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Overanalyzing Anime
Blog Owner & Lead Writer
Spoilers follow.
Bruce Banner and The Incredible Hulk. Have there ever been two individuals who were more different? One, a strong man, capable of holding his own against an armada of otherworldly monsters; the other, a weak man, who insists on hiding while others put their lives on the line.
It's funny how time has a way of changing things. If, just a week ago, I had written that same description, your mind would have automatically tied the first description to The Hulk, while assigning the second to Bruce Banner, and yet that couldn't be farther from the truth during the events of Infinity War.
Up until this point, we've always seen Bruce Banner rely on the Hulk whenever situations got messy. Whenever there was a brawl that needed some extra muscle, he'd quickly hand the steering wheel over to Hulk and let him drive until the situation was handled. It's always been such a key part of who he is in the MCU - a scientist, never a fighter. However, with the Hulk having a severe case of stage fright, he's forced to participate in the climactic final battle for the Mind Stone.
It's really interesting to see just how much both characters have evolved over their collective journey within the MCU. The 2008 Incredible Hulk film presented us with a man who feared letting "the monster" out - a man who's only mission was to get rid of the rage-driven entity inside him; he remained distant from others for fear that they may end up hurt - whether it be from himself, or those who sought to capture him. When we next see him, in The Avengers, he has a better handle on the situation; however, while he has better control over his transformations, he still wants to be on his own. Age of Ultron switches things up, presenting us with a Bruce Banner who has finally accepted the fact that the Avengers are not only his team, but his family - he's content with using the Hulk as a peace-keeping weapon, and has even created safeguards (the lullaby and Veronica) to ensure that the Hulk doesn't hurt anyone.
However, the most significant changes occur once the duo leaves Earth. After the events of Age of Ultron, Hulk remains the dominant personality, and embarks on a path of destruction as he rises the ranks of the Grand Masters' Tournament of Champions, becoming the Grand Masters' most prized Gladiator. When we finally see him in Ragnarok, we see a Hulk that has evolved a great deal from who he was on Earth. Hulk explains why he has such a great deal of animosity towards not only the Avengers, but Puny Banner as well. When Hulk eventually reverts back to Banner, we see that Bruce hasn't really changed since Ultron, as he's not even aware how long he's been out. As he adjusts to his new reality - having lost two years of his life in addition to being on an alien planet - we see him develop as a character as he's forced to keep up with both Thor and Valkyrie as they all attempt to escape Sakaar. While he eventually is forced into a corner and needs to change back into the Hulk, it's not until after he's done his fair share in regard to getting them off Sakaar and to Asgard.
Fast forward yet again to the opening sequence of Infinity War, and we see Hulk making a valiant effort in his attempt at defeating Thanos, only to be immediately put in his place. While he manages to escape with his life, thanks to Heimdall, the event causes him to revert back to Bruce Banner once again. When the fighting commences, Bruce tries to give control back to the Hulk, however Hulk makes it clear that he's no longer willing to fight as he partially transforms and barks, "no!" at Banner before retreating back into his body.
This puts Banner in a position unlike anything we've ever seen before. As I said earlier, Banner has always been just a scientist - he's never gotten into anything other than a verbal altercation with a few characters. He's never done so much as thrown a punch. And yet, now, he's forced to participate in an intergalactic war, wherein the fate of half the universe is at stake. Talk about pressure. But, with that being said, he does an excellent job as he pilots Veronica and battles against Thanos's army - even managing to take out one of Thanos's children in the process.
While I thought the idea of sidelining the Hulk was an interesting idea (though, I did feel somewhat lied to with the posters and trailers that alluded to him having a more significant presence) it seems rather uncharacteristically of the Hulk to shy away from a battle. I mean, it's basically what he spent the majority of his time doing for approximately two years on Sakaar. Even more so, he was literally ready to duke it out with Surtur as the demon was destroying Asgard; Thor and Valkyrie literally had to convince him to retreat. It just seems unlikely that Hulk would be so terrified of Thanos - but, I suppose it speaks to just how powerful the mad Titan is; putting the fear of God in the Hulk is no easy task, especially when he's willing to go toe-to-toe with (what was essentially) the space Devil.
To close, the relationship between Bruce and Hulk has always been strenuous - while we've seen it become more of a mutually beneficial relationship in recent years, it doesn't change the fact that the two aren't friends by any means. I do wonder if they'll ever get to the point where they do develop a genuine relationship that doesn't revolve around their anger towards one another. Perhaps we'll see more kinship between the two when Avengers 4 comes out next year.
All in all, while I did feel somewhat cheated by the fact that Hulk didn't join the final brawl, I was glad to see Bruce have the opportunity to shine on his own, without the help of his green alter ego. When it comes to developing as a character, both Bruce and Hulk have grown and changed a lot from their first appearance a decade ago. But let me know your thoughts on Bruce Banner and The Hulk! Did you like the approach Infinity War took in regard to their characters? Let me know in the comments!
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