"Avengers: Endgame" Originally Planned for a Rematch Between Two Characters

One of the many reasons fans love the recent Marvel films is because of the epic fight scenes and battle sequences. There's plenty of action, they're well-choreographed, and they move at a fast enough pace. Honestly, Marvel movie fight scenes are rarely ever dull to watch.

And of course, battle scenes mean seeing our favorite heroes in action and using their abilities to their full potential. The Hulk is one such character that fans enjoy seeing in a fight. With his awesome strength and power, he's a mighty opponent to any enemy of the Avengers. However, this was not the case when it came to Thanos.

Hulk Didn't Fare Well Against Thanos During 'Inifinity War'

Unfortunately, the Hulk's first encounter with Thanos in 'Avengers: Infinity War' didn't go as planned. Viewers had hoped to see Hulk smash Thanos to bits, much like he did to Loki in the first 'Avengers' movie. Unfortunately, Thanos not only gave the Hulk a thorough beatdown but the fight resulted in Bruce Banner being unable to change back into the Hulk. Not having the Hulk at their disposal was terribly crippling for the Avengers, and probably played at least a small part in the Avengers' initial defeat at the end of Infinity War.

Why Did the Hulk Lose So Badly to Thanos?

It was definitely a blow to fans to see one of the strongest Avengers beaten so badly by Thanos. So, what happened? Was it all Thanks himself or was he aided by the Infinity stones? Director Joe Russo has an answer to that question.

“I would say that he’s [Thanos's] just that powerful. You didn’t see him actively use the power stone in that fight. I think ultimately, the way we looked at that fight and the way talked about it with our stunt team when we were executing it was Hulk is obviously very powerful, but he’s a little mindless in his fighting style. It’s aggressive, it’s pummeling. Thanos is the Ghengis Kahn of the universe, he’s a very skilled fighter, equally as strong. So when you put those two up against each other, the more skilled fighter is going to win ultimately. Which is why Hulk has a moment where he overpowers Thanos, but ultimately Thanos is smart.”

Hulk Was Supposed to Get a Rematch in 'Endgame'

Hulk was actually supposed to get a rematch with Thanos during 'Endgame.' Going into the film, fans were hoping that the green giant would get a chance to redeem himself. Unfortunately, that didn't end up happening. Apparently, according to screenwriter Stephen McFeely, it was all because of "Smart Hulk," the integrated form of Bruce Banner and the Hulk that we met in 'Endgame.'

"Well, that [a rematch] would’ve made sense had he not become Smart Hulk. He’s a whole different thing, and that’s not what drives him."

There Will be Other Opponents for the Hulk

Fans are disappointed that the Hulk didn't get his rematch with Thanos during 'Endgame'. However, there should be other opportunities and new opponents for Hulk to fight in future movies. As far as we know, Mark Ruffalo is still with the MCU, so we should be seeing more of him. Plus, now that the MCU has acquired rights to the Fantastic Four and the X-Men for Phase 5 we might get to see the Hulk fight [Wolverine or the Thing]. (https://www.theverge.com/2019/7/20/20702391/marvel-cinematic-universe-phase-5-x-men-mutants-fantastic-four-captain-marvel-2-black-panther)