We’ve all seen the trailer for Captain America: Civil War by now–so we’re all familiar with the scene where pretty much all of our favorite Avengers are taking sides and going head-to-head in an all-out… well, war.

But one giant green Avenger is noticeably absent from the trailer, and now we’ve got the exact answer as to why: it wouldn’t be a fair fight.

Mark Ruffalo, the actor who plays Bruce Banner, had originally been somewhat more cagey in his response about why the Hulk would be sitting this one out, but this news comes to us straight from the screenwriters of the film, Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely. According to Markus, if the Hulk were to choose sides in the Iron Man versus Cap battle, the other team would probably just pack it in and go home:

You put those guys in a fight, it’s over quickly. It’s like, ‘Well, we have the Hulk on our side.’ Oh, fine, then.

The reason that certain characters have chosen the sides they have, Markus says, is because they wanted to make it as evenly-matched a fight as possible given the abilities of each superhero. If they tossed the Hulk in there it’d be like Inigo Montoya swordfighting with his right hand in The Princess Bride–over too quickly.

What do you think about this decision? We already know the Hulk will be showing up for Thor: Ragnarok, so I guess he’s just smashing his way around out there in the meantime.

(via Cinema Blend)

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