She-Hulk reminds us that Bruce Banner and Tony Stark were friends, actually

One of the big revelations from the premiere episode is She-Hulk: An Attorney at LawIt was revealed that Bruce Banner built an outdoor bar while he was on vacation in Mexico following the blowout. Their initials were carved in the wood to commemorate their time together. It’s a small detail in a larger conversation, but it’s a little nod to a friendship that was once a huge part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe fandom — and got a bit lost along the way.

MCU fans once dreamed of an MCU where Avengers would hang out and enjoy each others company. Novel, right? But back in 2012, right on the heels of the first Avengers movie, the idea of all of Earth’s mightiest heroes coming together and living in a tower like chill roommates was incredibly popular. All the members of the gang enjoyed playing video games. Clint lived in the vents for some reason. Thor was obsessive about Pop-Tarts. It was a simpler time.

Image: Marvel Studios

One of the big hallmarks of this era was “Science Bros” — what fans called the relationship between Tony Stark and Bruce Banner. Sometimes this was romantic (though that would usually be dubbed “Science Boyfriends” or “Science Husbands”). Sometimes it was simply a platonic relationship of the smartest Avengers, as they geeked over technology or blasted over science experiments. The friendship kicked off in the first Avengers movie, when the two bonded over the more technical aspects of foiling Loki’s villainous plan — and solidified when Tony didn’t tiptoe around Bruce, who still couldn’t control his Hulk side at that point. It was one of the clearest friendships in this early Avengers era (besides Clint and Natasha, my beloveds <3), and the entire framing of Iron Man 3It was Tony telling Bruce a story. This was so famous that Robert Downey Jr., Mark Ruffalo and Mark Ruffalo both acknowledged it.

The MCU’s later movies did not include this beloved relationship. Not necessarily because the two characters weren’t friends anymore, but because the MCU turned into a juggernaut of a million moving parts and characters that needed to be strategically placed like chess pieces in order to kick off the next plot point. This was fine for fans eager for the next big villain. But for fans who enjoyed the unexpected friendships between these unlikely heroes — who wanted a full scene of the post-Battle of New York shawarma lunch — the MCU started to feel lacking. The movie’s focus on superheroes as emotional beings was not enough to make the heroes get along.

Image: Marvel Studios

Clint got an unplanned family to the Avengers 2 movie. Natasha was completely infatuated with Bruce, at least. She-HulkRecognized how bizarre this was. Tony Stark quit the suit shortly thereafter. Iron Man 3Then, I immediately took it out again to watch a couple more films. Perhaps most disappointing, it was finally lost after I had spent all The Winter Soldier, Captain AmericaSteve Rogers went against international laws to find Bucky Barnes. After he found him, Rogers traveled back in history and lived a complete life with Bucky. However, Rogers was aware that Bucky was being tortured. The MCU wasn’t about these friends supporting each other.

Post-Endgame MCU, future Science Bros bonding can’t happen because Tony Stark is dead. This is a small acknowledgment. SomethingThis is a reminder of how once upon a while the Avengers were able to get along onscreen and even liked one another. They did seem to still get along and enjoy each other, even though it was in the background, and not on screen. This is what we were told years later about some of their deaths. Maybe with more space for breathing room on Disney Plus, we’ll finally get to see more of this emotional connection that fans latched onto in the first place. Perhaps those memories will be referred to after the event, with carved initials and wooden bars referencing a happy time.