“Hey, big guy…”
Ever since the tail-end of Age of Ultron, Bruce Banner has enjoyed quite the journey – or, rather, the Incredible Hulk has enjoyed quite the journey. In what is said to be the beginning of a three-movie arc for Marvel’s Jade Giant, Thor: Ragnarok witnessed the moment when Mark Ruffalo’s rage monster was crowned king of Sakaar, the far-flung junk planet caught between the known and the unknown.
Indeed, Taika Waititi’s rip-roaring threequel came to an end just as Hulk and the God of Thunder were plotting a course for Earth, and those of you who stuck around for Ragnarok‘s post-credits scene will know that Thanos isn’t too far behind. It’s this epilogue that leads straight into the beginning of Avengers: Infinity War, where the Mad Titan’s Sanctuary II warship intercepts the Asgardian refugees in a desperate attempt to seize the Tesseract (read: Space Stone) and place it onto an incomplete Infinity Gauntlet.
Naturally, Thor and Hulk intervene – or at least they try – ultimately leaving the former Avenger on the brink of death and, eventually, in the company of the Guardians of the Galaxy. And Hulk? Thankfully, Mark Ruffalo was on-hand to answer that very question during Infinity War‘s ongoing press tour.
Per Screen Rant, the actor admitted that Hulk’s clash with Thanos “definitely has ramifications” for the remainder of the film, and based on Infinity War‘s trailer campaign, it’s all but certain that the Jade Giant will be sent plummeting back to Earth – the Sanctum Sanctorum, to be specific – where he encounters some new allies and an old friend in Tony Stark.
Well, uh, that’s, that’s tricky. It definitely has ramifications. He’s definitely, he’s never met, uh, another opponent quite like that and um, uh, their first encounter sort of a propels what will be, you know, the rest of these next two movies. So, um, and then what ends up happening between Bruce and The Hulk.
Avengers: Infinity War is due to be screened for critics later this evening in Los Angeles, meaning the Internet is about to become a no-fly zone for those wary of spoilers. To their credit, the Russo Brothers continue to ask fans that they think twice before ruining a superhero smackdown 10 years in the making – Thanos demands our silence, after all – though whether people take heed of their warning is another question entirely.
April 27th is the date for your diaries, folks.