6. The Hulk Is Lost
Bruce Banner's place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been fraught from the start. The Incredible Hulk, starring Edward Norton as the titular monster, is technically part of the MCU; and yet he's since been recast with Mark Ruffalo, and the validity of that film in continuity has been called into question with Betty Ross never appearing again either. Tim Roth's Abomination was considered for inclusion in this film, but ultimately passed over. For about five minutes it looked like he may wind up being more integral to the team than he has been so far, with Banner and Black Widow starting on the road to a most unconventional romance. It came out of nowhere, and it ended almost as quickly, with the angsty Hulk hot-footing it out of there via Quinjet during the third act. The last the audience knows is that the Hulk's cloaked jet crashed down in the ocean near Fiji, with Natasha resigning herself to a life without Bruce. It probably won't be the last we see of The Hulk, but it just as easily might be. Either way, the character is out of commission for the time being, and considering how little he's appeared so far, the MCU may be a Hulk-free zone moving forward.
Tom Baker
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Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
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