In the upcoming War Table for Marvel’s Avengers, players will finally get information on the next-gen versions of the game alongside an update on Hawkeye’s DLC. While learning about how Clint Barton plays will likely be the most exciting bit of the War Table for many players, players will likely be caught off guard by the villain he is fighting. Though he looks like a version of The Hulk, Maestro’s backstory is incredibly interesting.
With Marvel’s Avengers seemingly setting up his in-game story to be as close as possible to his original appearance, coming into the DLC with knowledge on the comics could allow players to have a greater understanding of the villain and his goals. While other Hulk clones like Abomination are more well-known, as he is has appeared in movies and games over the years, there are a fair number of things that help Maestro stand apart in terms of his backstory. As such, learning about this bold take on The Incredible Hulk is worthwhile.
Maestro In Marvel Comics
Aside from sporting a large necklace, balding hair, and a full grey beard, Maestro looks just like the Bruce Banner fans know and love. However, he could not be any more different in terms of his personality. Maestro comes from an alternate future where the world is destroyed by nuclear war, with nearly all of Marvel’s heroes killed in the process. The only survivors are God-like Marvel characters like Hercules, villains that hid away in bunkers, and gamma monsters like The Hulk.
Absorbing the massive amounts of Gamma Radiation from the nuclear fallout saved The Hulk from dying with the rest of Marvel’s heroes, but it also proved to be too much to handle mentally. A major factor in twisting Bruce Banner into a worse version of himself, the same thing that saved him made him a villain. Beyond that, MODOK and AIM captured The Hulk shortly after the bombs went off, conducting tests on the big green monster for a hundred years. While he eventually broke free, the combination of a century’s worth of torture made Banner into Maestro.
Traveling the ruined world and seeing the remnants of the past, while also reminiscing about those he lost, Maestro vows to rebuild society. Clashing with Thor protege Hercules and eventually taking the throne, Maestro rules the ruined world with an iron fist. Despite having noble goals, he does not realize that he is a poor choice to rule, and he will stop at nothing in his goal of fixing the world. Boasting a similar ability to Banner’s cousin She-Hulk, Maestro retains the thoughts and ability to speak that Banner has, meaning he never has to change back — giving the character another unique touch that will be fun to see in-game.
Maestro In Marvel’s Avengers
With Kate Bishop’s DLC story setting up Maestro’s future perfectly, the only significant change to his origin story will be the Kree destroying the world as opposed to nuclear warfare. AIM will likely still have done tests on him, and his motivation will likely still be the same — as the character has been shown sitting in a throne during a recent teaser. It will be interesting to see Hawkeye interact with someone he once knew well, and it should be the same for Maestro, with their dialogue likely being a highlight of the DLC.
It will also be interesting to see Hawkeye fight and defeat a character far more powerful than himself, and it will be interesting to see how Crystal Dynamics has him succeed without making Maestro look foolish and weak. With Maestro’s powers being the same as The Hulk’s, only charged up due to the world around him being a constant power source, the villain’s battle be an interesting one. At the same time, with Maestro being another clone-like boss fight, the fight could be the least interesting thing about his appearance, but that remains to be seen.
Marvel's Avengers is out now on PC, PlayStation 4, Stadia, and Xbox One, with PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X versions currently in development.