That’s kind of the exciting progression of the Banner/Hulk relationship moving forward. “That’s what’s so confounding to Banner and frightening. “The rules don’t apply anymore,” Ruffalo told IGN. Hulk’s refusal to transform is an arc that’s expected to continue in Avengers 4, too, completing the three-movie story actor Mark Ruffalo previously teased.

It’s a continuation of a storyline started in Ragnarok, one of the last movies Marvel released ahead of Infinity War. Hulk’s inability to take over Bruce Banner’s body when most needed is a big part of Banner’s arc in the film. The next time Banner comes face-to-face with Thanos, he learns he can no longer transform into the Hulk, no matter how hard he tries. Hulk is shipped to earth following his devastating defeat at the hands of Thanos on the Asgardian ship that carried him away at the end of Thor: Ragnarok, returning him to Bruce Banner’s original form. Although Hulk briefly appears in Infinity War at the very beginning, this scene never comes to pass.

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