One of the biggest surprises from the enormous Avengers: Doomsday cast announcement last year was that Mark Ruffalo was not included. Of course, he did have a big role in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, so that kind of made up for it. And in BND, we got to see Banner go full “savage Hulk” for the first time since Thor: Ragnarok, which was glorious. But now a new scene at the end of Avengers: Endgame Encore shows what became of Banner after BND, and how it sets up his MCU future. But that future is probably not in Doomsday. We’re pretty sure this scene sets up Hulk’s role in Secret Wars instead.
Endgame Encore’s Bruce Banner Scene Shows Him Being Taken By Doctor Doom
The new scene shows Bruce Banner alone in a secure bunker miles underground. Authorities placed him there after his first Hulk-out “incident” in a decade, thanks to Jean Grey unleashing his inner beast. Dr. Banner speaks to a camera and says he’s there experimenting with a new gamma serum. One to keep his savage self under lock and key. Then, lights start flickering, and a green glow appears. We then hear the voice of Robert Downey Jr.’s Victor von Doom. He’s there to “collect” (abduct) Banner, but as Doom takes him, we hear the Hulk’s voice. Doom and Hulk then vanish, as glowing green runes cover the floor.
We Believe the Banner Scene Sets Up Secret Wars, Not Doomsday
Here’s the thing, though. While Banner may have some kind of cameo in Doomsday, we’re not counting on it being much more than that. No, we are fairly certain this new scene is setting up a big role for him in Secret Wars instead. We don’t actually think that Doctor Doom is going to show all of his villainous cards up front in Doomsday, and will operate for much of the film under the pretense of being a good guy, and an old friend of the Fantastic Four’s Reed and Susan Richards. Whatever his plans are for Banner, possibly as his mind-controlled enforcer on Battleworld, that’s all going to play out in Secret Wars.
In Jonathan Hickman’s Secret Wars Comics, Banner Became “Doc Green” in Battleworld
In Jonathan Hickman’s 2015 Secret Wars comic, which the film will largely be based on, the Hulk plays an important role. On Doctor Doom’s Battleworld, there’s an entire domain named Greenland, populated entirely by different variants of the Hulk and She-Hulk. In this domain, there’s a version of Bruce Banner that goes by the name Doc Green. This version of Banner acts as a guide in this gamma-irradiated and desolate area. And we think it’s likely that the 616 version of Banner we know and love will become Doc Green. Or, at least some kind of variation of him, under Doom’s thrall.
Nerdist’s Take: We Believe Bruce Banner as Doom’s Minion Means We Get a Hulk vs. Thing Battle
We know that Doom will have several “Latverian Witches” who serve him in Doomsday, who are all likely known MCU characters. None of them look to be Banner, much less the Hulk. But it stands to reason that Banner could also become a minion of Doom like them, maybe his main muscle. If that means we get the Hulk vs. the Thing on Battleworld, we’re all for it. But aside from a possible brief cameo appearance? We really don’t think this new scene is setting up Hulk’s role in Doomsday. This scene is teasing something that’s still more than a year away. We’ll find out for certain when Avengers: Doomsday arrives this holiday season.
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