Turning Bruce Banner into a Punchline Dispensary.
When you’re juggling as many characters as the MCU does, there are bound to be a few lapses along the way.
For me, the haphazard use of Bruce Banner, and the manner of his ‘evolution,’ have been one of the more prominent of such lapses.
Banner is an inherently tortured character, given the Dr Jekyll/Mr. Hyde-esque aspect of his story.
We first met Banner in The Incredible Hulk, and both the tone of the film and Edward Norton’s interpretation of the character were aligned with the harrowing aspects of Banner's story.
But then The Avengers rolled into town, and by this point, the MCU was settling into its ‘quip happy’ status quo.
Further, the film was written and directed by Joss Whedon, whose characters have always had a predilection for cracking wise and engaging in witty banter.
And I love Whedon for that.
But even Whedon realised that Banner isn’t a character prone to such witticisms. Whedon didn’t force it as well. Banner was one of the more sombre characters among the OG Avengers in the movie.
That trend continued more or less in Avengers: Age of Ultron, a film that focused on the tension between Banner and his alter ego, The Hulk, and the repercussions of Banner losing control.
Then, Taika Waititi and Thor: Ragnarok changed everything. The effects of which I felt most starkly in Avengers: Infinity War, at which point, Bruce Banner had basically become a goofball, a cross between Scott Lang and Peter Quill.
At least in Ragnarok, there was context. He had been stuck inside the Hulk and on an alien planet, so of course, he’d be a tad wonky.
Now, some might argue something similar happened to Thor as well. And this is where Chris Hemsworth deserves praise for his outstanding performance.
He had always injected Thor with that fish-out-of-water charm, and he managed to completely sell Thor’s distinctly comedic turn in Ragnarok.
But in Banner's case, both the writers and Mark Ruffalo, who’s a great actor, veered a bit too much into the goofiness post-Ragnarok, at least that’s what I felt. Ruffalo began playing him with just a hint of buffoonery.
And it was obviously a choice.
Tony Stark: The Avengers broke up. We're toast.
Bruce Banner: Broke up? Like a band? Like the Beatles?
Its things like this. It was funny, sure. But something about Ruffalo’s delivery felt off to me.
Oh, no you don't. This isn't gonna be like New York, pal. This suit's already kicked the crap out of the Hulk.
Oh, screw you, you big green asshole! I'll do it myself!
All of this felt off to me.
In the climactic battle in Wakanda, Banner is the comic relief.
And then, in Avengers: Endgame, 'Bruce Banner' was a pretty much a non-entity.
Marvel was fighting with one arm tied to their back since they couldn’t make a standalone Hulk movie because the rights are with Universal.
But I do feel that Bruce Banner is a rich character and more could have been done with him, even within those constraints.
Bruce Banner would be more at home in a psychological thriller/horror than a comedy. And the MCU, as it stands, doesn't dabble in that genre.
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