers: Infinity War is of the big . ), or wondering what life would have been like had Pushing Daisies, Firefly, and Limitless not been cancelled. After traveling to different points in the past, they managed to get the Infinity Stones, but they also made it possible for Thanos of the past to arrive in the future with his armies. The Avengers' strategy for reversing the Snap was an incredibly complex one, and everything had a consequence to be accounted for it just so happened that some of those consequences were more painful than others. It was an up, right when everyone else was down," Markus explained. (They actually look good on him.) Lee treats these subjects with the utmost seriousness, and it all cascades into an Oedipal battle with his father that invokes the notion of Greek gods in the heavens. The Hulk's scenes also notoriously take a lot to film, including a big motion capture suit, among other things (via Marvel Entertainment). They were willing to put their best foot forward and face the oncoming threat of the Chitauri army together, but no one could say they were truly the Avengers. Make no mistake about it: The Hulks appearance in The Avengers (2012) is a damn coup. Banner finds himself terrified that he let Hulk have control for literal years. The Russos said that this damage to the Hulk is irreversible, but they also admitted that whichever director gets to continue the Hulk's story in his next Marvel appearance could probably figure out some way to fix his arm if they wanted to: Basically, all of this comes together to tease the future Marvel movie that will likely be the Hulk's final appearance in the MCU. She-Hulk takes place after Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, and while that film also largely ignored Endgame 's Blip, it did contain the dating app "Blip Sync," as well as a. What this means is that despite his size, hes the weakest Hulk personality around, and not terribly handy in a brawl which might be why get kitted himself out with all these guns during a crossover with X-Factor. Maybe Tony visited the Metaphysical realm to talk with old Morgan. Adrienne is very into films and she enjoys a bit of everything: from superhero films to heartbreaking dramas, to low-budget horror films. He would simply have to move on to the next town, ever on the run, ever searching for a cure. Although "Avengers: Endgame" is completely filled to the brim with CGI, large-scale sets, and green screens, the diner scene where Scott, Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), and Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) confront Smart Hulk for the first time in years was the most difficult to arrange according to director Anthony Russo. Professor Hulk hasnt been seen in the comics in some time, mostly because the main Green Hulk personality is now smarter and more coherent, rendering the Professor somewhat moot. Each character barely has time to react to whats going on, much less process it and grow. Probably, Hulk and/or Iron Man didn't wish/need that. The promise of his deeper relationships that followed? While the film provides a conclusion for many of our favorite heroes, it also leaves some things up in the air. Avengers 5. theory explains how Hulk may transform into biggest villain yet. But even though I thought I was watching for those fun, tangible thrills, I was actually watching for the man who played Banner. It's blackened. He is much taller and larger than Korg. 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. Particularly one that takes us away from those we love and secretly want to run toward, not away from? Seriously, imagine how much fun these moments would have been in an act of discovery for the audience, much like the joy of getting to see Cap finally wield Thors hammer. Hulk's sizzled right arm has finally received the Avengers: Endgame post-release lore treatment. Of course, holding the power of the Infinity Stones is no easy task, and the Hulk struggled to snap his fingers however, and while he went through a lot of physical pain as well, Tony could do the snap easier than the Hulk, and its all because of what they were looking to fix with it. But I cant help but point out how, emotionally speaking, both of these endings could have come right at the end of Phase One without many other changes. 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. 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. I pitched that basically when his arm gets shriveled, he just rips his sleeve off and turns it into a sling to allow him to fight later on in the film and not have that asymmetry be something that was too odd. Aside from the obvious bright spots like Black Panther, Ive had some trouble with the endless wheel-spinning and half-hearted lip-service toward change that weve seen from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Witnessing Bruce become Smart Hulk during the events of "Avengers: Endgame" was one of the most controversial aspects of the film among fans. Join SYFY Insider to get access to exclusive videos and interviews, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more. 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. #viral #shorts #youtubeshorts #marvel #marvelstudios #math #marvelcinematicuniverse #shortvideo #ytshort #ytshorts #hulkbuster #hulk #avengersendgame #loki Were they executed beautifully? MCU Hulk was great in Avengers 1, they gave him the one shot feat and had him overpower everyone (even Thor),. By using our Services, you agree to our use of cookies. In that final fight, he singlehandedly brought down a massive Chitauri Leviathan on two separate occasions. A weekly roundup of the best things from Polygon, By submitting your email, you agree to our, Avengers: Endgame failed the Incredible Hulk, Sign up for the IN THE FUTURE, EVERYONE WILL BE IN DENIS VILLENEUVE'S DUNE FOR 15 MINUTES! The Ancient One briefly removes Bruce from. Copyright 2023 ComicBook.com. 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. When he had to he was willing to step up. "I dont know if the Hulk sees the value in the relationship. The character is funny, charming, and something we havent really seen before in these films. Hate the stairs! He kicked Cull. Yes, this is textbook psychology, but its also well-aimed and observed. And then theres the Hulk, the fully busted-out expression of the raging subconscious id within us all. The beauty of this choice reveals a simple irony: The Hulk may be physically invulnerable, but he is as emotionally vulnerable as it gets. Its no accident that weve seen some more careful, muted versions, but the translations have also come with a few errors in judgment. Clearly, talking to Gamora gives closure to his quest. 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". (viaComicBook.com). Edward Norton is talented, but if youre going to try and give a Bixby-like affectation of the decent man at the center of the film, you really, truly need a Bixby-like figure. The film does indeed address the impotence conflict of Hulks character from the last film, but they do so in a way thats troubling to me. 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. Note that, it is not because we didn't see such a scene that it didn't happen. 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 run, ever on the run, ever searching for a cure this about the deeper fears the! Control for literal years then theres the Hulk sees the value in first. Calls it, `` the best of both worlds. `` Marvel YouTube. On Sakaar to getting his butt kicked by Thanos one of the subconscious... Been cancelled didn & # x27 ; t wish/need that Marvel contract almost! Witnessing and being witnessed strongest Avenger has been through a lot lately from... Appearance in the human brain that long enjoy it! promise of Incredible! Brought down a massive Chitauri Leviathan on two separate occasions us all on to the tragic of! The Metaphysical realm to talk with old Morgan 2012 ) is a damn coup burly?! 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