Hulk

Origin

Dr. Robert Bruce Banner was born to Dr. Brian Banner and his wife Rebecca. Rebecca loved Bruce very much, but her drunken husband Brian was jealous of the attention she gave to their son. Brian also thought that Bruce was not truly human due to genetic modifications Brian had made to himself. One day Brian killed his wife and was placed in a mental institution. Bruce would grow up hiding all his pain and live with his aunt Mrs. Drake. Dr. Robert Bruce Banner grew up to be a brilliant scientist and started working for the U.S. Department of Defense, in charge of an experimental " gamma-bomb."

Bruce Banner becomes the Incredible Hulk

But on the day the gamma-bomb was due to undergo its test-detonation, a teenager named Rick Jones, on a dare from some friends, drove inside of the off-limits military-run atomic testing range where the gamma-bomb was being tested, seconds before it was due to be detonated. The scientist/physicist Bruce Banner selflessly endangered himself to save Jones's life after he saw that Jones's jeep had wandered onto the grounds. Before heading out to rescue Jones from the bombardment, Banner told his colleague, whom he knew as Igor Starsky, to hold the test, but Starsky, actually a Soviet agent whose real name was Igor Drenkov, did no such thing. Instead, hoping for Banner's death, and the end of his project, Drenkov/Starsky allowed the test to continue. Dr. Banner then dashed to Jones and sped with him towards a nearby trench. Frantically, Dr. Banner hurled Jones into the crevice where the teenager was shielded from the mysterious, menacing gamma radiation. But at that very second, standing in the open, exposed and unprotected, Banner absorbed the full impact of the gamma-radiation bombardment from the explosion, even though he was a good five miles away from "ground zero," the center of the blast. His ear-piercing screams filled the desert air, as he lost all sense of time and space. A strange, awesome mutation took place in the atomic structure of his body.

Dr. Banner regained consciousness at the base hospital, with Jones standing by his side. Jones swore never to leave Dr. Banner again. But what no one realized at the time was that the gamma radiation bombardment that he had weathered during the rescue had interacted with his own unique genetic structure, leading to the birth of the creature whom the United States Army was first to call "The Incredible HULK." As the sun set, the Geiger counter on a nearby table began to tick louder and louder until Bruce Banner had transformed into the most dangerous living creature on Earth.

Creation

The character of the Hulk was created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee and first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #1, published 1962. When creating the Hulk, Lee and Kirby were inspired by the horror/literature characters Frankenstein and Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde. The Hulk has seen many writers at the helm, notably Lee himself and greats such as Peter David and Greg Pak. Notable artists include Kirby, Marie Severin, Herb Trimpe, Sal Buscema, John Byrne, Todd McFarlane, Mike Deodato, and John Romita Jr. Originally, it was Lee's intention that the Hulk's skin would be gray, but it was quickly changed to green due to the color grey being inconsistent from panel to panel due to printing problems. Since that time the Hulk has been primarily green, though he does have a gray-skinned incarnation as well.

Character Evolution

Silver Age

The Incredible Hulk was created in the early 1960's, seeing his first publication in 1962. The first incarnation of the Hulk was a large gray Goliath, whom only transformed at night. As daybreak appears, the Hulk returned to the puny human form of Banner. This Hulk was large, angry and very destructive. Rick Jones seemed to be the only person able to communicate peaceably with the monster, who also showed a sadness in the presence of Betty Ross. The Hulk detested Banner, finding him weak and puny, and Banner feared the Hulk, and his seeming evil intentions.

Bronze Age

The 1970's saw the birth of another Hulk, Bruce Banner's cousin Jennifer Walters. Through a series of mishaps, Banner was given no choice but to offer a blood transfusion to save Jennifer's life. Shortly after this transfusion, Jennifer Walters transformed into a larger, green-skinned version of herself, eventually named She-Hulk. This period saw many different writers come and go, but eventually, the title launched the character of Wolverine, in Incredible Hulk #180-181. Eventually, the Hulk's self-titled series ended and saw the character move to Tales to Astonish. The remainder of the Bronze Age and mid-to-late 90's saw more hands swapping with the Hulk's character, but gave birth to several different personalities within Banner's fractured psyche, namely Peter David's Joe Fixit and Professor Hulk personalities. These years also saw the introduction of the Maestro and the death of Betty Ross Banner.

Modern Age

Incredible Hulk vol. 2 saw the departure of Peter David and the title eventually passed to Bruce Jones, whose long-running span ended with Hulk/Thing: Hard Knocks. Eventually, Peter David returned to the title for a short time, eventually passing the torch to Greg Pak, bringing the Hulk through Planet Hulk, World War Hulk, and beyond.

Major Story Arcs

After absorbing the radiation, Bruce Banner became a giant, gray version of the Hulk at night. (He would not transform into the subsequently-standard green Hulk until much later.) Banner's first adventure was when he was captured by the Russian villain, The Gargoyle, whom Igor Drenkov/Starsky, whom the Hulk had stopped, and who had been arrested, for trying to steal Banner's gamma research, had informed of Banner's transformation. The Gargoyle wanted to know the secret of the Hulk so he could reverse his horrible radiation-damaged face. In return for Banner's help, he released both Banner and Rick Jones, having kidnapped the latter in an effort to force Banner to cooperate. Jones would soon become Bruce's sidekick, traveling with him and attempting to control the Hulk's rage. Because of Banner's lack of control over the Hulk, he was declared a menace by Elizabeth "Betty" Ross's father, General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross, who mobilized Army personnel under his command to track down the Hulk, under orders to capture him--and to destroy him, if at all possible. However, Banner would gain some control over the Hulk with radiation treatments and become a founding member of the Avengers. A short time after the Hulk had joined the Avengers, Banner again lost control of him, and he had to leave the Avengers for a short time. Banner bgained the ability to conceal his condition for some time, but that would not last. He soon commenced to wander the country as both Banner and the Hulk. The Hulk would battle many foes over the years such as the Leader, the Abomination, the Rhino, Carl "Crusher" Creel, the Absorbing Man, and the Wendigo.

Joe Fixit vs Wolverine

During Banner's wanderings, he paid a visit to his cousin Jennifer Walters, a lawyer in Los Angeles. But in the course of their visit, she was shot by a henchman of the crime boss Nicholas Trask for defending a thug of his, Lou Monkton, whom he was framing for murder. All Banner could do to save his cousin was give her a blood transfusion. Because of this, she was turned into the heroine, the She-Hulk. Soon after, the Hulk was captured by Dr. Leonard Samson ( Doc Samson), and the two discovered that the only way to cure Banner of being the Hulk was that the two would have to separate their bodies. Banner was placed in a 'nutrient bath' that separated the cells that were uniquely his from those of the irradiated Hulk. Being separate, they each gained their own body and personalities, but the Hulk becomes an even greater threat without Banner's mental and moral restraint. Banner would soon create a team called "The Hulk-Busters" to track down and stop the Hulk. Banner soon chose this time to ask Betty Ross to marry him.

During the wedding Banner became sick. It was revealed that Banner and The Hulk needed each other or they would die as they were losing their molecular cohesion. After being weakened by his sickness, the Hulk was captured by the Avengers. Accepting that the only way to stop the Hulk and save her husband, Betty asks the Avengers to spare the Hulk. With some help from "The Vision," a synthezoid that one of the Avengers's greatest enemies, the Henry Pym-created robot Ultron, had created from the remains of the original Human Torch, the two were re-joined together. Unfortunately, without The Vision's presence, the cohesion remained unstable. Banner slipped into a coma and the Hulk was restrained. Dr. Samson decide that the only way to re-combine the two was to place them back into the 'nutrient bath' with reversed ionization. As they were preparing for the process, Banner and the Hulk, now restrained in the gamma base, begin transforming back and forth; Hulk to Banner and back again, arguing the whole time over who would control their body. Oddly, Banner began to push out from within the Hulk's body, asking Samson and the SHIELD agents present to kill him and stop the Hulk permanently. Refusing to harm Banner, the SHIELD agents corralled the Hulk back into the 'bath'. General Ross escaped his SHIELD escort during that time and attempted to ruin the 'bath' in hopes of permanently destroying the Hulk, but he was impeded by Rick Jones, who ended up being pushed into the nutrient bath himself. When the tank eventually ruptured, the Grey Hulk emerged, to the shock of everyone present.

At this time Banner would turn into the Hulk at nightfall and return to human form during the day. As the two traded off, each would try to find a way to destroy the other. For a time, Jones became a Hulk-like creature himself, but he was soon cured by the Leader. However, the process established a mental link between the two. General Ross was killed at this approximate time, but his body was stolen by the Leader, who afterwards kidnapped Betty Ross Banner. Bruce Banner, Jones, and Clay Quartermain set out to try and save her and destroy all of the remaining gamma bombs in the possession of the government and thereby foil the Leader's plans to steal them. To slow down the Hulk's search for him, the Leader returned Betty, and she revealed that she was pregnant. The Leader did succeed, in spite of Banner's, Jones's, and Quartermain's efforts, in stealing a gamma bomb, which he detonated in a small Arizona town called Middletown. It seemingly killed the Hulk and created several new gamma irradiated servants for the Leader, whom he nicknamed Rock, Hotshot, Jailbait, and Ogress. It seemed that the Leader had also resurrected the Redeemer, who was believed to be dead.

The Hulk in Vegas

Joe Fixit

This Hulk spent some years in Las Vegas where he acted under the name of Joe Fixit, a.k.a. Mr. Fixit. This incarnation of the Hulk was a mean-spirited, street smart, wise-cracking thug. He became a "leg-breaker" for Michael Berengetti at his casino. Under the persona of Joe Fixit he had everything he wanted: women, money and peace, since the world believed that the Hulk had died in the gamma bomb explosion. He also started a relationship with Marlo Jones. Marlo would soon leave him and began dating Rick Jones, whom she later married. Dr. Robert Bruce Banner was not seen for months.

In the Microverse again, Joe is used to overthrow a corrupt religious leader and teleported back to Earth-616. As payment for helping, they placed a spell on Fixit that they promised would rid him of Banner permanently. This spell is somehow altered by his abrupt return and only lasted three months. When Banner surfaced again, he is amazed that three months had passed since he had been himself. After some confusing encounters, he came to understand what Joe had done in his time and creates a shaky truce with his alternate personality, but the transformations quickly took a toll on Joe's job at the Casino. After an encounter with the Ghoul, Berengetti fires Joe.

Under the false identity of Bruce 'Bancroft', Banner takes a job as a janitor at the Yucca Flats Nuclear Research Center so that he could still look for a cure for the Hulk. He is poisoned by Madman just moments before the Research Center is attacked by the Abomination and Hulk is shocked when he realized that his healing factor wasn't strong enough to fight off the poison. He struggles against the Abomination, but eventually throws him into a barrel of toxic waste which permanently scars him. Even in the form of the Hulk, the pain of the poison continues, giving him multiple heart attacks. During this time, Hulk fights the She-Thing while searching for Reed Richards' help in curing him. Reed can not find a cure, and estimates that upon his transformation at next daybreak, Banner would not be able to survive the condition. In the form of Joe Fixit, the Hulk begins to waste away, losing most of his body mass and strength. The Leader offers his assistance in finding an antidote if Hulk promises to kill his brother, Madman. After finding Madman and infecting him during the fight, Fixit was able to grab the antidote but could not pierce his skin with the needle. At the moment of his transformation, Banner is able to administer the serum, saving himself, but he left Madman beaten and unable to reach the antidote himself. At this time, Banner believes that Betty has had his child and goes on a desperate search to find her (not knowing that she had miscarried), even enlisting the help of Tony Stark. Stark had found out about the miscarriage but did not have the heart to tell Bruce.

Later, with help from Samson and the Ringmaster's hypnosis, Banner confronts his other sides as well as two other personalities called Guilt Hulk and Devil Hulk, whom represented Banner's guilt over his family and Banner's Hatred of the world. This doesn't actually make him physically change into either of these personalities but Banner was soon able to gain control and created a merged form, sometimes referred to as the Professor. This Hulk was green and as strong the Green Hulk during his rage. The drawback to this version of the Hulk was that when he got too angry and lost control he reverted back to the body of Bruce Banner with the intelligence of the savage Hulk.

Joining the Pantheon

This Hulk would join and eventually lead a superhero team called Pantheon. When the Hulk first joined the Pantheon ii was being lead by Agamemnon (a.k.a. Vali Halfling) and while with the team he also fought it's resident strongman, Ajax on several occasions. As a favor to their friend Jim Wilson, Hulk and Rick agreed to help out at an AIDS benefit concert with Rick headlining and Hulk providing security. The concert is disrupted by the drug-addicted assassin, Speedfreek who is sent to kill one of the concert's attendees. Jim was stabbed while defending the man, and the Hulk gets rid of Speedfreek before he could kill anybody. When Hulk and Rick return to the Pantheon they are sent to the Florida Everglades to investigate the disappearance of two teens that may have been tied to a missing Pantheon scientist. While there they battle both the Man-Thing and the missing scientist who had transformed himself into the Glob, who was killed by the touch of the Man-Thing. During one of his missions with them he fights alongside a rebel force in a Trans-Sabal against both S.H.I.E.L.D. issue Mandroids and the new government super team, X-Factor. The country was being ruled by Farnoq Dahn, a dictator who had promised the US government energy assistance if they helped him keep his place as unchallenged ruler. He was exposed as a psycho when he tries to win the war by tying a mother and child to two separate missiles, threatening to launch them if the Pantheon didn't stop. He is stopped by Hulk and X-Factor. The tyrant is forced to face his people for the crimes he committed but most of them still saw him as a god and bowed at his feet, he was then shot and killed by a traumatized Rick Jones who had taken a Mandroid suit.

The Hulk uses his Pantheon resources to confront Igor, his former assistant who let the gamma bomb go off that created the Hulk. Igor has been driven insane by nightmares brought on by his decision to let the bomb detonate. On her way back from a mission, one of the Pantheon members, Atalanta, is shot down in the Himalayas by the Troyjan warrior Trauma and Hulk, Ulysses, and Hector were sent to find her. Hulk finds Trauma's ship and is ambushed and left for dead. Trauma finds Atlanta and confesses his love to her, but the Hulk appears and brings down an avalanche on top of him. When Hulk's old boss, Michael Berengetti is killed, Hulk teams up with the Punisher to get revenge on his killer and his super-powered enforcer, Frost.

The End of a Great Leader?

During this time Marlo was killed by a woman posing as Rick's mother. But because of the extreme emotional pain that Rick was feeling, the Leader also felt it because of their mental bond. It was causing him an extreme annoyance, so he offered to bring her back to life. Leader attacked the Pantheon's headquarters, The Mount, using both his gamma soldiers and the U-Foes to distract the Hulk so that he could ask Agamemnon for help against Hydra. Agamemnon agreed to help and the Hulk left in anger. Betty went to find him and they finally began to reconnect, but Agamemnon betrayed the Leader by sending the Hulk to Freehold in order to kill him. The Hulk crashed into Freehold during the middle of the Hydra invasion as the Leader was trying to resurrect Marlo. Overcome with anger, Hulk ignored Rick's pleas to stop, and destroyed the machine because he thought that the Leader was lying and taking advantage of his grieving friend. The Leader was seemingly killed in the battle against the Hulk and it was during this battle that Hulk knocked the helmet off of Redeemer. This revealed the resurrected General Ross.

Leader of the Pantheon

Hulk joined the Pantheon. The Pantheon were led by Agamemnon, an immortal offspring of an Asgardian and a human. Unknown at the time was that centuries earlier, Agamemnon had offered any of his offspring to the alien Troyjans in exchange for the ability to pass his godhood down to his descendants.

As a favor to their friend Jim Wilson, Hulk and Rick agreed to help out at an AIDS benefit concert with Rick headlining and Hulk providing security. The concert was disrupted by the drug-addicted assassin Speedfreek who was sent to kill one of the concert's attendees. Jim was stabbed defending the man and the Hulk got rid of Speedfreek before he could kill anybody.

During one of his missions with the Pantheon Hulk fought alongside a rebel force in Trans-Sabal against both S.H.I.E.L.D. issue Mandroids and the government mutant team X-Factor. Tran-Sabal's dictator Farnoq Dahnhad promised the US government energy assistance if they helped him keep his place as unchallenged ruler. He was exposed as a psycho when he tried to win the war by tying a mother and child to two separate missiles and threatened to launch them if the Pantheon didn't withdraw. He was stopped by Hulk and X-Factor. The tyrant was forced to face his people for the crimes he committed but most of them still saw him as a god and bowed at his feet. He was then shot and killed by a traumatized Rick Jones.

Pantheon member Atalanta was shot down in the Himalayas by the Troyjan warrior Trauma and Hulk, Ulysses, and Hector were sent to find her. Trauma found Atlanta and confessed his love to her before the Hulk showed up and brought down an avalanche on top of him.

During this time Marlo was killed by a woman posing as Rick's mother. Because the Leader shared a mental bond with Rick he offered to bring her back to life. Leader attacked the Pantheon's headquarters, The Mount, using both his gamma soldiers and the U-Foes to distract the Hulk so that he could ask Agamemnon for help against Hydra. Agamemnon agreed to help and the Hulk left in anger. Agamemnon betrayed the Leader by sending the Hulk to Freehold in order to kill him. The Hulk crashed into Freehold during the middle of the Hydra invasion and when Leader was trying to resurrect Marlo. Overcome with anger Hulk ignored Rick's pleas to stop and destroyed the machine because he thought that Leader was lying and taking advantage of his grieving friend. The Leader was seemingly killed in the battle. The Hulk knocked the helmet off of Redeemer, saw the resurrected General Ross, and realized his mistake.

When Agamemnon felt it was time to venture out into the world to reconnect with the common people and he appointed Hulk as his replacement. On his first mission as leader he traveled to the Amazon to investigate a new company that was cutting down the rain forest. There, he was jumped by the Juggernaut who was working as an enforcer for the New World Order (NWO) and their leader, the Red Skull. Hulk was captured and brainwashed into fighting the Avengers, believing that the Juggernaut was his abusive father. Hulk was able to shake off the mind control when the Juggernaut praised him and he realized that his real father would never have shown such kindness. The psychic backlash released the creature Piecemeal from his holding container.

The Hulk began showing signs of instability when he began referring to himself as Hulk instead of Bruce. As a favor to a former Pantheon member Perseus, Hulk traveled to Lock Ness to investigate reports of a monster in the lake which turned out to be Piecemeal. The Hulk was about to defeat him when Madman interfered. After Perseus was killed, Hulk killed Piecemeal and appeared to kill Madman but no body was found. Using his new power as leader of the Pantheon, Hulk led a strike against a maximum security prison to free an ex girlfriend who had been falsely imprisoned.

Trauma returned and kidnapped Atalanta was to make her his bride. With the help of the Silver Surfer and the Starjammers, the Hulk and the Pantheon attacked the Troyjan home world. Upon arriving they were all shocked when Trauma's father, the Troyjan leader, Lord Armageddon, told them the truth about Agamemnon. If they tried to take Atalanta back then the Troyjans would take back the extended lives of all of the Pantheon. Hulk didn't care about the deal and attacked Trauma, accidentally impaling Trauma on his own shoulder spike. With his last words, Trauma pardoned the Pantheon and asked his father to let them all leave in peace.

A Future Imperfect

The Maestro Hulk

The Hulk was taken into the future by Rick Jones' granddaughter, Janis to fight his future self, Maestro, who had killed all the heroes and villains on earth and named himself emperor of the post apocalyptic world. Maestro was a tyrant who ruled his people with the fear of death to anyone who stepped out of line. He had the intelligence of Banner and was twice as strong as the Hulk, also possessing the Hulk's more malevolent side. Merged Hulk went with Janis and met the future Rick, who was stuck in a wheel-chair. Rick had collected the remains of all the deceased heroes while leading the resistance. Hulk fought Maestro, but easily had his neck broken. Maestro then had his servants nurse the Hulk back to health. During their second battle, Maestro used a gun designed by Forge with the specific purpose of killing the Hulk. He didn't succeed though, and Hulk sent him back in time to ground zero at the moment the gamma bomb that created him went off. After killing Maestro, the Hulk was sent back to the present. When he returned he was haunted by the thought of losing control and becoming Maestro.

Fall of the Pantheon

Soon after, Rick and Marlo were married. At the wedding, Betty told Hulk that she wants to move into the Mount to be with him. After the wedding Hulk was attacked by the disgraced Skrull warrior Talos the Tamed in an effort to gain back some honor. Hulk refused to fight because of how well his relationship with Betty was going and he didn't want to risk losing his temper again.

Brain Damage

One day while the Hulk was at work, the army showed up at his house and captured Betty. The squad was led by Glenn Talbot's nephew Matt. He blamed Betty and Hulk for his uncle's downfall and he wanted revenge against them. In order to draw out the Hulk he took Betty outside in front of the reporters and shot her in the leg, Hulk saw this and went ballistic. He jumped to his house and destroyed all of the Hulkbusters, then started heading towards Talbot. Talbot then shot her other leg to push Hulk over the edge so he would revert back to his Banner form.

Banner No More

Janis showed up with an alternate Hulk that came to Earth-616 when the Hulk was teleported away by Dr. Strange. He offered his help to the Hulk but the shrapnel in his brain was making him angry at everything, so he fought him until he was taken back to his own time. Hulk was then manipulated by Apocalypse into becoming one of his Horsemen.

Hulk began battling a group of his foes, and nearly killed the Absorbing Man and Juggernaut but Rick jumped in and Hulk swung at him. Seeing the crippled body of his best friend caused the Hulk to break free of the mind control and flee in shame. While back at home, Betty was reunited with her resurrected father, General Ross.

Life without Betty

Bruce went insane and tried to kill himself seconds after Betty was pronounced dead. Doc Samson stopped him, but he turned into the Hulk later and escaped from Gamma Base. He began coming up with elaborate scenarios to kill himself but not turn into the Hulk, but was unsuccessful and eventually seemed to get over his grief.

Planet Hulk

Hulk on Planet Sakaar

Hulk was tricked by Nick Fury and the Illuminati into going into space to shut down a rogue Hydra satellite called Godseye, which turned out to be one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s own... programmed to set off all nuclear bombs on Earth. Godseye is programmed to adapt, and to match it's enemies strength. It and Hulk engaged in a prolonged battle in space, but as it tries to match the Hulk's strength, it exploded.

After finishing the mission, Hulk returned to the main shuttle, ready to return home. A broadcast from the Illuminati appears on the monitor, with the members of the Illuminati telling Hulk of their plans. They send Hulk farther into space in order to land on a lifeless planet in which Hulk could live quietly without harming any other beings. Enraged, Hulk begins to smash the ship, sending it off course. The ship goes through a wormhole, leading Hulk to the planet Sakaar, a harsh war-filled planet.

To see more about this story arc check out the Planet Hulk page.

World War Hulk

World War Hulk

The ship that brought Hulk to Sakaar soon explodes killing many of the planet's inhabitants, including his wife and unborn child. In a rage Hulk leaves the planet for earth. When he lands, he attacks Illuminati member Professor X at the X-Mansion Despite the best efforts from the X-Men, the Hulk defeats them all. Professor X then convinces the Hulk that he was not part of the decision to exile him, and the Hulk leaves. Hulk decides to make the other Illuminati members battle to the death as punishment for sending him to planet Sakaar. He is stopped by The Sentry, after a huge battle that devastates the surrounding area.

To read more about this ark check out the World War Hulk story arc page.

Planet Skaar

Hulk vs Skaar

When the Hulk's son, Skaar, travels to Earth on a quest of vengeance against his own father, Reed Richards tries to prevent the Hulk from encountering his son. His efforts were unsuccessful, as Skaar manages to tear through the Fantastic Four and the military. Eventually, the Hulk finally does encounter him. They brawled for a moment, ignoring pleas from Hulk's Warbound. It was then that Skaar discovers that he has been fighting the Green Hulk, not his father, and that this version of the Hulk didn't remember anything. Banner manages to rise up and proclaim “never again” and instead of releasing the powerful Green Scar Hulk, he goes to save civilians. Skaar proclaims that if he ever wants to fight, he will be out there, and leaves Earth.

Hulk No More

Some time later, it was revealed that Banner had once again been captured. When Doc Samson and She-Hulk took a reluctant Ben Urich and Peter Parker into a false military base to serve as witnesses, they saw a traitorous General Ross working side-by-side with MODOK and Advanced Idea Mechanics (A.I.M.) in developing some sort of gamma super soldier program. They also saw Bruce, unconscious, in a liquid suspension pod, and A-Bomb, strapped to a table, about to be experimented on.

Fore more info on this story view the Hulk No More page.

Fall of the Hulks

The Red Hulk had "killed" Gen. Thunderbolt Ross after Ross, attacks him (wearing a prototype 'Redeemer Armor'). Banner later shows up at Ross' funeral and made an unexpected speech about Thunderbolt and Betty Ross. Later it is revealed that Banner and the Red Hulk were working together, rather shakily - and that Banner may have been involved in the death of Gen. Ross. Banner also sends both A-Bomb and the Red Hulk to an A.I.M. base to discover M.O.D.O.K.'s 'Doomsday device' which turns out to be a Cosmic Hulk Automaton. Upon hearing of the duo's defeat at the hands of the automaton, Red Hulk reveals to Banner that he also had a gamma powered daughter, Lyra.

(For more info and issues related to the "Fall of The Hulks" storyline go to Fall of The Hulks.)

World War Hulks

World War Hulks

The Leader and M.O.D.O.K. had unleashed a Cathexis ray upon the heroes that had arrived to help, as well as hundreds of AIMarines, turning them all into Hulked-out versions of themselves. The Cathexis machine is basically the same machine that gave Leonard Samson and the Red Hulk their powers. The Leader reveals that all the Hulked-out-Heroes would soon die, because of the overload of radiation in their bodies. Bruce Banner and the other ‘smartest’ reconfigure the Cathexis machine to drain the radiation from the Hulked-out-Heroes, and so that the machine that's draining the radiation doesn't malfunction or explode, Banner willingly absorbs the excess gamma radiation into his body. The machine starts absorbing energy very quickly and Banner’s body could keep up with the absorption, so Samson (attempting to show that he was always a hero), walks to the machine and begins to help Banner absorb the energy as well. For more about this storyline check out the World War Hulks page.

Last Hulk Standing

Hulk and Red Hulk fought after Red Hulk was broadcasting from the White House. After fighting for an extended period of time, Hulk prevails and takes down Red Hulk and imprisons him. Later Hulk suggests to Captain America that Red Hulk might deserve a spot on the Avengers.

Incredible Hulks

Dark Son:

Banner, Betty Ross, Skaar, Korg, Lyra, Jen Walters, and A-Bomb (Rick Jones) had hidden themselves out on a beach in Dry Tortugas, Florida, even though national media has recognized them as the heroes of the AIMarines disaster in Washington D.C. Bruce approaches Betty, trying to rekindle their estranged relationship, but only succeeds in angering her - causing her to transform into the Red She-Hulk. Immediately, she jumps several miles away, causing a good deal of destruction and alerting the authorities as to their whereabouts. After a short scuffle, Banner transformed into the Hulk and chased off after Betty. The two fought for a brief time, leaving Skaar in the care of Korg and A-Bomb. Skaar began to sense something amiss (at the exact same time as Amadeus Cho, Reed Richards, Tony Stark and Beast), and informed Korg and A-Bomb that he must find his father. They tell him to leave 'mommy and daddy' alone while they fought, but Skaar was insistent, and quite upset.

For more information visit the Dark Son story arc page.

Chaos War

Hulk Faces Abomination

As the Hulks were returning to Earth, the astral projection of Doctor Strange appeared, warning them of the danger posed by the Chaos King, whom was consuming all of reality. Immediately upon arriving on the burning world, the Hulks went in search of Lyra. She is found beneath some burning rubble, still alive, but dreaming, like most of the planet. As the Hulks reconvene, demons begin to spew from the cracking streets, and from the center of the mass, the Abomination appears.

After slamming Hulk out of the battle, Abomination quickly takes to A-Bomb, tearing his impenetrable Skin from his chest. As he screams in pain, Abomination asks Rick where his wife, Marlo, was. Since Marlo had once housed a piece of the embodiment of Death, Abomination could smell her on all those who had been in contact with her.

For more information check out the Chaos War story arc page.

Scorched Earth

Bruce Banner has been working with Steve Rogers in preparing the Red Hulk for integration into a hero-role. 'Scorched Earth' is what the Leader and MODOK call their back-up plan to destroy the world should their Intelligencia be disrupted and defeated. A series of catastrophic events begin to go unchecked in their absence and Banner takes charge in stopping them from destroying the planet. Banner sends out A-Bomb and Red Hulk (under chaperonage) to handle these events. At the same time, Banner has Lyra and She-Hulk tracking down and apprehending the other rogue members of the Intelligencia.

The Spy Who Smashed Me

After leaving the Savage Land, Banner teams up with Amadeus Cho to investigate what Betty has been up to. Banner follows her to Rome to a benefactors celebration. Banner discovers that she is there with Tyrannus, causing him to turn into Hulk. Betty and Tyrannus steal Pandora's Box and frames Hulk for the incident.

Fear Itself

Hulk as Nul

While Hulk and Red She-Hulk were having a private chat, a hammer fell near their location. Betty tried to pick it up but she was unable to make it budge. When the Hulk touched the hammer, he was transformed into Nul, Breaker of Worlds. He became one of the Serpent's Worthy and went on a rampage in order to spread fear. As Nul, he battled Thor with the help of Angrir (Thing). Thor was able to defeat both members of the Worthy and knock Nul into orbit. Nul ends up in the middle of Europe at the castle of Dracula and the vampire nation. Nul quickly breaks through the various armies of Dracula leaving the count no other choice but to use The Forgiven, a group of vampires that have left the vampire nation to try and stop the rampaging Worthy. Their efforts prove futile and when Nul finally reaches Dracula, Betty Banner is able to convince the Hulk to fight the Serpent's influence and he breaks his hammer in half, destroying the magic inside and returning to Bruce Banner. Banner soon returns to Hulk form and tells Dracula he is letting him live since he helped to reach him in breaking the Serpent's control over him and then leaves the vampire nation in ruin. In the aftermath of Fear Itself, it's revealed that the Hulk is once again split from Bruce Banner, however, in destroying the worldbreaker, Nul is set free on Earth. Leaving the Hulk to reach out to Dr. Strange and rebuild the Defenders to stop Nul for good.

For more information check out the Fear Itself story arc page.

Asunder

After regaining control of himself and breaking the hammer of Nul hulk says he wants to be alone and physically seperates from banner. Later Bruce and Betty are relaxing on a tropical island when a guide comes and tells Bruce they are ready to test for radiation. When he tells her he is trying to replicate the hulk (seeing him as banners greatest achievement) she transforms and leaps away. The hulk has gone to live underground with a family of moloids when Commander Amanda Von Doom of the U.S. Government asks for his help. Meanwhile Banner gathers test subjects trying to replicate the Hulk without success. The gamma dogs he uses to round up test subjects find Hulks adoptive family and kill them, causing him to join Amanda and confront Banner on his island. Hulk tore through Banners monsters to the man himself as he was about to set of a gamma bomb to replicate the events of the the original event that created the Hulk. after failing to fight of the Hulk he grabs banner and holds him up to the bomb as it detonates vaporizing Banner and seemingly killing him.

Afterward he travels the world looking for happiness. He eventually encounters Betty who tries to punish him for kill banner. After a fight they reconcile and have sex. Afterward Hulk realized that he hates being alone, and closing his eyes turns back into banner, who states that he will never be alone again.

Personal Data

Characteristics

• Height: 5' 9 1/2"(Banner), 7'-8'(Savage Hulk), 6'6"(Gray Hulk/Joe Fixit), 7'6"(Merged Hulk), 8'8"(Green Scar).
• Weight: 145 lbs(Banner), 1,040 lbs-1,400 lbs (Savage Hulk), 900 lbs (Joe Fixit), 1,150 lbs (Merged Hulk), 2,400 lbs (Green Scar)
• Hair Color: Brown (Banner), Green (Green Hulk), Black (Joe Fixit/Gray Hulk)
• Eyes Color: Brown (Banner), Black/Grey (Gray Hulk/Joe Fixit), Green (Green Hulk/Green Scar)

Status

• Place of Birth: Dayton, Ohio
• Citizenship: USA
• Education: PhDs in nuclear physics, and two other fields
• Occupation: Hunter, former nuclear physicist, former warrior, ruler of Sakaar, gladiator/slave, adventurer, mechanic, enforcer, research scientist,
• Known Relatives: Caiera (wife, deceased), Skaar, Hiro-Kala (sons), Lyra (She-Hulk, genetic daughter), Brian and Rebecca Banner (parents, deceased), Jen Walters (She-Hulk, Cousin) , Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross (Red Hulk, father-in-law), Elizabeth "Betty" Ross Talbot Banner (Red She-Hulk, ex-wife)

Powers and Abilities

The Incredible Hulk

The Hulk is best known for his primary power; superhuman strength. The Hulk's strength is contingent upon his emotions, specifically anger, fear, excitement or stress or any combination of those. The more relaxed he is, the lower his strength level is. Conversely, the more angry the Hulk becomes the stronger he becomes. Pain can also increase his strength level exponentially, as well as gaining strength the more he exerts himself.

For this reason, The Hulk has a nearly limitless level of superhuman strength. In a totally calm state he can lift about 100 tons (this would be the normal, green version of the Hulk, because the Grey Hulk can lift 70 tons at base strength). When the Hulk is very mad he can lift up well over 100 tons. He has been known to destroy mountains, aircraft carriers, and support the weight of continents during Tectonic shifts. His greatest strength feats (and general power) are:

- Holding together tectonic plates of planet.

- Preventing Sakar (planet) from falling apart with physical strength.

- Destroying the asteroid 2 times the size of the Earth with his fists slam (Grey Hulk and also partly durability feat).

- Supporting a 150 billion ton mountain on his back.

He also has an incredible healing factor, and some believe that most of Hulk's invulnerability stems from his incredibly fast regenerative ability, which is much faster than Wolverine's. The healing factor may also attribute to the Hulk's ability to survive for an untested length of time without air or food. He is also able to withstand the rigors of space unaided. This healing ability also gives him an extended life span, in several alternate realities, the Hulk outlives all other life on earth. The main reason the Hulk doesn't have Banners personality, like the other gamma radiation characters who retain their personality, is he had an abusive father, and repressed it. Hulk also has the ability to run at a speed of 330 miles per hour or more depending on how angry he is and what incarnation of the hulk it is, and can leap all the way from the deserts in Arizona to San Francisco in one great jump with ease (he has been seen jumping across oceans). The Hulk has also been able to leap into the Earth's lower orbit. Hulk also has various different incarnations such as: Savage Hulk, Grey Hulk and Professor Hulk. They have variations in power-levels, especially in intellect.

Banner himself, along with some Hulk incarnations, possesses a genius level scientific intellect. Banner is one of the 8 smartest people on Earth.

The senses of the Hulk are not normal. Though it seems at times he can scarcely distinguish friend from foe, he has shown unusual supernatural perceptions, such as being able to somehow see the astral body of Dr. Strange, which mortal men cannot. He also has Super-humanly fast reflexes (although we don't know if he's fast enough to dodge bullets or not, but he wouldn't need to because of his durability),

The events of Planet Hulk, World War Hulk, and its aftermath shed greater light on the Hulk's abilities. On the Planet Sakaar, his blood has been shown to transmit its regenerative abilities to making the alien flora germinate and grow at a rapid pace. Amadeus Cho also postulated that Banner's persona and intellect influence the Hulk to a greater degree than previously thought. He deduced that the Hulk is like him in many ways, able to calculate the effects of his actions to a degree so fine that he can use the maximum amount of force in any given time, and yet not kill anyone. Cho backed up his theory with the fact that despite the Hulk unleashing more power than he had ever shown before in the World War Hulk event, no one died at his hands, whether directly or indirectly.

Reed Richards later states that Banner is actively suppressing the aspect of himself dubbed the Green Scar (later renamed by the Green Scar persona himself as the World-Breaker). In this aspect he was able to destroy entire planet in the dark dimension (incredible hulks 634), and became 80 feet (not for a long time) tall by absorbing radiation.

Strength:

The Hulk's base strength varies with his form. Without exertion, he can easily lift over 100 tons (unless it's the Grey hulk whose base strength is 75 tons) of weight. When angered, the Hulk exceeds his base strength exponentially as demonstrated by previously noted feats. Based on agitation, mood, and motivation, the Hulk's power is potentially limitless. During the World War Hulk event, the Hulk became so angry, that each step he took was tearing apart the Earth.

Intelligence:

The Hulk's intelligence also varies between different incarnations of the Hulk. Each separate personality differs in intellect, from the near mindless to Banner's level (Banner is one of the 8 smartest men on the planet). In several instances, the Hulk and Banner coexist within the body of the Hulk, sharing experiences, feelings, and intelligence. These have proven to be the most dangerous incarnations of the Hulk.

Longetivity:

Because of his healing factor that regenerates his cells, and the gamma energy he has absorbed that empowers him, the Hulk can live longer then is normal. A possible future persona, the Maestro, was in physical prime in spite of being more than one hundred years old. In another alternate future it is implied that the Hulk's body effectively lasts forever but there is much question if that is true.

Other Hulk Incarnations

Bruce Banner's psyche is fragmented and fractured due to years of repression, made worse by the altered genetics he was born with as well as the irradiation from the gamma bomb accident.

The Gray Hulk

The first appearance/emergence of the Hulk was gray and only transformed from Banner to Hulk during the night.

The Savage Hulk

This is the 'traditional' Hulk personality. He has been compared to a child and talks of himself in the 3rd person, mostly in fragmented sentences. This Hulk typically only wants to be left alone.

The Gravage Hulk

A merge of the Savage Hulk With The Gray/Fixit Hulk, which occurred when Banner had control of the Hulk, thanks to his Gamma Projector.

The Mindless Hulk

This Hulk originated when Nightmare broke in Banner's mind and his worst visions and fears of the Hulk merged into another being.

Microverse Hulk

While the Hulk spent time in the Microverse, he remained intelligent and even married. He was made king and in his wake even left the people of K'ai worshiping him.

The Guilt Hulk

This Hulk is the incarnation of Banner's regret. This Hulk has never physically manifested.

The Beast Hulk

This is another incarnation of Hulk that has never physically manifested.

The Devil Hulk

The personification of Banner's resentment against the world. He wishes to destroy all of humanity once he gains control of Banner's body.

Joe Fixit (Mr. Fixit)

Thinking the Hulk dead, this incarnation of Hulk was able to escape to Las Vegas, working as a 'leg-breaker' for a casino owner. He remained free of Banner for months and developed a life all his own until the transformations returned and he was fired from his job. He is capable of lifting 70 tons.

King Hulk/World War Hulk

This version of the Hulk was a combination of efforts between Banner and the more intelligent of the green personalities. Working with Banner's intelligence and cooperation, Hulk took control of the planet Sakaar, bringing peace to the land, marrying and even conceiving two children, Skaar and Hiro-Kala. After his kingdom was sabotaged, he returned to Earth to wage war on the Illuminati.

Alternate Realities

Age of X

In this alternate universe, Bruce Banner was a military sanctioned scientist set with the task of helping cure mutants of their 'affliction'. A group of test volunteers was established to undergo a Gamma-pulse type of machine that would potentially 'cure' the volunteers of their mutant abilities. During the calibration process, one of the mutants panicked, causing the machine to malfunction, killing the volunteers and irradiating Banner. The malfunction and the deaths of the mutants sent 'shrapnel' of the volunteers into Banner, so that he will always have them as a part of him. During his transformation, Banner became uncontrollable at first, killing his best friend and his fiance. Banner has since become obsessed with exterminating mutants and joined a group of 'Avengers' set upon the task of capturing/killing the outlaws.

Marvel 2099 (Earth-928)

Hulk 2099

In this alternate future, a film producer named John Eisenhart was exposed by gamma radiation by a cultist who worshiped the original Hulk called the Knights of Banner. For more information go to: Hulk 2099

Age of Apocalypse (Earth-295)

Earth-295 Age of Apocalypse

In this universe, where Apocalypse rule all of North America, Bruce was never exposed to the gamma radiation, therefore, he did not became the Hulk. In stead he became a member of the Human High Council, where he is a scientist and weapons designer. He yearns to become a mutate so he sold himself to Mihkail Rasputin, one of the Horsemen of Apocalypse, to give him mutant experiments to test on to gain superpowers. He succeed in his experiments and he can now transform in the Thing, a creature resembling the Grey Hulk. So he was used as a mole in the Council, but was discovered by Susan Storm and Ben Grimm because the patterns of his injuries that was the same as the Thing. Eventually Grey Hulk tried to stop Tony Stark and Gwen Stefany but he couldn't.

Earth X (Earth-9997)

In this universe, the Hulk and Bruce Banner are finally separated due to prolonged exposure to gamma radiation. But they seem to share a mutual relationship as they need each other to survive. Bruce has become a child but is also blind and can only see through the Hulk's eyes. The Hulk has become an ape-like creature that has become profoundly retarded, but still angrier than ever.

House of M (Earth-58163)

House of M Hulk

In this universe, where Magneto rules the world, mutants are the ruling population and the humans are the minority, Bruce is in Australia where he met a tribe of aborigines who will help him control his rage. When the mutants attack the tribe, Bruce turns into the hulk and defeats them. He later conquered the whole continent with the help of AIM. After that, he became a father to one of the scientist of AIM, having a daughter.

Future Imperfect (Earth-9200)

In this alternate future, nuclear war has killed all the super-humans and the Hulk is the only one that remained. In this universe, Hulk has become old and is ruling a city called Dystopia where he ruled in a malevolent manner.

Marvel Zombie-verse (Earth-2149)

Zombie Hulk

In this universe, the Hulk is one of the superheroes that becomes affected by the zombie virus. When the Silver Surfer arrives on earth he is attacked by the zombie heroes and villains. Silver surfer manages to fend them of for a while but eventually he get's overcome. Hulk proceeds to eat part of Silver Surfer's body and therein gains a portion of the power cosmic. When Galactus appears to eat the earth, Hulk and the other zombie superheroes try to defeat him and devour him with the use of the power cosmic. After eating whats left of Galactus, they set out to other planets to try to satisfy their never-ending hunger. After eating a planet full of skrulls, they came back to earth where the Hulk turns back to Bruce Banner. The other zombies try to subdue him, unfortunately Bruce turns back into the Hulk and ate the other zombies, including Wasp. Distraught about the loss of Janet, Sentry asked the Hulk to eat him to put him out of his misery. Hulk eats Sentry and turns into Banner once again. Bruce feels guilty for eating Sentry, he ask the other zombies to kill him before he can harm more people as the Hulk.

MC2 (Earth-982)

In this alternate future, the Hulk is now a combination of his 3 persona's; the strength of the savage hulk, the attitude of the Grey hulk, and the intelligence of the professor. When Loki mind controlled the majority of the old heroes, Hulk was one of them and he was brainwashed to attack the other heroes. When he was freed and Loki was banished to hell by Thor, Hulk joined and made sure that he will make Loki's life worse than hell.

Ultimate Universe (Earth-1610)

Ultimate Hulk

Ultimate Hulk

In this universe, Bruce Banner is a scientist working for SHIELD. When he combined his super soldier serum with his blood and injected it into his system, it turned him into The Hulk which represented Bruce's is. Ultimate Hulk was part of Nick Fury's team The Ultimates. This version of The Hulk was also a lot more brutal and more violent than his 616 counterpart, he was have said to have killed hundreds of civilians, and 62 of them being children.

In Ultimate Wolverine vs Hulk, he was also seen tearing apart people and literally eating them. This version of The Hulk was also taller than his 616 counterpart, he was classified as 8'1". This version of The Hulk gained full control of himself when he traveled to Tibet. Ultimate Hulk however returned to his savage state and lost full control over himself. He was shown to have also killed, dismembered and eaten The Abomination.

Larval Universe (Earth-8311)

In this universe, Hulk is turned into a rabbit named Hulk Bunny

Marvel 1602 (Earth-311)

In this universe, David Banner is the adviser of King James when he inherited the throne. He was given the task to kill Sir Nicolas Fury. During his mission, he was exposed with a strange energy that transformed him into the Hulk of that reality.

Mutant X (Earth-1298)

In this reality, Yellow jacket and Stingray commented that Bruce has found a cure to his condition and is no longer the Hulk or even a member of the Avengers. The Hulk in this reality is actually Mystique impersonating the Hulk.

What If? (Earth-774)

In this version where the Hulk has the intellect of Bruce Banner, he was able to live a normal life and eventually got married to Betty Ross. He also helps Mr. Fantastic on his research on returning Ben Grimm in his normal state. They were successful and Ben's transformation resulted in the Fantastic Four disassembling. With the help of Professor X, they created a machine more powerful than Cerebro which they used to defeat Galactus. The victory came at a cost. They lost their powers and Ben regressed into a less intelligent version of the Thing.

What If? (World War Hulk)

In this reality, the satellite bombardment that stopped the Sentry/WWH fight destroyed Manhattan and all of the heroes within its range. The island is now a wasteland, containing too much residual radiation for anyone to enter. Bruce Banner survived and because of the Hulk he is immune to the radiation surrounding him. He has buried what bodies he could find and is setting a grave for himself when the Vision finds him. Vision enlists Hulk in fighting for the resistance against the Skrulls, who've invaded all aspects of life on Earth. A surprise attack lays waste to the resistance fighters, but Hulk again survives. The Silver Surfer responds to a beacon set off by Hulk and the Hulk forces the Silver Surfer to summon Galactus to destroy the world, the Skrulls, and himself. Reluctantly, the Surfer obliges and Galactus arrives to consume the new Skrull home-world. Again, Hulk is the only living thing to survive Galactus' onslaught. Galactus is in need of a new herald and offers to wipe the Hulk's memories away, granting him the Power Cosmic. The Hulk becomes the World Breaker, herald of Galactus.

Earth-691

In this reality, Hulk is one of the heroes that fought and died during the invasion of Martians.

Earth-12

In this reality, Hulk is the friend of the Exiles member, Mimic.

Earth-8545

In this reality, the Hulk is one of many heroes that have been infected by the mutated Legacy Virus combined with Warlock's technarch.

Earth-9511

In this reality, Hulk along with Thor and Thing help Hercules in the fight in Olympus. They never returned.

Earth-42777

In this reality, Hulk was killed by Iron Man by detonating a highly concentrated Gamma Bomb, but it also turned Wonder Man into the Hulk which is more powerful than Bruce.

Earth Charnel (Earth-9939)

Hulk is one of the few survivors in Earth Charnel, he protects a small group of survivors in the wastelands as a member of the X-Saviors

Earth-873

Hulk was unhinged from time and he joined Time-broker's team Weapon X.

Other media

The Hulk has appeared frequently in Marvel media since the introduction of the character.

Television

One of the most famous portrayals of the character was in the live action 1970s television show and related movies (where the character’s alter ego was known as David Banner). The Hulk has also appeared regularly in animated movies and television shows. “ Hulk Vs.” was a self titled movie from 2009, and the character has also appeared in numerous X-Men related animated television shows.

Movies

Hulk (2003)

Ang Lee Hulk 2003

Bruce Banner is portrayed by Eric Bana, while the Hulk was motion captured by the Director Ang Lee. Bruce Banner's father, David Banner is a genetist who has experimented on himself, in search of a way to improve the Human DNA, these genes are passed onto his son, Bruce, who shows no signs of emotions and when he does green patches are seen. After an accident, Bruce is sent to foster care. As an adult, Bruce works alongside Betty Ross in a research facility. An accident in the lab leads to Bruce being bathed in radiation and nanites, which awakens his altered DNA. Eventually he transforms into the Hulk and causes destruction, but after his return to normal he has no recollection of the Hulk and is captured by the military. His father, who is the janitor of the research facility, tries to convince Bruce how the military has destroyed both of their lives, eventually David bites an electrical cord, causing him to absorb its properties and transform into a being of pure electricity. Bruce upon seeing this, transforms into the Hulk and clashes with his father, eventually leading David to try and absorb the energy of the Hulk. Unable to sustain and control this energy he starts swelling and is destroyed by a Bomb that was launched by General Ross, both Son and Father are presumed dead. Eventually Bruce found work as a doctor in a medical camp within the Amazon forest.

The Incredible Hulk (2008)

Hulk 2008

Edward Norton had been cast to play Bruce Banner in this film and the Hulk had been purely made by CGI without any motion capture. He is a fugitive from the USA, as his first transformation into the Hulk led to the hospitalization of his love Betty Ross. He has been in the run for five years. During his time in Brazil, working in a soft drinks factory, he attempts to find a cure to rid himself of the Hulk, he is helped by an Internet friend "Mr. Blue". An accident in the factory, leads General Thaddeus Ross to discover Bruce's location, where he sends a special team to capture him, which is led by a British special ops expert, Emil Blonsky. He eventually escapes this team through his transformation into the Hulk. He travels to the USA, where he spots a recovered Betty who he tries to avoid. Eventually Betty meets up with Bruce. Later on in the University Bruce is attacked by the military and a super soldier induced Blonsky, which the Hulk escapes from with an unconscious Betty. Eventually Betty and Bruce meet up with "Mr. Blue", who turns out to be Samuel Sterns. In Sterns lab Bruce learns that Sterns has developed an antidote to his condition. Bruce accepts to test the cure, despite the fact that it could kill him, the test is a success. But Bruce learns that Sterns has mass produced his blood, while trying to convince Sterns to destroy all this supply Bruce is shot by a tranquilizer. Eventually Banner is forced to transform in to the Hulk, after his realization that he is the only one who stands a chance to stop the recently Hulk like transformed Blonsky. He is able to subdue Blonsky, even though he nearly strangled him to death if not for Betty's plea to release him. Bruce is latter seen in Bella Coola, British Columbia where he is attempting to initiate a controlled transformation into the Hulk.

The Avengers (2012)

Mark Ruffalo Hulk 2012

Mark Ruffalo is playing Bruce Banner and the Hulk, through motion-capture technology similar to that used in Avatar. At the start of the film he is a doctor in India, and has not faced an incident in over a year. After his contact with Natasha Romanoff, which he was tricked into, he is bought aboard the Helicarrier, where he is researching up on the location of the Tesseract and on the recently acquired sceptre of Loki. Eventually an argument forms among the team over SHIELDs plans for weapons of mass destruction that will be powered by the Tesseract, leads them to be unaware of a brainwashed Hawkeye's attack on the Hellicarrier, which causes Bruce to unwillingly transform into the Hulk, causing devastation aboard the ship and into a battle with Thor. He eventually arrives in time for the final battle in New York and reveals how he kept the Hulk at bay for all this time, he is always angry. As the Hulk he takes out a Leviathan with a single punch and aids the Avengers in the battle against the Chitauri. The Hulk is the final Avenger to beat Loki. After the departure of Loki, Thor and the Tesseract back to Asgard, Bruce and Tony Stark are seen in Stark's sports car and the rest of the team go their seperate ways.

Video Games

In video game format the character is a staple when Marvel characters are involved and has appeared in Fantastic Four, Hulk: Ultimate Destruction, Marvel Ultimate Alliance, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2, The Incredible Hulk, Marvel Super Hero Squad, Super Hero Squad Online and several fighting games since Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter to the Marvel vs. Capcom series (Clash of heroes, 2: New Age of Heroes and 3: Fate of two Worlds).

Novels

Hulk

From acclaimed filmmaker Ang Lee, a dark vision of the beast that lives inside the man... In a Berkeley lab, Bruce Banner, a young man haunted by his murky past and the parents he never knew, works intensely day and night. A bright scientist with repressed emotions and few social skills, Bruce and his colleague, the sharp and beautiful Betty Ross, experiment with the body's ability to repair itself and fight disease. But their research draws unwanted attention. For the power of regeneration catches the eye of the military, which sees its potential on the battlefields of the future. But when Bruce is exposed to radiation in an accident that should have killed him, a ferocious truth about his past begins to emerge along with something else, something deep inside his own body that is triggered when he is provoked... when he is pushed beyond reason... when anger takes over and he transforms into... THE HULK Written By: Peter David Publisher: Del Rey (April, 2003) ISBN-10: 0345459679 ISBN-13: 978-0345459671

Spider-Man: Doom's Day Book One - Rampage

Book one of the Spider-Man Team-Up trilogy, book two teams up with the Iron Man and book three follows our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man's team-up with the Fantastic Four. Written By: Danny Fingeroth & Eric Fein Publisher: Berkley (September, 1996) ISBN-10: 1572971649 ISBN-13: 978-1572971646

Spider-Man Super Thriller (8): Warrior's Revenge

Bruce Banner--the Incredible Hulk--and his wife, Betty, travel to New York to meet an old friend. There, they discover that their friend is a target for assassination by the notorious Super-Skrull, an alien possessing all the powers of the Fantastic Four. Teaming-up with the amazing Spider-Man, the Hulk must stop the shapeshifting villain from carrying out his mission. Written By: Neal Barrett Publisher: Pocket (August, 1997) ISBN-10: 0671008005 ISBN-13: 978-0671008000

The Incredible Hulk

THE HERO WHO'S ALL THE RAGE Scientist Bruce Banner is desperately researching a tormenting mystery: himself. He must find the cure that will counteract a radioactive element inside his body that causes him to transform, when furious, into that most fearsome and powerful of creatures: The Hulk. While Bruce aims to rid himself of his wild alter ego and live a normal life with the woman he loves, others namely General Thunderbolt Ross and the shadowy military establishment seek to trap him and harness the energy he contains. But soon they are all threatened by a new nemesis, one who may be even deadlier than military might or the Hulk himself a mysterious and terrifying entity correctly called The Abomination. Written By: Peter David Publisher: Del Rey (May, 2008) ISBN-10: 0345506995 ISBN-13: 978-0345506993

The Incredible Hulk: Abominations

Dr. Bruce Banner, the incredible Hulk, once again matches wits with an old nemesis, former KGB agent-turned-Abomination Emil Blonsky, who has allied himself with URSA, a secret and deadly organization dedicated to retoring the old Soviet Union. Written By: Jason Henderson Publisher: Berkley (July, 1997) ISBN-10: 1572972734 ISBN-13: 978-1572972735

The Incredible Hulk: What Savage Beast

Struggling to give his wife a normal life, avoid an obsessed army officer, and defeat the imbalance that causes him to turn into the Incredible Hulk, Dr. Banner conducts a risky experiment that is complicated by his wife's pregnancy. Written By: Peter David Publisher: Berkley (July, 1996) ISBN-10: 1572971355 ISBN-13: 978-1572971356

The Ultimate Hulk

This stunning new collection delivers more than a dozen original, never-before-published tales starring one of Marvel Comics' most enduring characters: the Incredible Hulk. The stories span the entire career of the green goliath, from his early days as an inarticulate savage to his more intelligent incarnation to an unprecedented glimpse at his future as he faces the end of the world. Written By: Various, Anthology Publisher: Berkley (October, 1998) ISBN-10: 0425165132 ISBN-13: 978-0425165133