Avengers: Infinity War
Summary
Bruce Banner ’s worthiness to handle Mjolnir was tested in Phase 2 of theMCU , butAvengers : Infinity Warmay have answered exactly why he was incompetent of cabbage Thor ’s mystical power hammer . Although originally depicted by Edward Norton in 2008’sThe Incredible Hulk , Bruce Banner , a.k.a . the Hulk , has been portrayed mainly by Mark Ruffalo in the MCU . Debuting inThe Avengers , Ruffalo ’s version of Bruce Banner became a key digit in the MCU ’s premier superhero squad , and has recently learned to control his Hulk personality . While Banner has often been seen as the moral compass of the Avengers , the MCU ’s Phase 2 prove he was n’t as worthy as first thought .
Since thefilm rights to the Hulk still reside with Universal , Marvel Studios has n’t been able-bodied to develop further solo projection for him sinceThe Incredible Hulk . Nevertheless , this has n’t bar Bruce Banner from making ten appearances in live - action at law MCU labor , spanning all fourAvengersprojects , cameos inIron Man 3 , Captain MarvelandShang - Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings , and appearances inThor : RagnarokandShe - Hulk : Attorney at Lawon Disney+ . Banner has interacted with almost every other hero , and is one of theMCU ’s most powerful heroes , but he still did n’t have the power to lift Thor ’s hammer , Mjolnir , inAvengers : Age of Ultron .
The Incredible Hulk has been a core persona of the MCU - we rundown six MCU Phase 5 and 6 task in which the Hulk could come out .
Bruce Banner Couldn’t Lift Mjolnir In Age Of Ultron
In the hatchway instant of 2015’sAvengers : Age of Ultron , the Avengers band together to take down yet another HYDRA fastness and find Loki ’s wand . Their success in this military mission build them comfortable enough to throw a massive political party in Avengers Tower , which ends with each member of the team attempting to best Thor and lift his enchanted hammer , Mjolnir . WhileSteve Rogers ' Captain Americaseems to get by to get the hammer to move slightly , teasing his eventual wielding of the weapon inAvengers : Endgame , Clint Barton , Tony Stark , James " Rhodey " Rhodes and Bruce Banner all fail to lift Mjolnir , proving that they plainly are n’t worthy .
Hulk’s Infinity War Betrayal Proves He Wasn’t Worthy
Bruce Banner has always tried to equilibrate science and morality , so his inappropriateness to maintain Mjolnir indicate that something deeper is carry him back . Avengers : Infinity Warmay have cater the perfect explanation , as the Hulk side of his persona chose to shroud rather than unite the battle against the unrestrained Titan Thanos . In theopening bit ofInfinity War , the Hulk engage Thanos in a fight aboard the Statesman , but is kill by the Mad Titan , and spends the rest of the 2018 project in concealment , refusing to come out and avail Banner fight alongside his Avenger friends . This could answer why Banner was n’t desirable enough to lift Mjolnir .
TheHulk puts his own feeling and gall ahead of the large good inAvengers : Infinity War , staying out of the competitiveness when he could have been useful simply because he feels used by Banner and Earth ’s other Mightiest Heroes just for his strength . This is a sore point for the Hulk in 2017’sThor : Ragnarok , who claim that Thor prefers Banner over the Hulk . The selfishness that the Hulk expresses duringInfinity Warcould explain whyBruce Banner could n’t maintain Mjolnir inAge of Ultron , but this may not be the case in the current timeline of the MCU , as the Hulk has been through immense modification since then .
Would Hulk Be Worthy After Endgame?
2019’sAvengers : Endgamerevealed that Bruce Banner had successfully combined his human and Hulk personas , transforming into Smart Hulk . This meant he had the intelligence and personality of Banner , while have the lasting appearance and strength of the Hulk , albeit a small and more human looping of the giant , green Avenger . This proved that the Hulk and Banner had reached a via media , suggest that the Hulk was happy with this side of the deal , which could suggest at him now being worthy enough to wield Mjolnir . Anotherkey moment inAvengers : Endgamecould also reenforce the idea of Bruce Banner now being worthy enough to manage Thor ’s powerful hammer .
After the Avengers enter on the Time Heist and collected the sixInfinity Stones from throughout the MCU ’s history , Bruce Banner ’s Smart Hulk was the one to put himself at risk in lodge to bring back all the dupe of Thanos’Avengers : eternity Warsnap . This move could have killed Banner , just as it did for Tony Stark ’s Iron Man later on in the Battle of Earth , but he train on this province even so . The agreement shine between Banner and the Hulk inEndgame , and his insistence on being the one to use the Infinity Stones , could entail he is now a desirable wielder of Mjolnir .
