Eternals Makes Hulk's Endgame Snap More Impressive (But Still Fails Him)
Hulk's impressive snap restoring the blip in Avengers: Endgame has been given extra weight in the context of Eternals, though his achievement has still not been properly recognized by the MCU. The Avengers' heroic efforts to bring back everyone wiped out by Thanos' snap in Avengers: Infinity War hinged on Hulk being strong enough to wield the power of six infinity stones. It was an incredible act of heroism, made even more impressive by the revelations in Eternals.
Eternals sees the immortal alien race unwittingly being part of an apocalyptic event called "The Emergence," which would bring forth the birth of a new Celestial from the center of the Earth, destroying the planet. The Emergence requires a certain amount of energy from intelligent life (i.e. humans). While the Blip caused by Thanos delayed this by wiping out half the population, Hulk and Iron Man's snaps in Avengers: Endgame brought it back on course, or even accelerated it. Eternals leader Ajak (Salma Hayek) was aware of the devastating consequences of The Emergence and had been complicit in Arishem's plan on countless worlds over millennia. However, her loyalty is shaken upon seeing what humans are capable of. As she puts it; "Thanos erased half of the population of the universe. But the people of this planet brought everyone back with a snap of a finger."
Hulk's snap in Avengers: Endgame really shows the power and resilience of humanity to keep on fighting and come back from defeat. Although it's easily forgotten, humans (and a few aliens) saved not only the population of Earth, but also the rest of the universe as well. Even with all the advanced technology available to other races in outer space, it was only the ingenuity and heart of the Avengers that enabled The Blip to be reversed, exemplified in the actions of Hulk's heroism. In Eternals, Ajak recognizes what an impressive achievement it was, and it's a key reason for her change of heart to defy Arishem and try and prevent The Emergence. It's a shame therefore that the MCU hasn't so far given Hulk the credit he deserves for being the one to snap everyone back.
Eternals dilutes Hulk's impressive individual efforts by Ajak referring to “the people of this planet” bringing everyone back. While every Avenger was a key part of the success of the mission in Avengers: Endgame, no one comes back without Hulk. Notwithstanding this, the MCU's history seems to be failing him, putting other members of the Avengers on a pedestal over Hulk, especially heroes like Steve Rogers and Tony Stark. Hulk was the only member of the team capable of wielding that amount of power, and even then he paid the price for it, severely damaging his arm in the process. Beyond the physical toil, before wearing the Iron Gauntlet he didn't know whether it would kill him or not, further cementing his unsung bravery.
While Eternals' failure to honor Hulk's actions is unfair, he may yet get the recognition he deserves further down the road. Mark Ruffalo is set to once again reprise his role as Bruce Banner/Hulk in the Disney+ TV show, She-Hulk. So far, most of Phase 4 has shown/referenced Avengers: Endgame's life-restoring snap in some way, but having the hero who actually did it in the MCU show gives Marvel the chance to finally address this oversight and give Hulk credit.