WARNING: The following article contains major spoilers for Avengers: Endgame , in theaters now.

More than just the latest sequel, Avengers: Endgame is the conclusion to a story spun though a 22-picture tapestry, capping off Marvel'due south Infinity Saga, an arc that stretches all the style back to the first Iron Human. For that reason solitary, Endgame featured plenty of fan-favorite moments that paid off on developments from a number of previous films. Helm America finally lifted Mjolnir, the dusted Avengers came dorsum to life, Steve Rogers and Peggy Carter finally had their dance.

But while the picture has plenty of payoffs, there's one that, unfortunately, never arrives. In Avengers: Infinity War, the Hulk and Thanos faced each other at the starting time of the film, a confrontation that saw the Jade Behemothic get brutally beaten past the Mad Titan. The Hulk was nowhere to be seen for the remainder of the film, leaving Bruce Banner (and the Hulkbuster armor) to tackle the heavy lifting his other half usually handles.

More a few fans went into Endgame expecting some level of retribution for the jade behemothic in what was surely the inevitable rematch betwixt him and Thanos, a second round where the Blob would sally victorious. However, that scene never happens.

Infinity War's Blob Had Enough

Subsequently the loss to Thanos, no matter how often Banner tried to transform into his monstrous alter ego, the Blob simply refused to come out. Most fans assumed this was because he was humiliated past his defeat, or afraid to face Thanos again. Just neither of these, obviously, were the case. Co-director Joe Russo somewhen clarified that the real reason Blob stayed out of the fight was but because he was "tired of playing hero to Bruce Banner."

This alter in mental attitude likely came as a effect of what had been set up in Thor: Ragnarok, where the Hulk took full control for two years. When Bruce was brought back, the two were at odds with each other, and Thanos' arrival took things further. This marked an development in the Banner/Hulk dynamic, paving the way for the introduction of a very unlike Blob.

A Different Kind of Blob

In Avengers: Endgame, certain characters had a second take chances to take on Thanos. Thor, who failed to defeat the villain in Infinity War, finally went for the head on the Mad Titan's garden planet. Captain America also got the adventure to face the villain again, this fourth dimension with his shield and Mjolnir. From a narrative standpoint, it seemed like Endgame was bound to also give the Hulk a rematch. Only that's not what happened.

Instead, the picture show introduced a new Blob, one who was both brains and brawn. When we start see the Avenger, he's completely dissimilar; Banner and his alter ego have at present found a fashion to co-be. Dubbed Professor Blob, he has all the Blob's strength, but smashing and fighting isn't his main movement. He prefers to contribute past using his heed.

Banner not only now has insight, he's become a hero, i who's treatment himself meliorate than most of the other Avengers. The simple truth of the matter is that this new Hulk is more at peace with himself than ever, and a dial-throwing rematch with Thanos isn't needed for him to feel valued.

RELATED: Avengers: Endgame Almost Featured a Brawl Betwixt Two Unlikely Heroes

While Professor Hulk never goes toe-to-toe with the Mad Titan, that doesn't mean he isn't crucial to the villain'southward defeat. After all, once the Avengers took all six Infinity Stones from the timeline and assembled a new Infinity Gauntlet, it was the Hulk who snapped his fingers and brought the dusted half of all life in the universe dorsum. Information technology was a rewarding scene for the character, and easily his most heroic act.

At the end of the day, information technology doesn't really matter that we didn't come across Hulk vs Thanos: Round 2. The Thanos the Hulk fought in Infinity State of war had his head chopped off in the kickoff 20 minutes of Endgame, while the 2nd, time-traveling Thanos wouldn't even accept known the true impact of such a rematch. Considering all of that, plus the fact that Hulk would have been destined to lose again, a rematch might very well have felt forced, or worse yet, disappointing.

Directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, Avengers: Endgame stars Robert Downey Jr. equally Iron Homo, Chris Evans as Captain America, Marker Ruffalo as Bruce Banner, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow, Jeremy Renner as Eagle, Brie Larson every bit Captain Marvel, Paul Rudd as Ant-Human, Don Cheadle as Armed services, Karen Gillan as Nebula, Danai Gurira as Okoye and Bradley Cooper as Rocket, with Gwyneth Paltrow Pepper Potts, Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan, Bridegroom Wong every bit Wong, Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie and Josh Brolin as Thanos.

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Ian Cardona (3481 Articles Published)

Ian Cardona has written for CBR since 2017. He is a Feature, Comic Breakouts and News writer. He'south been in love with comics for a very long time, and believes in that location is some proficient to be found even in the manufacture'south more than hard times. His favorite Avenger is Captain America, and that was long before the grapheme starred in a very successful film franchise. He is an avid statue and Funko Pop! figures collector, and he's quickly running out of shelf space. With CBR, he has been able to write about his favorite subjects, from the MCU to Doctor Who. You can follow him on Twitter at @ian_c1701 (yes, that is a Star Trek reference) for discussions, debates or pictures of really absurd collectibles he probably doesn't take room for.

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