Fan Casting

Five months after Bruce Banner lost control of his body to the Hulk, the monster remains on the run. After S.H.I.E.L.D. agents Arrow and Shock fail to neutralize him in July, Nick Fury Sr. and General Thaddeus Ross assemble a team. Fury calls on Iron Man, Thor, Ant-Man, Wasp and Black Panther, initially naming them the Howling Commandos after his old Vietnam unit. Hank Pym leads the operation. Thor is recruited as a last resort capable of killing Hulk, though Ross desperately wants Bruce saved. The team quickly discovers they were never meant to work together. Tony and Thor believe Hulk must be defeated, while Janet, the only Avenger who knew Bruce before his transformation, refuses to see him as a threat. T'Chaka agrees with Janet, while Hank tries to balance compassion with practicality. As the Hulk flees and hides across upstate New York and other states, the team follows, determined to stop him without losing Bruce. Their first confrontation ends disastrously. Hulk overwhelms the team and nearly kills Tony, forcing him to develop the Hulkbuster. Meanwhile, Bill Foster, Rick Jones and Amadeus Cho help the Avengers understand Hulk's physiology, while Betty Ross begs Tony not to kill Bruce. The crisis draws worldwide attention, including J. Jonah Jameson and Ned Leeds, who nearly dies filming Hulk before Spider-Man saves him. Eventually, the Avengers believe Bruce may be gone forever. Refusing to let him disappear, they decide they must avenge him—and adopt the name Avengers, inspired by the obscure 1990s superhero team. In their final confrontation, they combine force and compassion, wearing Hulk down without destroying him. Janet reaches him, embraces him and assures him that she sees him. Hulk finally calms. Bruce is taken to a secure metahuman hospital. Thor returns to Asgard, T'Chaka returns to Wakanda, and the others begin rebuilding. Hank starts Project Big House, while Tony begins the Hulkbuster and receives a call from Hank seeking his robotics expertise.