Spider-Man: Brand New Day Fully Explains Why The Hulk Is NOT in Avengers: Doomsday
Spider-Man: Brand New Day has had a thick veil of mystery hanging over it, while also teasing Marvel Cinematic Universe fans with a crowded sandbox of characters, villains, and organizations from other parts of the franchise. One of those crossover characters revealed early on (intentionally or not) was The Hulk, who is revealed to have resumed a life as Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), teaching college while using a specialized inhibitor to keep his gamma-rage monster in check.
Trailers for Brand New Day have already thrilled fans with the reveal that Hulk’s tame (lame?) role as “Smart Hulk” was finally being put to an end. What that means for Spider-Man is something that moviegoers are now getting to see firsthand; we’re to address the elephant in the room: Why Hulk is not a part of Avengers: Doomsday.
WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS FOLLOW!
Going Savage Has Broken Banner
In Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Peter Parker (Tom Holland) reaches out to Bruce Banner to get tips on how to use an inhibitor to suppress selective parts of his spider DNA to correct some erratic surges in his powers. Unfortunately for Peter, making contact puts a target on Banner’s back, as telepathic mutant Jean Grey (Sadie Sink) tracks Spider-Man to Banner and takes over Banner’s mind with her powers, making Hulk into her ultimate weapon and enforcer against the Damage Control agency.
During the scuffle at Damage Control, Jean loses her grip over the Hulk, and ends up setting off something worse than she could’ve imagined. Hulk goes full “savage mode” again, and if not for the combined efforts of Spider-Man, Punisher (and Shocker’s glove!), a whole section of Manhattan might’ve been wiped out.
After Spider-Man gets Banner to settle, the Avenger is left rattled and broken. He’s last seen being carted off to a mental ward to start rebuilding himself all over again after his latest werewolf experience.
Hulk Is Not Fit For Doomsday
Clearly, part of the agenda with Hulk’s storyline in Spider-Man: Brand New Day was getting the Jade Giant off the gameboard before Avengers: Doomsday takes place.
It’s not the first time that Marvel Studios has pulled that move: Avengers: Age of Ultron ended with Hulk literally flying off into the sunset, until the franchise needed him again in Thor: Ragnarok, while Avengers: Infinity War nerfed the Hulk into a craven who wouldn’t “come out” of Banner to face Thanos. A lot of fans weren’t into the Smart Hulk flip when it was revealed in Avengers: Endgame, so all in all, Hulk hasn’t really had a good run in Avengers movies since the first one. Ouch.
As always, Hulk is a precarious character to use in a crowded ensemble film. The character throws the power rankings off to a major degree, and it’s almost impossible for Marvel and Disney not to attempt to change the character in some way to drum up new merchandising sales. Avengers: Doomsday is already making Doctor Doom (Robert Downey Jr.) and Thor (Chris Hemsworth) the powerhouse centerpiece of the film, so there’s little room for Hulk in that equation.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is now in theaters. Avengers: Doomsday has a release date of December 18th.
