Bruce Banner and Hulk haven’t exactly been on good terms since the events of Thor: Ragnarok. After Bruce turned into Hulk to escape Asgard, it was thought that he would be in permanent control of their shared mind. However, that changed in Avengers: Infinity War when Hulk was dropped to Earth from the Bifrost and turned back into Banner. Hulk has since refused to appear again, though we know that’s going to change in Avengers: Endgame.
The big question has not been whether or not Hulk would return, but exactly HOW the big guy could make his comeback. While there has yet to be any solid evidence to this point, the brand new Endgame trailer seemingly offers the biggest hint, and it makes a lot of sense.
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Throughout the entire trailer, there is a trail of breadcrumbs leading to the notion that Avengers HQ will be attacked and/or blown up early in the film. An explosion can be seen behind Ant-Man in an office, which connects to the footage of him interacting with pencils and pens in the middle of a fire. Compare that wreckage with the shots of Captain America and Nebula in action, and it seems like they’re all in the same place. In the one shot Bruce gets in the trailer, he’s also inside the headquarters.
If that’s the case, and the entire building does explode, Bruce is one of the only characters left completely defenseless. When the explosion happens, if he’s caught off-guard, only one of two things could happen. Either he could die, or Hulk could take over and keep them both alive. While Hulk isn’t exactly excited about the idea of coming back out at this point, he’s not fond of dying either, so instincts will kick in and he’ll have to take back control.
This would explain why Bruce isn’t shown in any of those triumphant “team marching through the hangar” shots when they’re all in the new suits. Marvel doesn’t want to spoil the early return of Hulk, but Banner also isn’t present for those scenes, so the editors just opted not to show either one.
What do you think of this theory? Is this how Hulk will make his return? Let us know your thoughts and theories in the comments below!
Avengers: Endgame arrives in theaters on April 26th.
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