Black Widow’s Death Could Kill Off Smart Hulk

Black Widow’s death could kill off Smart Hulk in Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In Avengers: Endgame, Smart Hulk explained that his new persona was the result of Bruce Banner and Hulk, fused together in harmony. However, after years of experimentation, Smart Hulk was actually a suppression of the Hulk’s angry personality, with Bruce taking over and controlling his temper to create an entirely new person. It was a pretty good solution to the often uncontrollable rage that befell Bruce and transformed him into the green Hulk. However, Natasha Romanoff’s death in Endgame could change this version forever.

During Avengers: Infinity War, Bruce and the Hulk couldn’t see eye-to-eye and the green creature wouldn’t appear when the scientist needed him the most. Prior to the film, it was painfully clear that the two personas had major issues with each other and the Hulk, who was primarily in control during Thor: Ragnarok, refused to give up his body to Bruce because he didn’t feel understood by him. What’s more, it was no secret that Bruce hated the Hulk, frustrated that he couldn’t keep his rage in check and that he was the cause of insurmountable destruction when unleashed.

In Endgame, Hulk and Banner stopped being enemies and supposedly made peace with one another to merge into an entirely new persona. Paired with Banner’s brains and Hulk’s impressive power, the merging of the two to become Smart Hulk provided a scenario that seemed like the perfect way to wrap up the character’s storyline. However, it can be argued that Smart Hulk was merely the result of Banner and Hulk’s trauma after Infinity War. Similar to how the Hulk personality aided Banner’s coping with childhood trauma in the comics, the evolution of Smart Hulk might've worked the same way after Thanos’ snap.

Neither Hulk or Banner were smart or strong enough to stop the Mad Titan before he wiped out half of Earth’s population and Banner may have felt guilty about this. Smart Hulk, on the other hand, was able to come up with better solutions to the Avengers’ problems in Endgame. All that said, Black Widow’s death might continue to affect the green scientist in Phase Four. Considering she was the only one to fully embrace both of Banner’s personas without neglecting either, it’s possible that he will realize Smart Hulk was not the answer. Rather than control the Hulk and temper his anger, Banner could find a way to make peace with his alter ego without stymying his abilities.

This would honor Natasha’s unconditional love and belief in him as a person regardless of his actions or which personality is in control. After all, it was Black Widow who believed that Banner/Hulk didn’t need to change and that mentality might lead to Smart Hulk dismantling the control and walls he’s built to maintain the fusion, leading to a new path for Banner after Endgame. This realization could be good for Banner, especially since he has yet to explore his trauma; Smart Hulk has acted as an avoidance mechanism rather than the result of true healing. If this happens, it would be Black Widow’s acceptance of Banner/Hulk that would “kill off” the Smart Hulk persona entirely, which could lead to additional development of his character moving forward.

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