- "Avenger... Assemble."
- ―Captain America
What If... The Hulk Fought the Mech Avengers? is the first episode of the third season of What If...?
Synopsis[]
A new team of Mech Avengers battle an accidentally enhanced Hulk.
Plot[]
Hulk loses control
Sam Wilson meets Bruce Banner while jogging in Washington, D.C. and befriends him, inviting him to his support group. Banner opens up about his struggles with Hulk, his loneliness and the fear he makes people around him feel, which makes Wilson want to do more for him. Wilson and his sister take Banner on a trip on Paul & Darlene but when the storm hits, Banner ends up transforming into Hulk and almost hurting the Wilsons. Banner then makes a decision to cure himself of Hulk by any means necessary and subjects himself to a significant dose of Gamma Radiation in hopes that it would suppress Hulk for good.
Captain America fights the Gamma Beasts
Banner's experiment fails and the radiation separates Banner from his alter-ego and creates Apex, a mutated beast that immediately goes on a rampage and produces more Gamma Beasts. Responding to the Gamma Beasts' invasion, the Avengers put together the Hulkbuster mechs to combat the threat, but they fall. With the Avengers gone, Wilson leads a group of surviving heroes in their own Hulkbusters against the Gamma Beasts, and they succeed, while the Gamma Beasts are believed to be gone for good. However, the Beasts only remained in hiding and bided their time until striking back again ten years later.
The Avengers
Wilson, Monica Rambeau and Bucky Barnes arrive on the Helicarrier to contact Red Guardian, Melina Vostokoff, Nakia, Shang-Chi, and Moon Knight. Nakia reports that a Gamma signature resembling the original Apex was spotted in Arctic, and Rambeau suggests getting Banner to help them. Wilson refuses as Banner was still a sore subject for him, and states that they can win the war against the Beasts like they did the last time, but Rambeau is unsure of that and thinks that Banner is the one who can end it all.
Gamma Beasts reemerge
Wilson and Rambeau arrive at Arctic to investigate the signature, where they get ambushed by several Beasts emerging from underneath the ice, but soon witness thousands more Beasts reaching the surface. They soon see the Apex facing the Beasts and giving orders to them, so Wilson realizes that they are dealing with a full-scale invasion. While Wilson and Rambeau stay to repair their mechs, Barnes informs Rambeau that he managed to track Banner down despite the efforts made to hide his existence. Wilson insists that Banner was the one who started it all and initially refuses to meet his old friend, but Rambeau convinces him that it might be their only way to save the world.
Bruce Banner on his island
Wilson reluctantly accepts and heads over to Astra Islands where he reunites with Banner and tells him that the new Apex has risen and the Avengers need Hulk to bring him and his army down. Banner says that he cannot help Wilson but provides him with a special plug-in he wrote for the Hulkbuster mechs interface. He tells Wilson about the Mighty Avenger Protocol which should give them a fighting chance against the Beasts. Wilson calls Banner out for staying away and hiding in fear, to which Banner replies that he knows fear better than most as he wrote the protocol to be used against himself. Before leaving, Wilson says that he had never seen Banner as a monster and hoped that if he faced Apex, he would be able to see what Wilson saw all along.
The Mighty Avenger Protocol is enacted
The Avengers track the Beasts to New York City and Wilson connects the Mighty Avenger Protocol into their system, preparing to face the invasion head-on. While S.H.I.E.L.D. evacuates the civilians, the Avengers hold off the Beasts to give Wilson enough time to arrive to regroup with them. Wilson enacts the protocol and all Hulkbuster mechs assemble into the Mighty Avenger, integrating their systems together. The Mighty Avenger's combined firepower allows the team to take down dozens of Beasts before they take on the Apex himself. They hit the Apex with everything they have got, but Apex withstands the attack and unleashes a gamma wave that subdues the Mighty Avenger.
With the Avengers out of the fight, Banner arrives on a bomber jet he used as his laboratory and prepares to use an old Atomic Bomb to absorb the radiation and join the fight. Wilson pleads with Banner to stop as there might be no way back if he does this, but Banner took Wilson's words to heart and made a decision to do what was right. With an overwhelming dose of gamma radiation, Banner becomes Mega-Hulk and engages in a fight with the Apex, while the Avengers notice that the Beasts are only spectating and do not fight themselves. Wilson realizes that Banner's plan was to not just kill the Apex but replace him as the Beasts' leader.
Captain America sees Mega-Hulk leave
The Apex manages to get the upper hand and seeing that Mega-Hulk was about to go down, Wilson attacks the Apex with the Mighty Avenger's arm, giving Mega-Hulk an opening. Mega-Hulk eviscerates the Apex and finishes him off with his gamma fire and comes out on top, before turning to the Avengers. They prepare to fight against Mega-Hulk but Wilson orders them to stand down and goes to face Mega-Hulk on his own, trying to speak to his human self. Wilson gets closer to Mega-Hulk and says that he understands Banner's struggle with being seen as a monster but the only thing he sees as a friend, willing to bet that Banner can hear him. Wilson's wager was successful, and Mega-Hulk walks away and leads all Beasts back to Astra Islands to live away from the civilization.
Cast[]
| For the full credits, see What If... The Hulk Fought the Mech Avengers? Credits |
Starring[]
- Jeffrey Wright as Uatu/Watcher
- Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson/Captain America
- Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/Hulk/Mega-Hulk
- Teyonah Parris as Monica Rambeau
- Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier
- David Harbour as Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian
- Simu Liu as Shang-Chi
- Oscar Isaac as Marc Spector/Moon Knight
- Kari Wahlgren as Melina Vostokoff
- Brittany Adebumola as Nakia
Guest Starring[]
- Ozioma Akagha as Adolescent Girl
- June Christopher as Additional Voices
- David Collins as Additional Voices
- Terri Douglas as Additional Voices
- Robin Atkin Downes as Additional Voices
- Alexandra Smith as Additional Voices
- Matthew Wood as Additional Voices
Uncredited[]
- Unknown Actress as Sarah Wilson
Non-Speaking Characters[]
- Apex
- Steve Rogers/Captain America
- Tony Stark/Iron Man
- Thor
- Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow
- Clint Barton/Hawkeye
- Ultron
- Bruce Banner/Hulk
- Steve Rogers/Captain America
- Tony Stark/Iron Man
- Thor
- Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow
- Clint Barton/Hawkeye
Appearances[]
Locations[]
- Multiverse
- "Invading Gamma Beasts" Universe
- Earth
- North America
- United States
- Washington, D.C.
- New York
- New York City
- Avengers Compound (depiction)
- Chicago (mentioned)
- United States
- Russia (mentioned)
- Arctic
- Astra Islands
- North America
- Sun
- Earth
- "Invading Gamma Beasts" Universe
Events[]
Items[]
- Mighty Avenger
- Gamma Radiation
- Mighty Avenger Protocol
- Captain America's Uniform
- Vibranium
- Moon Knight's Suit
- Red Guardian's Uniform
- Dragon Scale Armor
- Atomic Bomb
- Hulkbuster
- Thor Hulkbuster
- Hawkeye Hulkbuster
- Black Widow Hulkbuster
- Asgardian Armor
- Uru
- Black Widow's Bite
- Hawkeye's Bow and Quiver
- Go-Avenger: Heroes of the Gamma War
- Cap'n's Munchies
- Ten Rings (recreation)
- Crescent Blades (recreation)
- Iron Man Armor (depiction)
- Arc Reactor (depiction)
Concepts[]
Vehicles[]
- Paul & Darlene
- Helicarrier
- Captain America's Motorcycle (depiction)
Sentient Species[]
- Watchers
- Humans
- Asgardians
- Robots (depiction)
Creatures[]
Organizations[]
Mentioned Characters[]
Music[]
| Song title | Artist | Location(s) |
|---|---|---|
| The Avengers Theme | Alan Silvestri |
|
Videos[]
Clips[]
Trivia[]
- Despite the title, Hulk does not actually fight the Mech Avengers in this episode.
Behind the Scenes[]
To be added
References[]
External Links[]
What If... The Hulk Fought the Mech Avengers? on IMDb- What If... The Hulk Fought the Mech Avengers? on Disney+
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