SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY Theory May Have Solved the Mystery of Where the Hulk Was Taken at The End
One of the biggest lingering questions after Spider-Man: Brand New Day wasn't about Spider-Man at all. It was about Bruce Banner.
After his arrest, the movie offered a quick explanation for where the Hulk was headed, but plenty of fans immediately questioned whether it actually made sense.
Now, a new theory from New Rockstars takes a closer look at Banner's fate, and it presents a much more believable answer. If it's right, it could also be laying the groundwork for some major events in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars.
At the end of Spider-Man: Brand New Day, a news report informs viewers that Banner "is in custody, currently being transferred to a psychiatric ward." On the surface, that's the official explanation. But when you stop and think about it, it raises a pretty obvious question.
How exactly is a psychiatric ward supposed to hold someone who can transform into the Hulk? The theory argues that explanation doesn't hold up.
Instead, it suggests the story was likely nothing more than a government cover designed to keep the public, and perhaps even the Avengers, from knowing where Banner was actually being taken.
If other heroes believed he was simply being moved to a medical facility, they might be less inclined to intervene immediately.
So where did the Department of Damage Control really send him? According to the theory, there are two locations that make the most sense.
The first is the DODC's Supermax detention facility in Yucca Valley, California. Marvel fans will remember this as the prison that once housed Emil Blonsky, better known as Abomination. It's already proven capable of containing gamma-powered individuals, making it a logical possibility.
The second option is the Raft, the high-security prison built in the middle of the ocean. Most recently, fans saw it housing Red Hulk in Captain America: Brave New World, and the theory believes this is actually the stronger possibility.
There's a good reason for that. The Yucca Valley Supermax recently suffered a major breakout during the events of Wonder Man. After a security failure like that, trusting the same facility to imprison Banner, arguably one of the most dangerous beings on Earth, would seem like a terrible decision. The Raft, with its isolated location and far greater security, feels like the smarter choice.
The theory also points out another major issue. Banner wasn't fitted with any kind of inhibitor chip. During Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Peter Parker only created two inhibitor chips.
One stayed with Peter, while the other ultimately ended up with Jean Grey. There simply wasn't enough time for the DODC to study the technology and manufacture another one before taking Banner into custody.
That means wherever Banner is being held, he's sitting there without any technological safeguard to prevent another Hulk transformation.
If the Raft is where Banner ended up, the implications could stretch far beyond Brand New Day. The theory suggests his imprisonment could become a major setup for Avengers: Doomsday and eventually Secret Wars.
If Battleworld is created at the end of Doomsday, the Raft itself could become a literal life raft for its surviving prisoners. That scenario could also open the door for Banner to return in his Savage Hulk form, potentially becoming one of the central figures who establishes a civilization on Battleworld.
It's an interesting piece of speculation that also patches up one of the movie's biggest unanswered questions. Sending Bruce Banner to an ordinary psychiatric ward never felt like a realistic solution for someone with the Hulk's destructive power. A secret transfer to the Raft, disguised by a carefully crafted cover story, certainly sounds much more believable.
Whether Marvel confirms any of this remains to be seen, but if Avengers: Doomsday picks up with Banner locked away on the Raft, fans may look back at Spider-Man: Brand New Day and realize the clues were there all along.