In the build-up to April 27th, Marvel fans began speculating wildly about the inevitable brawl between Thanos and the Incredible Hulk – who would win, who’s more powerful…that kinda thing.
Such intense speculation even led to Bruce Banner himself, Mark Ruffalo, warning viewers that the opening of Avengers: Infinity War would reduce the Hulk to a shell of his former self. And sure enough, just as Josh Brolin’s Mad Titan (and the Black Order!) seize control of the Asgardian refugee ship, we see the Incredible Hulk get schooled in close-quarters combat by a being so powerful – so downright formidable – that he’s able to wipe out half of the frickin’ universe with a snap of his fingers.
That raw, untold power can be traced back to the Infinity Gauntlet, though at least according to Stephen McFeely, Thanos would’ve put Hulk in his place even before he raided Xandar for the Power Stone.
I think he could. I may be speaking out of turn, but I think Thanos could kick the Hulk’s ass without the [Power Stone].
When approaching that bleak intro scene, McFeely and his co-writer, Christopher Markus, wanted to establish Thanos as the “biggest villain in the MCU,” which ultimately came at the expense of Loki, who tried, in vain, to call on his mischievous ways one final time to best Thanos.
We want to announce Thanos as the biggest villain in the MCU, so he takes out the previous reigning champion. And by defeating Hulk relatively easily and savagely, hopefully there’s a sense of dread over the course of the rest of the movie for anyone else who comes up against him.
In related news, Avengers: Infinity War‘s writing duo have been busy tackling all sorts of questions and curious theories, including the absence of Captain Marvel, Red Skull and that Gamora-shaped plot hole.
