Avengers: Infinity War’s Biggest Mystery Has a Painful Reason for Not Happening (And We Still Want It)

There was considerable marketing and, in turn, fanfare ahead of Avengers: Infinity War because it was the culmination of the entire Infinity Saga (along with Avengers: Endgame) and was clearly going to be a franchise-defining movie. Much of what the marketing for Infinity War promised also came to fruition in the final cut of the movie, unlike in a project like Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, which had trailers full of scenes and images that never actually hit the big screen.

The movie delivered on a massive ensemble cast that brought together a staggering number of characters and storylines in an epic battle that left audiences actually shocked—after all, who really expected the heroes to lose so massively in the end? Yet, not everything that was teased about the movie was ultimately used. In fact, there was one very glaring absence when it came to what Infinity War had teased, and it turns out that there’s a specific and frustrating reason behind that omission.

Smart Hulk Was Supposed To Be In Infinity War

Originally, Smart Hulk, who is ultimately seen in Endgame, was supposed to be in Infinity War. Following on the heels of Thor: Ragnarok, which saw Bruce Banner and Hulk at odds with one another, Hulk was refusing to ‘come out’ in Infinity War, leaving Banner to fight as little more than an average man in the Hulkbuster armor. Although he did a decent job in that capacity, it obviously would have been better to have Hulk fighting with the Avengers against Thanos and his army.

This appearance had also been teased in promotional materials for Infinity War. For one, the trailer had teased Hulk being in Wakanda, which would have meant that he did indeed eventually come out to fight. In addition to those teases, there were also toys sold ahead of the movie that showed Hulk bursting out of the Hulkbuster armor. All signs therefore pointed to Hulk eventually appearing in Infinity War and joining the fight, and that was in fact the original plan. Unfortunately, one key and rather frustrating issue meant that the idea was scrapped.

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Test Audiences Hated Smart Hulk

As was confirmed in the director’s commentary of Endgame, the original plan was for Bruce Banner and the Hulk to come to an understanding in Infinity War and for the two to merge into ‘Smart Hulk’ in the latter half of that movie, rather than in Endgame. In that plan, Hulk/Banner would have burst out of the Hulkbuster armor together and taken down Cull Obsidian. This would have been an epic moment, presumably, but one thing prevented it from ever hitting the screen: Test audiences hated Smart Hulk.

Evidently, audiences found that the switch happened too quickly and therefore didn’t land the way it should have. In addition to that issues was the fact that, tonally, it didn’t really fit with the rest of Infinity War. Particularly the second half of that movie is incredibly bleak. There are moments where the tide seems to be turning, from Wanda coming out to fight in Wakanda to Thor’s arrival, but it’s true that most of the later scenes in the movie are loss after loss.

Because of these two elements, these scenes were cut, and audiences had to wait until Endgame to see Smart Hulk (who was still met with some backlash from fans anyway).

Could We See More Of Smart Hulk In The Endgame Rerelease?

Although this omission in Infinity War is set in stone because it’s already been established that the Hulk didn’t fight during the battle in Wakanda, it’s possible that audiences could be getting more Smart Hulk in the not-so-distant future. Interestingly, while Hulk will appear in Spider-Man: Brand New Day in just a few months, he doesn’t seem to be Smart Hulk anymore. What’s more, Bruce Banner/Hulk is not currently among the confirmed characters returning in Avengers: Doomsday. This could mean the end of Smart Hulk in new MCU movies and shows.

Yet, ahead of Doomsday, Marvel has announced a mysterious rerelease of Endgame that includes never-before-seen scenes. While those specific scenes will no doubt remain unknown until the rerelease hits theaters, they may very well include more scenes with Smart Hulk, at least in part. Granted, given the tumultuous history that this character has had already in the franchise, that may not be good news for everyone.

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