In Infinity War, the Avengers try to stop the villain Thanos from getting the Infinity Stones that will wipe out half the life in the universe.
The film has many memorable, emotional scenes, including when Heimdall had one only chance to use the Bifrost, and he saved the Hulk, instead of his King and best friend, Thor.
Why did Heimdall do this? The answer comes in two parts.
Contents
Heimdall Saves the Hulk
In Avengers: Infinity War, Heimdall uses the Bifrost to send Hulk to Earth, allowing Hulk to live and warn the Avengers about Thanos. This happened after the Hulk and Thor failed to beat Thanos in battle.
By sending the Hulk off, Heimdall left Thor captured with Thanos and chose a relative stranger over his best friend. This was a curious move indeed.
That he chose not to save Loki makes sense since Loki had previously betrayed and froze him. Heimdall probably forgave him for this act but still did not think Loki was the best option to unite the Avengers.
However, Thor and Heimdall had forged a close relationship and became best friends by the time of Infinity War. So, we would think that he would have saved Thor.
At first, many viewers thought it was just a quick decision, but as a fan pointed out, Heimdall probably purposefully chose to save the Hulk.
Why Did Heimdall Choose To Save Hulk Instead of Thor?
As this article explains, the answer is twofold.
On the one hand, since Thor was king and “ready to sacrifice his life, not only for Asgard but for any other realm that needed saving,” Heimdall knew Thor would rather stay, fight, and “meet an honorable death” to save his people.
On the other hand, Hulk was a trusted warrior who had helped save the remaining Asgardians.
Since Thanos would continue to search for the last two infinity stones on Earth, Heimdall chose the Hulk to bring a warning and help prepare for Thanos.
Heimdall did not know the Hulk well but knew enough to choose him or, as the above article suggests, may have used his “supernatural seeing abilities” to judge that the Hulk was the better choice for uniting the Avengers.
Whether he had a hunch or a far-ranging vision, Heimdall’s choice made sense, given who the Hulk is.
On one level, we can recognize the Hulk’s strength as a reason to select him. He could be the strongest Avenger, perhaps stronger than Thor as some fans argue, with potentially no limits to his strength.
The kind of power and fighting ability he demonstrates in The Avengers would have been an asset to stopping Thanos. The Hulk proved it when he defeated Fenris in Thor: Ragnarok.
On another, more important, level, Bruce Banner is a highly intelligent, respected, and trusted scientist who helped found the Avengers and focuses on helping people.
He is also close friends with Tony Stark/Iron Man and could collaborate with him on a plan to protect Earth from Thanos.
Other Ways to Explain Why Heimdall Saved the Hulk
Other posts suggest that Heimdall knew that Thor wanted him to choose the Hulk.
Thanos had made such quick work of all of them that Thor must have known it was “a no win scenario” and that the Hulk could carry the warning out.
Other fans in this discussion clarify that Hulk was the only one “clear enough to be transported alone” and withstand the dark energy when teleported.
This last idea also reflects that Heimdall knew he could not use his power to save all them.
His dark magic either could not pull that feat off, or he believed that Hulk was “the only one who could survive the trip” since Thor and Loki were injured.
These reasons provide even more logic to Heimdall’s decision.Then again, as others have pointed out, maybe it was a quick decision after all.
The Hulk was not “captured in metal scrap” the way Thor was and was closer to Heimdall. Maybe he put it together on the spot.
Yet, another intriguing angle is that Thor spoke to Heimdall. In the pivotal scene from above, we see Thor and Heimdall staring at one another.
Through Heimdall’s vision power, Heimdall could have communicated with Thor, and Thor could have directed Heimdall to save the Hulk to warn the Avengers. Thor and Loki would remain to make Stormbreaker and fight another day.
Heimdall Saved the Hulk
Although their efforts to stop Thanos failed at the Battle of Wakanda, the Avengers did pull together and triumphed in Endgame.
The SmartHulk played a crucial role in making this ending happen. Heimdall probably could not have known all this would happen, but he most likely had an idea that ultimately proved correct.
Although Heimdall could have made up his mind on a whim, it’s more probable that he had some thought behind what he was doing.
The Hulk was the best candidate to bring the Avengers together and (eventually) save Earth and the universe. More likely still is that Thor communicated with Heimdall, and they both agreed that this was the best move.
Todd Wahlstrom is a creative and analytical freelance writer and life-long Star Wars fan who has expanded into writing about the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He has written about recent shows such as The Mandalorian and Andor and classic topics like Darth Vader, the Jedi, and Boba Fett. His recent articles include the MCU’s Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor. Todd is the author of a non-fiction book, holds a Ph.D. in history, and enjoys hiking, running, and reading about science.