Anna Daniels
As quarantine analysis of the MCU continues, and the first anniversary of Avengers: Endgame brings new perspectives, the next level is looking at superhero intelligence levels. At play now is deciding whether Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) or Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) really had the most brains to bring about the Endgame time heist plan.
One thing for sure is Smart Hulk is sometimes controversial in being accepted, if undeniable at his intellectual ability. At the same time, Stark’s incredible skills in technology is beyond the pale from anyone’s abilities in the real world.
In a matchup, how do the two really match up? As usual, turning to the Reddit ring is where this joust has to play out for a true answer.
Is there really an intelligence comparison between Tony Stark and Bruce Banner?
No one can argue Tony Stark and Bruce Banner are equally the most intelligent of all The Avengers. That argument is separate from those who have special powers, even if one could argue you need a special type of intelligence to master being near-omniscient, as in Captain Marvel.
Everyone knows the women Avengers are intelligent. Yet, no one denies how high the I.Q.’s are of Stark and Banner. Before doing any comparisons, though, fans should know exactly what kind of titles they hold.
As noted on Reddit recently, Banner is a scientist and Stark is more an engineer. What makes them both similar is they both work in theoretical science. Both have had their share of failures as well in their experiments.
Some fans still give degree levels in how intelligence each is. One could immediately argue Tony Stark is the most intelligent based on one little thing he helped with in the last film: Endgame.
Was Tony Stark’s help with time travel proof he’s smarter?
Coming up with a theory allowing the Avengers to travel through time is not exactly a piece of cake. Maybe in the world of MCU, it just falls into a big top five list since mighty powers are often taken for granted. Because Stark is very human, however, having him be smart enough to create the time heist plan is a bit off the charts.
Maybe a few would even say this took things beyond the level of credibility without having a more powerful being helping with the time-travel element. Nevertheless, without Bruce Banner/Hulk’s help, the entire plan would have never gotten off the ground.
The new fan consensus is Stark and Banner complemented one another so much, they were better working together than apart. One could even argue Banner was almost an equal with Stark based on some other things he helped invent not many people talk about.
Yes, remember when Banner invented the immortality machine when experimenting with Stark’s time-travel method? If considered accidental, a lot of people consider this an amazing achievement and a shame not used for other means. Add to this Smart Hulk, Banner’s way to find a compromise in controlling his Hulkian impulses.
It’s a shame Stark and Banner are out of the picture now
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmx8-wqH8o4?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]
Now with Tony Stark dead and Bruce Banner/Smart Hulk no longer in any Avengers movies, it removes two of the smartest Avengers available. Not having them there may cause some problems down the road if the survivors face a major villain again or precarious world scenario.
Or, with all the surviving Avengers having various amazing powers, having them all work together could generate just as much brainpower. Plus, Hulk is not dead and can still be consulted. Rumors are he will show up again in the proposed Disney+ series She-Hulk.
Looking back, any organization with Stark/Banner on it might have been the greatest science/tech company in the world. Such a scenario could always be done in a future episode of What If…?, if not just in fanfiction. Others may want to wish it into reality.
Written by: Cheat
