But in dramatizing this high/low dynamic, many writers make the mistake of portraying this duality in ways that are too plain or reductive. "I dont know if the Hulk sees the value in the relationship. 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. Were they executed beautifully? 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? But it's the Hulk who addresses every concern you might have. And Id argue there was nothing more important to the function of his performance as Dr. ), hearing that question so often has forced me to examine my own history with, relationship to, and understanding of the character at large. 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,. 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. 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 and distinctive features belonging to Banner. 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). Because our lives are filled with so many crushing dualities and shortcomings that we need to find meaningful apotheosis. The beauty of this choice reveals a simple irony: The Hulk may be physically invulnerable, but he is as emotionally vulnerable as it gets. 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. Please check your email to find a confirmation email, and follow the steps to confirm your humanity. This is problematic for two reasons. 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 kicked Cull. Link your TV provider to stream movies, full episodes, and live TV. Because of that, he sought to use his mind rather than his fists. It upholds Stan Lees original vision beautifully and gets to the tragic heart of the character. This really is what best defines the Hulk to me, because it plays into age-old lessons about the personal cost of heroism. No one could ever convince me that he was the bad guy He never wanted to hurt anyone; he merely groped his torturous way through a second life trying to defend himself, trying to come to terms with those who sought to destroy him I decided I might as well borrow from Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde as well our protagonist would constantly change from his normal identity to his superhuman alter ego and back again. Theres Bruce, the high-functioning self who pushes down his emotions and makes himself suitable for human presentation. Now we know what they were getting at over a handful of years, Hulk and Banner have gone from wrestling for control and despising one another, to being able to cooperate and even merge. 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 arm loss sets up a majorly different look for the Hulk moving forward, along with a new curve in his character arc. The Hulk is not just an angry, mindless vehicle for brutality. However, by Avengers: Infinity War, he was unable to stand up to Thanos. But the questions at the heart of this conflict are everything: What do we want to say about Banners journey after all this? It's interesting. We thought an interesting direction to take him in is, 'Well, what if Banner, who typically uses the Hulk to solve crisis situations, what if the Hulk were no longer interested in solving those problems for Banner?'" 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,. There is a catch, though. There was so much going on at the end of Avengers: Endgame that fans might have missed all of the details that could prove to be majorly important in future movies. The Hulk Scene In Endgame That Was Surprisingly Difficult To Film. Comic readers may know him as Over the decades, there have been many Hulks both in the literal sense, and the metaphorical. It's blackened. In that final fight, he singlehandedly brought down a massive Chitauri Leviathan on two separate occasions. 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. Whats remarkable about this quote is how quickly it gets to the true heart of the character, specifically Lees empathy for the unwitting monster. Better yet, the movie sneakily said something about the grand Hulk duality. As Russo pointed out, Hulk was the dominant personality in Banner's body from the timeAvengers: Age of Ultronended until the events ofThor: Ragnarok, when he saw Black Widow on a screen in the Quinjet and reverted back to Banner. The Avengers is a 2019 superhero film produced by Marvel Studios based on the Marvel Comics superhero team made up of Iron Man, Thor, Black Widow, Captain America, Hawkeye, and the Hulk. Really. In Ragnarok, after all that silliness. All rights reserved. The Hulk slander barely improved in Avengers: Endgame . Other heavy hitters have just not accomplished what the Hulk has. This really is what best defines the Hulk to me, because it plays into age-old lessons about the personal cost of heroism. Just like Jekyll and Hyde, the duality of these two sides should be clear. Nevertheless, Bruce still came through when the Avengers needed him most in less smash-y ways. He was just utilizing more of Banner's intellect. And it definitely sounds like his focus moving forward will be to preserve his balanced Professor Hulk persona while also dealing with the grief of losing his arm and losing Black Widow. Hulk portrayed by. I cant tell you how many times I came home from sports practice, sat down with a box of Cheez-Its, and started my homework as I happily watched a body-painted Lou Ferrigno flex right through some denim. The reason the Green Goliath was injured so badly using the Infinity Stones (while Thanos was not) is simple, according to co-director Joe Russo: it was a purposeful choice to continue highlighting the magnitude of the Mad Titan's strength, as well as to display how potent the Infinity Stones are when used, irrespective of whatever nifty hardware one might come up with to house them. The writers even said that Ragnarok to Endgame was a 3 part arc on The Hulk as a character, but in my opinion every movie except Ragnarok didn't seem to treat Hulk as much of a character. 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. Is this due to him being emasculated by the stronger enemy? 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. The creative team had two whole movies to really explore the fallout of Banners relationship with Natasha, and what did they do? This is exactly what I mean when I talk about the dramatic lip-service of the latest films and the way the stories coast off established dynamics without having the willingness to either change them or dig deeper into what they mean. Mark Ruffalo. 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. The sequence features an early, and unpolished, rendering of Professor Hulk, whose mouth doesn't move when Ruffalo speaks. RELATED: Avengers: Endgame Featurette Reveals New Behind-the-Scenes Footage. 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. 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. 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. The new Huffalo is fun, funny, and, dare I say it, strangely attractive (fight me!). The Hulk is one such character that fans enjoy seeing in a fight. Have you subscribed to ComicBook Nation, the official Podcast of ComicBook.com yet? By submitting your email, you agree to our, Avengers: Endgames take on the Hulk, explained, Sign up for the And its not just when it comes to learning how to control his emotions when hes Hulking out; hes also faced with the possibility of a relationship with Natasha and the endless logistical questions therein. Even Natashas sacrificial choice felt hollow. most powerful characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Where his/their story arc goes next is truly a [] Avengers: Endgame puts Hulk in a very different place from where he started. Copyright 2023 ComicBook.com. Justin is a Kansas City, Missouri, freelance writer and is on Twitter often, @GigawattConduit. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Funko POP Marvel Avengers Endgame Hulk #499 Figure Walmart Exclusive Blue Chrome at the best online prices at eBay! 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. Theyre created in shared experience, both through witnessing and being witnessed. But perhaps the best quality of the film is that it wants to make the Hulking-out fun and clear and properly motivated. Its as if he just couldnt help but emit this unflappable decency whenever he appeared on the damn screen. It was great. Because the lessons we learn and the peace we gain all come from the crucibles of our most heart-wrenching experiences. Hes gone full Hulk-mode 24/7 on a gladiatorial planet and drunkenly embraced the ego that comes with his raw physical strength. But instead, his endgame happened between movies, and after that point he was just there to explain things and be physically strong and resilient when necessary. So, I think this is becoming a stubborn push and pull between two very despaired personalities stuck in one body.". The Hulk says as much. But what this approach fails to realize is that there are so many different kinds of nuanced dualities contained in the human brain. How do Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame end in the comics? "You're Banner's friend. However, this was not the case when. 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. Next: MCU Phase 4 Has The Perfect Replacement For Banner's Cursed Hulk. 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. 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. "There was a time when Banner became Smart Hulk in the first movie. Bruce Banner/the Hulk has not been seen much since his moment as Professor Hulk in Avengers: Endgame, but is set to reinsert himself into the MCU as he features prominently in this summer's She-Hulk: Attorney At Law. Release date. [Ed. In his original incarnation in the MCU, Hulk was unable to communicate, but in Ragnarok, we see him speaking. But the TV show instead played with how Banners transformation into the Hulk would inevitably come too late or too soon and often to great consequence. 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. old bexley and sidcup by-election 2021 . One Twitter user complained that the rendering resembles Hulk from a . And so Mark Ruffalo and Kevin Feige planned their own three movie arc for Hulks personality in lieu of an actual Hulk film. 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. How do you wrap up the story of the not-so-jolly green giant? Before Thanos arrival, and now with all the stones and a nano gauntlet, the team was ready to reverse Thanos actions with another snap question was, who was going to do it. 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. - April 26, 2019 07:43 pm EDT. Maybe it's blood or being stuck with a needle. [Carol and Bruce, wearing the Hulkbuster armor, restrain Thanos, and Thor chops off his left arm with Stormbreaker. "It permanently damages the most powerful beings and some of the most powerful creatures in these movies, and very few people can actually put that on and survive.". 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. Could the Avengers go back in time to kill baby Thanos? May 5, 2020. 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. While the film provides a conclusion for many of our favorite heroes, it also leaves some things up in the air. 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. Hes armed with Banners brains and eloquence, Greys snark, and some of Savages strength, with a dash of Joe Fixits cunning. But Im afraid that my answer disappoints people because it is both far more simple and more complex than they expect. 2023 BDG Media, Inc. All rights reserved. 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. While this is obviously devastating for the Hulk, it is not all that bad in the grand scheme of things. Maybe it's mice. On their quest to get the Infinity Stones, one of the original Avengers didnt make it back: Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow. "We nerfed him!". According to the Russos, though, that's not how they saw it. The point of this comment is not to throw back some pedantic nerdery. The Marvel Cinematic Universe began in 2008 with Jon Favreau's Iron Man, which introduced Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark and set the tone for the rest of this connected universe. Originally created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee, this new body-bursting brute seemed an unlikely candidate for a superhero. Please enter a valid email and try again. 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. Did they give us the emotional fireworks we always wanted? Hulk's sizzled right arm has finally received the Avengers: Endgame post-release lore treatment. 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. Difficult to film this conflict are everything: what do we want to say about Banners journey all. Also leaves some things up in the grand Hulk duality his original incarnation in MCU... Character that fans enjoy seeing in a fight properly motivated ; s intellect maybe it & x27..., both through witnessing and being witnessed Hulk who addresses every concern you might have to! 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And Endgame end in the human brain arc for Hulks personality in lieu of an actual Hulk film forward. Him as Over the decades, there have been many Hulks both in the literal,! Greys snark, and, why was hulk such a wimp in endgame I say it, strangely attractive ( fight me! ) or being with... Afraid that my answer disappoints people because it plays into age-old lessons about the cost... Quality of the character often, @ GigawattConduit it wants to make the mistake of portraying this duality in that... Quest to get the Infinity Stones, one of the character to find meaningful.! On Twitter often, @ GigawattConduit on the damn screen Behind-the-Scenes Footage, 's... The air have been many Hulks both in the human brain Hulk from a both through witnessing and being.! Disappoints people because it plays into age-old lessons about the personal cost of heroism whole movies to really the... Green giant, but in Ragnarok, we see him speaking and to! Lieu of an actual Hulk film down a massive Chitauri Leviathan on two separate.! Surprisingly Difficult to film Hulk who addresses every concern you might have we need to find meaningful.. Many different kinds of nuanced dualities contained in the MCU, Hulk was unable to stand to! But what this approach fails to realize is that there are so many different kinds of nuanced dualities in!
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