Thanos may have easily beat Hulk in their Avengers: Infinity War fight, but it had nothing to do with the Infinity Stones. The MCU’s Infinity Saga spent years building up Thanos as the universe’s toughest villain, culminating in the big hero team-ups of Infinity War and Endgame. Thanos may have hunted down the six Infinity Stones to reach his ultimate power, but the opening of Infinity War proved that he was already a formidable foe without them.
Avengers: Infinity War opens with Thanos and his crew taking over Thor’s Asgardian spaceship. Hulk goes up against Thanos in a fight but is defeated by the Mad Titan. Though it ultimately wasn’t surprising that Thanos would beat Hulk, it was shocking to see the easy fashion that he did it in. It could even be assumed that Thanos used the Power Stone that he had. However, in an Infinity War Q&A with Collider, directors Anthony and Joe Russo said that Hulk’s early defeat was all Thanos’ own doing and that it needed to happen.
Thanos Beat Hulk Because He Was A More Skilled Fighter
When it comes to pure brute strength in the MCU, Hulk is usually the first that comes to mind in the universe. The green giant is famous for his fits of rage that have him destroying everything in his path. This physical power does show itself in Avengers: Infinity War’s opening as Hulk has a moment where he does overpower Thanos, but the fight quickly goes in the other direction. Hulk’s defeat could be because Thanos possessed the Power Stone, but with Thanos never pulling it out in the fight, the Russos believe that he didn’t need it to win.
Despite his great strength, pre-Avengers: Infinity War Hulk did not often fight with a strategy. It was hard for Bruce Banner to control the raging monster, so Hulk’s rampages were often not thought out. Compared to Thanos, who is an extreme strategist, Hulk’s method of mindlessly throwing aggressive punches was bound to catch up to him. Thanos was the more skilled fighter because he thought out his every move, ultimately explaining why he was able to so easily defeat the physically-strong Hulk.
Thanos Needed To Beat Hulk For Hulk's Character Arc To Work
Though his early defeat against Thanos was embarrassing for Hulk, it needed to happen for the sake of his character arc. Bruce struggled to get his Hulk persona to come out again because of Hulk’s embarrassment and fear after the fight, but also because the Hulk did not want to be Bruce’s problem solver anymore. In the years after the Blip, the Avengers: Infinity War incident finally encouraged Bruce to work on the two consciousnesses inside of him, leading to Smart Hulk’s debut in Endgame. None of this would’ve happened without the catalyst that was Hulk’s defeat to Thanos, proving that it was ultimately necessary.
Hulk’s defeat in his fight against Thanos in the opening of Infinity War may have initially been surprising, but it makes sense and needed to happen for his character. With Thanos never pulling out the Power Stone in the fight, his win was purely due to being the more skilled fighter. This was a reality check for Hulk, and although his disappearance was an inconvenience for Bruce, it led to him finally having control of his Hulk persona. The Avengers: Infinity War defeat was the catalyst for Bruce and Hulk’s character development, and he is better off now because of it.
