Why Does Doctor Doom Need Hulk? Avengers: Endgame Encore Breakdown

"Avengers: Endgame Encore" blew everyone away at the box office. It also introduced some fairly interesting new footage about the relationship between the "Avengers: Doomsday" antagonist Doctor Doom (Robert Downey Jr.) and Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo). Namely, it appears that Doom has quite literally collected Banner — as well as his greener and angrier iteration, the Hulk — for reasons currently unknown. Watch Looper's video above to find out just what this development may really be about.

Banner's big, green alter ego is a powerful player in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, so it doesn't really seem surprising that Doctor Doom might want to have a character of such strength in his corner — especially since both characters share a similarly emerald-hued motif. While we will obviously have to wait until seeing "Avengers: Doomsday" to find out just what Doom has in store for Banner and Hulk, it seems reasonable to suspect that the MCU incarnation of the character might potentially be after the gamma radiation that powers the Hulk — or perhaps it's Banner's mighty mind. 

The MCU isn't pulling its Doom-Hulk connections out of nowhere. The pair have interacted in various capacities in the comics, but of notable worth here is "Incredible Hulk" #144 (written by Roy Thomas and Gary Friedrich and illustrated by Dick Ayers)from 1971, which reveals that the Hulk's apparent death has been an elaborate plan where Doctor Doom imprisons Banner and uses him as a weapons designer.

This doesn't go well for Doom in the long run, of course. Still, this particular dynamic might very well be something that the MCU intends to experiment with. After all, some versions of the Hulk are far more terrifying Marvel villains than Doctor Doom, which is impressive considering that Doom is already more terrifying than Thanos.

Regardless of Bruce Banner's physical screen time in the movie, the trailer for "Avengers: Doomsday" has already made it pretty clear that there will be plenty of green energy in the movie, courtesy of Doctor Doom. The pair have plenty of history in the comics beyond the tidbit we've already mentioned, and Looper's video above will break down their history in a way that gives you all you need to know ahead of "Avengers: Doomsday."