When you’re watching Endgame it’s easy to see all the things done right. It isn’t until you make your way into your car and drive several minutes down the road that you start to notice some of the things it does very wrong. No one likes to nitpick or be that guy, but we still need to talk about the jolly green giant in the room, Professor Hulk.

“Avengers Endgame” has been out for over a week now, turning to the Russo brothers spoiler ban for guidance we are past the set date for talking about some of the most interesting cinematic events of the year. You have been warned the below may contain spoilers.

For those new to the MCU or Marvel characters, the Hulk has traditionally been an unbridled rage machine whose strength scales exponentially with his anger. Possessing a low-level intelligence, this adaptation of the Hulk is known as Savage Hulk, MCU “Thor Ragnarok” showed the Hulk possessing a young child’s intellect and even capable of communication. This character development meant the Hulk could now work effectively with his fellow Avengers and smash some stuff along the way. Until the recent debuts of Thor wielding Storm Breaker and Captain Marvel making her way on the scene, the Hulk has arguably been the strongest Avenger.

Taking Hulk and Bruce Banner fans down a painful memory trip, the last time audiences saw Banner Hulk out he tried to take on the Mad Titan single-handedly, Thanos quickly put Hulk in a timeout. This defeat was so hard felt it caused the Hulk to refuse stepping into fights for Banner for the rest of the film.

It was leaked before Endgames release that fans would be getting a whole new Hulk, the perfect fusion of brains and brawns. The result is a slightly different one than you would expect, Professor Hulk is definitely contrasting to his previous version but it can be argued his personality is nothing short of Banner if he was coolest kid in highschool.

Professor Hulk is a new take on the Hulk smash aspect , he generally prefers taco sharing to smashing. That’s a literal statement the Banner Hulk fusion has a run in with his former more savage self in 2012, doing a little time jumping. Detesting his more base forms treatment of some Chitauri warriors and a poor car, he soon after resents having to play the part as he casually dented some cars. The Hulk reluctant to smash, say it ain’t so. Shortly before this scene we see him handing two crispy tacos to Antman who just can’t seem to get a break. An observant eye or third time watcher can tell you that Professor Hulk is not just a drastically different character in terms of personality but also a physically puny comparison to his Savage versions height and bulk. Audiences immediately caught on to the imposing differences in the Hulks when side by side. The Hulk is now more akin to the largest human being you’ve ever seen and no so much a monstrous hulk.

The team does a good job creating an accurate potrayal of a laid back professor Hulk, with all the Hulk versions out there (Totally Awesome Hulk anyone) is this the best fit for the continuity of an expanding MCU?

Since the Hulk initially had his tail whipped by Thanos in Avengers Infinity Wars I have waited for one thing, the rematch. It was one of the absolute pinnacles Endgame sold me on “the big rematch” something as grandeur as the upcoming Clegane Bowl in Game of Thrones. Admitting, no previews or trailers leading up to the release of the film appeared to show any sign of a rematch between the Hulk and Thanos. It was something that all MCU fans had come to expect after the big green guy’s no show. Endgame gives nearly the entire roster a shot at Thanos: Spiderman, Ironman, Dr. Strange, Thor, Captain Marvel just to name a few. While all this is happening Professor Hulk is beneath the mansion under an immense pile of rubble absent for most of the ensuing conflict. So we actually never seen an exchange between the two, not so much as a witty remark.

Making expectations clear I never presumed the Hulk or Professor Hulk could overpower Thanos much less be able to defeat him however I did expect some well deserved punches to be dished out from a Hulk who had put  his big boy pants on. Being fair Professor Hulk is an invaluable asset to the team in the “big brains” department but is also a real powerhouse who could of been used as more than an infinity battery.

Fans are presented with a hard trade of personality, charisma and nice duds for one of the physically weakest versions of the Hulk (Professor Hulk). Weakest is by no means a slouch Hulk is still able to support the entire weight of the Avengers Mansion when Thanos first attacks. Later on though he Is incapable of any type of quick regeneration after using the Infinity Gauntlet. This is a no no for any Hulk fan who knows the Hulk’s regenerative capabilities are on par with other Marvel self healers like Wolverine and Deadpool. My biggest peeve at the end is Professor Hulk actually wearing an arm cast days after the battle, are the directors trying to tell us something? Could the Hulk be out for future MCU projects?

It’s not that hulk wearing sweats and glasses isn’t cool, its freaking awesome. The problem arises when one of the strongest characters in Marvel being used as a testifiable villain strength punching bag, sacrificed for plot continuity.