Marvel: Rise of the Ultimate AI

"Why is Banner taking so long?" Black Widow was the first to sense that something was off. She interrupted the party and raised the concern

"Why is Banner taking so long?" Black Widow was the first to sense that something was off. She interrupted the party and raised the concern

"Why is Banner taking so long?"

Black Widow was the first to sense that something was off. She interrupted the party and raised the concern out loud.

Rhodes immediately realized the seriousness of the situation. Banner had been gone for over fifteen minutes. No bathroom break should take that long.

"He said he was going to the restroom," Rhodes replied.

The Avengers exchanged glances, then rushed toward the bathroom.

"Banner, are you in there?"

Black Widow called loudly from outside the door.

"Say something if you're in there."

But there was no reply. Only the sound of heavy breathing from within.

Tony Stark frowned.

"J.A.R.V.I.S., open the door."

With a soft beep, the door slid open.

And what they saw next would stay etched in their minds forever.

Bruce Banner was sitting on the floor, his back toward them, arms outstretched as he let out an inhuman roar. But that voice no longer belonged to the mild-mannered Dr. Banner—it was a savage, guttural howl that shook the air.

Green muscles tore through his clothing, his feet exploded out of his shoes, and his body ballooned like a monstrous balloon being rapidly inflated. Emerald skin spread across his body. His head crashed through the ceiling. His giant feet crushed the tiled floor beneath him.

He was wearing only a brown pair of ragged shorts.

Before them stood the Incredible Hulk.

"Well… now I know how Hulk always ends up with those shorts on," Stark quipped, trying to sound casual.

In truth, his instincts screamed at him to run. And honestly, he doubted any of his teammates were feeling differently.

Still, Stark swallowed his fear and stepped forward.

"Hey, Dr. Banner, buddy... try to calm down. We're the Avengers, remember? We're your friends. Maybe we can—"

"ROOAARR!!"

The deafening roar cut Tony off mid-sentence as the green behemoth charged at him.

Just as Stark was about to become a high-speed smear on the floor, Thor thundered in from the side and slammed into Hulk, intercepting the charge.

The two titans collided with explosive force.

All of Stark Tower's luxurious interior decorations were instantly reduced to rubble. Then, with a thunderous crash, the two of them blasted through the side wall and plummeted down toward the street, shaking the ground on impact.

"J.A.R.V.I.S., activate red alert across the tower!" Tony barked.

"Deploy all available suits to assist—dammit, why didn't I restock earlier?!"

Indeed, Stark had once stationed numerous Iron Legion suits inside the tower, but during the battle with Ultron and the Black Devil, all of them had been destroyed. Not a single one remained.

"Reed, check what's going on down there!" he ordered, sprinting toward the lab.

Down below, the deafening sounds of destruction echoed up from the street.

One couldn't help but wonder if the Prince of Asgard had already been turned into a green pulp.

The reality?

Thor wasn't pulp yet—but he wasn't doing great either.

Caught off guard, Thor had rushed into the fight empty-handed. Without his hammer, he went toe-to-toe with Hulk using only his fists.

It wasn't going well.

The stench of rage filled his nostrils. His fists hammered into Hulk's skin with all the might of a god—and did absolutely nothing. It was like trying to punch a mountain.

Meanwhile, Hulk's open palm slapped Thor across the face so hard, the God of Thunder saw stars.

Hulk slammed him to the ground and pinned him down. His sandbag-sized fist came crashing toward Thor's skull.

Thor tilted his head just in time, and the punch hit the ground with such force that it felt like the entire street sank a few inches.

"Hey, pal… you might want to work on your aim—"

Before Thor could finish, Hulk's massive hand delivered another devastating slap that sent him flying like a cannonball.

He crashed into a parked taxi, crumpling the vehicle into a mess of twisted metal. The impact launched the car into the air as Thor ricocheted into a nearby storefront, clouds of dust erupting from the shattered windows.

"Snap out of it, big guy!"

Reed Richards appeared in front of Hulk. His elastic limbs stretched out like a web, wrapping around the green goliath.

Johnny Storm ignited mid-air, unleashing torrents of flame in a desperate attempt to subdue the monster.

"RAAAARGHHH!!"

Hulk roared, furious and unstoppable. He swatted Johnny out of the sky like a bug.

Johnny hit the ground hard, rolling several times before collapsing at Susan's feet.

Reed gritted his teeth. He could feel himself being pushed to the limit. Hulk's brute strength was overwhelming—his stretchy limbs were being torn apart under the strain.

Worse yet, Hulk grabbed one of Reed's elongated arms and began reeling him in like a rope.

"Well… this is gonna suck…"

Reed muttered as Hulk's massive fist came into view.

BOOM!

Reed shot across the air like a flung rubber band, slamming into the outer wall of Avengers Tower with a sickening thud.

And then—

VROOMMM!

Mjölnir spun through the sky like a blazing comet, flying out from deep inside the tower and landing squarely in the hand of its master.

Thor was back on his feet.

And this time… he had his hammer.

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