Amongst the fallout from everything that happened in ‘Age Of Ultron‘ was Bruce Banner’s decision to go into a self-imposed exile, partly to protect those he loved from his curse, and partly to keep those powers free from exploitation and away those who would be corrupted by them.
The film ended with a newly designated roster of Avengers, and promotional photos from the forthcoming ‘Civil War‘ suggest that everybody’s favorite Green-skinned Goliath will be staying off the radar for some time yet. So just where is he hiding – and when will Marvel choose to bring him back?
With two flawed Hulk movies behind them, Marvel finally found success for the good doctor by using him as part of an ensemble cast, highlighting the depth and layers of the character’s shattered personality through his interactions with others. The studio have ruled out any attempts at future solo outings, so it’s now left to fans to second-guess where a future Hulk cameo or lead role might materialize.
So where do we think that might happen?
7. The Himalayas
With the announcement that the Hulk won’t play a part in the forthcoming ‘Civil War‘ movie, much as the character didn’t appear in the original comic book incarnation, the next opportunity for cinema-goers to see him on screen could perhaps be an appearance of some kind in ‘Doctor Strange‘.
The Himalayas are a suitably remote and un-populated area for Banner to seek refuge from prying eyes. Is it possible that the Ancient One might encounter this wandering soul, and offer him solace, seeing in him a man desperately in need of spiritual assistance?
What are the chances of Benedict Cumberbatch happening across Mark Ruffalo hiding out in a mountainside monastery in 2016? Fairly strong, I reckon…
6. Wakanda
Continuing with the idea of the Hulk searching for somewhere well beyond the reach of the Avengers, is there another potential cameo in a future movie? Work off the assumption that Banner manages to stay off the grid even during the first ‘Infinity War’ movie, perhaps being bought in as the big gun to help the Avengers save the day in the second movie.
Wakanda is an advanced society, largely impregnable to the outside world. Its ruler, T’Challa, is devoted to using science and technology to develop and protect his people. Faced with a fugitive Bruce Banner presenting himself at the gates of Wakanda and seeking both asylum and protection, might the Black Panther see in him either an opportunity to be taken or a similarly enlightened kindred spirit?
5. Westchester
With the recent announcement that the forthcoming ‘X-Men Apocalypse‘ will be the last in the current franchise, it’s apparent that some form of reboot will have to take place. As we’re now seeing Spider-Man packing his bags and making his way over to be incorporated into the MCU, might the X-Men be following him?
Now hold that thought. What would Professor X do if he became aware of a being as conflicted and powerful as Bruce Banner, roaming the globe; desperate to escape the exploitation he fears is pursuing him? Would Charles Xavier use Cerebro to locate and persuade the fugitive Avenger to take up a position at his Institute for Higher Learning? Might we catch a glimpse of an instantly recognizable biology teacher in a future movie, as the camera tracks through the X-Mansion? Well, I wouldn’t rule it out completely….
4. On The Road
Let’s not forget where we first saw the Hulk depicted onscreen in a live action format, back in the 1970’s as portrayed in the long running Bill Bixby Television Series. It’s an incarnation that Marvel haven’t forgotten, with a cheeky Easter egg referencing the series when Ed Norton’s Banner is seen watching Bixby on TV whilst hiding out in Brazil.
At his core, Bruce Banner is a doctor, with a background in helping others. The fact we find him practicing these skills in India during the first Avengers movie supports this background.
Who’s to say he’d settle down anywhere in the aftermath of ‘Age Of Ultron’? It’s a tactic that hasn’t really ever worked out for him before, so maybe we’ll see him take back to the road, as in his origins.
This would give Marvel the option of giving him his own TV series, which may get them round the issue of the character struggling to carry a standalone movie, or perhaps see him regularly cameoing in the other film and TV properties that inhabit the Marvel Universe….
3. Afterlife
Is there anywhere in the existing Marvel television franchise where Doctor Banner might find a welcome? With the introduction of The Inhumans in series two of ‘Agents of SHIELD‘, and a movie slated for 2019, is it possible the Hulk could find himself residing with them?
Certainly in their current form, The Inhumans are a people similarly trying to steer clear of the authorities. Would they see an arriving Bruce Banner, much as themselves, as a man cursed with unwanted powers, and be accepting of him? It remains to be seen where the TV series will take The Inhumans, and if they will integrate more with humanity under Skye’s influence. There’s a long way to go between their current mountaintop retreat of Afterlife and the arrival of Black Bolt, which might be somewhere for our fugitive to hide prior to his reappearance.
2. Savage Land
As the MCU continues to expand at great pace, the scriptwriters have been able to incorporate more and more of the existing Marvel Canon into it. There are still, however, a large number of places left to go. Latveria. Atalantis. and… the Savage Land.
This Antarctic wilderness has cropped up again and again in the major storylines of the comics, most notably due to be fact that it’s so remote, inaccessible and downright flipping dangerous. Making it so that Banner locates and settles here would allow the writers to let the Hulk unleash his primal side, rampaging through the island and battling it’s monsters, whilst also introducing some of the lesser known characters associated with the region, such as Ka-zar, or Elsa Bloodstone.
1. Asgard
Now this last idea is probably pretty unlikely, but it’s also fairly tantalizing. If there’s one bad guy in the MCU with an axe to grind against the Hulk, it’s Loki. Being a God and allowing yourself to be crushed into the ground by a puny mortal isn’t something you forget easily.
With the next Thor film named ‘Ragnarok‘, and the nightmarish visions that the God of Thunder experienced in Age of Ultron, it’s clear something catastrophic is heading to the home of the Asgardians.
Could that looming danger be the Hulk? It Certainly turns out to be in the animated DVD ‘Hulk Vs‘, where Loki and the Enchantress trap Banner in Asgard, and separate his human form from the monster.
Now that in the MCU, Loki is impersonating Odin, is it possible that he and his forces will have captured Banner, and are holding him in Asgard, manipulating him to a point that results in a devastating rampage through the kingdom? Let’s be honest, it wouldn’t be the weirdest thing to have happened in the nine realms.
Where do you think The Hulk could be? Let us know in the comment section below!