WORLD WAR HULK: RECKONING
The silence of space is broken by a roar that can be heard across galaxies. After years of being suppressed by the intellect of Bruce Banner and the fear of the Avengers, the World-Breaker has finally taken control. Directed by the Russo Brothers, World War Hulk (2026) is a brutal, high-stakes revenge epic that pits Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk against the very heroes who called him a friend. This film serves as the ultimate payoff for the “Smart Hulk” era, proving that the more you compress a spring, the harder it snaps back.
I. The Betrayal in the Stars
The film opens with a flashback to a secret meeting of the Illuminati—comprising Doctor Strange, a high-ranking Wakandan official, and remnants of the Avengers leadership. They have deemed the Hulk too dangerous for a post-Endgame world. Under the guise of a deep-space research mission, they lure Bruce Banner into a shuttle. Mid-flight, a holographic message plays: “We’re sorry, Bruce. This is for the safety of the world.”
The shuttle is sucked into a wormhole, crashing on the gladiatorial planet of Sakaar. But this isn’t the fun, neon-colored Sakaar of Thor’s era. It is a wasteland. During the crash, the onboard life-support fails, and for the first time in years, the “Smart Hulk” persona is physically ripped apart by trauma. Emerging from the wreckage is a Hulk that is larger, more scarred, and possessing a cold, tactical intelligence born of pure hatred.
II. The King of Sakaar
On Sakaar, Hulk finds a people oppressed by a new regime. He doesn’t just survive; he conquers. He leads an uprising, marrying a warrior queen named Caiera and finding a sense of peace he never had on Earth. He becomes a King, a father, and a god.
However, the tragedy strikes when the shuttle that brought him to Sakaar—the ship built by his friends—self-destructs. The explosion levels the capital city, killing his wife and his unborn child. Standing in the radioactive ash of his new home, Hulk doesn’t scream. He glows with a terrifying, rhythmic green pulse. He realizes the explosion was caused by the warp-drive technology of the Avengers. He doesn’t want an apology; he wants an execution.
III. The Arrival: Silence Over Manhattan
In present-day New York, the Avengers are celebrating a period of relative peace. Suddenly, a shadow larger than a skyscraper covers the city. A massive, obsidian Sakaarian warship hangs over the Statue of Liberty.
A broadcast hits every screen on the planet. Mark Ruffalo’s voice, now a deep, gravelly resonance that vibrates through the speakers, delivers a chilling message: “I am the Green King. I am the World-Breaker. And I have come for the men who murdered my world. You have twenty-four hours to evacuate Manhattan. After that, the city belongs to the dead.”
IV. The Fall of the Heroes
The middle act is a relentless display of the Hulk’s power. He isn’t a mindless beast; he is a general. He uses Sakaarian technology and his own tactical genius to dismantle the heroes one by one.
The Hulkbuster Battle: Tony Stark’s legacy armor is deployed, but Hulk rips it apart like wet paper, bypassing the tech with raw, focused pressure points.
The Mystic Duel: Doctor Strange attempts to banish Hulk to the Mirror Dimension, but Hulk’s rage is so potent it literally cracks the dimension, his physical strength warping the fabric of magic itself.
The Wakandan Stand: Not even the most advanced Vibranium shields can withstand the “Gamma-Quake” created when Hulk strikes the ground.
Throughout these fights, Mark Ruffalo delivers a haunting performance. We see flashes of Bruce Banner trapped inside, pleading with the Hulk to stop, but the Hulk merely whispers back, “They threw us away, Bruce. Let them see what they threw away.”
V. The Climax: The Madison Square Garden Arena
Hulk transforms a ruined Madison Square Garden into a gladiatorial arena. He forces the captured heroes—Strange, Danvers, and the New Avengers—to fight each other, or face his Sakaarian Warbound. He wants them to feel the desperation he felt on Sakaar.
The final confrontation is between Hulk and the Sentry, the only being with the power of a “million exploding suns.” The battle is so intense that the shockwaves threaten to crack the tectonic plates of the Earth. As they trade blows, the city of New York is illuminated in a blinding mix of gold and green light.
In the end, it isn’t a weapon that stops the Hulk. It is the realization that the “Illuminati” didn’t actually trigger the bomb—it was a Sakaarian traitor who wanted to force the Hulk back into war. The rage doesn’t vanish, but it turns into a hollow, crushing grief.
VI. The World-Breaker’s Peace
The film ends with a broken Hulk standing in the center of a devastated Manhattan. He hasn’t been defeated, but he is finished. He allows himself to revert to Bruce Banner, who collapses in the rubble, weeping.
The heroes are left to pick up the pieces, but the trust is gone. The Avengers are fractured beyond repair. Humanity no longer looks at the sky with hope; they look at it with the knowledge that their strongest protector is also their greatest threat.
The post-credits scene shows Bruce Banner in a high-security subterranean cell. He is staring at his hands. A faint green glow begins to emanate from his veins. He looks at the camera and says, “He’s still there. And he’s still angry.”
