Heimdall sent Hulk away from Thanos’ wrath instead of Thor. While he knew Thor better, his decision was a strategic move according to this fan theory.
Avengers: Infinity War begins with Thanos tracking down the Space Stone to the starship carrying the Asgardians who escaped Hela’s wrath. After he annihilates nearly everyone on board, Thor, Loki, Heimdall and Hulk are left in the wreckage. With little hope of survival left, Heimdall uses the Bifrost to send Hulk to Earth and warn The Avengers about Thanos, leaving the two princes behind to deal with Thanos.
At the time, some saw it as a snap decision, but it could have been a well-thought step taken by the all-seeing Asgardian. A fan took to Reddit to pose a plausible theory explaining why Heimdall picked Hulk over the God of Thunder and the God of Mischief.
Loki’s Actions Proved to Heimdall That He Was Unworthy
Loki wasn’t sent because he has proven to be unreliable and selfish. Jealous of his brother in Thor, Loki led Frost Giants into Asgard. Meanwhile, in The Avengers, he worked under Thanos and was behind the deaths of many innocent humans. Thor: The Dark World also saw Loki faking his death in order to sneak into Asgard and take the throne, stripping Odin of his powers and exiling him to Earth. Until Thor caught on to his lies in Thor: Ragnarok, he was happy to continue the charade even as the Nine Realms were in complete chaos.
He was so concerned for his well-being that he was okay with the possibility of Asgard and the realms perishing at Hela’s hand, considering staying on Sakaar in favor of facing her again. While Loki somewhat redeemed himself by the end of Ragnarok, it was too little too late to convince Heimdall that he could be trusted or considered worthy of being saved.
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Hulk Proved Himself to Be a Fierce Ally
On the other hand, Thor finally became the true king Odin wanted him to be. He was ready to sacrifice his life, not only for Asgard but for any other realm that needed saving. The safety of his people was his prime concern, even returning to Asgard when Hela had the upper hand. As an Asgardian and Thor’s trusted friend, Heimdall knew he would prefer to meet an honorable death while saving his people instead of being saved at the cost of their lives.
In turn, Heimdall chose to save Bruce Banner because, even in his Hulk-induced rage, he knew where his allegiances lay. Hulk fought Hela’s wolf and army to selflessly save the remaining Asgardian population. Onboard the ship, he even tried to defeat Thanos, but he was overpowered. As the Mad Titan declared that there were two more stones on Earth, Heimdall gave Earth an advantage by sending Hulk to warn them and prepare them for what lay ahead.
The fact that Bruce was a human, an intellectual academic and one of Earth’s Avengers was another reason that Heimdall chose him. Not only would Bruce understand what was at stake, but he also wanted to give him the same choice Thor had, which was to live or die while saving his people.
