Shipping Confessions: Science Husbands (The Avengers and Iron Man 3)

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When The Avengers came out in 2012 it seemed everyone was shipping Tony Stark and Steve Rogers together. I really didn't see it and when I finally did I wasn't a big shipper of it. The movie, of course, was great since it was helped by Joss Whedon who can do no wrong (all hail Whedon our lord and savior).

When I finally decided on my OTP of the movie I found myself putting two scientists together.

The ship is called Science Bros if you ship them as a bromance (aka nothing like a lover) or Science Husbands if you ship them romantically. You can tell by the title of this post which way I ship them. It's between Tony Stark and Bruce Banner.

Let's cover the sexier of the two first: Bruce Banner.

Bruce Banner's alter ego is the Hulk. It's a persona that was accidentally created when he was testing something science related. Because the jackass that basically seems to head the project seems to think Bruce is now his property, Bruce has to run and hide.

His Hulk persona (aka the other guy) is very violent and nearly impossible to control. Bruce has to constantly be on the lookout so that he won't transform when he doesn't want to. When he does control the other guy it's a force of good, but when he doesn't control the transformation (which leaves him unable to control the other guy once he reaches full transformation) it's a chaotic force of destruction where he'll hurt those he considers friends/allies.

These two things make Bruce a very tortured character. Those that know about the other guy treat him differently. When all Bruce wants to do is help, it makes his life a living Hell. Any hope of a normal life has been dashed. At one point before The Avengers, he even tries to commit suicide but finds that he doesn't even have the choice of ending his own life.

Tony Stark seems to be a direct contrast of Bruce's socially awkward personality.

Tony is an egomaniac and if it wasn't for the events leading to him becoming Iron Man, he would still be a self-entitled asshole like he was before.

Through the events of the first Iron Man movie he's confronted with the fact that he needs to change. He starts caring more than he used to while still keeping to that jokester side of him. Tony is very smart but still struggles with how to treat people. Not to the extent of Bruce as he doesn't appear as odd, but he can still be rough around the edges.

In The Avengers Tony is the one to treat Bruce like a human being most often. Am I saying Tony is the first one? Hell no! Betty did but the movie and Iron Man 3 both don't mention her. And, even if they did, Tony's kind actions towards Bruce wouldn't mean any less to me.

Mostly everyone treats Bruce like he's about to turn into the Hulk or they use him for their own needs (whether they be for his genius or brute strength), but Tony treats Bruce like a normal person which must be so great for Bruce to feel.

At different points Tony teases Bruce. This may seem cruel, but Tony is basically saying, "I know you can control yourself and so I'm not afraid of you. You're also just like everyone else here. You're not a monster."

The most moving Science Husbands scene to me in The Avengers is where Bruce talks to Tony about not feeling like  a real person and that he should've died. Tony comforts Bruce by pointing out the similarities to their two different situations.

Tony "I Treat Everything Like a Joke" Stark takes his time to comfort a friend.

Near the end of the movie Bruce in his Hulk persona (aka where he can't react like he does when he's human) catches Tony without anyone telling him to. He has to care for Tony A LOT for that shit to happen.

I admit the following is my personal headcanon as Iron Man 3 neither confirms or denies it: It was Bruce that helped take out the arc reactor from Tony and so he knew the whole story before Tony told it in the movie. Tony, being one with a huge ego, tells the story to Bruce over and over while embellishing it more and more. So when we see Bruce in the Post Credits scene he has stopped putting up a pretense of being interested and just falls asleep (and when he says he's not that kind of doctor, he doesn't mean he won't listen but he can't put up with how Tony insists on telling the story).

I love this pairing so SO much. Tony and Bruce is my OTP of The Avengers. I'd love to see Betty again since she is such a kick ass character, but Science Husbands always makes me feel a mixture of pain and happiness that I will never give them up.

What will I talk about in the next Shipping Confessions? Science Husbands forms a reason for me shipping a caring, sarcastic boy and a boy trapped in a bird's body from the Animorphs book series.

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Shipping Confessions Table of Contents

Marvel's The Avengers (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo in Blu-ray Packaging)