Fans may not realize the part Bruce Banner will play in Marvel’s upcoming mutant saga. For years, Banner has been known for his power as the Hulk, but his biggest role in the MCU’s next chapter may be more than just smashing things. It might focus on his brain instead.
Banner Could Help Discover The Mutant Gene
Banner is one of the MCU’s most accomplished scientists, with expertise in gamma radiation, biology, and genetics. That makes him an interesting character to start Marvel’s mutant era. With mutant powers starting to emerge globally, Banner may be able to see a trend that other researchers overlooked.
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At first, it appears to be a series of unrelated genetic anomalies, but it may be the first indication of something larger: the emergence of the mutant gene. That would make Banner a rather significant figure in the founding of the X-Men, without immediately putting him in a giant superhero battle.
It would also be thematically appropriate. Banner knows more than most what it means for someone’s biology to suddenly change and turn them into something that society doesn’t understand.
Could ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ Be Setting Up Banner’s Evolution?
This is where things get particularly interesting. Bruce Banner’s cameo in ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ might be setting him up for something bigger. If Banner was one of the first to prove that mutants exist scientifically, he might be able to find out what mutant biology is.
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He could investigate the roots of their powers, and eventually link up with the heroes that will make up the X-Men. That would make Banner a natural link between two eras of the MCU: the era of the Avengers’ super-soldiers, gods, and gamma-powered heroes, and the era of mutants.
After everything Banner has experienced, watching him help humanity understand an entirely new generation of superhumans could be a genuinely satisfying evolution. And honestly, Marvel doesn’t need to make Banner the center of the X-Men story. Sometimes, the smartest move is simply putting the right scientist in the room when history changes.
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