The Hulk Fan Theory From Infinity War That Has Fans Scratching Their Heads
It goes without saying that 2018 was a very different time, especially for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) was still M.I.A., Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) held the Captain America mantle with pride, and the hype for "Avengers: Infinity War" was certainly real. Promotional material promised the long-teased confrontation between Thanos (Josh Brolin) and "Earth's Mightiest Heroes," and it doesn't get much bigger than that. It was clear that the blockbuster franchise was about to undergo some serious, lasting changes, and the film's shocking conclusion made that abundantly clear.
In its closing moments, Thanos succeeds in his mission to eliminate half of all life in the universe, using the six Infinity Stones. Many of our favorite heroes, including Spider-Man (Tom Holland) and Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), literally bit the dust, prompting moviegoers everywhere to scramble to pick their jaws up off of the floor. With that, the road to "Avengers: Endgame" began and forced everyone to endure months of waiting for its April 2019 theatrical debut. To help pass the time, and hopefully get to the bottom of where the story was headed, MCU die-hards did what they do best: speculate.
Among the hypotheticals and "what if" scenarios that either came true or outright flopped, there's one theory about the fate of Dr. Bruce Banner's Hulk persona (Mark Ruffalo) in "Infinity War" that still has fans a bit unsure.
Did Hulk technically succumb to Thanos' snap?
Hulk found himself in a strange spot throughout "Infinity War," largely because he isn't in the bulk of the movie. He gets beaten down by Thanos early on and spends the remainder of the film fighting an internal battle with Bruce Banner, who could use his assistance on a few occasions. By the time the war in Wakanda rolls around in the final act, the "Jade Giant" is still in hiding, forcing Banner to don Tony Stark's (Robert Downey Jr.) Hulkbuster armor to combat Thanos' forces. Once the "Mad Titan" defeats the heroes, a small moment takes place that led a very intriguing theory to blossom.
At the time of the movie's release, Reddit user angrydanmarin wrote "At the end of Infinity war you see Bruce banner's head flop to one side after the characters get clicked away. His head stays down, like he's unconscious. Hulk, the persona, got clicked away. This is why hulk refused to come out. He thought that by stating inside he'd be protected." Both "Thor: Ragnarok" and "Infinity War" make it very clear that Dr. Banner and Hulk are two separate entities, so could one die without taking the other with them?
As we now know from "Avengers: Endgame," after some time in the gamma lab, the two merged to officially become Professor Hulk — combining Banner's brains with Hulk's physical strength and green skin. However, we never see the angry, animalistic Hulk return after "Infinity War," indicating that perhaps even though the personality was no more, Banner retained his ability to take on his massive frame (via Inside the Magic) without losing himself to Hulk's irrational, impulsive attitude.
With Hulk's MCU future in question, it's unlikely we'll ever get a straight answer on the validity of this rather out-there idea. For now, it stands to reason that he just stayed hidden, eventually finding common ground with Bruce off-camera.