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The following contains spoilers from What If…? Season 3, Episode 1, “What If… the Hulk Fought the Mech Avengers?,” now streaming on Disney+.
When it comes to Hulk movies, Marvel Studios has a dilemma. Rights were shared with Universal Pictures in a manner that complicates Kevin Feige from making a Hulk solo film. That’s why Marvel has opted to use Hulk as a supporting character in the Avengers stories and the She-Hulk solo show.
Interestingly, Mark Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner appears in What If…? Season 3 in an impactful story. Episode 1, “What If… the Hulk Fought the Mech Avengers?,” acts as a mini-Hulk movie, setting up an even darker story that the MCU may never tell.
What If Season 3 Could Have Opened Green Doors
The One Below All Could Possess the Godzilla-Hulk
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“What If… the Hulk Fought the Mech Avengers?” has Bruce exorcising his gamma energy, only for it to turn into an Apex Hulk. This being creates offshoot Hulks who rampage around the world. Bruce later turns himself into a bomb, absorbs the radiation from the creatures, and becomes a kaiju Hulk, similar to Godzilla.
Hulk kills the Apex and commands the Hulklings as their alpha ruler. They head off into solitude, with Bruce’s humanity all but gone. Now, this could play into a concept Al Ewing created in The Immortal Hulk. This was the idea of Green Doors, spiritual barriers where the evil One Below All was able to weaponize gamma radiation. It used gamma to infect avatars, possessing the likes of Sasquatch, Bruce’s father Brian, the Leader and even, Bruce himself.
The One Below All Details
First Appearance
Year of Debut
Creators
The Immortal Hulk #4
2018
Al Ewing, Joe Bennett
The One Below All wanted to take over the world. It did so in other dimensions using gamma mutates. On Earth-616, it had the other Hulk personalities such as Savage Hulk and Joe Fixit worried about their essence being consumed. Its main manifestation was the Devil Hulk, which carried out so much destruction. Luckily, Bruce got help from his friends to trap the deity in its hellish limbo. The One Below was one of the best Hulk stories, mixing science and the supernatural, and turning gamma into a horrific mystical element.
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The comics had Bruce’s initial accident in New Mexico opening the door for the One Below All to invade his existence. That began Bruce’s journey as a host, and allowed the being to manipulate so much of his life for decades, including accidents and traumatic situations meant to break his mind and give the entity a vessel. What If…? Season 3 creates an avenue for the One Below All to use the kaiju Hulk to wreak havoc.
Most of the world has been ravaged by the gamma army. It could easily be that the One Below All actually took form as the Apex, commanded the minions and tried to rule. Unfortunately, it needs a stronger body, and the Godzilla-Hulk is just that. Bruce’s mind is all but gone. This One Below All is the ideal enemy for the next wave of Mech Avengers. They’d have data on gamma-absorbing weapons from Bruce, info on how to build better mechs, and could even use magic for Sam Wilson to try to crack Bruce’s mind.
Any surviving heroes from Bruce’s camp (Betty, Rick, and more) could make the journey to pull Bruce back from the prison where the demonic villain has his soul contained. It would be very similar to the comics. With the gamma bomb also providing Green Doors to other humans who might have been infected in the Apex brawl, it adds another layer that could give the One Below All more brainwashed subordinates. Not just for one reality, but the Multiverse, as it has the ability to tap into Green Doors in other worlds. With incursions occurring, it could send its legions over, using the Godzilla-Hulk as a true destroyer.
Ultimately, this is a nuanced, multidimensional villain. With the MCU mixing cosmic power and magic (as seen with What If’s Agatha becoming a Celestial witch), this horrifying version of One Below All would have been a great sequel to explore. Hopefully, the MCU does an animated movie following up on this story, or What If…? does a U-turn and tells more stories. Bruce fighting to stop being the One Below All’s slave is ripe with strong story potential.
What If…? Season 3 airs new episodes until Dec. 29 on Disney+.
“}]] “What If… the Hulk Fought the Mech Avengers?” creates a horror story with the Hulk that the MCU may not ever tell on the big screen or Disney+. Read More