Tony Stark had had enough of Bruce Banner. The man had become intolerable after he started a relationship with Natasha Romanoff. He kept on complaining about how the Hulk was hindering their relationship from advancing. Tony resisted the urge to scoff; did Banner really think that without the Hulk, someone as shallow and controlling as Romanoff would give a damn about him?
Tony couldn't believe that Banner thought his relationship with Banner wasn't just Fury's way of controlling the Hulk. Tony knew Romanoff was sent to manipulate Banner to get him on board with the Avengers. If he didn't agree they would manipulated him like they did with Tony when they would write a negative assessment to play on his need for acceptance and offer him the consolation prize of being a consultant.
Tony smirked at the thought that those idiots thought they could manipulate him, the man who turned a million-dollar company into a billion-dollar one in three years and then into a multibillion-dollar one in five years.
Tony was playing them; he knew that if they ever became a threat to him, he would need inside information. So, he joined, hoping to gain information. But he couldn't help but want to punch Banner whenever he talked ill about the Hulk. Out of everyone, Hulk and, to a lesser degree, Thor were the people he got along with.
"Fine! You want to get rid of the Hulk, let's try it," Tony yelled at Bruce, who was in the middle of ranting about how Natasha left him because she was scared of the Hulk. Like, no, she probably went to work for Fury. Tony wasn't really going to kill the Hulk; no, he would rather destroy Bruce who planned to kill a sweet, adorable sentient entity like the Hulk. But he did plan to separate the Hulk. You see, Tony had been researching enhanced individuals since Steve, Bruce, and Killian came into the picture.
He found out it had something to do with activating a special gene. Tony planned to use Extremis serum to add instructions so that the next time Bruce turned into the Hulk, it would force Bruce to spit out the Hulk and the gene, making it so the Hulk separates from Banner. It would be permanent, and Bruce wouldn't be able to get the Hulk back.
"So, are we doing this?" Bruce asked impatiently, wanting to get rid of the Hulk and run away with Natasha.
"Yeah, I have a solution. Let's go to the lab; I've got a special serum designed to separate the Hulk," Tony said as he went into the lab. Bruce followed and sat down, waiting for the treatment.
"Now, before we start, I need to make sure that you are aware of what happens once the treatment starts. You will never be able to become the Hulk again."
"That's great!" Bruce exclaimed, relieved that he could get rid of the Hulk and have a life with Natasha.
"Fine, let's do this. Sit in the chair and put on the restraints. I don't want you hulking out and killing me during the process."
"Yeah, whatever, just get started," Bruce said as he put on the restraints.
"Here it goes!" Tony said as he pressed a button, and a blue liquid started to enter Bruce's body. After a minute of feeling the burning sensation, Bruce started to scream in pain. The pain lasted for what felt like hours but was only a couple of minutes.
"What now? Is he gone?" Bruce asked.
"No, you have to transform one last time, and the separation will begin," Tony replied.
"Let's get this over with," Bruce said as he started to focus on the Hulk. But instead of turning green, green liquid came out of his mouth, taking the form of the Hulk.
"Hulk free," Hulk said as Tony pet him.
"Yeah, Bruce didn't want you. He wanted to kill you, but I freed you," Tony replied.
"Tinman good. Tinman keeps Hulk safe," Hulk said.
"Don't worry; I will, Hulk, and you can live in the tower as long as you want," Tony promised Hulk.
"Tinman is a friend. No Hulk leave. Hulk stays forever. Hulk helps Tinman," Hulk said, smiling and hugging Tony. Bruce, seeing this, left to tell Natasha. He was quite jealous of Hulk. Tony cared more about the green beast than him.
"Yeah, buddy, you can help me, and we will have fun," Tony promised as he petted the Hulk.
"Yeah!" Hulk cheered.
"Don't worry, Hulky. I can guarantee Bruce will want you back because Romanoff only cared about him to control him like an animal. When she finds out you aren't part of him anymore, she will leave and probably try to make moves on Steve Rogers because Banner will be useless. That's the perfect punishment for such an ungrateful person," Tony told Hulk.
"Bad woman. Hulk no like Natasha. She smelled like Tuna, and Hulk no like Banner. Banner bullied Hulk, using him as a weapon. Not like Tinman," Hulk growled.
"Yeah, she is. We can watch movies, build Legos, and have lots of fun together," Tony promised.
"Yay!" Hulk cheered.
With Bruce:
Bruce made his way to Natasha's room shyly. He was going to tell Natasha that he isn't the Hulk anymore, and they have been separated.
He knocked on the door and entered. "What do you want, Banner? I have a lot of work right now. Can't it wait?" Natasha asked, annoyed.
"Yeah, I've got news! The Hulk and I are separated," Bruce exclaimed excitedly.
"Why would you do that?! The Hulk was our ace in the hole. Fury had you join the Avengers for the Hulk, for SHIELD, and I pretended to love you to be able to control the Hulk," Natasha screamed out angrily.
"Natasha, we can be together," Bruce pleaded, not knowing his entire world was about to fall apart.
"No, you idiot! You aren't a threat anymore. I never cared about you. Fury sent me to manipulate you to get you on board with the Avengers to control the Hulk, and if that didn't work, he would have killed you if we couldn't control the Hulk and you."
"Fury wanted to kill me?" Bruce asked, shocked.
"Of course, he does. The man doesn't care about you, only what you bring. The reason you aren't dead yet is because S.H.I.E.L.D. thought I could control the Hulk using your feelings, and now he's under Stark's control because, unlike us, Stark sees him as a friend, not a weapon like sad AI children," Natasha said.
"He was right," Bruce whispered.
"Who was right?" Natasha asked, uncaring. Banner was not a threat.
"Stark. He said you don't love me. That you just want to use me," Banner said.
"Of course he was. What, you thought I, who have a body men would kill for, would like you for yourself, Bruce? No, it was for the Hulk!" Natasha said.
Bruce walked away. He tried to ask Tony for help, but Tony told him to get the heck out of his building and that he made it clear he liked the Hulk and not the simp who took Romanoff's side in every argument.
Bruce moved out and became despised by the people after Tony leaked the reason why he separated the Hulk. People, seeing Bruce's slander and blame the hero Hulk for his own flaws, started to hate him. Bruce disappeared and was never seen again, possibly kidnapped by Ross or Hydra, nobody knows.
A few years later, Tony and Hulk, who had become Tony's adopted son, walked in Siberia. Tony and Steve had been at odds a lot, ever since Tony praised Hulk for killing Wanda and Pietro when the two messed with his mind in Johannesburg, and Tony separated the Hulk without informing the team. They had been on bad terms. Thor, like Hulk, because he would join in the dodgeball games Hulk and Tony played. Tony and Hulk walked in as Zemo revealed that Steve Rogers knew Barnes killed Tony's parents.
"Did you know?" Tony asked Rogers.
"No," Rogers said, clearly lying, being the hypocrite he was.
"Don't lie to me, Rogers. Did you know?" Tony asked, rage emphasizing each word.
"Yes," Rogers replied, as Tony punched him. Hulk, seeing his adopted father attacked, saw Rogers as an enemy, and the two rushed in. Hulk punched Steve, knocking him against the wall, struggling to get up from the concussion. As Tony chased after Barnes, T'Challa got in the way.
"My Stark, forgive him. It wasn't Barnes who killed my father, so you must forgive him," T'Challa said hypocritically.
"Go to heck, and your father too. I don't give a darn if he died at the hands of Barnes or Zemo. What gives you the right to judge me when you did the same thing and are doing the same thing? Hulk, my boy, hold him back; this little pest is getting in my way," Tony yelled as Hulk rushed in, punching T'Challa and sending him away.
Tony flew toward Barnes, kicking him in the back of the head, sending him flying into a wall. Tony punched the man over and over, using the unibeam to destroy his arm and leg.
"Hulk, hold Rogers. Make him watch," Tony said with anger clouding his judgment. Hulk did as told.
"Rogers, watch as the man you're protecting dies," Tony said as a repulsor blast fired, killing Barnes.
"Bucky, no!" Steve yelled, falling to the floor, crying, as he was dropped by the Hulk. Both Tony and Hulk walked to the quinjet.
Tony passed T'Challa, who was muttering how he's sorry. Tony couldn't help but mock the man one last time since he tried to invalidate Tony's parents' death. "That's how much of a disgrace you are. Couldn't protect your father, nor could you protect Barnes," Tony said as he and Hulk walked onto the quinjet and flew away.
Years later, Tony, Hulk, Thor, Strange, Peter, and Vision killed Thanos. They looked at the fallen members of Team Cap, who had been used as a distraction. They shot a weapon designed by Tony, a gamma burst ray, to kill Thanos while he was distracted fighting Team Cap.