And they were Schoolmates
*turns camera around* omg they were schoolmates
Bruce banner and Ryland Grace went to grad school together
I ain't super knowledgeable with lore regarding Bruce but come on, this is my sandbox and i will play in it how I like
Bruce has 7phds, it’s safe to assume that they could have definitely crossed paths at some point and kept in contact. Going to the same science conferences and talking shop with someone that can keep up
They were each some of the lucky few to stay in contact after they got their doctorates
Maybe Bruce was there for the "waste of carbon" incident and helped Grace get back on his feet after he had some emotional crash out after he was shunned from the science community
Maybe Grace was there in the after effects when Bruce became the Hulk. Maybe Grace worked harder to stay a consistent person in Bruce's life after the fact
Maybe they're still friends to this day
Could this turn into a friends to lovers? Yes. Yes it could. But they should be friends too, that part is really important