In
Civil War II #3, Bruce Banner is murdered by Hawkeye. The scientist recently gave Clint Barton a special arrow to use in him in case he were to Hulk out again, but with Ulysses having a vision of the Jade Giant losing control and slaughtering Earth's Mightiest Heroes, Hawkeye decides to take action before Bruce has a chance to transform. Whether or not he would have is debateable seeing as he's been shown as having rid himself of The Hulk, but Hawkeye's actions have set this war in motion.
"This is uncharted territory for us," Marvel Editor in Chief Axel Alonso told the
New York Daily News of Marvel's latest storytelling gimmick.
"Only two things are for certain: it will take a long, long time for our heroes to come to terms with his loss, and the circumstance surrounding his death will leave a huge scar on the superhero community." Civil War II writer Brian Michael Bendis meanwhile confirmed that Bruce really is dead and gone, teasing:
"I can't speak for the future, I honestly can't, who knows what will happen? But I already have plans for the body (in upcoming issues.)"
In other words, expect to see Bruce back in around eighteen months once sales on the current series dip and its relaunched for the umpteenth time before it can even reach double digits. Here's the death: