Why is Bruce Banner Lying About Professor Hulk In Shang-Chi?

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings introduced Marvel’s long due Asian Hero and it’s a unique film since the story mainly focuses on Shang-Chi but it still connects to the other movies of the franchise.

Towards the end, Katy and Shang-Chi were enjoying with their friends in the restaurant and Wong takes them away. They end up on a room and there are holograms of Bruce Banner (human form) and Captain Marvel.

The MCU heroes are concentrating on examining the Ten Rings, which are now in Shang-Chi’s possession after Wenwu’s death. Wong, Bruce and Carol are trying to figure out the origins of the rings which is a mystery. Carol leaves first after getting a call and tells Shang-Chi and Katy to take her number from Bruce, who says he doesn’t have it.

Before Bruce leaves, he welcomes Shang-Chi and Katy in a hilarious/sarcastic manner by saying, “Welcome to the circus”. But something seems to be off about how Bruce represents himself compared to how he seemed in Avengers: Infinity War.

Of course, his hair is now more on the grey side, and his voice seems to have become deeper. We can assume that this change has happened because of his injury and the tough  5 years have taken a toll on him and forced him to age physically as well.

But that’s not the case as per Bruce’s comic history!!

As per Marvel Comics, he has had multiple identities in the past. One of his personalities, Joe Fixit persona could have taken a hold on him.  Joe is a gangster who takes the form of the grey Hulk.

But as per The Immortal Hulk series, Joe can also appear in the human form. If Grey Goliath has taken over, then it is possible that he could have altered the hologram so it looks like the wounded Bruce and maybe that is why he doesn’t have Captain Marvel’s number since he has never met her.

Eternals writer Kaz Firpo has a theory too, he believes that Bruce’s human form now represents what he has been trying to find about himself for the last 5 years. Hulk lost his closest two friends so maybe that took a toll on him and he is trying to figure his life out and that is what his human form now represents.

Maybe this is why his healing factor hasn’t healed his arm as shown in She-Hulk teaser. The comics also back up this idea. Bruce has spent years trying to cure himself.

Another theory suggests that this change in his appearance is maybe because Marvel wants to tease his evolution into Maestro Hulk.

Maestro Hulk is his personality that was born after a nuclear holocaust destroyed the humanity. The radiation ends up changing Bruce’s mind and now he has become bitter and has created an evil genius with the strength of Hulk.

If this happens, that would make him the bigger MCU threat and this could also bring the end of Hulk in MCU and he gets a peaceful and deserving ending as well.