SHANG CHI: Bruce Banner End Credits Cameo, EXPLAINED | Maestro in MCU Soul World?

Spoilers for Shang Chi's Post Credits Scene are ahead!

The Shang Chi post-credits tease raised the mystery of the ten rings' origins. But it also had the shocking reveal that Professor Hulk is no more! Now he's back to being puny Banner. We speculate how this happened, and how it ties into Hulk's snap and the appearance of his evil future self, Maestro.

#ShangChi #EndingExplained

[nicholasfruin]

I honestly think that when Professor Hulk did the Snap, Bruce Banner just met regular Hulk in the Soul World and that they had come to an understanding about coexisting with each other.

[hamzaabdulbasir]

We need a real hulk arc. I’m sick of him being a side character. He’s one of the most powerful super heroes in all of comics period.

[blackfyre]

Why would Tony and Thanos see someone they love but Bruce sees an evil future version of the hulk? I think you just want to see Maestro Hulk so bad but it doesn't make any sense.

[guilhermelima]

He regurlarly interacts with magic users like Wong and Stephen, the ancient one had already showed the ability to disconnect Hulk's body from Banner's soul. 2 spells and half an hour later you get green guy and not-so-green guy under control.

[Extremeredfox]

The issue I have with this theory is that it retcons Hulk's growth in the cinematic universe. The Professor Hulk is literally the representation of both Banner and Hulk being at a sense of peace and accepting/understanding one another. If you're paying attention to the movies and comics this peace is a huge motivator for Hulk. With the multiverse items coming up it would make far more sense for the Maestro to be an alternate version of Hulk. In the comics World War Hulk is still Banner and Hulk in agreement, it's just that they are angry at the Illuminati for what they did. In the MCU Hulk has a far more positive relationship with the heroes and overall humanity in this universe, so you could have Professor Hulk feeling he needs to be more tactical, and aggressive to fight Maestro. But there's really a huge variety of enemies the Hulk could be facing despite Maestro. (Red Hulk, Xenmu, The Leader, Abomination, Ravager, etc.)

Also, I don't think Maestro is who Banner would see when he snapped. It would either be Betty, Bruce's mother, or based on the events in the MCU Natasha. I disagree that if it was Natasha this would be boring. It wouldn't, you could see Banner trying to force Natasha, and Banner could even turn into his Hulk persona in an attempt to force his will. It doesn't work and this backlash is what causes Hulk that intense pain we see in End Game, and results in his arm being dead. This explanation would provide consistency to Hulk's comment when he said "He tried and tried to bring Natasha back but couldn't.

Now referring to my explanation you could generate a Maestro that was obsessed with power b/c he realized that he couldn't bring Natasha back so he ends up going on a path of trying to do this. (Essentially, it would be very similar to the tragic path Dr. Strange took in What If), but personally I'd feel this would be lack luster as it was done in the "What If" series. Now that I think of it. Maestro within the MCU is not an interesting and compelling villain b/c He's basically the Hulk version of Thanos, or the darker smarter version of Hulk as seen in Age of Ultron. The only way I feel the story would work and be really interesting is if you had Hulk travel to Maestro's universe, instead of Maestro coming to the mainline MCU .

[Matthew-FG]

Imo He saw Natasha. It falls in line with his statement of "I tried to bring her back. I really tried".

[jubjub]

Hulk needs to be in a Deadpool movie, so we can see him smash villains into a gory mess.

[MIkeCoffey]

I found it interesting Banner's personality in the post-credit scene seemed a lot more "Professor Hulk"-like -- cracking jokes and looking comfortable -- rather than the usual Banner awkwardness

[bryanrussell]

One personality trait that I thought Mark Ruffalo really showed well was confidence. As "smart" hulk or professor hulk, Banner was now very self assured, almost to the point of arrogance. A good example would be when Scott snapped at him for being to hulky with the Pym particles and the way the hulk responded. If that had been regular banner in that scene, he would have appeared very meek, timid, and apologetic. But in the hulk form, he exudes confidence because he knows he's not only one of the smartest in the room, but also the strongest.

[mindandbodymuscle]

Professor Hulk? Please not again. Hulk driving the freaking car while Banner is locked in the trunk is more entertaining!

[dr_goofenshmirtz]

Oh shit. I didn’t even realize that it was Bruce again back in his human form. Maybe we’ll finally get normal Hulk again 💪

[geogreable]

I don't know Ryan interesting theory but they're probably go for something more simple like the snap just changed him back to being human, just like it diminished Thanos after he snapped

[oliverl.]

Maestro didn't kill all the heroes in "Future Imperfect", though. He took over after they died.

[crivoncevonnce]

Tony's face when he started ripping his shirt off😂

[nflores]

Bring the Ragnarok hulk back but with the earlier version aspect of more mad, more powerful and possibly even more bigger. Ruffalo is a great hulk tho, would like the see him in a strange/nightmare movie.

[DigidestendSuani]

It could be explained by allowing Hulk to “heal” from the Injuries he suffered using the stones. Allowing him to rest and recover while Banner does all the work could be a decision they both could have agreed to given the extent of the damage. This would also allow Marvel to bring back smart Hulk in future projects.

[TheKingLiones]

Lots of red hulk toys being made recently. I would bet money we see him soon. Companies often release funkos to foreshadow upcoming reveals. Helps get people excited

[tompotter]

On a behind the scenes level, I’d say it’s probably because he’s going to be a prominent character in the She Hulk series, and they kind of want to reduce the budget. (I’m sure Tatiana Maslany is going to be in heavy make up like with Gamora, maybe with forced perspective, miniature sets and blue screen) Not to mention that relies on Bruce giving her a blood donation, something that wouldn’t be feasible with bulletproof skin.

[andrewfornes]

I believe he reverted back to have his arm heal quicker. If he isn't using so much energy sustaining his larger form his body would heal faster.

[dannyo]

Personally, I think Bruce did see Natasha after the snap. He specifically told Clint he tried to bring her back.
But Natasha could have been the one who showed him what would happen in the future and why he couldn't bring her back.