‘Avengers: Endgame’: A Fight Between These 2 Characters Was a Missed Opportunity
Wanting a fight between two particular characters in Avengers: Endgame might seem kind of silly. One might reasonably ask, “Between Civil War, Infinity War and Endgame, didn’t everybody fight everybody at some point?”
Although it might seem so, they actually didn’t. But what some fans would like to see is not a fight between two characters who didn’t fight, but a rematch of two characters who did fight – Thanos and the Hulk
Why fans want a Thanos/Hulk rematch
On Reddit, fans discussed what changes they might make in Avengers: Endgame, which they think is mostly great but for a few missteps or missed opportunities. One of those was another go-round between Thanos and Hulk. Those two behemoths fought in Infinity War, but Thanos made short work of the big green guy, knocking him out after very little struggle.
That’s why one fan said, “For me personally if they had done something with a hulk vs thanos rematch (preferable when he’s really mad) that would’ve made Endgame a 11/10 for me instead of a 10/10 (insane number I know, I still can’t fathom how hard endgame gets me emotionally).”
Another responded, “I’d add a Hulk vs Thanos rematch. Banner’s a bit wary of facing the Mad Titan, but does it anyway and realizes how well his brain meshes with his brawns.”
There has been a general dissatisfaction with Hulk
What that last fan refers to is the fact that after Thanos defeats Hulk, we don’t see the classic Hulk in Endgame, except for the time travel flashbacks to the original Avengers. For the remainder of Infinity War, Bruce Banner actually struggled to make the Hulk come out, when keeping him in is usually the problem.
So in Endgame, the only version we got to see going forward was Professor Hulk, which fused the Hulk’s massive physique with Banner’s massive intelligence.
Put another way, he was the Hulk, with Banner’s mind. But that made fans miss seeing the classic Hulk take on Thanos once again, not unlike how Rocky Balboa lost the actual boxing match in the original Rocky, but went on to become the world champion in the sequel.
Still, as another fan on Reddit pointed out, Hulk ended up getting a victory anyway. He may not have been able to beat Thanos in a one-on-one fight, but Hulk Banner ultimately got the better of Thanos by reversing the snap that had sent half the population away.
“I just wish they showed Hulk/Bruce’s journey, going from getting his ass beat by Thanos, to undoing Thanos’s life long goal, by resolving his own issues and achieving growth. That stuff should have made it onto the screen somehow.”
What other ‘Endgame’ changes fans would like to see
Other suggestions for Endgame included a proper funeral for Natasha/Black Widow. While Tony Stark got a grand sendoff, attended by just about everybody who could have attended, many fans feel Natasha never got her due.
No doubt this was because Robert Downey Jr. was done with Marvel while Scarlett Johansson was not. She’ll be coming back for her standalone Black Widow movie, which will be a prequel taking place between Civil War and Infinity War.
Another fan chimed in, “Reduce plot holes and inconsistencies like why didn’t Captain Marvel use the gauntlet after getting it from Peter? Why didn’t Nebula just use that time travel device to return to the main timeline after getting captured?”
Some plot holes may never be filled, but Star Wars filled a plot hole with an entire movie via Rogue One. Maybe somewhere down the line, in Phase 7 or 8, Marvel can pull the same trick and make a whole movie to seal up the holes.
