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Quote1 I can't have this, any of this. There is no place on Earth I can go where I'm not a monster. Quote2
Bruce Banner[src]

History

Early Life[]

Bruce Banner was born on December 18, 1969, and became a renowned research scientist, biochemist and genius in nuclear physics working at Culver University, along with his former Harvard co-ed/girlfriend and cellular biologist Dr. Elizabeth "Betty" Ross.

Under the watch of Betty's father, Lieutenant General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross, both scientists were recruited by the US Army to work on a top-secret bio-tech force enhancement research program, being part of their private and undisclosed attempt to recreate the WWII super-soldier formula that created Captain America, as a preventive measure for the next generation of warfare. Unbeknownst to Banner, who was working on the subdivision responsible to strengthen human cellular resistance to radiation, a serum developed with Dr. Betty Ross would be enhanced by military scientists, transforming the soldier protection original formula into a biological weapon.[9]

Experiments Gone Wrong[]

Bruce Banner and Gamma Ray Projector (Earth-199999) from The Incredible Hulk (2008 film) 0001

The Hulk's origin.

Banner was sure that gamma radiation would activate and stabilize the serum in the human system as well as the vita-rays formula from Dr. Reinstein.[10] He was so sure, in fact, and under the threat of funding cuts, he had himself injected with it and exposed to a high amount of the gamma radiation. The combination of the two caused Banner to transform into a heavily muscled giant with incredible strength, but vastly reduced intellect. The incident caused an explosion at the campus and the raging monster broke loose. In his escape, he destroyed the lab, fought against the army and accidentally injured Betty and her father. His future transformations into the Hulk would be triggered by the release of adrenaline when he became intensely excited, angered or frightened.

While Betty was comatose in the hospital, he learned the truth about what he had been working on. He had believed that the serum was intended for enhancing radiation resistance, but in reality, the military was more interested in creating a weapon. Blaming himself for all the people he hurt, the scientist decided to escape, and went into hiding while the army declared a confidential manhunt, led by General Ross.[9][11]

On The Run[]

Banner wandered the world avoiding population centers.[11] In an apparently aimless journey, he came to be spotted via satellite recon photo in Canada and the Hulk sighted by locals along the North America who mistook him for a “green Sasquatch". While travelling through the Dakotas and towards Idaho a few months after the first transformation, an encounter with some state troopers led to violence. An investigation into his former hideout, suggested that he was studying botany as well as that he was eventually heading to South America.[9]

Finding A Cure[]

After five years on the run, and still a fugitive, Banner had found work as a handyman in a soft drink bottling factory in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil while attempting to find a cure for his condition, looking for plants which inhibited radiation (Amazonia Tracheophytes) with the assistance of an Internet friend known to him as "Mr. Blue". With the aid of martial arts training and meditative breathing techniques, he had managed to go five months without a transformation. After some research, "Mr. Blue" requested that Banner send him a blood sample, which through some tests revealed a potential cure, however Blue needed the data of the accident that had changed him first. Unfortunately while at work, a small cut to his finger saw a drop of his blood fall into a bottle in the factory, and though he halted production and attempted to find where the blood went, it escaped his notice and he assumed the situation was safe. The tainted bottle found its way into the hands of a consumer in the United States. The resulting effects on the man were reported to General Ross, who had been hunting Banner ever since the original accident.

General Ross tracked the origin of the bottle and arrived at the factory with a team led by British Royal Marines-trained officer Emil Blonsky to bring Banner in. Following a ferocious battle in the soft drink bottling plant where he transformed into the Hulk, Banner escaped Blonsky to Guatemala, before making his way back to the United States. Returning to Culver University, he found that Betty was still working there in the Cellular Biology Department, and was dating psychiatrist Dr. Leonard. He also found his old friend Stanley, a pizzeria owner, who gave him a job as a delivery boy. Banner used this job to sneak past a university security guard to continue his research, only to discover that the government got rid of all the details of the incident. One night, Betty visited the pizzeria, discovered Bruce, and the pair reunited shortly thereafter. Banner spent the night at Betty's, where she revealed to him that she still had the research on a drive. Banner took the drive, with the intention of bringing it to Mr. Blue.

Mr. Green[]

Bruce Banner (Earth-199999) and Emil Blonsky (Earth-199999) from The Incredible Hulk (2008 film) 0001

The Hulk unleashed

General Ross received a tip-off from Samson as to Banner's whereabouts and staged a military attempt to capture the scientist on the Culver University campus. Emil Blonsky was again thrown into the fray, this time with biological enhancements of his own. Even with Blonsky in charge and Stark Industries experimental high-tech weapons, the operation turned into a catastrophic failure when Banner witnessed Betty being knocked down, and the rage building up within him once again unleashed the raging green beast. He engaged and routed the assembled military, also grievously injuring Blonsky, who was left in a critical state with bones crushed throughout his body. Grabbing Betty, Banner then fled the scene to Smokey Mountain National Forest. The incident was covered by media outlets, and witnesses to the battle dubbed the green beast the "Hulk".

Heading to New York City, Bruce and Betty were making small stops along the way. Betty pawned her mother's necklace to pay for a vehicle, while Bruce e-mailed Mr. Blue the research. Little did he know that S.H.I.E.L.D. was monitoring communications that mentioned the aliases "Mr. Blue" and "Mr. Green", which tipped off Major Kathleen Sparr to his location. They went to Grayburn College, Manhattan, to meet Banner's "Mr. Blue" Internet friend, Dr. Samuel Sterns, a cellular biologist. Accompanying Sterns to his lab, Banner and Betty learned that Sterns had developed a possible antidote that might reverse Banner's transformations after their occurrence, but was unlikely to prevent future ones, while an overdose could possibly kill him. Despite the risks, Banner agreed to test Sterns' antidote, and submitted to a test. The experiment worked, and exhilarated by the success, Sterns revealed that he had synthesized Banner's blood sample into a large supply with the intention of using it to enhance the human condition to the next evolutionary level. Appalled by what his colleague had done and fearful of the Hulk's power falling into the wrong hands, Banner attempted to convince Sterns to destroy the blood, but was then shot with a tranquilizer dart by one of General Ross' snipers.

The Abomination[]

Bruce Banner vs

The Hulk fighting Abomination

As both Banner and Betty were taken into custody, Blonsky, whose super-soldier treatment had healed him, was desperate for more power. He confronted Sterns and pressured him into providing him a gamma infusion to match that of Banner's. The resulting transformation mutated Blonsky into a hideous titan that then began rampaging through the city in a bid to draw out The Hulk. Banner, realizing that he was the only one who could stop the Abomination, convinced General Ross to release him. He jumped out of a helicopter, counting on the fall triggering a transformation, as he focused on Blonsky as an obvious threat, as opposed to him turning into a mindless monster again.

Banner's plan succeeded, and after a violent, pitched battle in Harlem, he defeated the Abomination by strangling him with a high-tensile chain. Before he could strangle his opponent to death however, he was stopped by the intervention of Betty, and after shoving Blonsky to General Ross' feet left the scene with the army in hot pursuit. After turning back, Banner fled north to Canada. Thirty-one days on the run, he had found himself a secluded place to rest in Bella Coola, British Columbia, and there he began practicing a new technique of initiating his transformation in a controlled manner.[9]

The Other Guy[]

Bruce Banner (Earth-199999) and Anthony Stark (Earth-199999) from Marvel's The Avengers 0001

Dr. Banner with Tony Stark

A year and a half after the last incident, Banner found a new direction for himself acting as an unregistered physician helping people in the poverty-stricken slums of Kolkata. No longer obsessed with finding a cure for himself, he had gained peace of mind in helping others. One night while working, he found himself lured into a meeting with Natasha Romanoff, an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., who proposed a job for him helping S.H.I.E.L.D. track the location of the Tesseract, an object of limitless power that had fallen into the possession of Loki, a being not of Earth. Initially dubious, and suspecting that S.H.I.E.L.D. was really after his green alter ego, Banner resisted, but eventually he relented and agreed to Romanoff's request.

Arriving on the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier, he was introduced to Steve Rogers, (a.k.a. Captain America) the super soldier Banner aimed to replicate years prior who had recently been found after decades of being frozen in ice. Steve was nice to Bruce, not treating has as though he would turn into the Hulk at any moment. He worked together on his assignment with Tony Stark, the industrialist also known as "Iron Man", and was introduced to others, who like himself, were also more than human. Almost immediately, the clash of personalities within this assembled group provided a constant source of tension for all and Banner was subjected to frequent reminders of his need to contain the beast within. When others of the group apprehended Loki, and the Asgardian was imprisoned on the carrier, the antagonism only got worse. Banner and Stark both came to suspect that S.H.I.E.L.D. and Fury wanted the Tesseract for something more than unlimited energy, as they could have requested Stark's help with his Arc Reactor technology for the same purpose. Stark persuaded Banner to voice his thoughts to Steve.

Bruce Banner (Earth-199999) from Marvel's The Avengers 0002

The Hulk mid-transformation.

During a heated argument between the team, Banner called the team a "time bomb" and ended up revealing his suicidal tendencies. He was about to reveal how he kept a lid on the Hulk, but was interrupted when his computer gave him the location of the Tesseract. He was shocked to learn that it was located at Stark Tower, but before he could inform the rest of the team, he unintentionally transformed into the Hulk due to Clinton Barton, a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent under Loki's control, triggered an explosion in the Helicarrier. Explosions from the attack caused debris from the ceiling to rain down on Banner, injuring him and triggering the change. He first rampaged around the vessel hunting Agent Romanoff, before turning his attention on Thor on the hangar deck. Finally, a S.H.I.E.L.D. pilot in a fighter jet outside got his attention by shooting him through a window, causing the Hulk to leap out and fall.

Banner awoke in the blasted remnants of a warehouse and was immediately greeted by a lone security guard who offered him clothing. He was also relieved to learn that nobody else had been around when he crashed down.

Battle of New York[]

Bruce Banner (Earth-199999) from Marvel's The Avengers 0007

Banner eventually caught up with his superhuman acquaintances assembling at the base of Stark Tower to counter the army Loki unleashed through a inter-dimensional rift in the sky. Although they were wary of another transformation, they insisted that he would be a help. Banner obliged, triggering a controlled transformation, then together with the others, he turned his attention to the Chitauri invasion force pouring through the portal. The Hulk did indeed prove to be an asset to the group. Not only did he single-handedly kill the first of the Chitauri leviathans that came through the portal, he was an unstoppable force in dealing with individual alien warriors, and instrumental in capturing Loki.

The threat had been neutralized and for a time the world would have little need of its protectors. While some were afraid of what a team of superhumans would entail, the majority of the world's population and most media outlets praised the heroics of Hulk and the group known as the Avengers. Long after the battle was over, Banner, now back to normal again, gathered with the others to see off Thor and the captive Loki. Banner and the remaining heroes said their goodbyes and parted ways.[10]

A few months after the Battle of New York, Tony Stark, in the wake of a confrontation against Aldrich Killian, came to Dr. Banner to talk about his traumas and life experiences. Banner fell asleep near the beginning of the session, telling Stark that he was "not that kind of doctor".[12]

Avengers Reassembled[]

Avengers (Earth-199999) from Avengers Age of Ultron 001

When S.H.I.E.L.D. collapsed in a bitterly fought coup a year later, Loki's sceptre, that had been central to so much trouble, fell into the hands of Hydra.[13] Bruce Banner reformed with his fellow Avengers in order to help get it back, but this time his green alter ego was also in high demand. Banner had always feared the damage that he could cause, and so he and his teammates had developed a number of protocols to deal with the Hulk. One of them was the "Code Green" protocol, whereby he would be held in reserve unless the team called for him only when absolutely necessary. Another was Veronica, a suit developed by Stark that had the capability of defeating the Hulk, if he ever got out of hand. Bruce had also developed a rapport with Romanoff, and she would routinely help the Hulk transform back into Banner with a calming technique they referred to as "singing a lullaby." In fact the Hulk's participation did become necessary when the Avengers went to retrieve the sceptre from Baron Strucker at a Hydra research base in Sokovia. The Hydra personnel were no match for the Hulk's brute strength, and he trampled them without much effort. However, Banner deeply regretted his violence afterwards.

After returning with the sceptre to Avengers Tower in New York, Banner and Tony were given three days by Thor to study Loki's sceptre. They quickly discovered that the power within the sceptre functioned much like an artificial intelligence. Tony realized it would help them make their "Ultron Program", an automated peacekeeping force tasked with protecting the world from external threats, a reality. Banner was skeptical, but Tony convinced him to help him create it using the artificial intelligence within the sceptre. After three days, they had no luck, so they gave up and attended their victory party. Natasha flirted with Bruce further, and Bruce awkwardly flirted back. Steve was witness to this, and tried to ease Bruce, saying Natasha was very comfortable around him.

Late in the evening, when most of the guests had gone home, the men tried their hand at lifting Mjolnir, each without success. The game was interrupted however, when one of Tony's Iron Legion suits made a surprise appearance, and after admitting that it was the result of Stark and Banner's Ultron program mixed with their research into the sceptre, it and several more like it, attacked the group. Banner did not exercise the option to use his alter ego to deal with the problem, instead diving for cover behind the wet bar with Romanoff while the others armed themselves and fought their robot attackers off. The attack was a diversion however, and one of the robots made off with the sceptre while the Avengers and their friends were engaged in battle.

Code Green[]

Anthony Stark (Earth-199999) vs

When reports of robots attacking sources of Vibranium began surfacing, the Avengers raced to a coastal scrapyard in Africa where Stark believed that a substantial quantity of the rare metal might be stored. Most of the team went into the site, leaving Banner alone on their quinjet awaiting their call, but even when it became apparent to him that a fight had broken out he could not get clarification that the situation was a Code Green. He was still at the quinjet when Ultron's two enhanced allies Wanda and Pietro Maximoff chanced upon him, and Wanda snatched the opportunity to manipulate him with her power.

Forced into an uncontrolled rage, Banner became the Hulk once more and made his way to Johannesburg. There he began to wreak havoc in the city while Stark, activating Veronica, rushed to stop him. It took a supreme effort on Stark's part to finally knock the Hulk unconscious, but by then, the battle between between the two had resulted in widespread devastation.

The Hulk's rampage in Johannesburg had made pariah's of the Avengers, so they retreated to Hawkeye's remote farm to take stock of the situation and lie low. Romanoff, also wrestling with her own demons thanks to Wanda Maximoff's power, suggested to Banner that they could leave together and make a fresh start, but he rebuffed this citing concerns that there was nowhere they could go where he wouldn't be a danger to her. Natasha revealed her inability to conceive a child, a product of her assassin training, and she asked if her cold-hearted kills as an assassin made him still think he was the only monster on the team. Nick Fury also appeared at the farm, and began refocusing the team's thoughts back to the problem of Ultron. Noticing a child's drawing of a butterfly, Banner made the observation that Ultron was trying to evolve, and informed them that Ultron knew of Avengers ally Helen Cho's research into cellular regeneration. This got the remaining Avengers to split up and tackle the problem on two fronts, with Stark and Banner heading back to Stark's lab in New York and Natasha and the others heading to confront Ultron in Seoul.

End Game[]

Avengers Age of Ultron poster 003 Textless

Hawkeye was the next Avenger to arrive back in New York, after he, Black Widow, and Captain America, had snatched a regeneration cradle away from Ultron. Banner and Stark were surprised by the contents of this machine: an android body melded with a golden gem from inside the sceptre, inert but awaiting suitable software to give it life. Despite Banner's protests, Stark thought they should use the body rather than destroy it. Banner reluctantly agreed and got to work helping to integrate Stark's J.A.R.V.I.S. program with the android. The process was interrupted when Steve Rogers, with the Maximoff twins in tow, returned to Stark Tower, and Pietro settled the resulting argument by simply unplugging the regeneration cradle. Banner then watched as Thor arrived, repowering the system with lightning and letting the android emerge.

While Banner had been working on the android, Barton had picked up a signal from Romanoff, now a prisoner of Ultron in Sokovia. The Avengers, with the android now calling himself the Vision and the Maximoff twins, headed back to Sokovia to rescue their teammate and confront Ultron. Banner's role in the plan was to sneak in and break Romanoff out of her cell while the others made a show of facing the robots head on. He rescued her and was adamant that he wanted to remain normal, but Romanoff saw a need for the Hulk in the coming fight and forced the transformation by pushing Banner off a high ledge. After the Hulk had picked up Romanoff and leapt clear of the area, they both rejoined the rest of their team in a pitched battle against Ultron's robot force in Sokovia, which was now a landmass rising to a great height.

Eventually, the ranks of robots thinned out, and the Avengers switched from combat to trying to evacuate Sokovian citizens onto S.H.I.E.L.D. lifeboats. Romanoff took an opportunity to calm the Hulk, but this was interrupted by Ultron strafing him with the guns of the Avengers' own quinjet. Enraged, the Hulk rejoined the fight, first picking up Romanoff and carrying her to safety, before attacking Ultron on the quinjet directly and flinging the robot out above the streets of Sokovia. With that done he simply sat down and allowed the plane to carry him clear of the area on its autopilot. Romanoff sent a transmission a while later after the battle was over, trying to coax him into disengaging the quinjet's cloaking technology, but the Hulk sullenly severed the connection, finally understanding that he was a threat to those he cared about and wanting to get as far away from them as he could.[14]

For over a year, Bruce's location remained unknown to the other Avengers, with Ross, now Secretary of State, comparing Banner to a missing nuclear bomb, and Tony briefly wishing Bruce was still on the team before Natasha noted that he would be unlikely to join their side of the current conflict over the Sokovia Accords given Ross' involvement.[15]

Champion of Sakaar[]

Thor Ragnarok poster 007 textless

While travelling in the Quinjet, the Hulk's flight was intercepted by one of several portals to the planet Sakaar. Although he was captured by Scrapper 142, the Hulk quickly proved his power to the locals, rising to become the champion of the Grandmaster. Content and in control, the Hulk was so satisfied and powerful that he spent two years as the undefeated champion in Sakaar's contest of champions, never even transforming back into Bruce Banner during that time.[4] He also fathered a son, Skaar.[16]

This continued until Thor and Loki found themselves on Sakaar after the fall of Asgard, Loki becoming one of the Grandmaster's guests while Thor was forced to face the champion. Upon realizing that the champion was the Hulk, Thor was initially relieved to see his old friend and fellow Avenger, but the Hulk preferred to focus on the subsequent contest rather than face his past as Banner. Despite being deprived of his hammer, Thor was able to score some effective hits against the Hulk, through such feats as temporarily taking the Hulk's hammer or spontaneously generating lightning. However, the Grandmaster sensed that his champion was about to be defeated, so he tasered Thor using a remote device attached to his body and let the Hulk beat him to near-death.

Fortunately, once the Hulk was satisfied that the battle was won, he allowed Thor to live, and his old teammate was placed in the Hulk's living quarters, where Hulk told Thor some of what had happened to him since they last met. Learning of the multiple wormholes on Sakaar, Thor attempted to use the abandoned Quinjet to take one of the wormholes back to Asgard, but the Hulk angrily attacked Thor and damaged the jet before the Asgardian could take off. However, during the assault, Thor was able to activate a recording of Natasha trying to talk to Banner, the sight allowing Banner to regain control of himself. Although disoriented and scared at the two-year jump from the battle of Sokovia, Banner agreed to assist Thor in his efforts to retake Asgard, although he made it clear that he would not turn back into the Hulk as he feared that he would be permanently trapped under his alter ego if he transformed again.

After escaping Sakaar and arriving at Asgard, Banner aided Scrapper 142, now known as Valkyrie, in stopping Hela's forces. When Fenris attacked the fleeing Asgardians, Banner chose to resume the Hulk's form once more to fight off the wolf. Hulk won after a grueling battle and eventually regrouped with Thor and the others as Thor became the king of Asgard and led his people to Earth.[4]

Infinity War[]

Avengers Infinity War poster 022 Textless

However, the Asgardians were ambushed by Thanos, who was seeking the Infinity Stones. When Thanos threatened Thor's life for the Tesseract, Loki handed over the Tesseract, only for the Hulk to attack Thanos. Thanos ultimately defeated the Hulk in a duel, rendering the gamma beast unconscious. However, Heimdall was able to teleport the Hulk back to Earth before his death at Thanos's hands.

The Hulk crashed in the New York Sanctum Sanctorum, where he reverted back to Banner and informed Doctor Strange, Wong, and Stark of Thanos's goals. Just then, Ebony Maw arrived with Cull Obsidian to acquire Strange's Time Stone. Banner attempted to become the Hulk to aid in the fight, but found that the Hulk refused to emerge. Ultimately, Maw was able to take Strange and the Time Stone, with Stark in pursuit. Realizing there was no choice, Banner contacted Steve Rogers to help Vision. Banner soon regrouped with Rogers, Romanoff, Rhodes, Maximoff, and Vision back at the Avengers headquarters. Realizing that Vision's life was in danger due to having the Mind Stone, the group agreed to transport Vision to Wakanda.

As the Hulk still refused to manifest when Thanos's forces arrived on Wakanda, Banner donned the Hulkbuster armor to help the Avengers ward them off. During the fight, Banner battled Cull Obsidian and destroyed Obsidian by using the Hulkbuster's severed arm to drag Obsidian across Wakanda's borders. When Thanos arrived in Wakanda, Banner tried to attack Thanos, only for Thanos to use the Space Stone to imprison Banner in rocks. Once Thanos acquired the Mind Stone and used all of the Infinity Stones to destroy half the universe, Banner was among the survivors. Having freed himself from Thanos's prison, Banner could only watch in horror as his comrades-in-arms disintegrated.[17]

Endgame[]

Assaulting Thanos[]

Avengers Endgame poster 045 Textless

Banner powerless

Banner joined the surviving Avengers as they analyzed Nick Fury's transmission pager. As the pager's signal died out, the Avengers met Carol Danvers, who was looking for Fury.[18] After Danvers retrieved Tony Stark and Nebula from outer space, Banner aided the Avengers in confronting Thanos at the Garden, intending on getting the Infinity Stones to reverse the damage he had caused. The Avengers learned that Thanos had destroyed the Infinity Stones, but Thor decapitated Thanos.[1]

Smart Hulk[]

During the next five years, Banner began to reevaluate himself and the Hulk, eventually coming to see the Hulk as the solution to his problems, not the problem itself.[1] He resumed his gamma research, facilitated by Tony Stark building him a lab and beach house in Mexico.[3] After eighteen months, Banner modified his body so that he permanently possessed the Hulk's body while retaining his mind, becoming a local celebrity[1] dubbed "Smart Hulk".[3]

Time Heist[]

After Scott Lang escaped the Quantum Realm, the Avengers realized that they could use the Quantum Realm to time-travel and retrieve the Infinity Stones from across time before Thanos destroyed them. Meeting up with Banner, they consulted him about the idea, and he joined them in testing the idea. After a few awry tests, Stark joined them and finished the tests. Banner joined Rocket in recruiting Thor, who had since retired in New Asgard and spent his time eating junk food, drinking beer, and playing Fortnite with his friends.

With the Avengers assembled again, the team decided to brainstorm when to retrieve the Stones. Banner joined Lang, Rogers, and Stark in traveling to 2012, with Banner traveling to the Sanctum Sanctorum to retrieve the Time Stone. Though its guardian, the Ancient One, told him that removing the Infinity Stones from their timelines could disrupt reality, Banner convinced her to lend him the stone before returning to his time.

The Avengers soon returned to their time with the stones, though at the cost of Romanoff's life. After assembling a gauntlet to hold the stones, Banner realized that only he out of the Avengers could survive the stones' gamma radiation, so he donned the gauntlet and snapped his fingers, resurrecting half of the universe at the cost of damaging his right arm. Banner then joined the Avengers when the Thanos of an alternate 2014 traveled to the present, intent on destroying the entire universe and recreating it in his image. After Thanos's death at Stark's hands, Banner attended Stark's funeral and helped Rogers return the stones.[1]

Analyzing the Ten Rings[]

Over the next few months, Banner worked on healing his right arm, using a gamma suppression device to revert to human form. However, he still had to wear a sling over it.[3] Sometime later, he and Danvers were contacted by Wong to meet up with Shang-Chi to analyze a signal coming from the Ten Rings. Banner and Danvers were unfamiliar with the Ten Rings and left to attend other matters, but not before Banner welcomed Shang-Chi to their world of heroes.[19]

Smart Hulk Once More[]

One day, Banner was driving with his cousin Jennifer Walters in Los Angeles when a Sakaaran ship showed up, causing their car to crash. The two were injured by the crash, but Banner's inhibitor was also damaged, and when Walters tried to help him, his blood spilled into her wound and transformed her into a Hulk. Resuming his Smart Hulk form, Banner tracked down his cousin to a bar, who had Hulked out once more to scare off men who were catcalling her, and tackled her.

Banner took Walters back to his beach house and lab in Mexico, where he used her blood to heal his arm. He was astonished when he discovered she already had complete control of her Hulk form. He spent the next few days teaching her about the ways of being a Hulk, and found out she excelled at her Hulk abilities. Walters, however, did not want to become a superhero and lose her normal life. After a quarrel, Banner decided to let Walters return to her job.[3]

Later, Banner boarded the Sakaaran ship and departed Earth to return to Sakaar. Before leaving Earth, he was called by Walters, now dubbed "She-Hulk" by the public, who told him she had a new job working at the Superhuman Law division of Goodman, Lieber, Kurtzberg & Holliway, but her first client was Emil Blonsky. Banner approved of her decision and reassured her that he and Blonsky had put their animosity behind them before leaving for Sakaar.[7]

Eventually, Banner returned to Earth with his son, Skaar, and introduced him to his family.[16]

Personality[]

Banner is shown as a sarcastic, shy, mild-mannered, self-assured, somewhat mentally troubled, and mysterious person. After the incident at Culver University, he became obsessed with finding a cure for his mutation and clearly exposed his suicidal tendencies. He is afraid of hurting someone unintentionally, so he tries not to get close to something that leaves him stressed. He supplemented his scientific pursuit by learning meditation and breathing techniques, gaining a greater control over the transformations. When he transforms, his personality regresses to a more child-like state and he has little to no recollection of events after he returns to his normal human form, typically referring to himself in the third person. The Hulk often claims that he wants to be left alone.

In his earliest transformations, Banner appeared as a savage with no real ability to distinguish friend from foe. Because of this, he was responsible for the deaths of two scientists, an army officer, an police officer from Idaho and maybe two Canadian hunters when he was a fugitive.[9] The Hulk gradually attained a better reasoning capacity over time, becoming able to show affection and demonstrating a capacity to work collaboratively with others. It also helps if Banner willingly transforms into the Hulk rather than being forced into a transformation. After spending two years in his Hulk state, Banner's alter ego has undergone significant psychological development, to the point where the Hulk is capable of speaking full sentences and having semi-calm conversations outside of battle.

After a prolonged period of self-analysis following the battle with Thanos, Banner was able to achieve a new sense of balance with himself, creating the Smart Hulk persona, which has Banner's intelligence and Hulk's body, although this cost him not being able to use Hulk's full strength potential and he could no longer channel his alter ego's sheer rage.

Attributes

Powers

As Bruce Banner, he has no apparent powers. But when his heart beat increases to high levels, he transforms into the monstrous Hulk, a green-skinned giant. The Hulk's physical body attributes him great strength and power, which is fueled by his rage, meaning the angrier he gets, the stronger he gets.

Bruce Banner (Earth-199999) from The Incredible Hulk (2008 film) 0004

Banner's eyes turns shine green at the beginning of his transformation

  • Metamorphosis: Banner transforms into the Hulk as a result of the chemical catalyst of adrenaline and gamma radiation. When Bruce gets angry or excited enough to increase his heart rate to high levels (above 200 beats per minute), he transforms into a powerfully muscled and green version of himself, generally referred to as the Hulk, suggesting that the true trigger mechanism into the Hulk is far more psychological than physical. According to Dr. Sterns, the "gamma pulse" comes from the amygdala, and the enhanced cells absorb the gamma energy temporarily, and then it abates when Banner gets stressed, resulting in a chemical reaction that produces a myostatin primer.[9] When the Hulk transforms back into Banner, the excess muscle mass and energy is dissipated. The total time of transformation falls anywhere between seconds, depending on the initial adrenaline surge, which will be determined by the original stimulus. Initially, he was unable to control the transformations, but through over five years of training and practice has managed to attain some level of control, which allows Hulk to be smarter and more self-controlled in battle; difficult and unexpected assaults can still provoke a transformation, such as when his lab exploded during Loki's attack on the Helicarrier, but when he deliberately transformed in the Battle of New York the Hulk not only focused his efforts on attacking the Chitauri but waited for orders from Captain America to go into action.[10]
    • Superhuman Strength: In the form of the Hulk, Bruce possesses immense physical strength. He was able to rip steel as it was made of paper and was able to throw heavy objects with tremendous force. In times of stress the Hulk's adrenaline level escalates, causing a corresponding escalation in strength. This is not accompanied by an additional gain in mass, but does appear to promote increased levels of energy efficiency, overpowering his powerful enemies. By clapping his hands he can make a shock wave that snuffed out a large fire which snuffed out the massive and gigantic explosion of the gas tank of a helicopter. By raising his fists and arms and striking the ground, he can create tremors of incredible force that can stun even the Abomination.[9] He was also able to go toe to toe against Thor with and without Mjolnir, demonstrating hitting him hard enough to make the thunder god's nose bleed. Moreover, he could easily and individually defeat the God of Mischief Loki by merely smashing him into the ground repeatedly. A few minutes before this last demonstration, he took down and killed a leviathan with one single massive punch.[10] The Hulk was able to wrestle the Fenris Wolf, and slightly stagger Surtur with a leaping blow.[4] After attacking Thanos by surprise the Hulk managed to stagger him with several blows.[17]
      • Superhuman Leaping Ability: The Hulk's great strength also extends into the highly developed muscles of his legs which allows him to leap great distances. The Hulk also shows incredible precision with his ability to aim his jumps and landings. He traveled from Brazil to Guatemala in a single night, covering at least from 1500 to 1600 miles in over 7 to 10 hours[9] and reached the top of tall buildings in Manhattan in a single leap, including Stark Tower.[10]
    • Superhuman Durability: The Hulk is able to withstand substantial punishment; even high caliber bullets bounce off of him and the fire causes much less damage compared to a human. His bone, skin and muscles are overly dense, hard and tough and he possesses a high degree of resistance to injury, pain, and disease. Only beings with tremendous force or extremely powerful weapons can harm him. The Hulk withstood multiple energy blasts from Chitauri weaponry, a cataclysmic hit from Mjolnir that only resulted in a daze, and great falls from heights of over six miles.[9][10]
    • Regenerative Healing Factor: Despite his high resistance to physical harm, it is possible to cause the Hulk injury. However, The Hulk is capable of regenerating damaged or destroyed areas of his body with far greater speed and efficiency than an ordinary human. Grievous bodily harm has also proven to be a trigger for Banner's transformations, and he has recovered from otherwise fatal injuries sustained in his normal form. Banner said he tried to put a bullet through his mouth but the "other guy" spat it out.[10]
      • Immunity to Diseases and Viruses: Hulk has a enhanced immune system ensuring his immunity to some unrevealed Earth-based diseases and viruses; Dr. Samuel Sterns described that a synthesized sample of Banner's blood would make humans impervious to disease.[9]
    • Superhuman Speed: Regardless of his size, Hulk's superhumanly strong legs allow him to run at speeds that are far beyond the natural physical limits of even the finest human athlete. Nevertheless, this does not grant him any enhanced reflexes or agility as smaller foes exploit his size and use it to their advantage.[citation needed]
    • Superhuman Endurance: Substantially greater endurance than a normal human. His body counteracts fatigue poisons that build up in his muscles during physical activity, allowing the Hulk to run and fight for a long time. While fighting others in an enraged state, he can maintain peak output for hours on end and still continue to become even stronger as his anger escalates.[10]

Abilities

Bruce Banner is a gifted scientist with particular expertise in nuclear physics and biochemistry, famous for being one of the foremost geniuses of his generation. He is a highly rated expert in gamma radiation, who designed a device called Gamma Power Reserve[20] and, according to Tony Stark, his work on anti-electron collisions is unparalleled. Agent Coulson also compared him to Stephen Hawking.[10] In biochemistry field, besides working on the recreation of Super Soldier Serum, he developed Tetrodotoxine B, an anti-stress serum later used by Nick Fury to fake his death, slowing his heart to a beat per minute.[13] He learned Aikido and meditative breathing basic techniques, while in Brazil, with a martial arts expert. Banner also appears to have a basic knowledge of Portuguese, Spanish and Bengali.

As the Hulk, while having no formal training, he is a formidable hand to hand combatant simply due to his great physical attributes. He typically uses street fighting and brawling techniques that make full use of his strength. He also frequently employs pieces of his immediate environment to fight with, often to use as thrown objects to strike distant targets, and sometimes for melee attacks or protection.[9][10]

Weaknesses

As the Hulk, Banner is hindered by a vastly reduced intelligence. His scientific mind regresses to a very primitive state, barely capable of deductive reasoning. Coupled with his extreme rage and physical power, this can cause havoc as he vents his rage on the world around him. As the rage subsides however, his emotional attachments to particular people, or Banner's concern for innocents, have allowed him to regain some level of control and turn his titanic strength towards productive outlets.[9][10]

Paraphernalia

Equipment

After a violent Hulk transformation at Culver University, Banner used several pieces of equipment while he was a fugitive and most of these were confiscated by the army. In order to not leave a trail that would allow the military to find him, Banner avoided the use of credit cards, identity documents, and phones. The equipment he did use included:

  • Wrist-mounted cardiovascular monitor: A gauge used to monitor Banner's heart rate, helping to prevent a transformation into The Hulk. The first monitor was destroyed after Banner's transformation in Brazil; the last one was given by Betty and taken by the army.[9]
  • Laptop computer: Cheap second hand laptop with a encrypted instant messaging software installed, used to chat with "Mr. Blue" a.k.a. Dr. Samuel Sterns. Bruce always carried it in a backpack, so he could maintain a communication where ever he was.[citation needed]
  • Basic laboratory equipment: Equipment of biochemistry used to find a cure for his transformation. Including a centrifuge, bowl, microscope, sep funnel, pumps, eudiometer, stirring rods, beaker, tubes and flasks. Also included syringes, where Bruce was able to examine the effects of the cure in his blood sample.[9]
  • Hulkbuster Armor: During the Battle of Wakanda, Banner was forced to don the Hulkbuster armor to fight off Thanos's forces, as the Hulk persona refused to manifest.[17]

Notes

Bruce Banner (Earth-199999) from The Incredible Hulk (2008 film) 0005

Edward Norton as Bruce Banner

Trivia

  • The Hulk is one of a few characters who are played by different actors in Marvel Cinematic Universe. The others are War Machine, Thanos, Fandral, and Red Skull.
  • It was stated in a newspaper of The Washington Post and other of The Washington Times that the incident with the failed gamma ray experiment, referred as "Mysterious Incident at the Culver University", occurred on Thursday, January 12, 2006.[9]
  • Lou Ferrigno, who voiced the Hulk when transformed in his first three film appearances, had previously portrayed the character in the 1977 Incredible Hulk live action television series and films.
  • Banner graduated from Harvard, participating in an experiment involving hallucinogens with Betty.[9]
  • Stark Industries constructed the gamma ray projector that was involved in Bruce Banner's mutation into the Hulk.[22]
  • Banner was a colleague of Erik Selvig at Culver University. Selvig described him as a "pioneer in the use of gamma radiation".[23] The first time they met again after six years was when Selvig helped Banner to put the Tesseract back to a container after Loki had been arrested.[10]
  • Bruce Banner was mentioned by Jasper Sitwell as one of the numerous individuals who posed a threat for Hydra's plan, as concluded by Zola's algorithm.[13]
  • Banner himself used to refer to the Hulk as "the other guy", even correcting himself on the rare occasion, like the discussion with Stark aboard Fury's Helicarrier, that he says "Hulk".[10]
  • The Hulk has a Ben & Jerry's ice cream flavor named after him, called Hulk-A-Hulk-A-Burning Fudge,[24] a reference to the lyrics "a hunk, a hunk of burning love" from the Elvis song "Burning Love".
  • Unlike his Earth-616 counterpart, this Bruce never wore his traditional purple pants though he was seen wearing a purple shirt in Marvel's The Avengers film.

See Also

Links and References

References

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