A new Avengers: Doomsday rumor claims The Thing and Hulk are going to throw down in the film, and the circumstances surrounding the fight make it sound like Ben Grimm is in for one hell of a challenge.
According to social media scooper James Mack, the battle takes place after the Avengers invade Latveria and encounter Doctor Doom’s forces.
During the confrontation, Hulk reportedly appears wearing a Doom mask, which is a pretty strong indication that Bruce Banner isn’t exactly fighting on the Avengers’ side. That’s also going to be an interesting and crazy visual.
When Ben Grimm sees what’s coming, he reportedly charges straight at Hulk while shouting his iconic catchphrase. If the rumor is accurate, Marvel is about to unleash a live-action version of a fight comic book fans have wanted to see for years.
The Thing and Hulk have spent more than six decades beating the hell out of each other in Marvel Comics. Their fights have long served as a measuring stick for Marvel’s strongest characters, and bringing that rivalry into Doomsday feels like a natural way to give the movie a massive physical showdown.
There’s also a much bigger story surrounding why Hulk would be fighting for Doom. The mid-credits scene in Avengers Endgame: Encore revealed that Bruce Banner had isolated himself inside a military complex located two miles underground following his rampage in Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
Banner was attempting to develop a gamma suppression serum when Doctor Doom magically entered the bunker and told him he was there to “collect” him.
Banner seemingly transformed into Hulk before Doom teleported both of them to an unknown location. The scene strongly suggested Doom had plans for the Hulk, and this new rumor could reveal the result.
If Hulk really does show up in Latveria wearing a Doom mask and attacking the Avengers, Doom may have found some way to control him. That creates a pretty awesome reason for The Thing to step up and fight.
There could also be more to Doom’s interest in Banner than simply adding an absurdly powerful enforcer to his army.
Some fan theories suggest Hulk’s gamma-powered body could function as a living conduit capable of handling enormous amounts of energy. We’ve already seen Hulk survive wielding the Infinity Stones in Avengers: Endgame, so Doom could potentially need Banner for something much larger involving the Multiverse.
That possibility becomes even more interesting when looking ahead to Avengers: Secret Wars. If Doom’s ultimate objective requires controlling or channeling massive amounts of Multiversal power, Hulk could be an important part of whatever he’s planning.
For now, the Thing vs. Hulk battle remains a rumor, but it would certainly make sense considering where Marvel appears to be taking Banner’s story. It also gives the Russo Brothers an opportunity to finally put one of Marvel Comics’ classic powerhouse rivalries on the big screen.
Seeing The Thing charge a Doom-controlled Hulk in the middle of Latveria sounds exactly like the kind of comic book insanity I want from Avengers: Doomsday! If these two start trading punches, I just hope Marvel lets the fight get properly ridiculous!
