Avengers: Doomsday is almost upon us. The fifth Avengers movie and the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s 39th trip to the big screen, Doomsday will be a dream come true for superhero fans, at last folding Dr. Doom, the Fantastic Four, and select X-Men into the rest of this sprawling onscreen continuity. Marvel is celebrating in a big way, too, re-releasing Avengers: Endgame in theaters and adding some new footage to sweeten the pot. Franchise staples such as Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) and Thor Odinson (Chris Hemsworth) are also coming back, while Robert Downey, Jr., the actor who kickstarted all of this, portrays not Tony Stark, but the villainous Dr. Doom. It’s still unclear just how one film is going to manage so many characters, introductions, and subplots, and that’s just counting those that’ve been announced. Undoubtedly one of the most difficult aspects of making a film like Doomsday is deciding which characters to spotlight. One of these characters, a fan-favorite who’s been integral to the MCU since Phase One, wasn’t among those announced for the movie, much to fans’ disappointment. Now, though, the Russos are teasing this individual’s return, and what they reveal could spell big trouble for the titular superhero team.
Speaking with Empire Magazine, the Russos hinted that the Hulk will factor into Dr. Doom’s grand plan in Avengers: Doomsday, though they kept their answers cryptic. “I mean, look, his interest may extend beyond just Banner. So, that’s what we’ll say about that,” Joe Russo revealed. “I think [what] we could say is, [Banner] is certainly involved in the story that revolves around Doom,” he continued. “We will not confirm nor deny his [Mark Ruffalo’s] appearance in Doomsday.” These answers may not seem like they’re communicating much, but there’s actually a fair amount to unpack here.
As fans who’ve seen it will already know, Avengers: Endgame Encore has four new scenes, one of which involves an offscreen Dr. Doom speaking to Bruce Banner somewhere underground. The scene doesn’t tell us much more than that, but it doesn’t need to. The implications of Doom and Banner talking face-to-face are huge, and the Russos know this. They also know that fans will voice their own ideas and desires for the Doom/Hulk dynamic, and that this speculation will only strengthen the hype surrounding the film.
Doom’s designs on Banner/Hulk are unclear, but if I were a betting man, I’d put money on him weaponizing Hulk in a terrifying way. Recall how “well” the Avengers have fared when trying to subdue or contain the Hulk in the past. It doesn’t go well, especially because the Hulk can easily take on multiple superheroes at once. We saw it way back in the first two Avengers films. Much more recently, we saw it in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, when Jean Grey turns Hulk against Spidey and the Punisher. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen Hulk fight the fully assembled Avengers, and Doomsday may just be the perfect opportunity to bring Banner — and the MCU — full circle.
Is this too much to pack into one movie? Probably. Will the Russos and their massive cast pull out all the stops to make sure we’re entertained? Absolutely. We’ll find out if they succeeded when Doomsday hits theaters on December 18th.
