Was it because he genuinely got hurt and felt fear for the first time? Embarrassment?
Precisely this. The last time Hulk came close to being beaten, was in the gladiator fight against Thor. But compare that to his encounter with Thanos, and it’s evident Hulk had never been defeated, let alone DOMINATED and humiliated in such a painful way. He came raging & smashing as he always does best, rightfully believing to be the strongest there is, but unfortunately for him he came to find out that Thanos could more than put up a fight against him. As a result, the big guy became shocked and horrified by what happened (it WAS shocking to see him get obliterated like that). Not to mention Hulk is like a petulant child who is beginning to develop feelings, thus fearing the seemingly untouchable (and scary) Thanos makes perfect sense.
And sure, not getting to see the Hulk come out again was a letdown. That said, I appreciated the way they handled this ordeal and it makes for some interesting character development. I mean for the first time ever, Banner INSISTED the Hulk to come out. After all these years of trying to keep the monster away (and spending literally two years trapped inside him), Bruce now needs the Hulk more than ever. He’ll eventually come around.
Btw, as for changing into the Hulk formerly being an involuntary thing... well, that’s what I used to believe as well. But when Banner joined The Avengers at the battle of New York back in the first movie, he obviously became the Hulk by choice. “I’m always angry.”
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