Banner’s death in Wednesday’s issue is likely not too much of a surprise to Marvel fans who have been closely following the Civil War II storyline to date.
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As revealed by The New York Daily News, the Hulk’s human alter ego, Bruce Banner was shot through the head with an arrow by Hawkeye and killed instantly within the pages of Civil War II # 3. “The reason behind this killing is: “…the belief that Banner is about to turn into the Hulk and unleash massive death and destruction. While the fallout from this plot remains to be seen, Clint Barton isn’t going to be disappearing from comics anytime soon – he is front-and-center in the promotional artwork for the Marvel NOW! title Occupy Avengers, but curiously nowhere to be found in the artwork for the relaunched Hawkeye series (that comic is anchored by Kate Bishop, the teen girl introduced as a new Hawkeye in the 2005 title Young Avengers). War Machine and She-Hulk died while on a mission attempting to stop Thanos from stealing a cosmic cube, acting on a vision from Ulysses.
In searching for the truth behind Banner’s death, Murdock will stumble upon a mysterious conspiracy in “The Accused” that Guggenheim says has something to do with the first “Civil War’s” Superhero Registration Act.
So, they confront Banner and eventually an ally and fellow Avenger, Hawkeye, kills him, but there’s a twist – Banner asked him to do it with a special arrow he gave him personally.
That’s right, Dr. Banner is another casualty of the civil war between the superheroes divided under the factions of Iron Man and Captain Marvel. While fans will have to wait until issue #4 for more answers, it looks like the death of the Hulk will be the major rift that tears the superhero world apart.
If you feel that it’s unjust for Banner to be killed over something that he might have done, that is the central conflict of the miniseries. It also helps to explain the character’s absence as part of Marvel’s upcoming Marvel Now! lineup.
He surrenders to his hero friends after murdering Bruce Banner. The heroes have a way of knowing what’s coming, knowing the future.
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The Inhuman known as Ulysses, who has the ability to see the future, saw a vision where Hulk beat the hell out of some heroes, resulting in the death of several other Avengers.
