'Avengers: Endgame' Spoilers: The Hulk at Wakanda May Reveal a Bigger Plot
Including a rehash of the Battle of Wakanda, but with the Hulk.
Marvel Studios is no stranger to duping its audience in trailers and marketing materials. Yondu was on the set of Infinity War despite dying in Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 2, and director James Gunn even confirmed it was because people had guessed his death beforehand. Similarly, plenty of Thor: Ragnarok scenes featured in trailers left out the fact that the God of Thunder loses an eye before the final battle. Those same scenes in the final cut of the film showed the injury.
Can we just not trust superhero trailers anymore? Probably not, but maybe, just maybe, Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame will offer another explanation. Via time travel in Endgame, we might revisit several of the unused scenes from Infinity War trailers that never made it into the film. The big one is Hulk fighting in the Battle of Wakanda, but there’s so much more.
How was this shot such a centerpiece for the 'Infinity War' trailer when it never happened?
This is just one Inverse String Theory, but it could be true. So consider yourself warned about potential Avengers: Endgame spoilers.
The gist of this theory is very similar to one discussed by redditor u/BigMartin58 earlier this February that assumes Endgame will rewrite key moments in the Marvel timeline so that many of the unused Infinity War trailer scenes might actually happen.
The fact that these films were originally referred to as Avengers 3 and Avengers 4 and at other times, Infinity War: Part 1 and Part 2 only support this kind of theory. They represent one continuous story, and both movies were filmed back-to-back, so it stands to reason Endgame might recycle similar settings and characters.
Additionally, several different toys supposedly created for Infinity War showed Hulk busting out of Iron Man’s Hulkbuster armor, teasing a very different story for Bruce Banner and Hulk at the Battle of Wakanda. There’s a scene where a swarm of Thanos’ Outriders overwhelm Banner while he’s inside Hulkbuster. In at least one timeline, it seems like they rip him to shreds, forcing Hulk to emerge and fight.
That obviously didn’t happen during Infinity War, but why would Marvel allow toys to show this moment and even film related scenes to be used in the trailer? Was it really just a case of misdirection? Or was it a preview for Endgame all along? If this sequence does happen, then it would explain how and why Hulk lines up to rush forward behind Steve Rogers, Black Panther, and other heroes at the Battle of Wakanda.
Will this scene still happen?
One particular Infinity War trailer even showed a blue light streaking across the battlefield in Wakanda. That could be some kind of laser blast, but Aaron Taylor-Johnson, who played the deceased Quicksilver in Age of Ulron, was spotted on the Endgame set.
This all seems to indicate that Endgame will revisit the Battle of Wakanda in some fashion, but the broader implication is that Endgame might redo lots of Infinity War moments. (Along with scenes from previous movies.)
One scene from the Infinity War trailer shows a very different background when Steve Rogers catches Proxima Midnight’s spear in his triumphant debut in the movie (though that could be due to some last-minute editing).
Several shots from previous trailers show Thanos with a different number of Infinity Stones in his Gauntlet than he has in the final film. Several theories and supposed leaks involving time travel already assume that Endgame will involve the good guys rewriting history to take away some of Thanos’ Infinity Stones. Could that explain this specific discrepancy, and in Endgame, things might happen in a different order? (Or was Marvel just editing out Infinity Stones to avoid spoiling the actual movie.)
One thing’s for sure: We’re willing to bet money that Hulk will “suit up” for the Battle of Wakanda in Endgame.
In the final lead-up to Avengers: Endgame’s release, Inverse is unleashing a few fan theories of our own. Read all of them here and check back for weekly theories from some journalists who spend way too much time thinking about the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Avengers: Endgame hits theaters on April 26, 2019.
Have any strong thoughts about this theory or want to pitch your own? Email the author at corey@inverse.com.
