The Hulk is not just an angry, mindless vehicle for brutality. Did they give us the emotional fireworks we always wanted? 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of that scene, particularly the way Hulk lets that childlike bashfulness and fear peek out for a moment as he turns to withdrawn sadness. Bill Bixby is one of our shining examples of the great working television actor. This also really happened, and it was actually written in pretty toxic fashion. The Avengers do exactly what fans predicted and time travel throughout 'Avengers: Endgame.'. Credit:Marvel Studios' Avengers: Infinity War Official Trailer / Marvel Entertainment YouTube. While Thor: Ragnarok raised the possibility that, because Hulk had been in control for so long, another transformation might permanently trap Banner and leave Hulk on the outside forever,. Hes gone full Hulk-mode 24/7 on a gladiatorial planet and drunkenly embraced the ego that comes with his raw physical strength. 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?. So, contrary to what might seem obvious, it turns out that the most emotionally affecting Hulk stories are the ones that give us a personable, engaged Bruce Banner with aching humility. When visited by Captain America (Chris Evans), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), and Ant-Man (Paul Rudd), who seek an intellect capable of cracking time travel after retired family man Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) declines, Banner who never reverts to his puny human form explains he stopped looking at the Hulk as a disease, and instead looked at the other guy as "the cure. He would simply have to move on to the next town, ever on the run, ever searching for a cure. Prior to Screen Rant, she wrote for Pop Wrapped, 4 Your Excitement (4YE), and D20Crit, where she was also a regular guest at Netfreaks podcast. By Cameron Bonomolo But we do get a small snippet of change at the beginning of the film when Hulk is beaten handily by Thanos. In this first picture you can see his height at the end of Ragnarok. I don't know. Avengers: Endgame reveals Professor Hulk, one half Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), one half Hulk. 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. Professor Hulk hasn't 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. Also it's not fucking Professor Hulk, stop calling him Professor Hulk, Banner's mind Hulk's body is Intelligent Hulk not fucking Professor Hulk, Professor Hulk is a fucking chad and Banner is a sweaty nerd. It makes sense that Hulk himself would evolve as Banner's own. 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. That's permanent . But the questions at the heart of this conflict are everything: What do we want to say about Banners journey after all this? But please understand Im not talking about mere changes in tone, which can shift as much as it wants. ", After 18 months in a gamma lab, Banner meshed the two body-sharing personalities together, resulting in "Professor Hulk." The Hulk undid Thanos' snap in Avengers: Endgame, but he struggled a lot to do it, unlike Iron Man during the Battle of Earth. In particular, the Hulk suffers a massive setback that many moviegoers may not have understood the full scope of. And when he finally comes back to Banner, so to speak, hes hitting that confusing, sobering wall at the end of his decisions. Unfortunately, Mark Ruffalo has made it clear that the Hulk will almost definitely never be getting a standalone movie, so expect to see his story continued as a co-star in another hero's film. Ultimately, the MCU gave the Hulk the worst of the half-hearted treatments. Thor volunteered as hes the strongest Avenger, but Tony made him understand that he wasnt in good condition to do so, and so the Hulk (now merged with Banners intelligence, making way for Smart Hulk) stepped up. In the comics, Bruce Banners traumas fractured his mind before he ever became the Hulk, leaving Hulk with different identities, all of which stemmed from when the Green Giant took control for long stretches of time. The second problem with not addressing this conflict is that it prevents us, the viewers, from truly answering any of it, because we simply have to wait until we get more from the next film. On the internet, hes become known as Hipster Hulk. In this latest episode, we go all in on Avengers: Endgame! But the problem is that his final arc just became another undramatized lie. Its almost as if he was a great actor or something. In the Green Goliath's case, . They both want to control Hulks body. 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. 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.". Breakfast food is life and coffee is what makes the world go round. When asked to take a selfie with some adoring fans, Hulk dabs. Sure, you can throw as many lines like I was born to do this when Hulk reaches for the Infinity Gauntlet as you want, but you cant tell me that this is part of a psychological journey that was dramatized in the actual story weve seen so far. Try again "The Hulk has never come up against every Infinity Stone in a gauntlet, and the pure power of the stones," Joe Russo explained. She can shout her explanations in the moment all she wants, but there was literally no buildup to make us feel like that choice was in play beforehand. 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. But it all brings us to Infinity War, which now inherits Hulks story and the responsibilities that come with it. In the film, when . In short, hes scared about getting close because hes scared of hurting people. Yet in this movie which is apparently the conclusion to his arc by "accepting Hulk" Hulk's personality just entirely disappeared and now he's just Green Banner, how is this accepting Hulk at all? Check out never-before-seen videos, exclusive interviews, and much more! 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. 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 Bruce Banner's green alter ego famously has regenerative healing powers. And most of all, when I think about the beautiful integrity of Bill Bixby that was fundamental to the characters heroism and dramatic crux? That's not coming back. For many fans, Hulk's continued denial throughout the rest of the film including during the pivotal Battle of Wakanda to fight on behalf of the rest of the Avengers stemmed from his easy defeat at the hands of the Mad Titan during the film's opening scene. What is low-key remarkable about these three roles is that he brought vastly different performances to each of them: from wide-eyed comic fear, to understated flirtation and self-effacing grace, and then to the smooth, debonair manner needed for his sleight-of-hand-wielding detective. The character is funny, charming, and something we havent really seen before in these films. 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. We Now Know Why Hulk Was Injured By The Infinity Gauntlet. And Id argue there was nothing more important to the function of his performance as Dr. . 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. Adrienne is very into films and she enjoys a bit of everything: from superhero films to heartbreaking dramas, to low-budget horror films. Banner finds himself terrified that he let Hulk have control for literal years. Russo said. Marvel fans have been asking where people reappeared when Hulk snapped his fingers, and that loose end has now officially been tied up. 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. In his original incarnation in the MCU, Hulk was unable to communicate, but in Ragnarok, we see him speaking. All in all, the populist aims make sense and work as needed. But this is exactly what turned the Hulk into a genuine curse. Get first access to never-before-seen videos, exclusive interviews, and much more! A weekly roundup of the best things from Polygon. But he was never fully dejected, so our Banner pressed on as the paragon of decency. He has accomplished defeats of super powered beings that should have defeated him. The Hulk slander barely improved in Avengers: Endgame . Banner was suspected to transform into the Marvel Cinematic Universe's spin on Professor Hulk when a group shot photo surfaced in February, showing Hulk with an all-new suit and more refined. According to the Russos, though, that's not how they saw it. Its just a convenient moment of seeming destiny. Wait a moment and try again. The Marvel Cinematic Universe began in 2008 with Jon Favreaus Iron Man, which introduced Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark and set the tone for the rest of this connected universe. You shouldnt hand-wave solutions that were set up by multiple films worth of struggle.