Body and Soul: The Endgame Fix

Part 9: Rise and Fall

Summary:  It's still the Big Guy's turn. This part covers Hulk's rise to Champion of Sakaar and his growing social and moral awareness of his situation.

Notes:  This is a flashback to the events leading up to and including Thor: Ragnarok through Avengers: Infinity Warfrom Hulk's perspective. They are remembered on Friday, July 6, 2018, during Bruce's initial visit to Willowdale, VA, to begin therapy with Leonard (Lee) Samson. This is the second chapter from Hulk's point of view, which covers what should have been a three-film Banner and Hulk story arc.

Part 9: Rise and Fall

It took six more months by his reckoning, but Hulk was ready to take on the Grandmaster's Champion. He'd worked his way through beasts, monsters, warriors, cyborgs, robots, and something like a fungus, which had been one of the more difficult ones. The Grandmaster himself announced the match as a huge hologram and introduced him as "The! Incredible! HUULLKK!!!" and Hulk leapt into the center of the arena. The Sakaarans screamed and chanted his name as he brandished his great ax and broadsword above his head, flexing and showing off his poses for the crowd. Everyone was standing and stomping. He loved it! This made him happy! Then, it was time to face the current Champion. Hulk knew the routine and stood on the Challenger's side of the arena floor, grimacing fiercely and posturing for his fans.

"Wow, the Green Goliath is a crowd pleaser here at the Contest of Champions! He's certainly one of my personal favorites. Now, let's show some enthusiasm for his competition. My fellow Sakaarans, I present to you your current Champion, rider of winds, the myth, the legend . . . KAMAITAKI!!!" The doors opened and a dust devil swept through and grew into a huge column of wind and flying debris. Hulk pulled the visor down on his new helmet and stood impassively waiting as the edge of the dust cloud swept past him. He'd seen the creature fight several times before, so he was prepared with new armor and tactics.

Contestants weren't supposed to use outright magic, but some fighters had innate abilities that definitely pushed that rule. Kamaitaki was one of them. As the wind and dust settled down, a creature resembling a seven-meter long brown ferret on steroids stood growling and baring its sharp, foot-long teeth at Hulk. Not only did the beast have poisonous fangs, its four sets of claws were like curved sword blades. It's reflexes and attacks were lightning fast, but it often relied on cunning.

Fighting it straight up would have been a challenge, but its mastery of creating and utilizing cyclonic bursts of wind made it difficult to defend against or hit with a weapon or a fist. Hulk had seen it wear down opponents and play with them before it darted in to take a venomous nosh and let the fighter slowly collapse before delivering its coup de grâce with its claws. It could be cruel and calculating with its tactics, but Hulk had talked to his friend, the old barber, who seldom missed a match, and come up with several ideas. They often strategized when Hulk needed a shave or trim, and even Angry Girl had to admit the old man knew his stuff.

Hulk was well known for charging straight ahead and hitting his opponent like a ton of angry, green bricks. He cultivated that simple, unschooled image, but Angry Girl had him practicing and working with a variety of weapons and strategies. She realized he would never have a great deal of finesse, but Hulk usually made up for it with strength and durability. He was also enthusiastic and pretty damn stubborn, so as long as he had a clear goal to work toward, like becoming the Champion, he would do what she told him (and not complain) to get the job done.

Their plan was to give the crowd a good show of what they'd come to expect: lots of raging and offensive power moves. If any connected, great, but what they were waiting for was the bite. Hulk had been on Sakaar for about a year then, so he'd regained almost all of his physical abilities and strength, including his nearly impenetrable skin and his quick healing. Their strategy depended on his skin and his healing factor shrugging off or stymieing Kamaitaki's bite and its poison. From there, it might play out several ways, but Hulk felt ready to meet every possibility they'd thought up. Hulk had also chosen lighter armor that gave him greater mobility with versatility in mind.