Warning: Spoilers for Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame ahead.
A deleted scene from Avengers: Infinity War shows alternate circumstances which could have taken place during the Battle of Wakanda involving two integral members of the Avengers. The Battle of Wakanda was the climactic battle between the combined forces of the Avengers and their Wakandan allies against Thanos, the Black Order and an army of ravenous Outriders in the fields of Wakanda outside the Golden City. Thanos and his forces had come to collect the final Infinity Stone, the Mind Stone, which was housed inside the forehead of the android Avenger Vision, who was under the protection of Scarlet Witch and Shuri within Shuri’s Laboratory.
As you might remember, the Battle of Wakanda included a fight between Bruce Banner, in Tony Stark’s Hulkbuster armor, against Cull Obsidian, the most physically powerful and imposing member of Thanos’ Black Order. In the altercation, Cull Obsidian has Banner in the Hulkbuster armor on the brink of defeat; as a last ditch effort, Banner attempts to invoke the Hulk, whom he has had trouble summoning ever since his defeat at the hands of Thanos in the movie’s opening segment. Banner fails to summon the Hulk here as well — or did he? According to the following Avengers: Infinity War deleted scene, the Hulk did come to Banner’s rescue in the Battle of Wakanda — and the Green Goliath has a touching reunion with Black Widow as well.
The Russo Bros., directors of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, explain why they decided to omit the inclusion of the more cerebrally balanced Hulk from Infinity War, explaining that the scene would’ve been discordant with the tone of the ending used in the final version of the film, which featured Thanos soundly defeating the Avengers and collecting the Mind Stone to complete his task. (Maybe they wanted to save Hulk another stomping at the hands of Thanos as well.) In the final version of the film, the more balanced, Smart Hulk wouldn’t be seen until Avengers: Endgame.
The deleted scene shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise, as the Hulk could be seen in the trailers for Avengers: Infinity War, specifically in the scene where Captain America, Black Panther, Winter Soldier, Black Widow, and Okoye are charging into the fray during the Battle of Wakanda — which isn’t so much a red herring as it was simply the original version of the script before the Russo Bros. decided against Hulk’s inclusion in the final version.
Do you think the Avengers: Infinity War deleted scene with Hulk and Black Widow should’ve been kept in the final version of the film? Or did the Russo Brothers make the right decision? Let us know in the comments.
