I stand for life... the riot and the violence of life against the silence and darkness of the void, against death and those who bring it to those who do not deserve it, against pain, against hurt. I am stronger than anyone who would hurt me. I am more dangerous than anything that would kill me. I am fury and force and I am life incarnate. Indomitable. Untamable. Ferocious. Unstoppable.
Dr. Robert Bruce Banner, Ph.D.[4] a.k.a. the Hulk, is an Americantheoretical physicist famous for his work in the fields of nuclear physics and gamma radiation.[73] He was recruited by General Thaddeus E. "Thunderbolt" Ross and the U.S. Army to develop the first Gamma Bomb. During its first live test, he was bombarded with a massive dose of gamma rays while saving Rick Jones, a teenager who had made his way onto the test site. He was mutated into a green behemoth, the living personification of anger that was fueled by pure physical strength, and would come to be known as the near-mindless "Incredible Hulk". Fearful of the damage that the Hulk could inflict, as well as fleeing from the military, he went on the run.[74]
In the years that followed, Banner became a loner, occasionally joining together with other heroes, but more often than not struggling to be left alone. He was a founding member of the group of heroes known as the Avengers, "Earth's Mightiest Heroes", as well as a founding member of the group of outsider heroes known as the Defenders, but would not remain with either group for too long (although, admittedly, his time with the Defenders was much longer than his time with the Avengers was).[37][75] Over the years, the Hulk's personality changed drastically, owing to Banner's undiagnosed dissociative identity disorder. At times intelligent, at other times savage, the one constant in the Hulk's existence was his quest for solitude and peace in a world that would not leave him alone.[74]
Banner's mother killed by his father in a blind fury
Robert Bruce Banner was the only son of Dr. Brian Banner, an atomic physicist, and his wife, Rebecca. Although Rebecca deeply loved Bruce, who returned her affection, Brian deeply hated Bruce, and was driven by an insane jealousy of Bruce for being an object of Rebecca's love. Furthermore, Brian believed that his work in radiation had altered his DNA and given him a mutant son.[4] These factors led to Brian abusing Bruce physically. One of the people who helped Bruce cope with Brian's tantrums was his paternal cousin, Jennifer Walters, with whom Bruce used to spend summers in the public library reading for hours, both of them losing themselves in books.[76]
Bruce's life reached a turning point at the age of 4 when Brian murdered Rebecca and he was placed in a mental hospital. After that, Bruce was raised by his aunt and his father's sister, Susan Banner, who understood his great pain and rage over his childhood sufferings. Susan raised Bruce with love and care, as if he were her own child. Susan never wanted to deal with her brother again after what he had done to both Rebecca and Bruce. Bruce grew up as a highly withdrawn, intellectually gifted youth; in fact, a child prodigy.[77] His father's physical abuse caused Bruce to start to develop dissociative identity disorder (D.I.D.) which would go undiagnosed for years, partly due to the fact that his D.I.D. was suppressed.[78]
The first sign that Bruce was developing mental problems due to his childhood physical abuse manifested when Bruce began talking to an imaginary friend that he called "the Hulk", as a way with coping with his childhood physical abuse, his mother's death and his loneliness. He had even begun to mutter to himself in conversation with his imaginary friend.[79] Concerned, his Aunt Susan took him to mental health professionals, who assured her that these were merely coping mechanisms and that they would eventually go away. Unfortunately for the world, they never did and the Hulk endured as Banner's "imaginary friend" for years.[80] Bruce also began secretly working on explosives in an abandoned warehouse, as the Hulk had suggested that they blow up the school as a means of venting his frustrations.[81] Bruce, however, changed his mind and refused to blow up the school, which did not sit well with the Hulk. Over the next few nights, unbeknownst to Bruce, when he slept the Hulk took control of his body and planted a bomb in the school that was set to go off the next morning. When Bruce realized what had happened, he rushed to the school to try and disarm it, but found that no one would listen to his warnings. Crashing into the boiler room, Bruce managed to get down into the basement in just enough time to disarm the bomb. Caught in the boiler room by some of his fellow students, they immediately figured out what Bruce had done and jumped him. The principal then closed the school for the day and locked Bruce down in the boiler room where he was beaten by the students, who acted under the principal's orders, until the authorities arrived. After Bruce was released from the hospital, his Aunt Susan moved both him and herself out of town in order for Bruce to avoid jail time. Unbeknownst to Bruce, however, Susan was approached by General Thaddeus E. "Thunderbolt" Ross, a representative of the military, who pointed out to her that the bomb, while sophisticated, was not constructed properly, but the work had impressed the military, who informed Susan that they would invest in his education in the hopes that he could become a great weapons designer who could work for the military.[82]
Education[]
Robert Bruce Banner and Tony Stark at Oxford University
As a young student, Banner first met another student with a brilliant mind: Tony Stark. Ever since then, they both attended Dr. Derenik Zadian's "Forward Thought Conference" at Oxford University. This would lead to a lifelong scientific rivalry between the two. They also became best friends. They eventually teamed up and founded the Avengers.[90]
Desert Base[]
Banner obtained his doctorate in nuclear physics at Caltech alongside Philip Sterns, who later became the Madman, one of the Hulk's enemies.[63] Eventually, as an adult and a genius in nuclear physics, Banner wished to pursue philanthropic brands of science, but could not receive any financial funding for his projects;[90] thus, in lack of other options, he went to work at a United States Defense Department nuclear research facility at Desert Base, New Mexico. There, Banner met General Thaddeus E. "Thunderbolt" Ross, the Air Force officer in command of the base, and his daughter, Betty Ross. Banner and Betty eventually fell in love with each other. Banner designed and oversaw construction of the "Gamma Bomb" or "G-bomb," a nuclear weapon possessing a high gamma radiation output.[74]
After 15 years of confinement, the doctors believed that Brian was ready to rejoin society. Despite his initial reluctance, Bruce let his father temporarily stay with him. During this time, Brian began acting strangely, causing tensions to escalate between the two. After Brian lashed out at his son, blaming him for his insanity, Bruce left to visit his mother's grave, since it was the anniversary of her death. Brian followed him and started harassing Bruce, calling him a mutant and a monster. The confrontation quickly became physical, and Brian knocked Bruce down. While on the ground, Bruce pushed Brian back with his foot. Brian stumbled back and the impact of his head on Rebecca's gravestone killed him. To cope with the fact that he had killed his own father, Bruce blocked the memories of Brian's stay with him and his subsequent death, making himself believe that, as the two of them fought at Rebecca's grave, Brian had simply beat him up and left, later being killed by muggers.[91][92]
Banner was present in the instrumentation bunker at the test site for the first underground test detonation of the Gamma Bomb. Observing that a civilian had breached security and entered the restricted area, Banner told his colleague, Igor Starsky, to delay the countdown while he tried to escort the civilian to safety. Starsky, secretly a Soviet agent, did nothing, confident that Banner would die in the explosion, thus bringing the project to a halt. Reaching the civilian, a teenager named Rick Jones, Banner threw him into a protective lead-lined trench.[74]
The Hulk's original gray form
Before Banner could get himself to safety, however, the Gamma Bomb detonated, and intense waves of radiation reached the surface. Banner was irradiated with highly charged radioactive particles. Banner died, but the Gamma Bomb had created a metaphysical barrier called the Green Door that connected Earth with the Below-Place, the bottom layer of the Multiverse. The Green Door brought Banner back to life, but the time span between his death and resurrection was so short that his death went entirely unnoticed.[54] The Gamma Bomb also mutated Banner's body, causing him to frequently transform into the vastly powerful gray-skinned humanoid monster whom Ross named "the Hulk", unknowingly using the name of Banner's imaginary friend.[74]
At first, Banner changed into the Hulk at sunset and reverted back to his human form at sunrise. However, Banner's body eventually changed so that his transformations into the Hulk were triggered by the release of adrenaline when he became intensely excited or angry, no matter what time of the day or night it was.
Usually, the Hulk possessed little of Banner's memory and intelligence and was easily enraged. While the military attempted to contain the Hulk, he thwarted their every attempt, with Rick, feeling responsible for Banner becoming the Hulk, trying to help keep him away from the military. The Hulk ultimately thwarted an attempt to destroy America by the Gargoyle, another human mutated by gamma radiation. The Hulk changed back into Banner and helped cure the Gargoyle, who in return helped Banner escape back to the U.S. where, with the help of Rick, he kept his identity as the Hulk a secret and attempted to keep the Hulk contained at night.[74]
Early Adventures[]
When Banner next turned into the Hulk, his skin was green, a skin tone that remained the most constant for the Hulk. Banner became a target of the so-called Toad Men, who sought to invade Earth. Although at first their attempts to exploit Banner's intelligence made him appear to be a traitor to his country, Banner was able to use his might as the Hulk to thwart the Toad Men's invasion and thereby clear his name.[93]
In an effort to control his transformations, Banner began using a Gamma Ray Projector to force transformations into the Hulk and vice versa into Banner; however, his Hulk persona was reluctant to transform back into Banner.[93] After the Hulk was shot into space and passed through a radiation storm, Rick briefly found himself able to control him. They worked together to stop the Ringmaster and the Circus of Crime's latest scheme. Rick's control over the Hulk faded away and the Hulk's transformations were no longer limited to nightfall after this adventure.[94]
The Hulk vs. the Thing!
The Hulk next foiled a hoax perpetrated by the Russian agent Boris Monguski (Mongu) aimed at trying to learn the secrets of the Hulk's strength,[95] saved Betty from the underground ruler Tyrannus, and battled the Chinese General Fang.[96] When Desert Base was the subject of sabotage, the Hulk was blamed and the Fantastic Four were called in to deal with him. This led to the first of many clashes between the Hulk and the Fantastic Four's mighty-muscled powerhouse, the Thing. In the aftermath, the scientist Karl Kort was ultimately held responsible.[97] Shortly thereafter, the Hulk prevented the Metal Master from invading Earth.[98]
Ultron Forever[]
The Hulk, along with other heroes from different time periods, were then abducted by the "Doctor Doom" of an alternate future where Ultron had successfully taken over the world. Doom asked the heroes to help him free the world from Ultron's control, to which they complied. While the Vision and Iron Man distracted the A.I. Avengers, the Hulk, alongside the Black Widow and Captain America, infiltrated the Avengers Tower, but were ambushed by Ultron's version of the Black Widow and her Bio-Slaves, and managed to decapitate the Hulk using Captain America's anti-gravity shield.[56] Despite this, the Hulk was able to survive the beheading through Banner's head emerging from the Hulk's neck. Banner explained that he had done experiments to rid the Hulk from himself, which might have caused further mutations. Banner then reattached the Hulk's head to his body and the two heads began fighting the reactivated Bio-Slaves. As Ultron's factories began shutting down thanks to the heroes' efforts, Doom recalled them and revealed that he had taken over Ultron's system, thus becoming the new ruler of the world. He tried to send the heroes back to their respective times, but Thor managed to evade that attempt and hide within this timeline.[57] Arriving at Asgardia, Doom sent billions of Ultron Drones to attack them. They were hardly able to destroy one ship carrying the sentinels as other ships arrived. Luckily, Iron Man managed to free the imprisoned Asgardians, who then joined in the battle. After that, the heroes went to Doom, who was revealed to have been a Doombot all along and was convinced by the Vision to free the imprisoned humans and become their kindhearted leader. Afterward, all of the heroes were returned to their own times.[99]
The Sentry[]
The cover of Sentry/Hulk #1 (February 2001)
The Sentry met the Hulk and found that, somehow, his powers soothed the Hulk's raging temper. They were partners for a time, battling the Sentry's eternal enemy, the Void. Eventually, the Sentry had to erase his existence from the minds of the world, and the Hulk forgot about his one-time partnership with the Sentry for many years.[100]
The Avengers[]
The Hulk became a pawn of Loki, who tricked the Hulk into battling his half-brother, Thor. This plot was foiled, leading to the Hulk, Thor, Iron Man, Ant-Man, and the Wasp joining forces to form the Avengers and defeat Loki.[37] The Hulk was a founding member of the team and together, they clashed with Doctor Doom.[101] The team's mistrust in him became apparent when they were manipulated by the Space Phantom and this, combined with the demon-lord Mephisto in the form of a snake speaking lies to him,[102] prompted the Hulk to quit the team.[103] The Avengers began hunting down their unpredictable former ally. The Hulk found an ally in Namor the Sub-Mariner and clashed with the heroes, Thor in particular,[104] but the Hulk was defeated and disappeared in the ocean.[105]
The Hulk soon resurfaced in New York City seeking revenge against the Avengers, clashing with them as well as the Fantastic Four, leading to a rematch with the Thing. The battle ended with the Hulk being swept away in New York Harbor.[106] The Hulk resurfaced back in New Mexico, where he was tricked by the Avengers into aiding them in preventing the Lava Men's attempt to eradicate human life on Earth's surface.[107]
While hiding out in a cave near Hollywood, the Hulk was disturbed when the Green Goblin's plot to use the Enforcers to kill Spider-Man encroached into his hiding place, leading to a brief clash between the Hulk and Spider-Man before the Hulk fled the scene.[108] Later, the Hulk was manipulated into battling his former Avengers comrades, Giant-Man and the Wasp, by their enemy the Human Top (later known as Whirlwind).[109]
Back at Desert Base[]
Banner continued his stint as a scientist at Desert Base. Meanwhile, Ross suspected Banner of being a spy and having some sort of connection with the Hulk. The base soon became the target of the Chameleon, who had been hired to steal a new experimental robot tank designed by Banner.[110] Banner's attempt to stop the spy was complicated by the arrival of Lt. Glenn Talbot, who shared Ross' suspicions, at Desert Base.[111] When the military decided to move Banner and his tank to another base, the Chameleon's employer, the Leader, deployed one of his Humanoids to steal it. The Hulk battled the Humanoid and prevented it from stealing the device, but Banner himself was arrested by the military under suspicion of having something to do with this attempted theft.[112] Banner remained a prisoner until Rick revealed Banner's double identity to the President of the U.S., earning him a Presidential pardon.[113]
Banner went to Astra Island with his new experimental Absorbatron device. The island was attacked by the Leader's Humanoids, but the Hulk defeated them.[114] The battle ended with Banner being captured by Communist agents. Banner refused to work for the Communists and the Hulk freed himself and the other captured scientists.[114] Thanks to the sacrifice of one of these scientists, the Hulk was able to fight his way out of Russia and ended up in Mongolia.[115] There, Banner was picked up by the thief Kanga Khan, who attempted to hold Banner for ransom in exchange for his safe return to America. Talbot, believing him to be a traitor, was sent to retrieve Banner,[116] but the Hulk left Talbot behind and returned to the U.S., where Banner was arrested.
Banner was again pardoned by the President and was allowed to return to Astra Island for another test.[117] The Leader's Humanoids attacked again, and the Hulk and the Absorbatron were once again captured.[118] Banner used one of the Leader's devices to bring the Army to the site. By the time that they arrived, the Hulk had forced the Leader to flee. The military drove the Hulk back, only to find a seemingly dead Banner when they searched the site of the battle.[58][119]
Rick stole Banner's body and attempted to revive him in his lab. Another bombardment with the Gamma Ray Projector triggered a transformation into the Hulk, but for the first time ever, Banner's mind possessed the Hulk's body. However, this came at a cost: if the Hulk ever reverted to Banner, he would die due to a shrapnel fragment that was lodged in his brain. The Leader showed the power of the stolen Absorbatron to potential buyers by sending a giant Humanoid to attack Desert Base.[59] The Hulk and Rick were knocked away from the battle when Ross fired his new "Sunday Punch" missile, destroying the giant Humanoid. When the Hulk and Rick sought refuge in one of Banner's secret labs, the military followed them. The Hulk sent Rick out to hold up the military during an air strike. The Leader teleported the Hulk away, seeking to form an alliance with him. The military assumed that their assault had atomized the Hulk.[120]
The Hulk refused to ally himself with the Leader, however. Realizing that something was wrong, the Leader bombarded him with more gamma radiation and removed the shrapnel from his brain. He then sent the Hulk to Uatu the Watcher's home planet in order to steal the Ultimate Machine.[121] There the Hulk clashed with the Amphibion, an alien who also sought the Ultimate Machine; after the Hulk had bested the Amphibion in combat, he was returned to Earth by the Leader and took the Ultimate Machine with him. The Leader then took the Ultimate Machine from the Hulk and attempted to use the device. The Leader's plan backfired, however, as the machine seemingly killed him.[122]
Learning that Rick was a prisoner of the military for refusing to reveal the Hulk's true identity, the Hulk attempted to seek a Presidential pardon for his friend. In Washington, D.C., he was ironically attacked by the last weapon that Banner had invented for the military: the T-Ray.[123] The T-Ray transported the Hulk to the distant future of Earth-6676, a post-apocalyptic world ruled by King Arrkam. There, the Hulk battled his enforcer, the Executioner. Ultimately, the effects of the T-Ray wore off and the Hulk was returned to his native Earth-616.[123]
Outed as the Hulk[]
Rick, believing that Banner was dead, revealed the Hulk's true identity to Ross and Talbot.[124] Learning that the Hulk was alive and well, Talbot hounded the Hulk again with Banner's replacement, Professor Konrad Zaxon. This prompted Rick to also tell Betty about Banner's double identity.[125] Ultimately, the Hulk killed Zaxon for trying to use the Hulk as a battery for weapons that he hoped to use to take over Earth. The military chased after the Hulk, not knowing about Zaxon's true plans.
The Hulk, fleeing from Captain America, had a brief clash with Hercules.[126] Then, the Hulk was used as a pawn by Tyrannus who was then at war with another underground dweller, the Mole Man, over the Fountain of Youth.[127][128] Later, the Hulk was caught in the middle of the Secret Empire agent Boomerang's attempt to steal the new Orion missile, taking Betty as his prisoner. The Hulk managed to defeat Boomerang and then repeatedly battered him to an unrecognizable stoop while saving Betty.[129] The Hulk sought out the Avengers in New York, only to be hounded by the authorities.[130] While in New York, the Hulk was hounded by Spider-Man who sought to capture him in an attempt to earn membership in the Avengers, a mission in which he would fail due to his sympathy for the Hulk.[131]
Number One of the Secret Empire attempted to use Namor the Sub-Mariner to destroy the Hulk; however, this plot failed, and Number One accidentally blew himself up. A spy for the Secret Empire sent the Orion missile off its testing course to impact with New York City.[132] Banner redirected the missile to explode harmlessly in the ocean.[133] Getting into a battle with the Leader's special Humanoid known as the Hulk-Killer, the Hulk eventually short-circuited the Hulk-Killer, although Rick was injured in the fight.[134] For his part in stopping the Orion missile from destroying New York, the Hulk was hailed as a hero and received a full Presidential pardon; however, the media frenzy frightened the Hulk off. The Hulk was attacked by Boomerang again, seeking a rematch that ended with Boomerang's apparent death.[135]
A Menace Once More[]
The Stranger attempted to use the Hulk to wipe out most of humanity, hoping that the survivors would build a better world before leaving for the stars.[136] Not wishing to be a menace, Banner attempted to kill himself with a powerful burst of gamma radiation. Banner was arrested by Talbot and locked up, leaving the spy Emil Blonsky to be mutated into the Abomination. The Hulk battled the Abomination, whom the Stranger found to be truly evil and took away for reasons of his own.[137]
The Hulk attempted to force the Silver Surfer to take him into outer space.[138] The Hulk was next captured by hunters in the employ of the High Evolutionary, who attempted to advance Banner's evolution by 10 million years in order to use him to keep his invading New Men at bay.[139]
The Hulk was then tricked into helping the Lords of the Living Lightning capture Desert Base. The Hulk turned against them for threatening Betty and put an end to their organization. In the aftermath, the Hulk was once again believed to be dead.[140] The Hulk fell under the control of the Puppet Master, who had him attack Rick, estranging him and the Hulk for a time, and then sent him after Namor the Sub-Mariner. Coincidentally, this was at a time after Namor had been exiled from Atlantis and was seeking an alliance with the Hulk. The clash between the two ended in a giant tsunami that ruined the Puppet Master's base and reverted the Hulk back into Banner. Not recognizing the Hulk in his human form, Namor returned to the sea.[141]
The Hulk was captured by the U.S. military, now fully backed by his longtime ally, Rick. Banner was targeted by the newly-restored Rhino, who was seemingly killed in a fuel truck explosion during his battle with the Hulk.[145] Briefly back in human form, Banner was shot by crooks, but he transformed back into the Hulk when being chased by police. The Hulk next battled the Missing Link, an irradiated Neanderthal man sent to attack America by Communists. The Missing Link was seemingly destroyed in an explosion when it reached critical mass despite interference from Talbot, Nick Fury and his Soviet counterpart, Yuri Brevlov.[146][147] During this battle, Rick was injured by the Hulk and then taken in by Captain America to become the new Bucky.[148]
Attracting the attention of the Mandarin, the Hulk was tested by the villain who hoped to work with him, but the Hulk rejected the offer,[149] trashed the Mandarin's Gobi Desert base, and escaped.[150] The Hulk accidentally freed the League of Evil Inhumans, who were led by Maximus the Mad, who attempted to overthrow Black Bolt's rule of Attilan. The Hulk wanted nothing to do with their rebellion and easily trounced them. Black Bolt offered the Hulk a place with the Inhumans, but after realizing that the other Inhumans feared him, the Hulk left the Hidden Land.[151]
The Hulk vs. Fin Fang Foom
After a battle against Fin Fang Foom,[152] the Hulk was dogged by the Chinese military. The Hulk hitched a ride on an experimental rocket which crashed in Antarctica. Banner awoke in the Savage Land and got captured by the Swamp Men who attempted to sacrifice him until he was rescued by Ka-Zar.[153] The Hulk clashed with the alien robot Umbu the Unliving, destroyed it with Ka-Zar's help, and saved Earth. Banner suffered from exposure to Umbu's radiation.[154] Having detected the destruction of Umbu, the Galaxy Master captured the dying Banner and revived him. The Hulk battled the Sagittarians on a distant world[155] and then seemingly destroyed the Galaxy Master, freeing its slaves.[156] When the Hulk returned to Earth, he fought the Sandman for the first time and defeated him.[157]
Many Unhappy Returns[]
The Mandarin then sent the Sandman against the Hulk again, resulting in the Sandman's sand molecules in his body being turned into glass while the Mandarin escaped. The Hulk was once again captured by Ross.[157] With the Hulk in captivity, the Leader returned alive and well and offered his services to neutralize the threat of the Hulk once and for all. To this end, he trapped the Hulk in a Plasti-thene prison.[158] Betty freed the Hulk, but by then it was too late to stop the Leader from attempting to use the base's nuclear weapons to jump-start World War III.[159] Although Banner stopped the first missile that the Leader launched, he then launched a second one, prompting Banner to become the Hulk again in order to stop it. The Leader escaped and the Hulk fell into the ocean.[160]
When the Hulk was rescued and restored to health by Lady Dorma, a rival for Namor the Sub-Mariner's affections, Namor defeated the Hulk in underwater combat when Mistress Fara convinced him that Lady Dorma was romancing another man.[161] Washing up on the shores of Costa Salvador, Banner found that the island had been taken over by Maximus the Mad and the League of Evil Inhumans. The Hulk clashed with both of them again, and both Maximus and the League retreated.[162] Fleeing to Florida, the Hulk ended up battling the Glob, a swamp monster that the Hulk would destroy before realizing that it was a lot like him.[163]
Mister Fantastic, the leader of the Fantastic Four, developed a cure for Banner's condition that worked to a certain degree. Banner gained the ability to transform into the Hulk at will while still maintaining his intelligence. Vowing to never become the Hulk again, Banner proposed to Betty, who accepted.[164] Sadly, the Leader recruited the Rhino and fired a gamma gun during Banner and Betty's wedding, again causing Banner to turn into the Hulk, but returning him to his savage state. The Hulk clashed with the Rhino and the Leader, hospitalizing Ross and destroying his home. The Hulk escaped, and Talbot vowed to Betty that he would destroy the Hulk if Ross died.[165]
Returning to the desert, the Hulk was sought out by the X-Men, who were seeking one of Banner's inventions that could heal their injured leader, Professor X. Although they briefly clashed, Banner returned long enough to give the X-Men what they needed to save their leader.[166]
Banner agreed to work with Talbot to try and stop a radioactive comet that was threatening Earth. This "comet" turned out to actually be the Absorbing Man, whom the Hulk defeated.[167] Banner was captured by a cult that sought to release their demonic masters, the Undying Ones. The Hulk was sent into the realm of the Night-Crawler along with Barbara Norriss. Doctor Strange came to the Hulk's aid to stop the Undying Ones. Barbara Norris sacrificed her life so that the two heroes could escape.[168]
The Hulk once again became a pawn in the ongoing feud between the Mole Man and Tyrannus. This time, Tyrannus attempted to win the Hulk's cooperation by making him befriend his robot, Mogol. When the Hulk learned that the creature was really a robot, he considered this a betrayal and destroyed it, leaving Tyrannus' realm.[169] Trying to get to the surface world, the Hulk nearly caused a massive earthquake by affecting fault lines on the West Coast, leading to a clash with his former team, the Avengers.[170] The Hulk was again targeted by the Leader, who revived the Glob and sent him after the Hulk in a plot that ultimately ended in failure.[171]
Rick sought out his old friend to find a way to separate himself from the Kree soldier Captain Marvel, but a student protest set Banner off, leading to a clash with Captain Marvel.[172] Another former colleague, Dr. Raoul Stoddard, succeeded in splitting the Hulk from Banner, sending the Hulk on a rampage to destroy Banner.[173] The Hulk fled the military, hid out in the slums of Los Angeles and befriended the young African American Jim Wilson while Banner, the military and Iron Man attempted to track down the Hulk in order to re-merge Banner and the Hulk.[174] After again merging the Hulk with Banner, the military asked Jim to stay with them in order to keep the Hulk under control. Jim was also targeted by the terrorist organization Hydra, who also sought to control the Hulk. This plot ended in failure; however, Jim was seriously injured. Betty then suffered a nervous breakdown from the stress of dealing with Banner's double life as the Hulk.[175]
Have Hulk, Will Travel[]
The Hulk vs. the Golem
The Hulk ended up in the nation of Morvania and helped the resistance remove its dictator, Václav Draxon.[176] Trapped in the future and seeking revenge against the Avengers, Kang the Conqueror sent the Hulk back in time to World War I to kill the Phantom Eagle. The Hulk foiled this plot and successfully returned to his own time.[53]
The Hulk and the Abomination (the latter of whom had somehow escaped from the Stranger (how this was done is unknown)) were both enslaved by Xeron the Starslayer and traveled the stars to hunt down and kill the creature known as Klaatu.[177] Although the Abomination attempted to kill Banner/the Hulk, the crew's captain, Cybor, seemingly slew Klaatu. The Hulk and the Abomination clashed, sending them both crashing back to Earth.[178] The Hulk then clashed with the Sandman again, who tried to force a blood transfusion with Betty in order to stop himself from turning into glass, which was successful in changing the Sandman's body back to normal. The defeated Sandman was lost in a whirlpool, while Betty was transformed into a solid glass statue as a result of the blood transfusion.[179]
In the South American nation of San Diablo, the Hulk and the Silver Surfer were recruited by Namor the Sub-Mariner into a group called the Titans Three to destroy a weather control device that threatened Earth.[180] This led to a clash with the Avengers until Namor's scientist, Ikthon, could repair a flaw in the device. Confused, the Hulk fled the scene.[181]
The Leader sought to exert the Hulk to the point where the monster would die of a heart attack. He created psycho-projections of many of the Hulk's enemies and used them to lead the Hulk towards the hospital where Betty was, threatening to shatter Betty's fragile glass form if anyone tried to stop him. Thanks to interference from Jim Wilson, the Leader's plot was foiled.[182]
The Hulk was captured by the military with aid from Mister Fantastic and Professor X; however, he was teleported away by the insectoid being Psyklop. Psyklop sought to shrink the Hulk down in size and use him as a power source to bring his masters, the Dark Gods, to Earth. The Avengers interrupted, causing the Hulk to shrink out of sight[183] and get transported to the Microverse world of K'ai. On K'ai, the Banner persona was restored, and the Hulk joined a rebellion led by Jarella against the evil warlord Visis. The Hulk and Jarella formed a relationship, and they were prepared to wed when Psyklop found the Hulk and brought him back to Earth. With his savage state restored, Psyklop's base was smashed, and the Hulk escaped.[184]
With vague memories of his adventure on K'ai, Banner was taken back to the military when psychiatrist Leonard Samson came up with a dual solution for curing Banner and restoring Betty to human form. Samson was successful in this; however, he used the siphoned gamma radiation to mutate himself into a gamma-spawned Adonis whom he named Doc Samson. Doc Samson romanced Betty, making Banner so jealous that he purposely bombarded himself with gamma radiation and again became the Hulk to fight Doc Samson. When Betty vocalized concern for Doc Samson over the Hulk, the Hulk fled the scene.[185]
The Hulk vs. Doctor Doom
The Hulk became the new pet project of the Parrington family. The Hulk was targeted by Amora the Enchantress, who turned the Parringtons' daughter, Samantha, into a host for the Valkyrie to battle the Hulk. The plot ended in failure and Samantha reverted to normal.[186] His next rampage through New York made Banner the subject of a military manhunt. He was rescued by Doctor Doom,[187] who smuggled Banner into Latveria in order to exploit his brilliant mind and then sent the Hulk out with a bomb in order to annex neighboring countries into Latveria. This was opposed by Doom's childhood love, Valeria, and led to a battle between Doom and the Hulk. The Hulk fled when he realized that Valeria could have been harmed if the fight had continued.[188]
Doctor Strange recruited the Hulk, Namor the Sub-Mariner, and the Silver Surfer to stop Yandroth from setting his Omegatron to destroy Earth. They formed a loose-knit "non-team" of heroes known as the Defenders. The Hulk answered a call from the Avengers to help to stop Ares and Amora the Enchantress from fulfilling a prophecy that would have given Ares mastery over the entire world.[189] The Hulk later ended up in Egypt, where he was talked into taking a part in a film being made there. Banner was fired from the film set and was caught in the middle of the Horusians' God-Spawn battle, destroying their champion, the Colossus.[190]
Project Greenskin[]
The U.S. military-built Project Greenskin, a.k.a. Hulkbuster Base, as a specialized facility to capture the Hulk. Upon its construction, Ross was replaced with a robot duplicate by the Leader. The Leader was disguised as Talbot in the hopes of not only destroying the Hulk, but replacing both the President and the Vice President of the United States with robot duplicates as well.[191] The Hulk foiled the Leader's plot and, in the aftermath of the battle, Doc Samson lost his powers. The Hulk fled into the desert, briefly encountering a mirage city that would vanish as quickly as it appeared.[192]
The Hulk was again captured by the military and cured by Peter Corbeau. Jarella then transported herself to Earth to seek out the Hulk. She was followed by an assassin that was sent by Visis. To save her, Banner re-exposed himself to gamma radiation and again became the Hulk. When it was determined that Jarella's mere presence on Earth risked Earth's destruction, Jarella willingly returned to K'ai.[193] Sedated at Project Greenskin, the Hulk battled the High Evolutionary's exiled New Man, the Inheritor, when the creature came seeking out radiation to prolong its evolved state.[194] When the Hulk came across Lorna Dane, he confused her for Jarella and captured her. Lorna was saved by her fellow X-Man, Havok. Betty heard Banner calling out for Jarella, prompting her to begin a romance with Talbot.[195]
Banner sought out Hank Pym in Washington, D.C. to find a means to shrink small enough to return to Jarella's world. There, Banner learned that Pym's talk had been cancelled; this enraged him so much that he transformed into the Hulk, who went on a rampage. The Hulk ultimately saved Washington, D.C. from Senator Morton Clegstead who, while trying to find a cure for cancer via gamma radiation, had mutated into a massive pile of ooze.[196] Returning to the Nevada desert, the Hulk was captured by Project Greenskin and S.H.I.E.L.D. Banner was put on trial for the Hulk's rampage in Washington, D.C. Lawyer Matt Murdock (alias Daredevil) represented Banner.[197] It seemed likely that the Hulk would be sentenced to death until Reed Richards offered to try and cure Banner with his Nega-Gamma Gun; however, this only strengthened the Hulk further, allowing him to escape.[198]
The Hulk broke into Pym's lab and consumed one of his shrinking formulas. This caused him to shrink to miniature size, and he was captured by the Chameleon, who was then working for Hydra. The Hulk attempted to escape Hydra's clutches with the help of Ant-Man; however. the unstable formula shrank him down into the Microverse.[199] As he shrank down in size, he ruined the fantasy world that was created by the Shaper of Worlds for the former Nazi Otto Kronsteig.[200] Finally reaching Jarella's world, the Hulk, with Banner's intellect restored, again helped Jarella overthrow Visis. Pym's formula then wore off, both causing the Hulk to grow back to his normal size and sending him back to Earth.[201]
The Hulk was reunited with Jim Wilson, after which he learned of Betty's upcoming marriage to Talbot. He was then forced to battle a Leader-controlled Rhino.[204] The Rhino and the Hulk were launched into outer space by the Leader and ended up on the High Evolutionary's Counter-Earth, where they were embroiled in a battle between the New Men. During this adventure the Hulk met Counter-Earth's version of Bruce Banner, who was married to Betty Ross and had a son, Bruce Jr. The conflict ended with the Hulk and the Rhino being shot back to their own Earth.[205] With the ship carrying the Hulk and the Rhino blasted out of the sky en route to Earth, Ross forced the Abomination to go out and keep the Hulk away from Betty and Talbot's wedding. The Abomination lost the fight, but he did succeed in his task. Learning that Betty was heading to Niagara Falls, he went after her.[206]
The Hulk vs. Thor
The Hulk got sidetracked when he was recruited by Doctor Strange to rejoin the Defenders in searching for the Silver Surfer, clashing with Calizuma.[207] The group ended up in the realm of the Undying Ones, battling their leader the Nameless One and rescuing Barbara Norris.[208] They next clashed with Amora the Enchantress and Skurge the Executioner, ending with Barbara being revived as another host for the Valkyrie.[209] The Defenders were then called to clash with the Omegatron which, with the Valkyrie's aid, they destroyed.[210]
Other Adventures[]
Both during and following his time with the Defenders as well as all by himself, the Hulk continued to be hunted by the U.S. military and battled many enemies both old and new, including a second fight with Xemnu the Living Titan.[211]
The Birth of the She-Hulk[]
One day Banner went to visit his beloved cousin, Jennifer Walters, who had become a Los Angeles-based lawyer. At that time, Walters had been defending a hood named Lou Monkton, whom gangster Nicholas Trask had framed for murder. While Walters drove Banner to her home, one of Trask's henchmen shot her. To save his cousin's life, Banner improvised an emergency blood transfusion. Walters died but, thanks to the transfusion, she was thrown into the Below-Place, where she was able to enter the metaphysical Green Door and return to life.[212] The transfusion of Banner's blood also mutated Walters, causing her to become the She-Hulk.[213]
Separated from the Hulk[]
Doc Samson captured the Hulk[214] and succeeded in separating Banner's psyche and atomic structure from the larger atomic structure of the Hulk. The Hulk's body, with all personality and memory removed, was inert until Samson stimulated the brain within the body. This new incarnation of the Hulk escaped and became a greater menace than ever before.[215]
Banner became leader of a new Hulkbusters task force, which he headed from Gamma Base.[216] Banner finally married Betty, believing himself to be free of the curse of the Hulk.[217] During the honeymoon, Banner became gravely ill and was hospitalized.[218] Due to his separation from the Hulk, Banner's body began to lose molecular cohesion. The Hulk's body soon followed suit and he was defeated by the Avengers.[219] With the aid of the synthezoid known as the Vision, Banner was re-merged with the Hulk. The original Hulk persona assumed control of the body;[220] however, the reintegration was unstable, and an attempt to stabilize, and possibly cure, Banner in a nutrient tank resulted in the Hulk returning to his original gray incarnation who only manifested at sunset.
Rick absorbed the excess gamma radiation and became a light green-skinned Hulk-like creature when he was pushed into the nutrient bath by Ross, who was attempting to both sabotage the experiment and kill the Hulk.[221] Banner reasoned that the best way to cure Rick was to use the machine from the Hulk's Cave to change himself into the Hulk. Little did he know that this was a subliminal suggestion placed by the Hulk himself who, once he was free, smashed the machine to avoid turning back into Banner. Complicating matters, the Leader arrived, having followed the Hulk in the hopes of regaining his faded intellect. When he found the machine destroyed, the Leader made a deal with the now-smarter Hulk to transfer Rick's gamma radiation into himself. Shortly after, a dishonored Ross managed to take control of the electrical energy creature Zzzax. Ross and Rick were both defeated and the radiation energy was transferred from Rick to Sterns, which caused an explosion in the lab that led to the Leader's apparent death.[222]
Ground Zero[]
The Gray Hulk returns
Little did either the Hulk or Banner know that the Leader had survived and sent the vampiric Half-Life after him. The Hulk tore off Half-Life's limbs close to sunrise before the villain could pull himself together.[223]
The S.H.I.E.L.D. Council decided that they had enough Gamma Bombs so that Banner was no longer required and ordered Agent Clay Quartermain to murder him. The mutant bounty hunters X-Factor managed to locate the Hulk and freeze him in place before placing a call to S.H.I.E.L.D. After transporting the Hulk back to Gamma Base, Quartermain went against the orders of the Council before blowing up several large explosive charges that wiped out Gamma Base. Quartermain took Banner and Rick away from S.H.I.E.L.D. While on the way to the government stash of Gamma Bombs, Betty was released from the Leader's captivity to help stall them. She revealed that she was pregnant with Banner's child. The Hulk decided to keep Betty safe, despite her being Banner's wife, not his. The quartet made their way to the government facility, but they found out - too late - that the Leader's henchmen, Rock and Redeemer, had already taken a Gamma Bomb. When the Leader detonated it in Middletown with the Hulk at ground zero, the Hulk was assumed to be dead.[224]
In reality, the Hulk had been transported to Jarella's Microverse world of K'ai moments before the detonation. There the Hulk, now a deity to the K'aitians, helped a group of minor wizards to overthrow the "Grand Inquisitor" in return for a spell which was promised to rid him of Banner for good.[225]
Joe Fixit[]
Joe Fixit
When the Hulk returned to Earth, he took a job as an enforcer at a Las Vegas casino. Calling himself Mr. Joe Fixit, the Hulk spent several months without reverting to human form. It was during this time that he met and dated Marlo Chandler, who would one day marry Rick. Banner eventually returned and the Hulk's life as Joe Fixit soon came to an end through the machinations of the Maggia.[226]
Multiple Personas[]
Banner found Betty working in a convent as a nun when he was attacked by Prometheus, an agent of a team called the Pantheon. The stress and anger of being unable to get to Betty caused the Savage Hulk persona to resurface and sent Banner's psyche into turmoil. The Gray Hulk managed to keep the Savage Hulk behind a mental door, but he knew that, since he had been unleashed once, it was only a matter of time before the Savage Hulk would take over.[227]
When the Hulk was needed to fight the Super-Skrull, the Gray Hulk convinced Banner to bring him out instead of the Savage Hulk. The Gray Hulk managed to outsmart the Super-Skrull and managed to save Betty. Inside Banner's mind, the Gray Hulk and the Savage Hulk were fighting each other for dominance. Through hypnosis that was done with the help of the Ringmaster, Doc Samson created the green-skinned intelligent "Merged" Hulk - an integration of Banner's three separate personalities.[21]
The Pantheon[]
The Merged Hulk
This incarnation of the Hulk joined the Pantheon. The Pantheon were led by Agamemnon, an immortal hybrid offspring of a human and an Asgardian. 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.[228]
As a favor to their friend, Jim Wilson, the Hulk and Rick agreed to help out at an AIDS benefit concert with Rick headlining and the Hulk providing security. The concert was disrupted by the drug-addicted assassin Speedfreek, who was sent to kill one of the concert attendees. Jim was stabbed defending the man, and the Hulk got rid of Speedfreek before he could kill anyone.[229]
During one of his missions with the Pantheon, the Hulk fought alongside a rebel force in Trans-Sabal against both S.H.I.E.L.D.-issued Mandroids and the government mutant team X-Factor. Tran-Sabal's dictator, Farnoq Dahn, had promised the U.S. government energy assistance if they helped him keep his place as unchallenged ruler. He was exposed as a psychopath 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 did not withdraw. The Hulk and X-Factor, working together, stopped him. The tyrant was forced to face his people for the crimes he had 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.[230]
Pantheon member Atalanta was shot down in the Himalayas by the Troyjan warrior Trauma, so the Hulk, Ulysses, and Hector were sent to find her. Trauma found Atalanta and confessed his love to her before the Hulk showed up and brought down an avalanche on top of him.[231]
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. The 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 a rage. Agamemnon betrayed the Leader by sending the Hulk to his hidden Arctic sanctuary of Freehold in order to kill him. The Hulk crashed into Freehold during the middle of the Hydra invasion and when the Leader was trying to resurrect Marlo. Overcome with anger, the 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. The Hulk knocked the helmet off of Redeemer, saw the resurrected Ross, and realized his mistake.[232]
When Agamemnon felt that it was time to venture out into the world to reconnect with the common people, he appointed the Hulk as his replacement. On his first mission as leader, he traveled to the Amazon jungle to investigate a new company that was cutting down the rainforest. There, he was jumped by the Juggernaut, who was working as an enforcer for the New World Order (N.W.O.) and its leader, the Red Skull. The Hulk was captured and brainwashed into fighting the Avengers, believing that the Juggernaut was Banner's own abusive father, Brian. The Hulk was able to shake off the mind control when the Juggernaut praised him and he realized that Banner's real father would never have shown such kindness. The psychic backlash released the creature Piecemeal from his holding container.[233]
The Hulk began showing signs of instability when he began referring to himself as "Hulk" or "the Hulk" instead of "Bruce." As a favor to a former Pantheon member, Perseus, the Hulk traveled to Loch Ness to investigate reports of a monster in the lake, which turned out to be Piecemeal. The Hulk was about to defeat him when the Madman interfered. After Perseus was killed, the Hulk killed Piecemeal and appeared to kill the Madman, but his body was never found. Using his new power as leader of the Pantheon, the Hulk led a strike against a maximum security prison to free an ex-girlfriend who had been falsely imprisoned.[234]
Trauma returned and kidnapped Atalanta in order to make her his bride. With the help of the Silver Surfer and the Starjammers, the Hulk and the Pantheon attacked the Troyjans' homeworld. Upon arriving, they were all shocked when Trauma's father, the Troyjans' leader Lord Arm'Cheddon, told them the truth about Agamemnon. If they tried to take Atalanta back, then the Troyjans would take back the extended lives of the entire Pantheon. The Hulk, not at all caring about the deal, attacked Trauma, and accidentally impaled him on his own shoulder spike. With his last words, Trauma pardoned the Pantheon and asked his father to let them all leave in peace.[235]
The Maestro[]
You don't know what lies ahead for you. I do. Listen to me, Bruce... they're going to take it all away. You're going to end up with nothing and no one. Why go back to that... when you can stay here and have everything?
The Hulk was taken into a possible alternate future by Rick's granddaughter, Janis, to fight his future self, the Maestro. The Maestro was a tyrant who had killed all the heroes and villains on Earth and named himself emperor of the post-apocalyptic world. He had the intelligence of Banner and was twice as strong as the Hulk, their first fight ending with the Maestro breaking the Hulk's neck and keeping him prisoner for the next few days as his wound healed. After the Hulk confirmed that he could not defeat his future self in a straight fight, the Maestro was killed when the Hulk sent him back in time to ground zero at the moment the Gamma Bomb that created him had gone off, having determined that only a ground zero nuclear blast would be enough to kill him. After killing the Maestro, the Hulk was sent back to the present, haunted by the thought of losing control and becoming the Maestro.[236]
Betty Moves In[]
Soon after this, Rick and Marlo were married. At the wedding, Betty told the Hulk that she wanted to move into the Mount in order to be with him. After the wedding, the Hulk was attacked by the disgraced Skrull warrior Talos the Untamed. In an effort to gain back some of his honor, Talos wanted to be killed by Earth's strongest warrior. The Hulk refused to fight because of how well his relationship with Betty was going and he did not want to risk losing his temper again. Later, the Hulk received news that his old friend, Jim Wilson, was at an AIDS protest that was getting out of control. He took him back to the Mount to give him treatment, but despite its advanced technology, Jim still died.[237]
The Trial of Agamemnon[]
Having discovered the truth about Agamemnon, the Hulk and the rest of the Pantheon made him stand trial. Agamemnon resurrected all of the dead Pantheon warriors to kill everyone in the Mount. Agamemnon tried to escape, but he was instead killed by Atalanta, which brought an end to the undead warriors. Achilles, still loyal to Agamemnon, tried killing his teammate Ulysses, but the bullet ricocheted and hit Betty. The Hulk became so angry that he reverted to Banner's body with the Hulk's brain, apparently the result of a psychic failsafe that he had created during the initial merging of his personas in order to prevent the return of the Savage Hulk. Even in his human form he gave off enough gamma radiation to make Achilles vulnerable, and Ulysses killed him.[238]
The First Death and Resurrection of Betty Ross Banner[]
The Pantheon fled their former base, and the still-mindless Banner was taken into custody and temporarily placed in the care of Doc Samson while Betty was treated for the bullet wound. Nick Fury took Banner into S.H.I.E.L.D. custody because he was a fugitive. During Banner's transport Betty died, and her soul was given the chance to go to Heaven. First, she wanted to visit Banner to see if he still loved her. He calmed down when he saw her and was able to transform and escape. After seeing how important she was to him, Betty decided to live after all and returned to her body. The Hulk visited the destroyed Mount and saw a hologram that had been set up by Paris, telling him that he was now the leader of the Pantheon and that the Hulk had been fired from it.[239]
Living in Florida[]
Living under the last name Danner, the Hulk and Betty moved to Sunville, a small town in Florida. To hide his green skin, the Hulk wore bandages all over his body and claimed to be a burn victim. Soon after their move, a child was killed by a gigantic shadowy figure, and the Hulk was suspected of the crime because of his size. Upon investigation, the Hulk found out that the true killer was a deranged old man living in the Florida Everglades with the Man-Thing, and rescued a child. A few days later, the Hulk and Betty offered their help to a young and pregnant homeless girl. While they were at the clinic, protesters attacked and the girl was shot and killed. The Hulk offered the girl's father his help in bringing her killer to justice. They learned that the killer was just a boy who had accidentally shot her when someone pushed him. The father revealed himself to be Speedfreek and tried to kill the boy. The Hulk hurled a car battery at Speedfreek, which covered him in battery acid, burning most of the skin off of his face and forcing him to flee.[240]
The Hulk learned that the Abomination was fighting cops in the sewers of New York and decided that it was his problem. The homeless were being cleared out because the police commissioner was working for a drug lord who needed the sewers for new drug routes. While the Hulk confronted the Abomination, the cops used the opportunity to clear out the homeless by killing almost all of them. The Abomination snapped and started killing all of the cops, then took his battle with the Hulk to the surface. They crashed through the Daily Bugle Building before the Abomination jumped onto a news helicopter and caused it to crash. He used the opportunity to escape while the Hulk was distracted.[241]
Ghosts of the Future[]
An Army squad led by Matt Talbot, Glenn Talbot's nephew, captured Betty. After the Hulk saw Talbot shoot Betty in both legs, he went so far over the edge that he reverted to his Banner form, and Banner was taken into custody. During a jailbreak, Banner, still with the mind of the Hulk, ran towards a grenade and nearly died when it went off. He was able to transform into the Hulk before he could be killed, but a shrapnel fragment was left in his brain, extremely hindering his intelligence.[242]
Seeking a device to remove the shrapnel, the Hulk traveled to Freehold. With the Leader apparently dead, Freehold had been placed in the care of one of his followers, Omnibus. Omnibus believed that there would eventually be a nuclear war that would kill everyone on Earth, so he decided to speed it up by ordering terrorist attacks across the world to cause strain on global relations. He had also mentally controlled many high-ranking government officials, including Talbot, which explained his insane behavior. Jailbait overheard Omnibus' plan and exposed him to the people of Freehold, after which he was sentenced to death. The Hulk decided that the best way to save the world would be to pose as the Maestro and claim to be the man behind the terrorist attacks. A psychotic Thor was sent to defeat him. It was a close battle until an atomic bomb was dropped on top of them. The Hulk was believed dead by most of the world, but he had actually used a hidden Pantheon base to survive.[243]
Traveling through Alaska, the Hulk ran into Janis and took her to an unused Pantheon base; he was then mentally ordered by Onslaught to find and kill Cable. Cable and Storm were able to free the Hulk from Onslaught's control, and they joined the rest of the heroes in New York for the battle against Onslaught. The Hulk and Banner were separated after he destroyed Onslaught's body. Banner was among the heroes who sacrificed themselves to destroy Onslaught,[244] and the Savage Hulk was again unleashed on the world. Banner was seemingly killed when Onslaught was destroyed, but like all of the other heroes who had seemingly sacrificed their lives, Banner had actually been transported to the Counter-Earthpocket dimension created by Franklin Richards.[245][246]
In this new pocket universe, Banner and the new heroes were reborn. He lived a new life where he had gone to State University with Reed Richards, Victor von Doom, Tony Stark, and Hank Pym. Along with Tony's friend, Conner "Rebel" O'Reilly, they formed the Atomic Knights of the Round Table. Banner worked with them on an exosuit project; however, none of them could decide how to use it. Banner shifted his focus to gamma radiation research instead. After graduating from university, he began working for Stark Industries.[247]
Stark Industries became a target of the terrorist organization Hydra, secretly funded by Victor von Doom. At the time, Banner was creating a Gamma Bomb for the military which Hydra set off with Banner inside it. The resulting explosion mutated Banner into a new incarnation of the Hulk. He clashed with Stark in his new persona as Iron Man.[248] The Hulk escaped and was later manipulated by Loki to attack the newly formed Avengers at their Avengers Island headquarters. The battle injured many of their members, decimated their base, and caused a breach in its power supply, the powerful gamma core.[249] The Hulk aided the Fantastic Four, Iron Man, and the Avengers in containing the breach and saving the Eastern United States from destruction.[250][251]
The Hulk and his cousin, Jennifer Walters, sought the aid of Leonard Samson to find a means to stabilize the Hulk's mutation. Samson, also mutated by gamma rays, received a blood transfusion to stabilize his mutation, and Jennifer impulsively took a transfusion as well, mutating herself into the She-Hulk. They joined together as the Hulkbusters and offered their services to Tony Stark.[252]
The Hulk aided the world's heroes in stopping Galactus.[253][254][255][256] The Hulk also aided the world's heroes when the Counter-Earth dimension was briefly merged with a universe from a distant cosmos (designated Earth-50) to create Earth-13031 and prevented an invasion from the Skrulls and the Negative Zone before the proper status quo was restored.[257][258][259][260]
Back on Earth[]
The Hulk vs. an alternate Hulk
While Banner was reborn into a new life on Counter-Earth, the Savage Hulk, again freed from Banner, still existed independently on Earth. The Hulk's body began giving off gamma radiation levels equivalent to those of a nuclear bomb. The Army found out that anything that came within five feet of him would be melted by the gamma radiation. Betty showed up and the Hulk broke free. Moments later, Jason the Renegade stepped from the shadows and shot the Hulk with a Pantheon gun, which caused the soldiers to panic and begin shooting. The Hulk laughed off the bullets and escaped with Janis, leaving Betty in tears.[261]
The Pantheon had become a democracy by now and had outvoted Paris to bring the Hulk back into the group. Paris approached Henry Peter Gyrich with a proposition to take down the Hulk for good. The Pantheon attacked Janis and appeared to kill the Hulk, but what he really destroyed was actually nothing more than a mindless cloned body that the Pantheon had created. The Hulk destroyed their ship and headed towards Washington, D.C. with Janis, where she told the military that the Hulk would not run any longer. If they attacked him, then he would attack a major city in retaliation.[262]
While he was traveling through the Midwest, the Hulk and Janis were attacked by the Thunderbolts, whom he easily defeated. He then destroyed a dam to fulfill his promise of retaliation. The Hulk began having chest pains that would force him to keel over in pain, although at the same time he was physically becoming more powerful. Doctor Strange found that because of his split from Banner, excess energy from an alternate universe was channeling through him that could destroy the universe.[263]
Under extreme emotional stress, the Hulk returned to the Gamma Base where he had been created. He was ambushed by the newest person placed in charge of capturing the Hulk, Colonel Cary St. Lawrence. The Hulk considered this the ultimate invasion of privacy because he considered the Gamma Base "his place." He was about to kill her when he had the idea to take over an island in the Florida Keys, which he renamed Hulk Island. He saved the inhabitants from a hurricane, and they grew to respect him.[264]
A few days after the hurricane, Janis showed up with an alternate incarnation of the Hulk who had come to Earth when the Hulk was teleported away by Doctor Strange. He offered his help to the Hulk, but the shrapnel in his brain was making him angry at everything; thus, he fought him until he was taken back to his own time.[265]
A Horseman of Apocalypse[]
The Hulk (as War) vs. the Juggernaut
The Hulk was manipulated by Apocalypse into becoming War, one of his Horsemen. The Hulk agreed to serve Apocalypse if he would remove the shrapnel from his brain. As War, he battled the Absorbing Man and the Juggernaut, but they had been sent by the New World Order with Rick and Janis Jones to stop this new incarnation of the Hulk, who was using the power of the Celestials. He nearly killed the Absorbing Man and the Juggernaut, but Rick jumped in and the Hulk swung at him. Seeing the crippled body of his best friend caused the Hulk to break free of the mind control and flee the scene in shame.[266]
Mercy[]
The alien Mercy sensed the Hulk's desire for death and sent him on a path to fight Mister Hyde, but the Hulk wanted a good death and refused to be killed by a foe that he considered to be unworthy. Wanting to help put the Hulk out of his misery, Mercy sent him to one of his deadliest enemies, the Abomination. Sulking through New York, the Hulk found the Abomination, but because of all the damage done to his own brain, he hallucinated that he was in the Abomination's place and began letting out all his built-up rage from the last few months on him.[267]
By this point, the Celestials had come to judge which universe would live and which one would die: Universe-616 or Franklin Richards' Counter-Earth pocket dimension. They sent their agent, Ashema, to Earth to show Franklin Richards his handiwork and force him to choose between one world and another.[268]
At this point, the Hulk on Earth-616 was on a rampage through New York City, bringing Doc Samson, Hercules, Spider-Man, and the Thunderbolts together to try and stop him. Meanwhile, on Counter-Earth, the Banner-Hulk was on a rampage through New York City as well as clashing with both the Thing and Thor. Doctor Strange found a link between the trans-dimensional energies coming from the Hulk's body and from Franklin Richards' mysterious blue ball. Bringing the ball into close proximity to the Hulk caused both him and Spider-Man to be transported to Counter-Earth; there, the two Hulks clashed, attracting the attention of the Fantastic Four, the Avengers, and Doctor Doom. It was decided that to save both realities from destruction, all of the Earth-616 heroes would have to return to their native world. Both the Hulk and Banner were brought back with them. When they breached the gulf between both worlds, the Hulk and Banner were merged back together again.[269]
Self-Destruction[]
After finally being reunited with Banner, the Hulk was transported to the site of his birth, the Gamma Bomb test site. The strain on his body was slowly killing him, and he was giving off massive amounts of gamma radiation that were sufficient enough for the Maestro to absorb it and return to life. The Maestro was taken by trolls to be the newest mind to inhabit the Destroyer armor.[270]
Banner and Ross were attacked by the Destroyer and its troll minions. During the battle, the Destroyer stepped in a pool of the Hulk's blood. It recognized that the Hulk and the Maestro were the same being and drew the Hulk's mind inside of it. The Hulk was able to outsmart the Maestro and crush him under a rockslide. Banner was brought back to Gamma Base, where he established some kind of control over the Hulk, started rebuilding his life with Betty, and made peace with her father, Ross.[271]
Later, the Troyjans attacked and Banner agreed to meet with their leader, Lord Armageddon. After seeing Banner leave with the aliens, the press believed that he had heroically sacrificed himself to save the President's daughter. Armageddon wanted the Hulk's help in resurrecting his son, Trauma, with the device that the Leader had previously used to return Marlo to life. The device needed a very large gamma power source in order to work and he planned on sacrificing the Hulk to do it. Banner refused, but the Hulk agreed and stepped into the machine. During the process, however, the Hulk gave off too much radiation and incinerated Trauma's body. Armageddon agreed to live in peace out of fear of punishment from the Silver Surfer, but after the Hulk left, he leveled Freehold and killed everyone living there, including the gamma beings Jailbait and Hotshot. Banner was given a secret pardon for his crimes as the Hulk for saving the President's daughter.[272]
The Second Death of Betty Ross Banner[]
Just when everything had started to go right for the Hulk, Betty nearly died due to gamma radiation poisoning that resulted from her time with the Hulk. Banner was able to find a cure using his blood in a transfusion, but then Betty was pushed over the edge by the transfusion when the Abomination secretly switched it with his blood instead as revenge. Banner went insane and tried to kill himself seconds after Betty was pronounced dead. Doc Samson stopped Banner, but he later transformed into the Hulk and escaped from Gamma Base. Banner began coming up with elaborate scenarios to kill himself, but he would always transform into the Hulk seconds before death.[273]
With Betty dead and Banner believed to have killed her, Ross again started to hunt the Hulk. Banner figured out the truth behind Betty's death when he went to the homeworld of Uatu the Watcher and was given infinite knowledge. He returned to Earth to get revenge on the Abomination, but instead he let him go. Confronting Ross, Banner told him that they were both to blame for Betty's death.[274]
Mental Cure[]
The Incredible Hulk
Due to the deteriorating effects of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (A.L.S.) and the chaos ravaging his mindscape,[275] Banner struck a deal with the Hulk's three dominant personalities - the Green Hulk, the Gray "Joe Fixit" Hulk and the "Professor" - essentially to time-share their existence in return for stabilizing his fractured psyche and providing him with a release from his disease.[276] Despite the intervention of General John Ryker,[277] Banner was able to retain control until the Leader provided the means to cure Banner,[278] using genetic samples taken from the corpse of Brian Banner and added to the Hulk's DNA by Ant-Man. The transformation back into Banner triggered a catalytic reaction that repaired the damage to Banner's cellular structure and cured the disease.[279]
The original four Defenders, including the Hulk, re-formed when Yandroth surfaced again to menace the world. Though the heroes defeated his plan, Yandroth had used his sorcery to set a deathbed curse on their heads, binding them to come together in times of crisis.[280] The curse magnified the egos of the quartet until they became mentally unstable. They became the Order, seeking to end all threats to Earth by taking control of it. Other heroes fought them, and the energies unleashed by the battle were harnessed to both resurrect and further empower Yandroth. Coming to their senses, the Defenders stopped fighting and Yandroth was reverted back to his human form, defeated, and imprisoned.[281]
Banner sought refuge and peace in Alaska, where he lived as a hermit loosely connected to the town community. He was eventually tracked down by Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D., who required his help in defeating the Hydra space weapon called the Godseye, which could detonate all of the nuclear bombs in the world. Sent up as the Hulk, he discovered that the Godseye was actually a rogue S.H.I.E.L.D. weapon that could match the strength of any enemy. In the ensuing battle, the Godseye found that, even though it could try, it could not match the increasing power of the Hulk, since it was unable to duplicate Banner's unique ability to channel gamma energy even if it could duplicate the energy itself, and it broke down and exploded.[282]
A S.H.I.E.L.D.-commissioned space shuttle was sent to retrieve the Hulk, or so he believed. Seizing the opportunity to be rid of the Hulk, a group of super-genius super-heroes known as the Illuminati decided to jettison the shuttle into space to a planet with no intelligent lifeforms. Unfortunately, there was a navigation error, and the Hulk landed on the planet Sakaar instead, a world filled with both barbarian tribes and gladiator battles and ruled by a corrupt empire. The planet was situated near a portal, which gave it access to several different cultures and technologies. The Hulk was captured and became a gladiator. The Hulk then subsequently organized an uprising, overthrowing the current regime.[283]
Installing himself as king, the Hulk met and fell in love with a queen named Caiera the Oldstrong. Together, they ushered in a new age of peace and prosperity for Sakaar. Caiera became pregnant with the Hulk's child, but died when the shuttle that brought the Hulk to Sakaar suddenly exploded, killing millions of people.[284] Driven to new heights of rage and fury, the Hulk swore revenge against the Illuminati, whom he held responsible for the death of Caiera the Oldstrong. With his allies, the Warbound, the Hulk rode on top of the prow of an alien warship as it set its course for Earth.[20]
Reaching the Moon, the Hulk defeated the Illuminati member Black Bolt - who was actually a Skrull impersonating Black Bolt, not the real one. The Hulk then proceeded to New York City, where he demanded that the city be evacuated and the presence of the Illuminati. As the time limit for the evacuation of New York had passed, the Hulk defeated Iron Man, and Avengers Tower was destroyed in the process.[285]
The heroes engaged the Hulk and his Warbound, but were defeated. After the Hulk became allied with Hercules, Namora, and the Angel, Ross called in the U.S. Army to dispatch the Hulk.[286] Despite the Army's best efforts, including the use of Adamantium bullets, the Hulk instead defeated them. Alongside his Warbound, he transformed an area near Madison Square Garden into a gladiatorial arena.[287]
Doctor Strange, mystically invoking a powerful old enemy, the demon Zom, battled the Hulk. Barely holding back Zom, Doctor Strange began to exhibit some of the demon's own traits. Strange sent the Hulk crashing into a building that crumbled upon him and the innocent bystanders who had gathered to watch the fight. The Hulk had protected the innocent bystanders. Distraught by his actions almost killing innocents, Doctor Strange stopped fighting and, uncaring, the Hulk gave Strange a lesson in control and pummeled him into the ground.[288]
After implanting "obedience discs" in all of the captured heroes, the Hulk set Black Bolt, Mister Fantastic, Doctor Strange, and Iron Man into the arena. The Hulk then had them fight each other. In the end the Hulk spared them, declaring that he intended justice and not murder. The Hulk planned to destroy New York City and leave the Illuminati to their shame. Soon, a nearly insane Sentry arrived on the scene and a cataclysmic battle ensued between him and the Hulk. The Sentry unleashed forces that nearly destroyed what was left of New York but, ultimately, it was a stalemate between the two. The Hulk then briefly reverted to Banner, and the Sentry reverted to Bob Reynolds. In their human forms, Banner was able to knock out Reynolds.[289]
Warbound member Miek impaled the Hulk's longtime friend, Rick, and revealed that he had intentionally allowed the mass deaths on Sakaar to happen, knowing that they were caused by former followers of the Red King, not the Illuminati. The Hulk and the Brood known as No-Name attacked Miek in retaliation. Betrayed and enraged, the Hulk unwillingly began releasing energy that threatened the Eastern Seaboard and prompted Tony Stark to activate a series of satellite devices that opened fire and eventually left the Hulk in his Banner form, whom the devices rendered unconscious. S.H.I.E.L.D. imprisoned Banner in a facility three miles underground, and the other Warbound members were placed under U.S. custody.[290]
The Red Hulk Incident[]
While Banner was incarcerated at Gamma Base, a new mystery revealed itself when the Abomination was found murdered in his homeland of Russia. The perpetrator soon revealed himself as a massive creature referring to itself as the Red Hulk. This new incarnation of the Hulk decimated the likes of the She-Hulk, Iron Man, Rick in his new powered-up identity of a creature named A-Bomb, and even Thor.[291]
Banner was set free when the clash between the Red Hulk and A-Bomb caused an earthquake that damaged his prison. The potential threat to Banner's life triggered his transformation into the original Green Hulk, and he wasted no time in confronting his new nemesis. The Hulk, caught unprepared for the Red Hulk's fighting style, was defeated in their first meeting and suffered a broken arm in the process, but the outcome was much different during their second meeting, where the Hulk found a potential weakness in the Red Hulk and exploited it. Once the Red Hulk was beaten, the Hulk left without finding out the Red Hulk's true identity; however, Banner began spending his time trying to track down the Red Hulk before he could do any more damage. On his journey Banner ended up in Las Vegas, where the Hulk had to team up with the Sentry, Ms. Marvel, the Moon Knight, and even Brother Voodoo to stop a pack of Wendigoes from devouring everyone inside a casino.[292]
Meanwhile, on Sakaar, the Hulk's thought-dead son, Skaar, had arisen. Skaar was the progeny of the Hulk and Caiera the Oldstrong. After Caiera's death, a cocoon containing Skaar fell into the lake of fire. After a period of time, Skaar emerged from the cocoon, appearing to be the age equivalent to a human preteen. He quickly grew into what seemed to be an adult. Skaar wanted revenge on the Hulk because he felt that the Hulk had abandoned him and his world to death.[293]
Skaar was exiled from his planet and was warped to Earth. Skaar confronted his father, who was then in his Savage Hulk persona. Skaar was disgusted with his father's diminished intelligence. The Hulk engaged Skaar in a fight, which created a fissure that endangered a nuclear power plant. The Warbound were trying to prevent a nuclear catastrophe when they were unexpectedly aided by the Hulk and Skaar. Skaar, using the Old Power, sealed the containment building and saved the workers at the plant. Skaar subsequently impaled the Hulk and left, claiming that he would come back when he was worth killing.[294]
The Defenders vs. the Offenders[]
Some time later, the Grandmaster came to the Hulk with a proposition: if the Hulk chose to participate in a game and won, the Grandmaster would bring his love, Jarella, back to life. The Hulk agreed and was told he could pick a group of allies to aid him in the game. The Hulk chose his former teammates in the Defenders: Doctor Strange, Namor the Sub-Mariner, and the Silver Surfer. When the time came to meet their opponents, the Collector appeared with the Hulk's nemesis, the Red Hulk, and his team - consisting of Baron Mordo, Terrax the Tamer, and Tiger Shark and known as the Offenders. The Grandmaster gave the Savage Hulk Banner's mind and had each team member transported to the times and places from which the Hulk had gathered the Defenders. The Hulk faced off against the Red Hulk in Atlantis, where the Red Hulk pierced the Hulk's heart with a cosmic energy-charged trident. The Hulk was eventually revived by the Grandmaster, after which he knocked out the Red Hulk with one punch.[295]
The Hulk No More[]
Afterwards, Banner was captured by A.I.M. and was detained underneath Gamma Base to be used to create a gamma-powered super-soldier program that was headed by M.O.D.O.K. and backed by Ross. M.O.D.O.K. was revealed to have been responsible for the creation of the Red Hulk, Rick's transformation into A-Bomb, and the evil split personality of Doc Samson. The plot was uncovered by the She-Hulk. To infiltrate an A.I.M. base, Jennifer recruited reporter Ben Urich to help uncover the truth, and Urich, in turn, recruited Peter Parker to aid in the photography. A battle soon ruptured the tank containing Banner, causing him to transform into the Hulk. When the two Hulks clashed, the Red Hulk used his radiation absorption abilities to steal the gamma energy from inside the Hulk, preventing him from ever becoming the Hulk again. As the base reached critical mass, the defenseless Banner was rescued by a now-intelligent A-Bomb.[296]
In the aftermath of the explosion, Norman Osborn sent Ares to learn if Banner could still turn into the Hulk. When Ares attacked Banner, Rick rushed to his defense, but was quickly defeated. Ares was soon outsmarted by Banner, and he was locked inside a room that was built to hold the Hulk. After evading Ares, Banner and Rick parted ways.[297]
Training Skaar[]
Banner confronted Skaar in the Mojave Desert. After much deliberation, Skaar grudgingly agreed to allow Banner to train him on how to defeat the Hulk should he ever return.[298] Banner lured the Juggernaut into fighting Skaar,[299] and then Wolverine and Daken.[300] Soon after, the pair encountered Norman Osborn's Femme Fatales, Victoria Hand and Ms. Marvel.[301] Banner discovered that Betty was alive, and was immediately attacked by a new version of the Harpy who turned out to be Marlo Chandler.[302] The pair came to the aid of the Fantastic Four, who were in the middle of a battle with the Mole Man and, later, Tyrannus.[303] Later on, Banner saved Skaar from Doctor Doom.[304] Banner and Skaar then tried to protect Hank Pym from the Leader, but they failed in this mission.
Banner absorbing gamma radiation and cosmic radiation
Banner then assembled his own group of Avengers to try and save Betty.[305] Betty, who was angry with him for having married another woman, was used by the Leader to distract Banner so that he could "Hulkify" many A.I.M. Marines and heroes. Banner was captured by the Leader and hooked up to a virtual reality machine.[306] He was unwilling to leave the virtual world until he was convinced to do so by Doctor Doom, who was also trapped. When Banner escaped, he was saved from Doctor Doom by the Red She-Hulk, who was stabbed by Skaar and turned out to be Betty herself.[307] The Leader escaped and the Cathexis Ray Generator machinery was reversed, and all the radiation from the Hulked-Out Heroes returned to the Helicarrier. Banner then absorbed all the energy to contain it at the behest of Reed Richards. Doc Samson died trying to help. The Helicarrier crashed and, from the rubble, there emerged a new incarnation of the Hulk, who came to be called the Worldbreaker.[308]
The debut of the Worldbreaker
Skaar now had his chance to fight the Hulk at last. During the confrontation, the Hulk rescued innocent bystanders that were endangered by their fight. Skaar reacted to this act of compassion by ceasing his assault, but the Hulk continued his, causing Skaar to revert to human form. The Hulk was reminded of Banner's own abusive father, Brian, and reverted to human form as well, recognizing that he would never be able to continue the fight without Bruce Banner becoming Brian Banner. Banner apologized and embraced his son, and Skaar accepted his love.[309]
Scorched Earth[]
The Red Hulk set himself up in the White House, planning to take over America. However, the Hulk showed up to foil his plan. After having Ross imprisoned in Gamma Base, Steve Rogers released him to stop the Leader and M.O.D.O.K.'s joint contingency plan called Scorched Earth. Banner was put in charge of countering the program and learned how to shut it down with clues from the de-powered M.O.D.O.K. Banner assisted the Red Hulk and shut down the Living Supercomputer running Scorched Earth, not knowing that this was actually a distraction created by M.O.D.O.K., who had been returned to his human form of George Tarleton, to cover the trail of his clone and successor, M.O.D.O.K. Superior.[310]
The Hulk Family[]
The Hulk family, composed of Skaar, Korg, A-Bomb, the Hulk, the She-Hulk, the Savage She-Hulk, and the Red She-Hulk all went into seclusion, ignoring the attempts of the government to bring them out of hiding. The Hulk's other son and Skaar's twin brother, Hiro-Kala, set his sights on Earth, planning to destroy it along with the Microverse world of K'ai. Hiro-Kala was confronted by his father. Skaar used his own Old Power to seal Hiro-Kala in a sphere of stone. Hiro-Kala was merged with the Worldmind to create a miniature sun so that the Old Power could be used to warm K'ai.[311]
The Heart of the Monster[]
After a wishing well's power was unleashed, the Hulk found himself facing some of his mightiest foes. One of them was the alien warlord Arm'Cheddon. He defeated and de-powered the She-Hulk and A-Bomb as part of his scheme of revenge against the Hulk. He then revealed that he had reconfigured his power-channeling abilities so that he could channel the Hulk's energy; the stronger the Hulk got, the stronger he got. When the Red She-Hulk interfered with the conflict, he hit her with the full force of his power. In a rage, the Hulk defeated Arm'Cheddon.[312]
When the Serpent was freed by Skadi, he called seven hammers to Earth.[313] The Hulk was transformed by one of these hammers, becoming one of the Worthy: Nul, Breaker of Worlds.[314] Rampaging through South and Central America, which led to a conflict with the Avengers,[315][316] Nul was eventually transported to New York City where, teaming up with the Thing, who had also been transformed by one of the hammers into one of the Worthy: Angrir, Breaker of Souls, the two began battling a lonesome Thor.[317] After defeating the Thing, Thor stated that he never could beat the Hulk, and instead removed him from the battle by launching him into Earth's orbit, after which Thor collapsed from exhaustion.[318] Landing in Romania, Nul immediately began heading for the base of Dracula, the Lord of Vampires. Opposed by Dracula's forces, including a legion of monsters, Nul was seemingly unstoppable.[319] Only after the intervention of Raizo Kodo's Forgiven was Nul briefly slowed down.[320] Ultimately, Nul made his way to Castle Dracula, where the timely arrival of Kodo and Forgiven member Inka, disguised as Betty, was able to throw off the effects of the Nul possession. Throwing aside the hammer, the Hulk regained control, and promptly left upon realizing "Betty's" true nature.[321] Claiming that he wanted to be alone, the Hulk somehow appeared to separate himself from Banner and disappeared.[322]
Asunder[]
In truth, the Hulk had resorted to consulting Doctor Doom to separate himself from Banner, resulting in Doom removing the portion of the brain controlled by Banner and moving it to a gamma-free cloned body of Banner.[323] The Hulk moved underground, where he lived with a tribe of Moloids until Commander Amanda von Doom contacted him for help to hunt down a now-insane Banner.[324]
The Hulk helped the Mad Squad (Doctor Doom's team) to assault an island which Banner used as a base, where he was creating gamma-mutated animals in a series of experiments to become the Hulk again. The attack resulted in Banner's vaporization in a Gamma Bomb, which resulted in Banner again sharing the Hulk's mind, but still with his insane mind, and the Hulk refused to have any memories of his time as Banner. With the transformation shifted so that the Hulk was now the "dominant" persona, reverting back to Banner when he became too calm, Banner led the Hulk to a journey in different locations around the world, including an old Russian space station, the City of Sasquatches (there, he protected the Sasquatches from Kraven the Hunter), and an old S.H.I.E.L.D. base, which ended with the Hulk waking up strapped to a chair with a needle pointed above him and Banner talking to him on a video screen. The recording of Banner revealed that he had finally discovered the cure for the Hulk, the components of which being what the Hulk had been gathering throughout his "journey;" however, Banner also revealed that he was no longer interested in controlling the Hulk, having come to recognize that he was a better person with the Hulk than he would have been without him. This prompted the two personas to join forces again to investigate Doom's latest plan, using the gamma cure that Banner had devised to restore the animals on Banner's former island headquarters back to normal.[325]
A Weapon of S.H.I.E.L.D.[]
Banner's reunion with his persona as the Hulk caused a reversion of the Hulk's intelligence. While spending time alone in the American desert, the Hulk was caught in the middle of a conflict between the Army and Aquarius of the Zodiac.[326] The Hulk brought the Avengers a piece of Aquarius' suit that he had torn from the villain to investigate his identity, and he remained with the Avengers to confront the Zodiac,[327] as well as Thanos the Mad Titan, who revealed himself to be the group's master.[328] The Hulk additionally assisted the Avengers during their war against Cyclops and the Phoenix Five.[329]
After officially returning to the Avengers' ranks,[330] Banner approached S.H.I.E.L.D. to offer them a new way to put both his and the Hulk's abilities at their service. Banner's intelligence could be used to create new technology for the betterment of humanity, and the Hulk's strength could be used against S.H.I.E.L.D.'s enemies. During his tenure working for S.H.I.E.L.D., the Hulk battled the Quintronic Man[331] and Byzantine.[332] The Hulk even became part of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s secret splinter branch named T.I.M.E. to fight a group of time-travelers called the Chronarchists, who intended to remake history in their own image.[333]
The Incursions[]
While serving with the Avengers, Banner began to grow suspicious of Tony Stark. During an incident with an alternate reality team of Avengers, Banner learned of the impending death of the Multiverse. Finally putting all the pieces together, Banner realized that the Illuminati had reconvened despite all that they had done to him. Furious, he confronted Stark, using tranquilizers to prevent himself from transforming into the Hulk. Backed into a corner, Stark was forced to reveal all that he knew about the incursions and the Illuminati's actions in fighting them. Seeing no other solution, Banner agreed to join the Illuminati in their work, protecting Earth in secret while looking for the answers to saving the Multiverse.[334]
While with the Illuminati, Banner designed a device that would allow him to control when, and to what degree, he turned into the Hulk. Shortly after joining the group, they faced an incursion with Earth-4290001. The heroes of this reality, the Great Society, had also been fighting the incursions but, like the Illuminati, had run out of ways to avert an incursion without bloodshed. The two groups met to discuss what to do next, but tensions between the two groups flared up, and a battle for the survival of their respective Earths began.[335]
The Great Society quickly took the upper hand. Banner fought their leader, Zoran the Sun God, but despite fully unleashing the Hulk, he was defeated and knocked unconscious. The Illuminati won the fight when Doctor Strange unleashed an eldritch horror which killed the Great Society. With no other choices left, the Illuminati debated whether to destroy the other Earth. None of them were either willing or able to pull the trigger, until Namor the Sub-Mariner took the matter out of their hands and did it himself. Tensions between Namor and the Black Panther spilled over, with the two of them nearly killing each other before Banner separated them. After confessing that he had been behind the destruction of Wakanda at the hands of Thanos the Mad Titan's forces, Namor left the group.[336][337]
Facing another incursion immediately afterwards, the Illuminati resolved to die with their world. Banner travelled to the place where he had first become the Hulk, buying a six-pack of beer and declaring that this was how he would finally be rid of his alter ego forever. When their world survived despite the timer reaching zero, the Illuminati reconvened, debating what this meant. They were unaware that Namor had released the Illuminati's prisoners, formed the Cabal, and razed the other Earth.[338]
Becoming Doc Green[]
One of Banner's own S.H.I.E.L.D. assistants, Melinda Leucenstern, shot him in the head while acting on the orders of the Ancient Order of the Shield because they determined that he was going to cause an extinction-level event.[339] Having suffered severe brain damage,[340] Banner was eventually cured by Tony Stark using the Extremis virus, which further increased Banner's mental capacity as a side effect.[341] Not long afterwards, the Hulk and many other heroes were exposed to countless secrets that had been kept by the late Uatu the Watcher.[342] The vision that he had witnessed made Banner mistakenly believe that Stark was directly responsible for him becoming the Hulk, since he had secretly tampered with the shielding of the Gamma Bomb on behalf of Ross.[343] As part of his misguided revenge attempt against Iron Man, Banner used his new intellect to tweak the Extremis dose in his body and unleash a new persona for the Hulk, the super-intelligent Doc Green.[343] Doc Green made peace with Stark after learning that the Gamma Bomb's original shielding had been over-bolstered, and thus Stark's tampering had actually refined the bomb's explosive potential so that it would not disintegrate everyone within the blast radius, with the result having been that Stark's actions had actually saved both Banner's life and the lives of everyone at the test site.[344]
The Hulk as Doc Green
After coming to the conclusion that the world was in danger due to its many Gamma Mutates, Doc Green determined that they needed to be neutralized. He developed a serum made from Adamantium nanobots that absorbed gamma energy[16] and used it to de-power A-Bomb,[345]Skaar,[346] the Red She-Hulk,[339] the Gamma Corps,[347] and finally, the Red Hulk.[348] The only Gamma Mutate that Doc Green did not de-power was the She-Hulk, since he determined that she was the only Gamma Mutate whose life had been genuinely improved by her condition. Doc Green additionally realized that his intellect was slowly declining and would eventually return to its normal levels, those of the original primality of the Hulk.[349]
Time Runs Out[]
Despite his transformation into Doc Green, Banner remained a member of the Illuminati, now joined by his old friend, Amadeus Cho. After their actions became known to the Avengers and then the world at large, the Illuminati were forced to go on the run. While the Cabal dealt with the incursions by violently destroying the other Earths, the Illuminati explored several avenues to find a permanent and bloodless solution to the incursions.[350]
After coming to an agreement with Captain America and S.H.I.E.L.D., who had been hunting them for months, the Illuminati put a plan into motion, helping Namor the Sub-Mariner to betray the Cabal and leave them stranded in a dying universe.[351]
Realizing that it was futile to stop the death of the Multiverse, the Illuminati refocused their efforts to surviving its collapse. They built a Life Raft that would allow a number of chosen people to survive the end of the Multiverse. When the final incursion took place between Earth-616 and Earth-1610, Doc Green fought alongside the other heroes of his world, but ultimately perished in the final incursion.[352]
When an experimental fusion reactor started melting down, Banner used the Hulk to absorb all of its radiation.[354] However, the new type of radiation being used on the plant threatened to cause the Hulk to detonate. The Hulk's friend, Amadeus Cho, assisted the Hulk and, in the process of saving his life, used special nanites to transfer Banner's powers to himself.[355] Even though he had become effectively gamma-free,[356] Banner started experimenting on himself with gamma-irradiated cells at his laboratory in Utah.[66] Banner's experiments caused him to become the target of one of the visions of an Inhuman precognitive named Ulysses Cain, who foretold that Banner would eventually transform into the Hulk and cause an onslaught.[357] When a contingent of super-heroes confronted Banner about the vision, they learned of his experiments. Banner became agitated, and Hawkeye shot him in the head with an arrow equipped with a specially custom-built point.[66] It was eventually revealed during Hawkeye's trial that the arrow point had been provided by Banner himself, and he had requested Hawkeye to shoot him if it even became apparent that he would again transform into the Hulk.[66]
Temporarily resurrected by the Hand
Banner's dead body was stolen by the ninja clan known as the Hand shortly after his funeral.[358] The Avengers Unity Division attempted to stop the Hand's resurrection ritual, but they arrived too late.[67] Following a brief confrontation, the rampage of the Hulk, now again mindless, was finally contained within a magical doorway of Brother Voodoo's creation, which allowed the sorcerer to enter Banner's soul and cleanse it from the Hand's corruption. Banner reverted to his human form and died in the process.[359] When Hydra took over the United States by the hand of an evil doppelganger of Captain America, its head scientist, Arnim Zola, resurrected Banner to use the Hulk in an assault against the resistance known as the Underground.[360] Even though Banner refused to assist Hydra, the side of him that was the Hulk accepted with pleasure.[361] As a result of a time-delayed device that Zola had implanted within him, the Hulk's resurrection was temporary. Shortly before the destruction of the Underground's base, the Mount, his body deteriorated and he died again.[361] Banner's body was left behind beneath the ruins of the Mount.[362]
The Hulk's resurrection at the hands of the Challenger
The Hulk's third consecutive resurrection came by the hand of the Challenger, an exiled Elder of the Universe who had returned for a rematch against the Grandmaster. He related to the Hulk's rage, and brought him back to life to act as his ace in the hole during the final round of a contest between each of the Elders' teams, the Black Order and the Lethal Legion, whose objective had been to seize the Pyramoids that were deployed on Earth by their masters during each round.[362] The Hulk agreed to help the Challenger retrieve the final Pyramoid since Earth was going to be destroyed anyway as soon as the contest ended, and the Hulk saw it as a way to free himself of the nuisance of humanity.[363] By this time Banner's persona, who had been overwhelmed by the Hulk's psyche, came to the realization that this succession of resurrections was not a coincidence, but simply a manifestation of the Hulk's innate immortality.
During the final round, the Hulk rampaged to the Avengers Auxiliary Headquarters, where Voyager, the Grandmaster's own secret agent within the Avengers, had teleported the final Pyramoid.[54] The Hulk quickly defeated the Avengers that tried to stand on his way,[54] and he even destroyed the Vision.[364] Even though the Hulk managed to make his way to the vault where Voyager was hiding the Pyramoid, Wonder Man convinced him that the Challenger was as much at fault as the rest of humanity of not leaving him alone. When the Pyramoid was within his grasp, the Hulk destroyed it instead, costing the Challenger his victory.[363] Following the Challenger's defeat,[365] Banner went under the radar, with the resurrection of the Hulk becoming nothing more than a rumor to the general public.[13] Banner started travelling the country aimlessly, looking for ways to put the Hulk to use as a tool to bring about justice in order to atone for his own sins.[366] Around this time, the predominant personality of the Hulk became that of the Devil Hulk, a repressed alter of Banner who was articulate and spiteful but was entirely devoted to protecting Banner, and whose transformations were triggered mostly only when injured or killed, and after sunset.[367]
Shadow Base[]
Following his return, the Hulk was targeted by enemies on two fronts. The U.S. Hulk Operations, rebranded as Shadow Base and led by General Reginald Fortean, set out to capture and analyze the Hulk,[368] while the demonic and otherworldly entity known as the One Below All began to use the soul of Banner's father, Brian, to influence the land of the living from the Below-Place, the deepest layer of reality below even Hell itself and the secret source of gamma radiation.[369] It was because of this connection to the Below-Place that Gamma Mutates could be reborn, since they were plunged into the Below-Place after death, and could return to the real world through the metaphysical Green Door that connected both planes of existence.[212]
The Hulk vs. the One Below All
Due to the machinations of the One Below All, Brian's soul possessed Banner's former colleague Walter Langkowski, the gamma-mutated Sasquatch.[370] The Hulk managed to stop the rampaging Sasquatch by draining him of his gamma energy, inadvertently absorbing Brian's possession as well.[371] Under Brian's influence, the Hulk traveled to the Los Diablos Missile Base, where he came to blows against the Absorbing Man, who had become a Shadow Base operative. By absorbing the Hulk's gamma energy, the Absorbing Man became possessed by Brian,[372] who used him to absorb all the residual gamma radiation from the Gamma Bomb's detonation, opening a Green Door that plunged him and the Hulk into the Below-Place, as well as a third party interested in the Hulk also present at the scene, the task force Gamma Flight.[373] In the Below-Place, the Hulk and Banner were split apart,[374] and Brian attempted to make Banner the One Below All's new vessel to bring the Below-Place to Earth. After making his way through the One Below All's demons,[369] the Hulk managed to foil Brian's plans once Gamma Flight member Puck convinced the Absorbing Man to make things right. The Absorbing Man funneled gamma energy into the Hulk, giving him the strength to disperse the One Below All with a single thunderclap. Afterward, the Hulk merged back with Banner and closed the Green Door, returning everyone to Earth.
Due to the traumatic experience in the Below-Place, Banner reached out to Betty, with whom he had not established contact since returning from the dead.[55] The Bushwacker, a Shadow Base operative who was hot on Banner's trail, killed Betty, acting against the orders of the man that he was working for, General Reginald Fortean, when she was reunited with Banner,[375] triggering a transformation into a new incarnation of the Harpy named the Red Harpy.[376] In the turmoil of Betty being shot, the Hulk was approached by Doc Samson, who had also returned to life through the Green Door and sought out Banner for answers about it. Together with Samson, the Hulk investigated Shadow Base and the disappearance of the body of Rick, who had died during Hydra's short-lived empire.[367] In a confrontation with the Bushwacker, Banner manifested in his Joe Fixit persona, albeit with no accompanying physical transformation.[377] While hiding from Shadow Base, Banner was attacked by a mutated Rick, who had been turned into a new version of the Abomination by his pursuers.[376] With the Red Harpy's help, the Hulk managed to evade Shadow Base and dig up Rick from the mutagenic shell that had turned him into the Abomination.[69] While in hiding, Banner investigated the disappearance of Ross' body, suspecting it to also be the work of Shadow Base. As a result, he became entangled in the efforts of Venom to stop Carnage from awakening an ancient Symbiote god named Knull by retrieving the traces of Symbiotes left in the bodies, dead or alive, of anyone who had ever been bonded to one.[378] For a brief time the Venom Symbiote chose the Hulk as a host in an attempt to stop Carnage,[379] but his gambit failed and Carnage managed to defeat him.[380] Carnage would be subsequently killed by Venom.[381]
In control of Shadow Base
When Rick awakened, he shared with Banner and his allies the location of Shadow Base's headquarters. They assaulted Shadow Base,[382] joining forces with Gamma Flight in the process, who were coincidentally raiding the facility at the same time.[383] The Hulk confronted and killed General Reginald Fortean, who had used the Abomination tissue on himself. In the aftermath, Banner seized command of Shadow Base's assets,[70] and set out to use its resources to wage war on the human world for their abuse of the environment, sparking a counterculture movement in the process that embraced his ideals.[384]
The Ascension of the Leader[]
Unbeknownst to Banner, however, the Leader had been studying the Below-Place and managed to replace Brian as the host of the One Below All. The Leader additionally had infiltrated Banner's circles, having taken control of Rick's mind and having infiltrated Banner's mindscape by taking over his Green Scar alter.[385] During his war against the human world, the Hulk combated Roxxon.[386] In an attempt to rid himself of the Hulk, Roxxon's CEO, Dario Agger, enlisted the help of Xemnu the Living Titan,[387] who used his hypnotic powers to brainwash the world into believing that he was the one true Hulk and everyone's hero.[388] In order to stop Roxxon's interference the Leader, as the Green Scar, helped the Hulk fight back and put an end to Xemnu's brainwashing, while also caging the Devil Hulk persona within Banner's mindscape. Due to this, the Savage Hulk became the Hulk's main persona again.[389] The Leader then absorbed Brian into himself, becoming the nest vessel of the One Below All.[390][391]
The Leader eventually made his move when he used Rick to overload the Hulk with gamma energy, causing him to decimate a town where he was present.[392] While the Hulk was fending off Gamma Flight to avoid capture,[393] the Leader tightened his hold over Banner's mindscape, subduing Banner and Joe Fixit as well. The Devil Hulk managed to break free when the Leader attempted to bring Banner to the Below-Place,[78] but the ill-timed intervention of the childish Savage Hulk to stop the conflict resulted in the Leader seemingly killing the manifestation of the Devil Hulk alter. The Savage Hulk and Joe were left behind in Banner's body, which was being held prisoner by Gamma Flight aboard the Alpha Flight Low-Orbit Space Station. In the Below-Place, the Leader hooked up Banner and the remains of the Devil Hulk to plant-like structures for some unrevealed purpose.[385]
The Hulk was later met by Henry Peter Gyrich, who was acting commander of the Alpha Flight Interstellar Defense and Diplomacy Initiative, which included authority of Gamma Flight. Gyrich informed the Hulk that he would get to decide what happened to him. He also told the Hulk that the manacles that bound him could adjust in size; thus, becoming Banner would not free him from them. Joe, however, was able to transform into Banner by emerging from the Hulk's body like a cocoon, freeing himself anyway. Joe then knocked out both Gyrich and the guards that were with him. While trying to escape, Joe was confronted by Gamma Flight and Doc Samson, now resurrected in Walter Langkowski's body. Joe then used a gun that he took from one of the guards to break open the space station's window and flee into outer space. Joe then transformed into the Savage Hulk, allowing him to withstand the re-entry through Earth's atmosphere. The Hulk landed near Coney Island, where he was confronted by the Thing as he got ashore.[394] The Thing battled the Hulk until the Hulk transformed into Banner and the Joe Fixit persona convinced the Thing to stop. The two of them then talked it over, and the Thing decided to let the Hulk go.[395]
On the Run[]
Joe Fixit and the Savage Hulk went into hiding in New York City.[396] The Savage Hulk had been greatly weakened after having his gamma energy drained by the Leader after he had taken both Banner and the Devil Hulk, so Joe used thievery and scams to survive and tried to avoid becoming a hero, as he did not want to draw attention to himself. After witnessing two police officers harass a member of the Teen Brigade, however, Joe decided to be a hero anyway and transformed into the Savage Hulk to aid the teenager. After scaring off the police officers, the Hulk was attacked by the U-Foes, who had been hired by Henry Peter Gyrich to take him out.[397]
A cosmically-powered Hulk
The U-Foes took turns attacking the Hulk, but when Vector accidentally sent the Hulk flying all the way to New Jersey with a telekinetic attack, the U-Foes searched for him. After finding the Hulk, X-Ray finished the Hulk off with a blast of anti-gamma rays (cosmic rays), killing him. The Savage Hulk and Joe were both sent to the Below-Place and found themselves staring down an enlarged Leader, who was now possessed by the One Below All.[398]
The Leader trapped the Savage Hulk and Joe in the Below-Place by turning the Green Door into the Red Door and then sent various Qlippoth against the Savage Hulk and Joe in an attempt to assimilate them. Unexpectedly, as X-Ray of the U-Foes bombarded the Hulk's corpse with cosmic rays to prevent him from resurrecting, Joe was transformed into a new version of the Red Hulk and used his newfound power to smash through the Red Door, allowing both the Savage Hulk and himself to escape. Joe was then resurrected in the body of the Savage Hulk, no longer emaciated and with cosmic power running through him, much to the shock of the U-Foes.[399]
The Hulk and Betty make love
With his strength restored, Joe easily overwhelmed the U-Foes to the point where Vector was forced to send Joe flying toward Manhattan with his telekinesis to save the lives of both himself and his team. After learning that the U-Foes had let the Hulk escape, Gyrich swallowed his pride and asked the Avengers for help. The Avengers confronted Joe at a bar, where he was having a few drinks. As the Avengers were about to battle the Hulk, Betty, as the Red Harpy, appeared to aid the Hulk.[400] Later, Gamma Flight appeared to aid the Hulk as well. During the fight, the She-Hulk unexpectedly turned on her fellow Avengers to aid her cousin after learning from Betty that she had also seen the Green Door. Gamma Flight eventually teleported away with Joe, Betty, and the She-Hulk to a warehouse in Brooklyn that had formerly been used by the Kingpin.[401] Joe and Betty then decided to make up and kiss.[402]
Later, Joe and Betty made love in a hotel room. The two then had a heart-to-heart talk, where Joe admitted that he had left Banner in the Below-Place and Betty revealed that she liked how Joe had never hid anything from her, but became upset after remembering that he used to be a criminal casino enforcer in Las Vegas. Tired of Banner and his Hulk personas keeping secrets from her, Betty decided to leave him again.[403] Joe then talked with the She-Hulk and Jackie, telling them that he was done hiding and that he planned to rescue Banner from the Below-Place.[404]
Joe, Jen, and Jackie went to the Baxter Building to meet with the Fantastic Four and the Avengers. After a brief fight between Joe and the Avengers and other heroes, the Fantastic Four intervened and escorted Joe, Jen, and Jackie to the Forever Gate, which had the ability to send Joe to the Below-Place to rescue Banner. Joe was reluctant to pass through at first, but he was motivated to do so by Jackie, who passed through the Forever Gate with him.[405]
After arriving to the Below-Place, Joe and the Savage Hulk separated into two different beings and journeyed with Jackie through the Below-Place until they came across a fortress that the Leader had built to protect himself. The Savage Hulk entered first and later Joe and Jackie. Joe and the Savage Hulk fought a monstrously transformed Leader, but were quickly overwhelmed. After coming to terms with her past, Jackie unleashed a beam of energy from her eyes that hurt the Leader, allowing Joe and the Savage Hulk to separate the Leader from the One Below All and rescue Banner. After confronting the One Below All, who turned out to be an aspect of the One Above All, who cryptically told them the purpose of the Hulk, Joe, the Savage Hulk, and Jackie fled the Leader's crumbling fortress with the Leader and Banner. They were then met by the Thing and Walter Langkowski, now resurrected in Doc Samson's body, and traveled back to Earth using the Forever Gate. Banner merged back with Joe and the Savage Hulk and, after receiving clothing from Reed Richards, sneaked out of the Baxter Building and into the outside world.[52]
A Titanic Problem[]
Banner controlling the Hulk
Despite making peace with his alters, Banner was deceived by the demon D'Spayre (who had disguised himself as Doctor Strange) and decided to take partial control of the Hulk, using magic that allowed Banner to take control of his subconscious for the service of an unnamed party.[406] The next day, while in El Paso, Texas, a new malevolent persona called the Titan took control of Banner's body and killed a bunch of people, horrifying Banner and forcing him to go on the run again. To ensure that this did not happen again and discounting on his alters,[407] Banner used technology that was stolen from A.I.M.[408] to fracture his psyche into parts, allowing him to take full control of the Hulk. He fueled the Hulk's body with the Hulk's rage, which he generated into a section of his mind by pitting the Hulk against various opponents, with specific opponents generating different levels of power.[409] Banner also added nuclear bombs in the Hulk's head to kill him in case he died but the Hulk lived on.[410]
After taking control of the Hulk, Banner made his way toward an old Stark tech armory in Wundagore where Tony Stark had created Project A.R.K., an interdimensional portal that Stark planned to use to evacuate people to safety during a crisis. After Banner defeated Stark and a contingent of remotely controlled Hulkbuster armors, Banner passed through the portal, despite warnings from Stark that it was too dangerous,[411] so that he could find some place to live in peace and solitude.[407]
After Banner-122 explained his world's history to Banner-616, a military force sent by President Ross appeared at Banner-122's hideout to apprehend Banner-122. Banner-616 went on to devastate it. He then fought and defeated Banner-122's former student, the Spider-Hulk, when Ross tried and failed to hold him hostage. Finally, President Ross sent his team of Gamma Mutates, the Abominations. When the Abominations arrived, the equipment that Banner used to control the Hulk was damaged, allowing the Titan persona to seize control of the Hulk.[412]
With the Titan in control, the Hulk devastated the Abominations. In desperation, Ross ordered that a Gamma Bomb be used on the Hulk. Because this would kill thousands in nearby cities, Banner-122 killed Ross with his revolver. After Banner-616 regained control of the Hulk by using the Savage Hulk persona, Banner-122 warned him of the incoming Gamma Bomb. Using Banner-122's interdimensional portal, the Hulk sent the gamma energy released by the Gamma Bomb away and then entered the portal to continue his trip through the Between-Space.[48]
Thor intercepted Banner on a mission to kill him after the Titan's rampage in El Paso, Texas. Shortly after Banner and Thor landed on the planet of Sakk-Reen, Sif transported Banner and Thor to the Black Hand of God, an arena where gladiatorial bloodsports were held. When Banner began overwhelming Thor, the spirit of Odin who resided in Mjolnir flew the hammer high into the air and struck the arena grounds, causing Banner and Thor to crash down into the area below. Thor then tossed Mjolnir at Banner so that Odin could enter Banner's mindscape.[413]
Odin and Banner briefly fought until a headbutt from Thor caused Banner to bump his head and relive the Titan's rampage in El Paso. Odin hoped to help Banner, but he was withdrawn from Banner's mindscape when Thor recalled Mjolnir. Then, Iron Man arrived in a Hulkbuster Armor that was built using the body of a Celestial to stop Banner once and for all.[407] However, Banner was no longer in control of the Hulk, causing the Hulk's rage to go out of control. While Iron Man battled the Hulk, Odin tried to intervene to help Banner. Eventually, the Hulk's rage reached a critical point, causing him to unleash a gargantuan gamma energy explosion that wrecked Iron Man's armor and transformed Thor into a Gamma Mutate.[414] Due to the influence of the Titan persona, Thor became violent while Banner became trapped in Mjolnir, causing the Savage Hulk to take control and battle Thor. To save Thor, Odin helped Banner retake control of the Hulk by giving Mjolnir to the Hulk, causing the Hulk to become empowered with the power of Thor. Thor and the Hulk then clashed.[415]
As part of Odin's plan, the Hulk transported Thor to Asgard using Mjolnir. After receiving a brutal beating from Thor, the Hulk forced Thor into Yggdrasill to purge Thor of the gamma energy that plagued him. However, Thor was too strong and yanked Yggdrasill from the ground. As a last resort, Odin was able to talk Thor down long enough for the Hulk to use Mjolnir to purge the gamma energy from Thor, returning him to normal. Now aware of the truth of Banner in El Paso and having seen a glimpse of Banner's rage, Thor let Banner leave while lying to Tony Stark that Banner had died.[416]
To avoid a repeat of the Titan persona, Banner was counseled by Doc Samson from afar through a simulation for two hours each day. Banner one day discovered a coded gamma distress signal from an unknown planet. To decode and find the signal, Banner divided his consciousness into separate constructs to crew his spaceship-like subconscious. Upon reaching the planet, Banner discovered that the planet's surface had been heavily modified by super-strong beings. After landing on the planet, Banner fought hostile creatures before being greeted by a purple-skinned woman named Monolith, who apparently knew who he was and who welcomed him home.[417] Banner learned from Monolith of the history of her people, who were descendants of gamma-mutated human subjects from Earth-122 that terraformed the planet from their fights and whose intelligence was augmented by gamma energy that was sent there by Banner completely by accident.[418]
The Titan
After earning the affection of the planet's people through their Godball ritual,[419] Banner planned on leaving the planet out of fear that the Titan persona would reappear and devastate the planet. However, Monolith wanted the Hulk to remain on the planet to rule it, so she forcibly began removing the cybernetics that Banner had placed on the Hulk's body to kill the Banner persona. This happened as the Titan persona retook control of the Hulk by locking Banner in the room where he kept the Hulk. The Titan tried to make the Hulk angry, but Banner convinced the Hulk to ignore the Titan's attempts to enrage it. So, the Titan unleashed the program that angered the Hulk to dangerous levels, resulting in the Hulk unleashing a massive blast of energy.[410]
The blast devastated the planet and killed many of its inhabitants. While the surviving inhabitants fought the Titan, Doctor Strange entered Banner's subconscious using astral projection, but was quickly forced out by the Titan. Realizing that D'Spayre was responsible for the changes in Banner's subconscious, Doctor Strange forced the demon to undo his work. However, the Titan remained in control of the Hulk.[420] Monolith had secretly been siphoning the Titan's gamma energy, but when she tried to destroy him with it, he simply absorbed it all back into himself. In the Titan's Mind-Palace, Banner convinced the Hulk to awaken and the Hulk seemingly tore the Titan apart from the inside out, causing him to revert back to Banner on the outside while losing all of the cybernetics that he had attached to himself. When Banner regained consciousness, he found a letter from Doc Samson explaining that the Hulk Planet was being rebuilt, that Monolith had pardoned Banner of the Titan's crimes, that he had explained what really happened at El Paso to Earth's heroes, and that Banner had returned to his Hulk status before D'Spayre's meddling, but warned that the Titan still remained dormant inside of him.[421]
Personality
When I was four, I saw my father kill my mother. And years later, I killed him. I didn't mean to. But I did it. I've got that kind of anger inside. That kind of capacity. But you... you have your own problems. And your Hulk's gonna have his own problems as a result. And you may not love everything you learn about yourself. But you're not a... you're not a monster. You're not me, Amadeus. You're not me.
Robert Bruce Banner suffered severe trauma as a child that was inflicted by his father and repressed it in his subconsciousness. This physical abuse resulted in the young Banner developing both anger issues and dissociative identity disorder, and the early emergence of several alternate personalities.[384] Indeed, each aspect of his complex mind, concerning at least three primary Hulk identities, represents a peculiar manifestation of Banner's multifaceted Freudian psyche.[72] This condition was compounded later in life by the traumatic explosion of the Gamma Bomb that triggered his initial transformation into the Incredible Hulk,[74] and further stimulated the emergence of other aspects of his personality. Following his gamma accident, many of his alters now take Hulk forms, though some, like Joe Fixit, can remain in human form when they switch.[392]
It was revealed by Dr. Leonard Samson that exposure to concentrated levels of gamma energy brings about the expression of the deepest parts of the collective unconscious.[72] In this process, the darkest, most deeply buried sense of self dictates the subject's mutation. Particularly in the case of Banner, it stimulated the expression of a repressed fury that played an essential role in his transformation into the Hulk.[72] Banner became an obsessive-compulsive person. He finally sublimated his grief and rage over his physically abusive childhood, diverting the drives that were spawned by his suffering into the relative safety of science.[72]
Because of that, Banner is often trying to hide his emotional damage, resulting predominantly in social isolation. Banner became a highly withdrawn intellectual who was unable to cope with his emotions.[72] In the course of his life, Banner has also been pursued by the destruction that the Hulk causes, which culminates in more complications in his life. However, Banner is a self-sacrificing and heroic person; for example, he was willing to sacrifice himself along with Earth's heroes to suppress the menace of Onslaught.[244] Endowed with a super-genius intellect, he is also one of the most brilliant and resourceful minds on Earth. Banner has constantly undertaken a career as a super-hero while also trying to find a cure for his condition.
However, an obscure and a malevolent side of Banner's persona has also been explored; for example, when Banner was temporarily separated from the Hulk, he was demonstrated to be extremely sadistic and insane.[422] When Banner and the Hulk were reunited, Banner's standard personality came into effect again, with no trace of this morally distorted side. More recently, Banner's psyche was fractured into several domains following a particular incident involving the Hulk. As a result, Banner's behavior was drastically altered, contrasting with his standard personality and leading to the unfolding of a potential large-scale event.[411] It was later revealed that Banner's radical conduct was a result of the manifestation of a malefic Hulk personality.[407]
Banner and the Hulk are frequently portrayed as mutually hating each other, but at times Banner strategically acts in full synchrony and consonance with his Hulk persona, thus giving the Hulk a purpose. This underlying dichotomy was confirmed by Banner himself.[423] During the Planet Hulk and World War Hulk story arcs, for example, both acted in full cooperation, and the Devil Hulk even admitted that he actually cherished and cared for the Banner persona after all. Banner has also stated that the Hulk's reasoning and intelligence tend to fluctuate depending upon a number of factors at the moment of transformation, resulting in the Hulk's standard persona varying from a raging monster to a more calculating fighter.[424]
The Hulk initially is characterized as a separate entity from Banner, a distillation of his human anger that gradually develops its own personality and memories separate from Banner's. Banner suffers from dissociative identity disorder (D.I.D.), which stems from the physical abuse that he suffered as a child. Banner also has developed anger issues from said physical abuse. The Hulk has many incarnations, each representing a different aspect of Banner's psyche; there are hundreds or possibly thousands of other personalities of the Hulk, but only a few major versions have been seen to date.[51]
Robert Bruce Banner - Robert Bruce Banner is the emotionally repressed core personality, possessed of a genius-level intellect. Banner can transform into the different versions of the Hulk, whereas his alter egos seem to be able only to transform into Banner.[51]
The Savage Hulk
The Savage Hulk/The Child Hulk - The Savage Hulk or, more accurately described, the "Child" Hulk is the most common version of the Hulk, and is one of the earliest known alters, existing and fronting since Banner was just 6 years old. It possesses the mental capacity and temperament of a 6-year-old child and typically refers to himself in the third person.[369] The Savage Hulk is the reflection of the young child who was abused by his father, which is the source of extreme rage and resentment from which his dynamic strength is derived. Dr. Leonard Samson theorized that the Savage Hulk represents Banner's unfettered id, the seat of his survival instincts and childhood desires, always trying to get his own way. He is in a constant infantile state of narcissistic innocence, resulting in a simple-minded and baby-talking creature who sees the world only as an extension of himself. The Savage Hulk is portrayed as a lonely childlike being longing for friendship, acceptance, and love.[72] In fact he is naive, innocent, and kind. He often claims that all he wants to be left alone, but this is because he is constantly attacked without the capacity to understand why. He really wants to be liked and is very loyal to his friends. The Savage Hulk is usually depicted as green-skinned and heavily muscled with a loping ape-like gait. While in a functionally calm emotional state, or at least as calm as the Hulk can be, all things considered, the Savage Hulk is stronger than the Gray Hulk. While angry, he has the potential for limitless strength, depending on the height of his temper.[51]
The Gray Hulk/"Joe Fixit"
The Gray Hulk/"Joe Fixit" - The Gray Hulk worked for a time as a Las Vegas casino enforcer named "Joe Fixit." The Gray Hulk has average intelligence, although he occasionally displays knowledge and intellectual ability that is normally associated with Banner. He is cunning, crafty, hedonistic, arrogant, and distant, with a hidden conscience; various psychological assessments of the Hulks have identified this Hulk as the personification of the moody teenager that Banner never allowed himself to be. In most of his Las Vegas appearances, he appeared only at night. According to the Leader, the Gray Hulk persona is strongest during the night of the new Moon and weakest during the full Moon. This aversion to sunlight/moonlight vanished when the Gray Hulk's night-induced transformation trigger was later removed. Although he is the smallest of the Hulks, the Gray Hulk towers over the average human. He prefers to dress in tailored suits. Joe Fixit's base strength level is also the lowest of the three primary Hulk incarnations.[51] Following the Devil Hulk's takeover of the other Hulk personas, Joe gained the ability to manifest in the body of Banner, with the only noticeable difference in appearance being Banner's eye color changing from brown to gray.[377] This form of Joe can operate during the daytime, which has led to his self-given nickname "Sunshine Joe Fixit."[382] When Xemnu the Living Titan mentally attacked Banner, he mentally imprisoned the Gray Hulk in Banner's mindscape in amber.[389] After Xemnu was defeated, the Gray Hulk was freed from his amber prison.[392] While down in the Below-Place, exposure of the Hulk's corpse to cosmic rays unexpectedly allowed the Gray Hulk to transform into a new version of the Red Hulk, presumably giving him the same powers as well as the ability to smash through the Red Door. He was also able to take over the body of the Savage Hulk.[399] After opening up to Betty, Joe expressed regret for being selfish in the past, especially for leaving Banner in the Below-Place. After Betty left, Joe decided to stop hiding and rescue Banner.[404] He eventually traveled to the Below-Place with Jackie McGee using the Forever Gate, rescued Banner, and reunited with him while also retaining his Red Hulk form.[425]
The Merged Hulk
The Merged Hulk/"The Professor" - The Merged Hulk was the merger of the three personalities of Banner and the Gray and Savage Hulks.[51] The Merged Hulk was far more well-adjusted than most incarnations, as well as an associate and leader of the team of super-heroic philanthropists called the Pantheon. Despite his exaggerated musculature, the Merged Hulk had a relatively normal-looking face, resembling that of Banner. The Merged Hulk is the largest of the three primary Hulk incarnations and he also possesses a higher base strength level. While in a calm emotional state, the Merged Hulk is stronger than the Savage Hulk in a calm state. However, unlike the other incarnations of the Hulk, Banner subconsciously installed a type of safeguard within this incarnation. Although in the beginning he was stated to get stronger with his rage,[426] when the Merged Hulk's anger reaches a berserk level, he will transform back into Banner, though with the mind and personality of the Savage Hulk. From this point onward, he was stated to turn weaker as he got angrier.[427] It is unknown if he would currently have this limitation or not. For a while the Merged Hulk was renamed "the Professor," and instead claimed to be Banner's good side or ideal self as a personality created by Doc Samson;[428] however, the creator of this incarnation apparently later retconned this as one of the reality distortions that was created by the demon Nightmare.[429]
An "Unnamed" Hulk
An Unnamed Hulk - After being resurrected, a previously unseen Hulk persona emerged, full of mindless rage and bloodlust. He was defeated by the Avengers[361] and was suppressed by the Devil Hulk, who imprisoned him in the depths of Banner's subconscious.[367] However, due to the Devil Hulk having been recently imprisoned himself,[389] this unnamed Hulk persona may now be free.
The Devil Hulk
How the Devil Hulk appears in Banner's mind
The Devil Hulk/The Immortal Hulk - This variation of the Hulk persona originated as a response to Banner's need for a protective father figure. Due to his physically abusive childhood, he was unable to imagine the idea of love without pain, so the Devil Hulk took the form of a demonic reptilian monster within Banner's mind.[430][367] The trauma of Banner's death during the Second Superhuman Civil War[66] and subsequent resurrection[362] allowed the Devil Hulk to suppress the other Hulk personas and become the "dominant" Hulk; though the Savage Hulk persona could still resurface if he was enraged enough.[369][367][431] He is extremely articulate, smart and cunning. For the most part, he acts in response to people that cause harm to others, and dispenses judgment on them mercilessly.[366] Unlike previous Hulks, he is content to wait inside Banner, possessing a measure of power over Banner that previous Hulks did not have.[431] When Banner is in control, the Devil Hulk manifests as a gut feeling that guides him to his objectives.[366] In addition to the Devil Hulk's transformation period being limited to nighttime, Banner cannot transform into him whenever he wants to, or even at the first sign of trouble.[431] The Devil Hulk always manifests when Banner is fatally injured, but only once the Sun is down,[13] though he eventually overcame this weakness with help from Banner.[386] Like every Hulk incarnation, the Devil Hulk possesses enormous strength but is proportionately stronger than ever. Examples of his strength include fracturing Thor's skull following a severe concussion that left him out of the fight, sending a Celestial-enhanced She-Hulk flying for at least two miles away with only one punch, tearing apart the latest Hulkbuster armor devised by Iron Man, and overloading the Black Panther's Vibranium-based Panther Habit, which was previously believed to be impossible. Thor even stated that the Hulk was stronger than ever.[14] He also was previously able to defeat another group of Avengers which included incredibly powerful heroes such as Thor and Hercules.[363] The Devil Hulk also has incredible regenerative power. He quickly healed a large hole blown through his torso,[42] as well as put his body back together after it was cut into its individual pieces. In order for a part of his body to heal, though, it seemingly needed to be in close proximity to other parts, and despite being segmented, the Hulk was still able to move the separate parts of his body[432] in a manner similar to Deadpool.[433] The Devil Hulk also has a desire to completely destroy human civilization, arguing that they are just one misstep away from annihilation anyway.[367] When Xemnu the Living Titan mentally attacked Banner, the Green Scar persona took advantage of the chaos that was created to chain up the Devil Hulk, as he found the Devil Hulk to be bossy like Banner's father, Brian.[389] It was later revealed that the Green Scar was being controlled by the Leader at the time.[78] Despite expressing regret for letting the Devil Hulk take him over, Banner still wanted to free the Devil Hulk.[392] The Devil Hulk eventually broke free of his prison after being angered by the mistreatment that the Leader gave to Banner and the Savage Hulk, but was later devoured by the Leader.[434] However, some time later in the Below-Place, while Banner was within the mouth of the transformed Leader, who had been possessed by the One Below All, Banner started talking to the Hulk and, as he was bonded with the seeming remains of the Devil Hulk, it is implied that the Devil Hulk is not completely gone. Banner learned that the Devil Hulk "left some room" in Joe Fixit because he had a hunch about Joe, which led to Joe being able to absorb and incorporate cosmic radiation into his body to become a new version of the Red Hulk and smash through the Red Door that was previously barring them from returning to the living world.[399] After Banner reunited with his other alters, he mentioned one other persona that was still active beyond Joe or the Big Guy, potentially referring to the Devil Hulk.[52]
The Fractured Son
The Fractured Son - A recent addition to the kaleidoscope that is Banner's tormented psyche, this one was begotten of the subjugation and abusing of the Hulk and, in Banner's own words, a recent inability on Banner's part to differentiate between himself and his voluminous alter egos as of late.[423] Like the Devil Hulk, the Fractured Son was undying and capable of resurrecting himself once upon Banner's death; also proving to be as brutally crafty and meticulous in his vocal phrasing[435] and being every bit as visceral and flagrant, if not twice as voracious, than the Devil Hulk in the application of his gamma-powered savagery.[436] Unlike most Hulk alters, however, this iteration of which was far more callous and antagonistic in his relationship toward his human form and sought a means of phasing out the man that he wore as a second skin completely,[423] going so far as to make the transformations between his human form and this Hulk form as gratuitously painful as possible in order to punish Banner for all that the former tried to do to him and others.[437] Regardless of his animosity, however, this alter still went out of his way to help a wayward young girl by the name of Charlie Tidwell practically every chance that he had, which still showed that he was able to bond with people regardless of his prominent misanthropy.[438] Arguably one of the strongest versions of the Hulk to date, the Fractured Son was powerful enough to contend with both eldritch horrors and primeval atrocities and even battle it out with a fully empowered Thanos the Mad Titan on two occasions.[436][439][440] Having finally bested Thanos in their second fight at the peak of his power as the two of them fought over an Infinity Stone, the Fractured Son left his adversary lain out after an attack from behind that brought Thanos down on all fours, and delivered a final blow after Colleen Wing stabbed Thanos in the head with her new power that was given to her by the Mind Stone.[441] The Fractured Son has also accomplished the unimaginably powerful feat of rupturing chains that were forged from the First Firmament's essence. Therefore, as the First Firmament has directly confined Multi-Eternity himself, demonstrating an exceptionally high power level, so these chains enveloping the Hulk's hands were presumably destined to bind enormously powerful beings.[442]
Former Incarnations
The Savage Gray Hulk- During Banner's early transformations, the Gray Hulk appeared as a child-like savage creature that shared many aspects with the Savage Hulk, such as referring to himself in the third person and having the mind and temperament of a 6-year old child. After a few nights of this, the Gray Hulk then gained an average human intelligence. Some time later, the Savage Gray Hulk re-emerged during his encounter with the Distorter, with his rage preventing him from being mentally controlled by the villain.[443] Many years later, after the Hulk was caught in a gamma explosion, the Savage Gray Hulk re-emerged once again, but this time he destroyed part of Las Vegas and fought two of the Fantastic Four's members, the Thing and the Human Torch, during his rampage.[51]
The Gravage Hulk
The Gravage Hulk/The Post-Heroes Return Hulk - The Gravage Hulk is a merge of the Gray and Savage Hulk personas. He was created when Banner tried to have control over the Hulk's personality after using his Gamma Ray Projector, but the experiment did not fully work and, while this Hulk possessed part of Banner's scientific knowledge, the Hulk still referred to Banner as a separate person.[98] This Hulk persona displayed the cunning intellect of the Gray Hulk and the raw power of the Savage Hulk.[95][444] He did not have the ability to grow stronger as he became angrier, but instead drew upon dimensional nexus energies to gradually increase his base strength level.[444]
The Mindless Hulk - The demon Nightmare, in an attempt to find new ways to hurt his old enemy Doctor Strange by going through his friends, penetrated Banner's mind and discovered that his influence had an unexpected side effect; a new persona began to develop out of Banner's worst visions of the Hulk. At this period in Banner's life, he had just gained control over the Hulk's body, but was constantly on alert and terrified that this was just temporary and that the Hulk, which he saw as nothing but a savage and destructive beast, would break free once more when the world least expected it. Far from being identical with the Savage Hulk, this version was based on a nightmarish imagination made out of all of Banner's worst fears and ideas of his former alter ego. Nightmare continued to manipulate and increase his influence, allowing this dark incarnation to gradually rise to the surface. He finally became his own persona after Banner committed "psychic suicide," allowing him to break free of Banner's domination.[445] Eventually, with the assistance of the Triad, three creatures that were created by his subconscious mind (Guardian, Glow, and Goblin, representatives of Banner's senses of self-preservation, reason and rage, respectively), this Hulk gained the ability to speak and behave much less savagely. Since then, this persona has not been seen again, and it has been suggested that he is no longer a part of Banner's psyche. A part of the Hulk, with the assistance of Doctor Strange, entered the Dream Dimension of Nightmare as a similar manifestation as the Mindless Hulk, threatening to kill him. Nightmare was forced to seek out Spider-Man's help, as this Hulk was destroying his whole domain. Spider-Man eventually pushed the Hulk into another realm, but he pulled Nightmare in with him. Nightmare has since been seen to be still alive, but this Hulk seems to have disappeared.[51]
The Dark Hulk - The Dark Hulk was the result of Shanzar, a Sorcerer Supreme from his dimension, possessing his body. In this form, the Hulk had a black color to him and was more vicious. The Hulk was freed from this form when Shanzar was sent back to his dimension by Doctor Strange and Bruce Banner's psyche.[446]
The Compound Hulk
The Compound Hulk - The Compound Hulk was the result of the Impossible Man using his magic to fuse the Hulk and the Red Hulk into the Compound Hulk to fight Xemnu the Living Titan and the Kluh, a deformed intelligent clone of the Gray Hulk. After Xemnu and the Kluh were defeated, the Impossible Man split the Compound Hulk back into the Hulk and the Red Hulk.[447]
The Hulk Squared/The Uberhulk
The Hulk Squared/The Uberhulk - The Hulk Squared, also known as the Uberhulk, was a powerful, yet brief incarnation of the Hulk. When the Hulk and the R.O.B. that contained Banner's consciousness went back in time to stop the Chronarchists, they had to go back to the day of the Hulk's origin.[448] When they did, the Hulk got bombarded with a double dose of gamma radiation and the R.O.B. had to download his mind into the past Banner to prevent himself from being erased from the timestream. It is not known if the Hulk Squared was stronger than the Green Scar, but it appeared as if that was the case. He was so strong that he was able to unleash powerful shock waves just by waving his arms around. The Hulk Squared's intelligence was like that of the Mindless Hulk's: never speaking a word, simply grunting and roaring. When Banner realized the severity of the situation, he manipulated one of the Chronarchists' armor so that he could go back seconds before the Gamma Bomb exploded, exposing him to gamma radiation again. He and the Hulk Squared briefly fought before Banner had to shatter the time barrier in order to snap time back to its status quo.[449]
Doc Green/The Ωmega Hulk
Doc Green/The Ωmega Hulk - An incarnation similar to the Merged Hulk, as it retains Banner's intellect and the Hulk's vast strength. It was created when Banner tweaked the Extremis virus which had repaired his brain. It is considerably powerful, being able to destroy Tony Stark's mansion with a single thunderclap,[450] and resist sonics and repulsors that were powerful enough to power a continent.[451] This incarnation also fabricated a time tunnel platform to teleport into Kang the Conqueror's Trophy Room at the edge of space-time, and easily ripped apart pure Adamantium from an inert Ultron shell with his bare hands.[16] Doc Green has recurring dreams of his alternate reality counterpart's Maestro persona, potentially suggesting that Doc Green is an early manifestation of the Maestro.[452] However, the days of Doc Green's existence were numbered. It was discovered that the effects of the Extremis virus were diminishing, Doc Green's intellect was slowly and extremely reverting back to his regular Hulk persona, and at some point in the future it would be no more.[453] Doc Green came up with an Extremis supplement that could maintain his intellect for decades, but decided not to use it, fearing that it could ultimately unleash his Maestro persona.[349] By the time the universe was restored, the Doc Green persona had vanished, and the Hulk had returned to his regular self.[354]
The Kluh
The Kluh - When the moral axis of numerous heroes was inverted during the casting of a spell meant to defeat the Red Onslaught, the Hulk reverted from Doc Green to his simple-minded persona, but unleashed a new one called the "Kluh" ("Hulk" spelled backwards) who was filled with sadness after the Avengers confronted him when he tried to prevent them from killing the Red Skull. The Kluh described himself as "the Hulk's Hulk" and had black skin with red lines in it and a white mohawk. This incarnation possessed incredible power: he easily defeated his fellow Avengers shortly after emerging,[35] and hit Sam Alexander with enough force to send him flying from Arizona in the United States to Paris, France.[454] As the Kluh, Banner possessed a normal intellect, spoke informally, and all that he wanted was to cause destruction and "bathe in the blood of the innocent."[35] When fighting Sam Alexander, the Kluh showed a tendency towards cannibalism, attempting to bite off and eat the young hero's arm.[454] This persona was lost when the Hulk was reverted by the reversion spell cast by both the Scarlet Witch while possessed by the spirit of Daniel Drumm and Doctor Doom.[455]
The Green Scar
The Worldbreaker
The Green Scar/"The Worldbreaker" - The Hulk of World War Hulk is a cunning and more powerful version than the previous incarnations, for he is initially the enraged version of the "Gravage Hulk." His rage is at its most focused due to meditation training by his ally, Hiroim. This incarnation has extremely high durability, shrugging off attacks that have hurt his other incarnations. He has had training in combat arms, including broadswords, spears, and battle shields, and is a capable leader and strategist. Another source of the Green Scar's strength in comparison to other versions of the Hulk was his lack of inner conflict, if not alliance, with Banner. There were several instances where the Hulk and Banner worked together strategically, such as acting to disable Doctor Strange. Caiera the Oldstrong, the Green Scar's wife, understood Banner as well, and both personalities loved her equally. This was the driving factor in the Banner/Hulk alliance. As a result of being caught in the explosion of the warp core of the ship that brought him to Sakaar in the first place, destroying the planet in the process, the Green Scar's base level of strength was dramatically increased. Additionally, because of the apparent death of his wife and unborn child and of the devastation of his planet, he achieved hitherto-unprecedented levels of rage. While in a calm emotional state, the Green Scar was the strongest primary Hulk incarnation.[456] During a burst of unexplained anger from the Hulk in New York City, Professor X attempted to slow down the angered Hulk with intense power; however, the Hulk proved to be resistant to the Professor's psionic effects.[457] Shortly after winning his fight against a demonically-empowered Doctor Strange, Rick confronted him and noticed the similarity of Banner's selfless nature, since the Green Scar had saved innocent civilian bystanders. Rick deduced that the Green Scar at that point was now a merged incarnation of Banner and the Hulk. The Green Scar retorted, "Banner is me" when Rick stated, "You are Banner", implying that the intelligent Hulk was the dominant aspect of this merged incarnation.[458] The Green Scar reached a new level of anger at the end of World War Hulk, after his fellow Warbound, Miek, attempted to provoke him into destroying Earth. At this level, he started to release huge amounts of gamma energy from within his body, devastating New York and causing earthquakes across North America. It would have taken but a couple of footsteps from the Hulk to completely destroy the Eastern Seaboard. If he had not let himself be stopped, then he definitely would have lived up to his name the Worldbreaker and would have completely destroyed Earth.[290] After World War Hulk, Banner suppressed the Green Scar (no longer unified), preventing him from surfacing. He momentarily reappeared in battle with the Hulk's son, Skarr, still identifying himself as the Worldbreaker.[309] He seems to have resurfaced after Banner regained his Hulk powers, his anger tempered from its Worldbreaker levels by another confrontation with Skaar, and was proven even strong enough to take down the Red Hulk without too much of a fight, despite the Red Hulk continuously absorbing the Hulk's radiation to empower himself.[459] This Hulk lived up to his name the Worldbreaker by destroying a world (from a direct collision with the Red She-Hulk) in the Dark Dimension.[460] The Green Scar chose to remain in Banner's mindscape and help Banner mentally heal. While talking with the Savage Hulk persona, the Green Scar showed an arrogant side. He chained up the Devil Hulk, believing that he was bossy like Banner's father, Brian, and refused to free the Gray Hulk from his amber prison, believing him to be weak.[389] It was later revealed that his arrogant persona was actually the Leader, who had hollowed out the Green Scar and was the one who had sealed away the Devil Hulk. He then left the Hulk's psyche for the Below-Place, taking Banner with him.[78] Though Banner was eventually rescued and later re-merged with Joe and the Savage Hulk as they passed through the Forever Gate, the Green Scar did not accompany them.[52]
The Titan
How the Titan appears in Banner's mind
The Titan - Through a Green Door, the demon D'Spayre was given a speck of power from an infantile Leader effigy, which he then planted inside Banner's mind. D'Spayre described it as overwhelming and coming from a source that was far more powerful than anything that he had ever encountered.[421] Before Banner took control of his subconscious using magic,[420] a new malicious persona emerged, seized control of Banner, and destroyed El Paso, Texas. This turned Banner against the Hulk,[461][407] who imprisoned the Savage Hulk in his mindscape and took over his Hulk body.[411] Impersonating Betty, the persona would seize control of the Starship Hulk and caused said Hulk's bodily frame to mutate into a monstrous form named the Titan. Out of desperation, Banner unleashed the Savage Hulk, who defeated the entity before Banner re-imprisoned him.[48] Despite his defeat, the Titan survived and continued to communicate with Banner disguised as Betty.[413] The Titan was able to take control of the Hulk again by disguising himself as Brian Banner to psychologically mess with Banner's mind before trapping him in the room where he kept the Savage Hulk.[410] The Titan was able to infect others with Banner's rage, causing them to lose control, as well as take control of Banner's body and give him unnatural strength without any need of transforming.[407] When the Titan was in control of the Hulk, the Hulk grew to at least 30 feet in height and his skin became black with rock-like protrusions jutting out from his shoulders that volcanically erupted energy. At his maximum rage, the Titan in most any form could unleash blasts of energy from his eyes.[48] The Titan could also kill other Gamma Mutates by sucking out all of their gamma energy.[420] Though the Titan was seen to have been destroyed and its remnants were seen to have been collected by a facsimile of the Leader, Doc Sasquatch believed that it was still inside Banner.[421]
There ain't many around who can describe what it feels like to get hit by the Hulk... Simple fact bein' there ain't many around who can survive to tell the tale. There ain't no pain at first. It's like he hits ya so damn hard ya actually leave yer own body. It's when ya come back that ya feel the pain. An' ya realize yer goin' toe-to-toe with a walkin' earthquake.
Gamma Mutate Physiology: Due to Banner being exposed to the Gamma Bomb's radiation, which culminated in his transformation into a powerful monster,[74] the gamma radiation mutated the Hulk's body and fortified his cellular structure, adding over 800 pounds of bone marrow and muscle tissue to his body.[462] In addition, during times of stress the Incredible Hulk's adrenaline level escalates, causing a corresponding escalation of brute strength; thus, the madder Hulk gets, the stronger Hulk gets.[463][464] It has been said that when it comes to anger, the Hulk knows no limits.[60] Echoing Marvel's understanding, Spider-Man once created a hierarchical system regarding physical power in which the Hulk occupies first place, surpassing both Thor and Hercules.[465]Amadeus Cho, who is renowned for his ability to compute data flows, also stated that even a team comprised of Hercules would be worthless against an enraged Hulk.[466] A totally animalistic Hulk, although weakening, was stated and demonstrated as an even match for an ensemble of Avengers composed of powerful heroes such as Namor the Sub-Mariner, Hercules, Wonder Man and Iron Man.[467][72] The Hulk was described as God's counterweight to balance creation with destruction.[52] The Hulk was defined as the most powerful creature on the face of the Earth, as his inconceivable power astonishes Doctor Strange.[468] As Onslaught had assimilated Franklin Richards into himself, who is considered a Celestial level being,[469] the Hulk's ultimate punch at Onslaught plausibly could directly destroy the universe.[470][244]
The Incredible Hulk was several times described as one of the physically most powerful beings in the entireMarvel Universe,[156][264][471][472][473] and also as one of the most powerful beings to ever walk the Earth,[474][475][476] with the potential for limitless levels of strength and durability (since it scales directly with his strength).[477] The Hulk, in the full exercise of his potential, was described as the most powerful mortal entity in all of existence,[478] and his maximum known strength level ranges beyond the limits of virtually any other known humanoid being.[464][4] The Hulk's vast physical might has even been described as powerful enough to ravage entire worlds.[479] Moreover, the Hulk was also stated to be an Omega Level Threat by both the Initiative[480] and Mister Fantastic,[481] and even "the Original Omega Level Threat" by Henry Peter Gyrich.[33] The Hulk was once stated to be the strongest hero in the world.[456] Additionally, the Hulk was also referred as the strongest member of an Avengers team featuring Hercules.[482]Doctor Strange has even referenced the Hulk as one of the most powerful beings in the whole of existence.[420] Besides, the Hulk was indicated as stronger than anything alive.[340]Gamiel the Manipulator probed the Hulk's untapped potential and reasoned that he is the pinnacle of the human species.[483] In addition, the Atlantean warlord Attuma recognized the Hulk as the mightiest creature on Earth.[484] The Hulk was further considered as excessively powerful for the Renegades to confront, a group that included Hercules himself.[485]
When he was a nexus being, Apocalypse declared that the gamma energy provided by the Hulk could be employed to prevail over the Celestials.[49] Upon performing experiments and measuring the power level of numerous individuals, They Who Wield Power concluded that the Hulk is more powerful than both Thor and Hercules.[486] According to Kang the Conqueror, the Hulk is the strongest Avenger, and the gamma-irradiated heart of an alternate reality Hulk endowed a robot based on the Hulk with enough raw force to overpower the classic formation of the Avengers.[487] The Hulk was likewise recognized as the strongest creature on Earth,[488] and was similarly described as the most powerful mortal on Earth.[489] In a canonical scaling, the Hulk's potential was established as superior to the collective power of four of the most powerful Avengers.[490] Furthermore, Umar the Unrelenting has insinuated that the rampaging Hulk alter the Worldbreaker was a potential threat to the universe's plane of existence, presumably referring to domains of reality being destroyed.[312] When this question was raised, Banner even upheld the principle that the Hulk is stronger than Hercules,[491] whereas the Thing and Hercules have together proposed that the Hulk really was the strongest one there is.[492]Nick Fury's intel has also classified him as Power Level 10+,[493] the highest level in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s scale of measurement, while as the Merged Hulk he was described as a member of the Omega-Class Entities by Doctor Octopus.[494]
Transformation: The process by which Banner usually transforms into the Hulk is presumably the result of the chemical catalyst adrenaline (a.k.a. epinephrine). As in normal human beings, Banner's adrenal medulla secretes large amounts of adrenaline in time of fear, rage, or stress, which hormonally stimulates the heart rate, increases blood-sugar levels, and inhibits sensations of fatigue. Whereas the secretion heightens normal physical abilities in normal human beings, in Banner's case it triggers the complex chemical-extra-physical process that transforms him into the Hulk. The total time of the transformation falls anywhere from 25 seconds to five minutes,[462] depending on the initial adrenaline surge, which will be determined by the original stimulus.[462] Soon after the transformation, the amount of adrenaline in the Hulk will return to more normal and reduced levels.[462] However, there have been instances in which Banner became the Hulk without any discernible increase in heart rate or adrenal levels, suggesting that the true trigger mechanism that causes Banner to change into the Hulk is far more psychological than physical. When the Hulk transforms back into Banner, the excess muscle mass and energy is lost, presumably going back to the same place that he derives it from. As the Hulk's transformation is mostly a stress reaction, it is virtually impossible to attack, wound or sedate him in his human form without the Hulk erupting almost instantaneously in self-defense.[340] As Gamma Mutates and their appearances/abilities are affected by their minds to become "metaphor people",[55] Banner's Hulk form and, to an extent, his abilities constantly change depending on which Hulk/alter is in control. Joe Fixit is weaker but more intelligent and cunning while only coming out at night, the Green Scar is full of wrathful fury while being able to erupt with gamma energy, and the Devil Hulk is more attuned with the mystical nature of gamma, allowing him to perform impossible feats like overloading Vibranium, being alive and able to move while dismembered, or smelling lies and seeing into people's souls.
The Hulk producing incalculable strength to prevent him and all of the Defenders from being sucked into a hole in the macrocosm
Unlimited Strength: The Hulk possesses the capacity for essentially limitless physical strength. In proportion to his rage, his formidable strength grows geometrically and exponentially towards infinity itself.[495][121][496][126][136][331][497][498][486][499][500][501] The Hulk's exceptional physical strength resulted in him being reputed as the world's most powerful being.[160][275][278][468][474] In World War Hulk, his grandiose physical strength was regarded as off the charts by the super-genius Reed Richards.[502]Jack Kirby revealed that, since the conception of the character, he intended the Hulk to have unlimited strength.[503] In actuality, though the highest hierarchical challenges mentally imposed by Banner to the Hulk may not reflect the real characters' power level, it was implied that the Hulk's ultimate potential truly has no limits.[48] When pondering about the Hulk, Banner has personally reinforced that the Hulk possesses incalculable strength.[504] In fact, upon actually estimating the Hulk's raw potential, the virtually omniscient cosmic entity the Beyonder stated outright that the Hulk's strength is intrinsically limitless. The Hulk's uttermost potential is indeed infinite, with no finite element inside.[496] This statement has been endorsed by the cosmic entity the Stranger, who deduced that the Hulk's capacity for strength is, for all practical purposes, unlimited.[136] The knowledgeable Doc Samson has also postulated that the Hulk can increase his strength ad infinitum,[219] characterizing him as a child who is endowed with unlimited power,[505] whereas the gamma-spawned genius the Leader has also regularly confessed the Hulk's endless strength.[114][116][121] The Hulk's boundless strength was further demonstrated by the Mad Thinker's inability to calculate its limits,[331] several experts have effectively failed to determine the precise magnitude of the Hulk's brute power,[121][126][498][486] he was designated as one of the strongest beings who has ever lived who is supplied with inexhaustible power,[506] and his power has been consistently described as immeasurable.[507] The Hulk's rage, the foundation of his unfathomable strength, is also described as unlimited.[463][497][508] The Hulk's reputation extends even beyond Earth, with the Skrulls proclaiming him as the strongest mortal on Earth,[509] the alien tyrant known as Kurrgo the Planet Master enunciating that he is the strongest of all of Earth's creatures,[510] the cosmic wanderer the Silver Surfer recognizing the Hulk as the strongest mortal that he had ever confronted,[138] and the Supreme SkyfatherOdin reflecting that he is the strongest mortal that Thor has ever faced.[104] Moreover, the malevolent and massively powerful interdimensionalmysticaldemonNightmare has also expressed his fear of trying to exploit the Hulk again for his mischievous and wicked ends.[511] However, each of the primary Hulk's personalities possesses a base strength level. While functionally calm, the Gray Hulk persona is the weakest, whereas the incarnation commonly referred to as the Green Scar is physically the strongest of all of the Hulk's primary incarnations. This is because, after being exposed to the energies from the exploding core of the ship which had originally brought the Hulk to Sakaar, the Green Scar's base strength level was dramatically increased. The persona known as the Devil Hulk is also substantially stronger than most incarnations and presumably rivals the Green Scar, being able to effortlessly outclass the combined might of an Avengers team which consisted of powerful heroes.[14] However, while in an enraged state, adrenaline surges through the Hulk's body, magnifying his extraordinary physical strength drastically beyond its conventional levels. The Hulk's astronomical strength is directly proportional to his level of rage, excitement, and stress. The Hulk also grows stronger the more gamma radiation[512][513][514][515] and the more dark magic[516][517] that he catalyzes or absorbs. Finally, as Amadeus Cho theorized, Banner subconsciously restrains the Hulk's maximum potential because he quantifies and calculates the multiple environmental variables so that the Hulk could never hurt innocents. Cho himself corroborated this thesis with a logical analysis of all the Hulk's historical conflicts.[518] However, if the suppression of Banner's restrictions occurs, the Hulk can neutralize this limitation, such as when he became the Worldbreaker.[460] The Hulk has also performed impressive feats of strength in his career.
The Hulk demonstrating his massive leaping ability
Superhuman Leaping: The Hulk is able to use his highly developed leg muscles to leap incredible heights and distances. As the Hulk becomes enraged, his strength increases considerably, which means he can jump farther than usual. The Hulk has transposed about 1,000 miles with a single leap,[519] and in a single leap he jumped on top of Mount Olympus from ground level.[38][520] On more than one occasion, the Hulk has nearly jumped into Earth's orbit.[521][11] The Hulk even managed to reach Mars' orbit with a single bound.[522] The Hulk also shows incredible precision with his ability to aim his jumps and landings. He has grabbed missiles on multiple occasions and landed on islands barely visible from the height that he fell from.[519] While calm, the Hulk's leap has been measured to reach 473 mph.[523]
Superhuman Strength Utilizations: The Hulk can inhale great quantities of air for several effects. For example, he can expel the air at enormous speeds to knock down forests[524] and armed troops.[96]
The Hulk easily overpowering the Red Hulk with a single powerful clap of his hands
This resource also enables the Hulk to defeat several super-human opponents such as Mister Fantastic.[525] The Hulk can clap his hands together to create a tremendously powerful sonic vibration that propagates through the air and has been compared to the strongest hurricanes in history.[211] This thunderclap has been powerful enough to disperse the Sandman's attacks,[526] snuff out the Human Torch's flame ability,[479] and severely debilitate the Red Hulk.[459] The Hulk can also hit the ground with his hands or legs to create violent tremors that can topple opponents[527] and destroy structures,[169] and is also being able to produce destructive shockwaves by stomping his foot.[464] He could also create shockwaves with enough power to shatter glass jars by simply snapping his fingers while possessed by the One Below All.[432]
Dimensional Rift Creation (Latent): The Hulk's strength is so extreme that, if he is enraged enough, he can literally punch holes in the dimensional fabric of space-time.[53]
Demonstrations of the Hulk's Strength
The Hulk both cracked and broke chains that were forged from the First Firmament's essence, a primordial cosmic being who was the original incarnation of the cosmos itself before the Multiverse was created, and was endowed with power on a scale comparable to, or greater than, that of Eternity.[442]
A mental duplicate of the Hulk, a manifestation of sheer rage deprived of Banner's psyche and the resulting ability to manipulate the Dream Realm, destroyed the demon Nightmare's realm, the Dream Dimension.[528][529]
The Hulk's final punch against Onslaught, who had integrated Franklin Richards and X-Man's combined power into himself, overpowered and destroyed his physical form with enough potency to obliterate the universe.[469][470][244]
Before either the Starship Hulk, which was fueled by the Savage Hulk's rage, or an Odinforce-imbued Thor Odinson received temporary power-ups during a fight, the two of them fought evenly with each other.[413] While imbued with the Odinforce, Thor has previously been proven strong enough to severely damage Captain America's shield.[530]
The Hulk contained 1/3 of the power of the Goddess of Night, Nyx, who had previously overpowered the SkyfatherZeus.[531]
The shockwaves from the Hulk's collision with Ironclad reached an infinite number of dimensions throughout the Crossroadsnexus, creating tremendous chaos, cataclysmic upheavals and unimaginable destruction.[538]
Upon being drained by the newly devised Celestial Hulkbuster Iron Man Armor that was specially designed for just that purpose, the Hulk still generated physical force with potency growing from 100,000 exploding stars.[414]
Matching the bulky top tier incarnation of Drax the Destroyer, whose vast power was further magnified since he was in possession of the Power Gem.[541]
Pushing two spheres apart, one made of matter and the other of antimatter, and throwing one of them into outer space.[543]
Ripping apart an enormous device that was designed to fight against the Celestials.[544]
Destroying an asteroid that was twice the size of Earth by being launched towards it and acting as a projectile.[545]
Holding together the tectonic plates of a planet to keep it from collapsing.[40]
Overpowering a field of energy that was endowed with sufficient power to alter the orbit of a planet.[136]
Overpowering greatly enhanced and gigantic incarnations of the Bi-Beast and the Wendigo.[546]
Penetrating a barrier that only Black Bolt's sonic scream had penetrated previously.[151]
Matching a group of Avengers, consisting of the Scarlet Witch before House of M, Wonder Man, Iron Man, and the Vision, while the narration established that the Hulk's potential was greater than their combined might.[490]
Overpowering a group of several heroes, including Thor and the Thing.[361]
Overpowering the Juggernautbefore outside interference changed the course of the battle.[547]
He overpowered a power-draining mechanism which contained much of the combined power of the Hulk himself, Doctor Strange, the Silver Surfer, and Namor the Sub-Mariner, which none of the other three aforementioned Defenders could break out of.[549]
He charged right through Vector's telekinetic repulsion while he was repelling reality itself.[538]
Kang the Conqueror regards the Hulk as the strongest Avenger ever, whereas a robot fueled by the Hulk's power overpowered the classic formation of the Avengers, composed of beings such as Thor Odinson and Iron Man.[487]
He crunched and twisted an Adamantium alloy around Blastaar the Living Bomb-Burst, leaving him unable to break out, and threw the resulting sphere into the Mid-Atlantic Ocean.[553]
As the Green Scar, the Hulk matched the full power of the Sentry to a stalemate; however, the Hulk then briefly reverted to Banner and the Sentry reverted to Bob Reynolds. Even in their human forms, Banner was able to knock out Reynolds.[289]
He brought the Juggernaut to his knees with only two punches.[233]
He matched the Super-Adaptoid, who had acquired the combined powers of heroes like Iron Man and the Vision.[569]
The Hulk was able to send Zeus flying with a powerful two-handed punch, but he was still decisively defeated.[520]
He fractured Thor's skull with only one punch, tore apart the latest Hulkbuster Armor devised by Iron Man, sent a Celestial-enhanced She-Hulk flying for at least two miles away with only one punch, and overloaded the Black Panther's Vibranium-based Panther Habit, which was previously believed to be impossible.[14][570]
Punching away and knocking out the immovable Blob and also punching Unus the Untouchable's force field with such force that the force field hit Unus himself and knocked him out.[576]
Thor has admitted that the Hulk could be stronger than himself,[564] and that there appears to be no limits to the Hulk's strength.[563]
Thanos the Mad Titan compared the Hulk's ever-increasing strength to that of the former Champion of the Universe, Tryco Slatterus, when Tryco was wielding the Power Gem, and said that he had avoided a confrontation with the Hulk in the past because of this.[46]
In a simulation operated by Iron Man, the Hulk was considered too strong to confront directly, even when Iron Man's armor was functioning at extreme levels, drastically reducing its energy reserves in the process.[578]
When the Leader used one of his inventions, the Kinetron Mitts, as a weapon against the Hulk (this device reflected the kinetic energy of the Hulk's punches back at him, thereby beating the Hulk with his own power), the Hulk's ever-increasing anger was more than enough to first resist them and then both actually crush the mitts with his bare hands while the Leader was still wearing them and tear them off of the Leader's hands effortlessly, thus causing his arch-enemy brief but considerable pain.[60]
Superhuman Stamina: The Hulk's body counteracts fatigue poisons that build up in his muscles during physical activity. In fact, the Hulk was capable to leap endlessly during an entire day without showing any signs of fatigue.[571] In an enraged state, the Hulk is capable of exerting himself at peak physical capacity for several weeks before fatigue begins to really affect him.[579] However, just like his vast physical strength, the Hulk's stamina increases as he becomes angrier.[156][580] In an enraged state, the Hulk was able to successfully stalemate the warrior madness Thor,[566] a state which temporarily enhances Thor's strength and stamina to 10 times that of his normal state in exchange for adversely affecting his intelligence.[581] A giant robotic Sentinel has calculated the Hulk's stamina as almost unlimited.[582] The Hulk, while in his Nul, Breaker of Worlds persona, also fought Thor until Thor collapsed exhausted on the ground.[318]
The Hulk demonstrating his immense durability
Dynamic Durability: In addition to immense strength, the Hulk's body possesses a high degree of resiliance to physical injury. The gamma radiation that served as the catalyst for his current state fortified his cellular structure, endowing him with high degree of resistance to injury, pain, and disease.[583] The Hulk has survived tremendous amount of punishment throughout his career. The Hulk's skin is impervious to conventional blades, Adamantium and Vibranium being strictly the few known metals that can effectively pierce and penetrate his skin. The Hulk was even able to remove Adhesive X from his body without any injury,[557] and to shatter Plasti-thene, a seemingly indestructible substance that was covering his entire body in a cocoon-like manner, without any harm.[160] This invulnerability extends to the optic system since bullets,[584] grenade shrapnel,[585]Hawkeye's arrows,[586] and even the Valkyrie's enchanted sword Dragonfang[587] did not penetrate or damage it. The Hulk is capable of withstanding high caliber bullets, powerful energy blasts,[588][589][553] pressure extremes, falls from orbital heights,[590][591][318][521] maximized heat without blistering, maximized cold without freezing, and also massive impacts. The Hulk has withstood several times the impact of ground zero nuclear explosions,[112][188][592][593][594][595] the Human Torch's Nova Blast,[502][514][359] with a maximum temperature of 1 million degrees Fahrenheit, a full power blow from Mjolnir concentrated in his chest and unleashed by an unrestrained Thor,[479] and also the crushing pressures of 100Gs[121] without suffering any damage or harm. The Hulk has even resisted the Vision's phasing abilities,[220][479] which have been powerful enough to knock out Hyperion.[596] In fact, when the Maestro's Dog O' War, a robot that was claimed to be able to crush Adamantium in its jaws in 7.3 seconds, had the Hulk's exposed neck in its jaws, it was unable to even lacerate his skin before being ripped apart by the Hulk.[597] In another monumental example of his durability, the Hulk even withstood being subjected to a mechanism that was capable of easily both softening and manipulating Adamantium.[331] The Hulk was also able to withstand a planet-devastating impact,[512] a planet-shattering impact at point blank range,[545] the Galaxy Master's planet-destroying strongest attacks,[156] even when their potency was later amplified 10 times,[598] a colossal blow from a Phoenix-empowered Cyclops,[599] phenomenally powerful blows from the extremely powerful Zom-empowered Doctor Strange,[458] and a mighty blast from a somewhat hungry Galactus.[600] The Hulk even withstood exposure to magical energy calculated as over 100 times more powerful than Hercules' strongest blows,[601] and also the overwhelming pressure and kinetic energy of a literal supernova bursting on his body.[540] Upon being drained by Iron Man while wearing the most recent Celestial armor created by himself, the Hulk withstood extraordinarily powerful blasts whose potency was growing from 100,000 supernovas.[414] In addition, the Hulk withstood the Sentry's vastly powerful attacks, which were the equivalent of 1 million supernovas.[290] The Hulk even withstood a few of the incredibly powerful blows from Zeus when relatively calm.[520] In a moderately angry state, the Hulk was unfazed by the Thing's most potent punch.[198] The full force of Cyclops' optic blasts, estimated by Cyclops himself to be powerful enough to rip a small planet in half,[602] only caused minor damage,[515] while previously his ultimate blast was completely ineffective against the Hulk.[588] Furthermore, the Hulk has withstood multiple blows from beings such as Thor[563][535][566] and the Abomination[603][604][605] on a regular basis. The Hulk's durability, in proportion to his strength, is fueled by rushes of adrenaline while angry.[477][580] This was also exemplified when Wolverine stated during World War Hulk that the Hulk's skin was harder to damage,[515] when the Hulk withstood a blast from Captain Marvel twice as powerful as a blast that had previously harmed him,[606] and when, during a fierce battle against Colossus, Colossus noticed that the harder he hit the Hulk, the less it seemed to hurt him.[607] This was further exemplified when Wolverine's[608] and the Black Panther's[609] claws failed to hurt the Hulk.
Enhanced Breath: The Hulk's incredible musculature does not stop at his sinuous extremities; every iota of Banner's gamma-enhanced anatomy has been similarly augmented beyond regular degrees, respiratory facilities included. The Incredible Hulk's lung capacity and oxygen intake sit well beyond the par of the finest human specimen imaginable, easily enabling him to cast gale-force winds via the simple act of breathing hard, being able to knock over dozens of armed guards with a short burst of air,[96] toss aside a bunch of aviary animals on the Microverse world of K'ai,[577] knock over several story tall trees in a lumberyard forest with relative ease, and just as simply disperse poison gas clouds as quick as he can blink.[524][610] Likewise, the Hulk's inhalation capacity matches the dynamic force behind his exhalation faculty, once inhaling Reed Richards into his gullet when the latter tried to enwrap and bind him during a slight scuffle,[525] and even ingesting and binding the Hope entity by sucking the ethereal being into himself using his enhanced lung capacity.[611]
Retroactive Immortality: For all intents and purposes, the Hulk cannot permanently die. The exact nature of this ability is unknown; however, it is suggested that every time the Hulk or Banner is killed since the day that Banner was hit with the Gamma Bomb, the Green Door is opened and allows him to "walk through" in order to successfully enable self-resurrection. It is suggested that it is his other self who walks through, as Banner would rather be at peace than be revived as the Hulk. It was initially theorized that damaging the hypothalamus, an area in the forebrain which controls the nervous system as well as emotions, could effectively kill the Hulk, but subsequent resurrections have proven it impossible to prevent a Gamma Mutate's revival, even with their brain completely destroyed.[54][14][367] Following his resurrection by the Challenger,[362] if Banner should die, he would self-resurrect by transforming into the Hulk at nighttime,[13] although said power was seemingly lost after the Leader was separated from the One Below All, which successfully shut down all of the Green Doors.[52] However, Banner seems to have regained what was lost after having been stabbed in the heart with a cutting knife,[438] with the very embodiment of Death itself stating that he and his counterpart were beyond her reach during a confrontation against the Hulk.[612]
Self-Sustenance: There were several events in the past where the Hulk not only faced extended periods of time in oxygen-deprived environments without suffocating or drowning, he also frequently spoke in these inhospitable habitats with little difficulty.[205] Either due to the eratic nature of his bodily adjustments or the wildly metaphysical nature of the gamma energy powering it, both Banner and the Hulk have shown that they can thrive just about anywhere without any need of nourishment or rest,[155] being able to retain the prime of physical health indefinitely if they so choose.[613]
Self-Regeneration Manipulation: As a Gamma Mutate with a connection to the Below-Place, Bruce Banner/the Hulk learned that he possessed an autonoetic commandeering of his own recovery rate and extremital prehensility of his individual biomass, as had others in the past,[614] once having been cut into individual pieces and put in a group of several different-sized jars only to compel said pieces to merge back together by sheer force of will.[432]
The Hulk regaining his mass and healing within seconds
Despite the Hulk's 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 entire body with much greater speed and efficiency than an ordinary human. He has demonstrated a vastly superhuman healing capacity, enabling him to regenerate body tissue (including internal organs) within seconds to minutes.[51] In fact, the Hulk was able to systematically regenerate all of his internal organs and tissues in an alternate reality.[615] He was also able to literally rip off a large fraction of his head, allowing it to completely regrow.[64] In a notorious episode, the Maestro persona molecularly rebuilt his body after being atomized.[616] The Hulk also demonstrated his exceptional healing capacity when, during a battle with Vector, all of his skin and most of his muscle mass were extracted from his body. The Hulk regained his mass and healed within seconds.[617] Even the Omega-Level biokinetic Elixir's death touch could only retard him temporarily.[457] The most extreme depictions of his healing factor also include reintegrating members isolated from his body.[432] The Hulk's regenerative healing factor also enables him to resist to physical transmutations.[618][619][620][211][515] Additionally, the Hulk heals faster and more extensively the angrier he gets.[580] For example, the Scorpion (Carmilla Black) once injected into the Hulk's body a chemical substance that counteracted his healing factor. Amadeus Cho then caused the Hulk to get enraged enough for his immune system to repel the substance.[518] Combined with the Hulk's superhuman durability, it makes him exceedingly difficult to defeat or incapacitate, as noted by Wolverine during their second battle.[580]
Disease Immunity: The Hulk is completely invulnerable to all known Earth-based diseases and viruses, including AIDS.[229][621] He can operate under intense conditions for prolonged periods of time due to his body not developing fatigue toxins quickly.
Decelerated Aging: For all intents and purposes; the Hulk lives indefinitely. Because of an enhanced healing factor derived from the properties of gamma energy that empowers him, the Hulk has a prolonged lifespan. A persona from a possible alternate future, the Maestro, was in his physical prime despite being over 100 years old.[236] In another possible alternate future, it is implied that the Hulk's entire body effectively lasts forever,[615] which was further proven when both another alternate future's Banner and its Mister Immortal were seen as the only two beings left alive to witness the end of the universe.[70]
Body Part Autonomy: In spite of his nervous system being badly dissociated, Banner/the Hulk can willingly control each of his individual body parts as if they were still part of his uniformly whole physiology,[432] being able to operate his appendages and command his internal organs to move and act according to his will if he so chooses.
The Hulk running at incredible speed
Superhuman Speed: Regardless of his size, the Hulk's superhumanly strong legs allow him to run at speeds that are well beyond the natural physical limits of even the finest human athlete. In fact, the Hulk's speed is so relatively high that, while tunneling underground from Subterranea to California, the Avengers feared that the Hulk could fracture the San Andreas Fault in a matter of a few hours.[170] In an excellent display of increased velocity, the Hulk easily outperformed an aircraft while on land,[333] and in another astonishing demonstration of ground speed, the Hulk crossed a vast distance encompassing several states in a matter of instants.[551] The Hulk's gigantic speed extends to his leaps, which allowed him to pursue and reach a space missile.[11] The Hulk also possesses immense swimming speeds as well. He has been clocked to be swimming at 80 knots,[519] and has even matched Namor the Sub-Mariner's underwater speed,[161] even while Namor was moving quickly enough to create a whirlpool,[141] much to the Atlantean king's surprise. Referring to the Hulk's formidable speed, Banner pondered that the Hulk is able to run at eye-blurring speeds and swim fast enough to build propulsion.[448] The Hulk has been fast enough to capture or intercept mortar shells and missiles shot at him.[572][622][623][624][625] The Hulk has also eventually been recognized to be extremely agile in proportion to his size.[97][571][124][188][463][626] In fact, his spectacular reflexes have even been described as "lightning-fast reflexes",[627][203] being quick enough to enable him to snatch a speeding hoverflier from the air.[628] More examples of the Hulk's prodigious combat speed include easily catching Captain America's shield throw,[578][586] catching an arrow in his hand that was shot by Hawkeye,[629] chasing Iron Man after he departed and grabbing him in mid-air,[630] hitting Quicksilver while he was running at high speeds,[631][632] and both pursuing and touching the Silver Surfer while the Surfer was maneuvering at supersonic speeds.[633] The Hulk, while holding back tremendously against physically inferior opponents, has managed to hit both Daredevil despite his heightened radar-senses and extraordinary reaction time[634] and Spider-Man despite his spider-sense and remarkable reflexes.[635][636][637] Furthermore, the Hulk has easily dodged bullets and missiles shot from close range,[95][175][638][639] has effortlessly captured a bullet in his teeth in mid-transformation,[640] and has regularly matched beings with virtually unparalleled combat speed such as Gladiator,[641] the Sentry,[290] and the Silver Surfer.[589] The Hulk has also hit several speedsters, who were operating in an accelerated time flow, before they could even react.[642]
Self-Adaptation (Latent): Recent chapters in Banner's life have revealed that his ability to modify his personal anatomy to survive and adjust to immediate stimuli can be influenced by his own force of will. When the Leader had infiltrated the Hulk's consciousness through his Green Scar/Worldbreaker persona, he had opted that Hulk alter to remake the Hulk's bone structure to facilitate his own Sakarran gladiator armguard by growing skeletal protrusions that turned into knuckle spikes just as he punched Xemnu the Living Titan clear into oblivion.[389]
Reactive Adaptation: It was long theorized by a Life Model Decoy of Nick Fury that the Hulk could adapt to the environment of space as an inherent property of his mutation. He based this thesis on accumulated data about the Hulk.[643] For example, the Hulk can harmonize his biological structure with the depths of the ocean.[644] The LMD of Fury's hypothesis has been confirmed, since it was stated that the Hulk can adapt to any environment, even airless space;[645] therefore, this proves that the Hulk could adapt to a wide diversity of hostile habitats. It is plausible that this ability is enhanced and amplified by the Hulk's rage. Accordingly, it has also been stated that the Hulk does not always need to breathe.[340]
Underwater Breathing: The Hulk has been on the ocean floor a number of times. The Hulk is able to breathe due to his body developing a gland which creates an oxygenated perfluorocarbon emulsion which fills his lungs and equalizes the pressure.[179][190] He is, therefore, able to breathe fluid and avoid decompression and nitrogen narcosis.
Adaptive Attribute Assimilation (Latent): The Hulk has the underlying prospect of taking on whatever force he is faced with to further bolster his already considerable strength. Having once battled the U-Foes while at his absolute weakest, his Joe Fixit persona somehow used this facility to assimilate the cosmological force directed at him by X-Ray, which left him a half-melted cadaver. He later revived as a new version of the Red Hulk, one powerful enough to smash apart Red Doors, which normally inhibit a Gamma Mutate's ability to resurrect from the dead.[646]
Cosmic Energy Channeling: When being saturated with cosmic radiation courtesy of the U-Foes member X-Ray, Sunshine Joe Fixit somehow enabled himself, and by extension their Hulk form, to assimilate the cosmic energy with their gamma energy in order to become an all-new Hulk/Rulk hybridization of some sort, becoming vastly more powerful than ever before in the process.[398]
Telepathic Resistance: In many instances, the Hulk has demonstrated great psychic resistance as a side effect of his innate rage and the multiple personalities that are inside his mind.[136][647][648][649][650][457] When in ideal conditions, it is extremely difficult to enslave the Hulk mentally. In parallel, this ability increases with his rage. This was demonstrated when Psyklop managed to initially enthrall the Hulk with his hypnotic powers, but was not able to subjugate an enraged Hulk at all.[647] In an example of his mental prowess, the Hulk was even able to survive using the Ultimate Machine, which contained the collective knowledge of an entire universe. While the Leader died, despite his heightened intellect, due to being unable to process the entirety of the information and having his brain overloaded, the Hulk was able to survive after using it to find out that Rick was in danger, after which he removed the device and leapt away.[651] In an astounding exhibition of his telepathic immunity, the Hulk proved to be unaffected by Xemnu the Living Titan's telepathic assault,[447] which has been powerful enough to mesmerize the entire human population,[652] put a mental block on Doctor Strange to prevent him from using his powers,[649] or even engage the enormously powerful Moondragon in battle.[653] The Hulk was also the only one who was able to remember the Sentry after the Sentry had used his psionic powers to remove his memories from everyone on the planet, while highly powerful psychics such as Professor X could only utilize their psionic powers to find out that their memories had been radically altered and twisted.[654] The Hulk has withstood telepathic attacks from the Stranger,[136] the Shaper of Worlds,[200]Professor X,[457]Selene,[655]Doctor Strange,[287] the Leader,[164]Mentallo,[656] the Ringmaster,[657] etc.
Astral Form Perception: The Hulk has the unique ability of being able to see astral forms or ghosts,[658] and even physically interact with them.[659] This power has come in handy when working with his fellow Defender, Doctor Strange, who is able to leave his body in an usually invisible ghost-like state better known as an astral form. Banner subconsciously feared that his father's ghost would come back to haunt him, and so the Hulk developed this mechanism to allow him to look out for him. More recent events have shown that the power to see astral forms may now extend to Banner as well; however, it was suggested that the clarity of the astral forms that Banner sees is diminished when compared to the Hulk's ability to see them. The Hulk's ability to see astral forms may go beyond just seeing individual spirits. The Hulk once experienced a whole town in the middle of the American desert that then faded away into nothing. While it is possible that it was merely a mirage, it is also possible the Hulk was able to see a town that did not exist in our plane of reality that no one else could see.
Clairsentience: The advent of the Devil Hulk's resurgence gave Banner an uncanny intuitive capacity for taking subconscious steps towards the right direction when looking for the object or item of his desires,[371] suspecting that his newfound Devil Hulk persona had come to act as the back-up brains of the outfit, seeing as Banner's considerable genius-level intellect had become clouded upon his resurrection.
Homing Ability: The Hulk also has a seemingly mystical homing ability that enables him to locate the area in New Mexico where Banner first became the Hulk.[214] This applies even if the Hulk is in another dimension. An image of the Maestro once explained to Banner that the reason that he was able to do that was because the Maestro's spirit was there, calling to him.[616] However, since the time that the Maestro was resurrected, the Hulk has still continued to return to the Gamma Bomb test site, suggesting that there is more to his ability than merely the Maestro's spirit. This homing ability has also been used to find people on rare occasions. For example, the Hulk was able to dig a tunnel underground exactly in the direction of Onslaught.[660] While it is possible that Onslaught was mentally guiding the Hulk to him, there were other instances of the Hulk demonstrating this ability. The Hulk's instincts led him to Betty[661] and Rick,[662] and the Hulk located the Abomination with no prior knowledge of his whereabouts.[603] The Hulk was also able to know that the Vision was approaching while inside an underground tunnel, even though he could neither see nor hear the intangible Avenger's approach.[170]
Veracity Sensing: The Devil Hulk had showcased some odd clairvoyance after his and Banner's resurrection, the Devil Hulk having mentioned how he can sense when someone is lying through an as of yet unknown means.[663] Even Thor Odinson felt a chill run up and down his being, as he could feel the Hulk's olfactory range had expanded beyond the purely physical.[14]
Supernatural Genetics (Latent): Every iota of the several quadrillion blood cells, muscle fibers, bodily fluids, and other assorted flesh and sinews coursing within Banner's frame enables him a litany of extra otherworldly abilities.[213] Primarily, his sanguine elements can transfer his gamma mutagenic condition to others, provided they receive a direct infusion of which; either via biophysical transplant or lipid transfusions.[664] It also has enriching or restorative properties when it comes in contact with herborial life, having both propagated the growth of foliage to incredible degrees to the point of replanting barren planets that are completely devoid of plant life.[34]
Subsuming Transplantation: Another pointed element regarding this facet of the Hulk is that, whether it be by blood or radiation exposure, it does not just beget the powers typically found in most Gamma Mutates, but direct infusions from Banner/ the Hulk's specific mutate chain transfers an inheritance of certain psychological and emotional qualities that belonged to the donor.[384] In the case of Jennifer Walters, she would later be a host of an alternate She-Hulk persona,[665] and in that of Amadeus Cho, he would gain a Dark Hulk persona, which embodied some of his more negative impulses that he had originally repressed.[666] The same could be said of Dr. Leonard Samson, who purportedly developed dissociative personas during his time with the Intelligencia that caused his base physique to fluctuate in potency.[667]
Gamma Radiation/Energy Manipulation, Absorption and Emission: This is not usually a power that is normally associated with the Hulk, but there is enough evidence that the Hulk possesses at least a limited ability to manipulate forms of energy, particularly gamma radiation. The Hulk's body works like a "gamma battery" by constantly creating and radiating gamma energy.[144] The Troyjan emperor Arm'Cheddon once wanted to employ the Hulk's own gamma radiation to power machines that would resurrect his son, Trauma, from the dead; however, the Hulk outsmarted him by consciously force-feeding his energy into these machines at a rate that was too fast for them to handle, and they promptly overloaded and exploded.[668] The Hulk also generated massive amounts of gamma radiation during World War Hulk,[290] and produced a considerable quantity while in the Dark Dimension.[460] The Hulk has also shown the ability to redirect gamma rays unleashed towards him. When the Avengers used the Gammatron Bombarder on him, the Hulk deflected the blast at the device and destroyed it.[170] During his second battle with the Galaxy Master, the Hulk resisted and reflected his enemy's "gamma bombardment" attacks and further demonstrated a beam-shaped projection of gamma energy by using the accumulated gamma energy within himself against the alien entity.[598] The Hulk is also able to absorb gamma energy. As Banner, he absorbed the tremendous amount of energy stored aboard the Intelligencia's Helicarrier.[308] As the Hulk, he has demonstrated the ability to absorb different forms of radiation as he drained the energy of a Kiber Fusion reactor into himself, which had the radical effect of causing his gamma levels to rise completely out of his control, both boiling and nearly causing the ocean line of Kenya, if not a good third of the world's major oceans, to catch fire,[669] and has even siphoned the gamma energy from the second Red Hulk,[364]Sasquatch,[371] and Rebecca Green.[670] The exact extent to which the Hulk controls his own gamma radiation, and also extrinsic sources of other radiative forms, has yet to be established.
Infection: It had long been theorized that the quasi-mystical nature of gamma rays had more to them than a mere biophysical transition and DNA/psyche graft impartment factor.[374]Jennifer Walters, a cousin to Banner and the Gamma Mutate named the She-Hulk, had an eerie feeling that every time the Avengers or other super-powered characters came in contact with the original Gamma Mutate, all of them came under the influence of his gamma radiation, as if the Hulk was somehow affecting their moods with his own rage,[400] believing that it was the reason that old partners often always came to blows, seemingly without rhyme or reason, despite the Hulk's long and storied history both as a hero and as an ally to various costumed adventurers,[402] a trait that was proven to hold some weight, as a recent persona named the Titan had shown that he was able to somehow take hold of those that he had infected with the Hulk's emissions and enthrall them to his will in El Paso, Texas.[407]
Size Alteration: Through the intake of excess radiation, the Hulk once managed to absorb the gamma radiation of several nuclear bombs, which made him grow to a monumental size up to the point where he became much larger than Fin Fang Foom.[532] Other variants of Banner's psyche which manifest through his transformations can also greatly deviate how large the Hulk's physical frame can become, such as when he had transformed from the Gray Hulk into his Green Hulk alters, or how he had changed into either the Kluh or the Titan.[35] His heaving bodily frame only further increased in size and mass to extraordinary degrees.[48]
Anti-Magic (Latent): The nature of gamma thrives upon, and produces, its own kirbons; particle minutia which possess magic-cancelling effectivity to them.[671] It is a little known fact that gamma rays can generate these particles, through which the Hulk can repulse and deflect most forms of magical arcana that are used against him.[672]
Optic Blasts: After the malevolent persona named the Titan took control of the Hulk persona that was about to fight the Abominations, the Titan increased the Hulk's rage to a level that he fired huge amounts of energy from his eyes.[673] Even after the Titan lost control, the Hulk was still able to fire blasts of energy from his eyes.[414]
Physical Augmentation: In the same manner that the Titan persona could suborn and enthrall others with a tinge of his radiology, he could also beef up an untransformed Banner enough to both rip into flesh and tear through muscle with his bare hands.[407]
Mass Consciousness (Latent): This is a more irregular aspect of the Hulk's power spectrum in the same vein that the Titan persona can remotely possess those who come under the influence of gamma.[407] Banner can potentially overshadow numerous hosts using his gamma radiation emissions, and it is not even living organisms that he is limited to possessing, considering that an inkling of the Titan persona remained within his Asgardian armor that was garnered from when the Starship Hulk withheld Thor's hammer, Mjolnir.[416]
Power Sourcing: As the original Gamma Mutate and the avatar of the One Below All, the Hulk stands as his own walking, talking, breathing gamma battery that never runs low on energy.[674] As such, the Green Goliath can never burn out his internal gamma power, as it is fueled by his rage. By extension, the radiation that he can dish out is also inexhaustible.[290] The Hulk's internalized reactor can also be used to fuel powerful spells and/or highly intricate technologies,[460] such as the time when Psyklop sought to use a miniaturized Hulk to energize a summoning ritual to summon his Dark Gods to Earth.[183][184] The Hulk could cleverly utilize this aspect of his physiology to overload a Kree energy siphoning device called the Starwheel when the Kree tried to drain the energies of both himself and his fellow Defenders.[549]
Divine Being-Killing (Semi-Latent): An oddity of the Hulk's ever alternating physiognomy, stands as an infrequent ability that enables him to challenge and kill supreme entities, something which did not present itself until after the resurgence of certain alters in their shared psyche, such as the time when the Devil Hulk outright murdered the God of Sleep, Hypnos, by crushing his neck,[675] and another time when the Fractured Son went on a tear as an eldritch slayer who could kill multiversal cataclysm-inducing entities using only sheer brute force.[676]
Fear Inducement (Semi-Latent): After the Devil Hulk had asserted itself after decades of dormancy, Banner gained a proclivity to instill fear within all whom he came across on an almost esoteric level.[547] The Hulk had always possessed a propensity to inherently terrify all those around him,[677] but after his most expedient resurrection, the Green Goliath could now evoke terror in the face of monsters and even gods themselves, a dread so deep that even the spawns of ancient principalities are loath to face it directly.[675]
Existential Pathology (Latent): An underlying power that the Hulk possesses, which is unique to his gamma-powered constitution, is to effectuate and deviate anything and everything that comes in contact with his mystically irradiated essence and viscera, that being his blood or the gamma radiation that he emits from his entire body. In sanguine form, he can cause metaphysical transformations in a waiting host that imprints his odd physiological characteristics onto others to some odd extents.[678][664] In more extreme cases, this can also have an immediate effect on plants, animals and fungi in some odd respects.[34][90] If a more powerful incarnation of the Hulk were so inclined, Banner could potentially accelerate and take control of growth and development in the environment around him and have the very elements themselves bend and twist into new forms of myriad entities at his will,[679] having once let out such a huge burst of gamma radiation on a distant world universes away to such extremes that it somehow augmented the physical and mental capacities of a host of Gamma Mutates from another reality to new heights, granting them hypercognitive sapience.[418]
Abilities
Banner, as a child, starts inventing a new project with his super-genius mind
Super-Genius Intelligence: Dr. Robert Bruce Banner is a super-genius in nuclear physics,[680] possessing a mind so brilliant that it cannot be measured by any known intelligence test;[91] hence, he is capable of extraordinary feats of intellect such as to successfully reprogram an advanced and especially sophisticated computer system (that was intended to be used to rule the world)[681] in a matter of seconds.[682] In effect, Banner even accomplished infecting a computer system with a virus which even Tony Stark, employing all of his skills, was unable to counteract.[683] Banner is regarded by Stark as the most brilliant nuclear scientist (presumably on the planet),[198] and another description corroborates Stark's statement upon indicating that Banner is the greatest nuclear scientist in the world.[160] Banner also has expertise in several additional fields, such as biology,[684] engineering,[685] and architecture.[686] Banner was referred as the only true expert on radiation-based mutation.[687] He was once estimated as the fourth smartest person on the planet,[301]Doctor Doom considers him a genius unparalleled in certain fields,[187]Nick Fury reveres Banner's intellect as belonging to the same class as Reed Richards and Tony Stark,[493] the High Evolutionary reputed Banner as the only one in the world that was able to help him to terminate his own life,[619]M.O.D.O.K. highly esteemed Banner by deeming him as the greatest threat among the eight smartest persons,[305] and even Reed Richards recognized him as one of the most intelligent persons on the entire planet.[303] This view is reiterated by Tony Stark, who acknowledges Banner as one of the smartest persons in the world.[492]
Master Combatant: The Hulk is a skillful and capable warrior, demonstrating vast versatility and intuition in the battle, like anticipating and exploiting the weakness of Hyperion,[688] defeating Mister Fantastic by inhaling and expelling his malleable body after being enveloped by it,[525] and also utilizing the Blob's immobility against the Blob himself.[689][658] The Hulk has consistently faced warriors with ample experience in combat, such as Thor,[561][562][566]Skurge the Executioner,[125][143] and Hercules.[127][690][38] As the Green Scar, he has had training in multiple combat arms, including broadswords, spears, and battle shields.[45] As Doc Green, he received martial arts training from the expert martial artist Iron Fist.[347]
Indomitable Will: The Hulk has an enduring and unbreakable will power under extreme conditions. If his loved ones are threatened or the battle is so heated that it requires his dynamic strength to be explored further, he will strive to subdue his foes no matter how powerful they are or how uneven the odds are. On one occasion, when the Defenders were captured and imprisoned in power-draining machinery, the Hulk was the only one capable of both unearthing an unfathomable hidden will power and increasing his strength sufficiently enough to destroy the machinery and save everyone.[549] In a fierce battle against the Abomination, despite being initially overwhelmed by the superior might of the Abomination, once Betty was threatened his strength grew dramatically enough to overpower his enemy.[500] In yet another battle against the Abomination, the Abomination's strength was restored to its original levels by the Galaxy Master. Despite being initially subjugated, the Hulk's strength remarkably increased, ensuring his victory.[598]
Self-Restraint: When Banner is the Hulk, he can influence the Hulk's behavior to a limited extent. However, several facts indicate that Banner subconsciously restrains the Hulk.[244][518][460][38][604] For example, the Merged Hulk asked for Jean Grey to psionically shut Banner off so that the Hulk's sheer power could be unleashed against Onslaught.[244] In addition, the Worldbreaker alter represents the complete withdrawal of Banner's usual restraints.[460] Moreover, the Hulk has further stated that Banner's constraints prevent the Hulk from destroying Earth.[604] In another occasion, Iron Man has also deduced that Banner exerts a moderating influence on the Hulk,[463] and he even declared that the Hulk normally represses and regulates the potency of all his punches.[691] In a classic combat between Thor and the Hulk, at one point it was narrated that Banner was suppressed, though Banner's dominion over the Hulk in this issue had been unstable.[563]Doc Samson has further pondered that, while extensive destruction has been caused by the Hulk, he has never killed a single soul while confronting the Army.[692] The Devil Hulk even recognized that Amadeus Cho's hypothesis about Banner exercising subconscious control on the Hulk is plausible, although it works only for the other classic incarnations of the Green Goliath.[69] In a dialogue with Ben Grimm, the Gray Hulk revealed to him that the Savage Hulk never killed the Thing during any of their battles because he was withholding the full expression of his power.[693]
In order to spare the civilians who were inside a building, Banner's subconscious influence oriented the Hulk to concentrate his battle against the Sandman outside said building.[179] Upon being subjected to Nightmare's machinations, the Hulk also aroused his uncontrollable inner savagery, revealing that Banner had lost ascendancy over the Hulk and ultimately resulting in Banner's "psychic suicide."[445] In yet another instance, Professor X, before an imminent confrontation between the Hulk and the X-Men, also scanned the Hulk's mind and discovered that Banner was in control and that the Hulk posed no threat, which was soon confirmed by the team.[694] In fact, Banner has even stimulated the Hulk to hit the time barrier with the maximum strength that he had ever demonstrated, suggesting that Banner had never allowed the Hulk to exert so much strength before.[449] During a battle against Thor and Iron Man, Banner also stipulated that since the Hulk thought that he was in a simulation, he would not hold back, which manifests again that the Hulk usually restrains his power.[414] In addition, the Merged Hulk has ensured that he was holding back in a previous clash with Doctor Octopus in which he was defeated, and vindicated this claim by effortlessly demolishing Octopus.[695]
Gamma Radiation Draining: The Hulk is sometimes portrayed as vulnerable to gamma radiation draining by sufficiently powerful energy manipulators.[499][696] Reverting to human form may be necessary for the Hulk to recharge his gamma energy.[697] However, the Hulk is eventually characterized as possessing a high degree of immunity to this weakness.[698] For example, the mutant Darwin was unable to drain his gamma radiation, and the Hulk deliberately transferred his energy into an entire race of absorbing entities without collapsing. Even previous to these events, the Hulk has displayed this potential. For example, the SpaceknightRom was unable to cure Banner of his condition,[699] and the Hulk intentionally overloaded the Armageddon absorption mechanism.[668]
Cosmic rays are "anti-gamma"
Cosmic Radiation: Cosmic radiation is the "opposite" of gamma radiation.[700][52]X-Ray has used this fact to weaken the Hulk or even transform him back into Banner.[627][700] The U-Foes once even killed the Hulk with these "anti-gamma" rays and sent him to the Below-Place, but they made the mistake of constantly feeding him cosmic rays. The cosmic rays then seeped into the Below-Place, got absorbed by Joe Fixit, and turned him into a new version of the Red Hulk. The Red Hulk then smashed through the Red Door that was keeping him in the Below-Place and the Hulk came back to life, empowered by cosmic rays.[399]
Gas Inhalation: Great doses of gas can temporarily neutralize the Hulk;[557][194][156] however, it is not an insurmountable obstacle, since the Hulk can dissipate the gas with a powerful thunderclap, destabilizing the opponent with the resulting shockwaves.[701][564] The Hulk has also occasionally resisted this weakness.[702]
Adamantium and Vibranium Blades: These two metals have been shown to be capable of actually, physically piercing the Hulk's skin; Wolverine, X-23, and the Black Panther's claws can pierce it.[457][575] However, as the Hulk's rage increases they become progressively less effective, finally reaching a stage where they are completely unable to harm him.[703][608][609]
Adrenaline Suppression: Adrenaline inhibitors can be administered via syringes of Adamantium and Vibranium, aiming to revert the transformation. Amplified quantities can accomplish this purpose.[704] However, the Hulk has also withstood substances intended to sedate him by tactile contact.[705]
Toxic Substances: Once, the Scorpion (Carmilla Black) injected the Hulk with a toxin especially designed to counteract the efficiency of his healing factor; however, if the Hulk gets angry enough, he can nullify this effect, as he quickly demonstrated.[518]
Rage Nullification: The Hulk's rage can also be neutralized; certain individuals can calm the Hulk down. Betty Ross[185] and the Sentry[100] have successfully calmed the Hulk down on several occasions. Telepaths with vast empathy potential can theoretically emulate this effect. The Inhuman Randall Jessup's ability to siphon away negative emotions makes him a particularly effective deterrent to the Hulk's rage factor.[706]
Strength Increasing Factor: The Hulk normally does not achieve high-end strength in the first moments after his transformation.[131] Unless there is a substantial and significant event that breaks Banner's restraints and triggers far superior amounts of adrenaline in his circulatory system, he can theoretically be defeated in the earlier stages of the transformation. His strength level at any given moment may still be inferior to that of his opponents.
Subversion of Personas: Every now and again, Banner and the Hulk often come to adversarial terms with one another, either side of the fence threatening to overtake their opposite number for the sole occupation of their shared being.[436]
Magic: Since the Hulk is empowered by dark magic,[517][516] this is not properly a weakness. However, depending on the Hulk's emotional state, his incarnation, and the power magnitude of the magic manipulator, this could be a potential threat.[142][143][520] However, the Hulk has also been shown to be injured more easily by enchanted weapons than by regular weapons.[75]
Special Conditions: The Hulk can be hurt or killed by cosmic beings and individuals with similar extraordinary levels of power. Under some conditions, he is more susceptible to mental manipulation by exceptionally powerful telepaths. In this context, the psionic control efficiency is inversely proportional to the Hulk's rage level.[647][657]
Former Weaknesses
Ultraviolet Radiation: Due to the nature of the Devil Hulk, Banner is now vulnerable to concentrated ultraviolet radiation, which nullifies his Hulk transformation and reverts him back to his human form.[14][707][383] He was eventually able to overcome this weakness by working with the Devil Hulk.[386]
Paraphernalia
Equipment
BannerTech PDA: Banner has a mobile operating system that can hack sophisticated systems within moments and seems to be controlled mentally for the most part.
BannerTech Shield/Gamma Dome Generator: Banner has created a gamma- and Old Power-fueled shield that protects him from most physical harm. It has been shown to protect him from beings as strong as Skarr and the Juggernaut. Banner is able to extend this shield to cover several other people and also redirect the energy in order to increase his strength.
BannerTech Satchel: Banner has a pocket teleporter in his satchel with which he can reach into it and grab things from his lab.
BannerTech Wrist-Watch Teleporter: A pocket-sized teleportation device that Banner can spontaneously warp himself and others across vast distances with.
A molecular repulsion field that could be used to simulate levitation.
A miniature electromagnetic pulse blast.
BannerTech Nanoparticulates: microrobotic particles that are able to hack and disable technological weapons.
BannerTech Flyspy Cams: a spybot with hosts of scanners that are constantly performing advanced diagnostics on everyone within 50 feet of him; he also uses them to carry out thorough bioscans of a particular set of individuals under his surveillance.
Banner used to sew a survival kit into his pants so that whenever he awakened, he could survive anywhere. The kit included a needle and thread, a pack of waterproof matches, and a debit card.[562]
After joining S.H.I.E.L.D., Banner was able to build new technologies to help mankind:
Banner has created a purification unit that could prevent all waterborne disasters for the next five years.[331]
Banner has made the catalytic converter, which could save countless people from smoking-induced cancers.[708]
Banner has designed a suit of his own, but its maximum capabilities are unknown.[708] Since, unlike the Hulk, Banner cannot breathe underwater, the suit enables Banner to breathe in oxygenless environments.[709] The suit also allows him to survive absolute zero temperatures.[710]
Banner also has constructed a contact lens which allows him to operate it like a computer. Using this, he can monitor his vital functions.[331]
Former Equipment
Banner took control of the Hulk by using technology that was stolen from A.I.M.[408] to fracture his psyche into parts. The technology was fitted over Hulk-like armor. The armor has a jet pack that allowed the Hulk to fly[411] and energy weapons for defense.[407] It could also reassemble and repair itself if damaged.[48] Banner lost these cybernetics after taking back control of his body from the Titan persona.[421]
Weapons
Old Power Taser: a stun gun that was built combining the Old Power in conjunction with Banner's gamma radiation and that emits pulses that are so strong, the effects are measured on the Richter Scale. At a 1.4 it was able to send Wolverine sailing clear across the street and, according to Banner, at a 6.9 it would be able to kill him.[300]
BannerTech Stun Gun: a handheld electrode discharging pistol which could be utilized to paralyze and incapacitate opponents, even affecting the likes of the Red Hulk in singular uses. According to Banner, prolonged application of said tool would have overwhelmed his durability and recovery capacity, leaving him indefinitely paralyzed.[711]
Former Weapons
The Hammer of Nul: As one of the Worthy,[314] the Hulk used it for melee and ranged combat that even enabled him to take on Thor, the wielder of Mjolnir.[317]
Transportation
When he lost his ability to turn into the Hulk, Banner reverse-engineered the Leader's teleportation technology and used it as a transportation device.[298]
Notes
Banner's identity as the Hulk is publicly known; however, the public does not know that Joe Fixit was the Hulk.[4]
The Hulk was initially gray-colored but, as the gamma radiation raged through his body, it was eventually turned green. The Hulk has reverted back to his gray skin tone a few times.[citation needed]
Through the transformation from Banner to the Hulk, his jeans or his pants are generally the only item of clothing that are able to sustain the sheer forces of a muscular explosion.[74]
Spider-Man once managed to "defeat" the Hulk by telling a joke which made him calm down and turn into his Banner alter in order to laugh.[687] Another time, after the Hulk was seduced by Umar the Unrelenting, the Hulk was so satisfied that he reverted back to Banner, and would not turn back into the Hulk.[712]
The fact that Banner has turned into the Hulk without the use of anger or increased heart rate reveals that the adrenaline that Banner uses to turn into the Hulk may simply be a catalyst, and that his transformation may be more psychological than physical. This implies that he can transform at will.[4]
Because of his troubled childhood and his dissociative identity disorder, Banner is the only Hulk that does not fully control both of his forms, unlike the Red Hulk, the She-Hulk, and other Hulk entities.[citation needed]
Banner set up a benefit corporation to administer his patents in order to collect money for the victims of the Hulk's rampages. By the time of his death, he had used it to give 230 million dollars to these victims.[492]
Star-Lord briefly ran into Banner in Purgatory at the time that Banner was dead following his brief resurrection in [67].[713]
The Devil Hulk remembers how Spider-Man revealed his secret identity to the world, implying that he was immune to Doctor Strange's spell. Banner, on the other hand, was affected and does not remember Spider-Man's secret identity. How the spell affected his other Hulk personas is unknown.[714]
Trivia
Years before the Hulk became a member of the Defenders with Namor the Sub-Mariner, Stan Lee considered merging their solo features in Tales to Astonish by making them form a team called "the Invaders." The idea was dropped and, years later, the name of the Invaders was used by Roy Thomas when he pitched the idea of a team of super-heroes set during World War II.[715]
In Savage She-Hulk #1, it is stated that Banner attended medical school before switching to nuclear physics.
The Merged Hulk was briefly renamed "the Professor" during writer Paul Jenkins' run as a "revelation" that the Merged Hulk was not actually a merger of the three personalities, but rather a separate personality altogether. Unlike the Merged Hulk, the Professor was physically distinguished by having a ponytail, which the Merged Hulk did not. However, these parts of Jenkins' run and Bruce Jones' entire run on the comic, including "the Professor", "the Guilt Hulk", and "the Devil Hulk", were later retconned into hallucinations that were created by the demon Nightmare when writer Peter David returned to the title.[429] However, another retcon revealed that the Devil Hulk was indeed a real persona, not a hallucination;[367] and the Guilt Hulk resurfaced in Symbiote Spider-Man: Crossroads #3 as a real persona controlled by, or believing itself to be, Brian Banner.
According to him, the "Hulk loves puppies." S.H.I.E.L.D. once used a bunch of them to transform him back to Banner after a mission.[504] Similarly, the Hulk has said that his favorite animals of all are dogs.[716]
When asked by Iron Man why he built the Gamma Bomb, Banner said that he wanted to use gamma energy to power the world, but got no funds and had to transform it into a weapon in order to get government funds.[90]
One hour of his Hulk persona being in control equals 7.3 hours of sleep to his Banner persona.[717]
The Hulk was ranked as 9th on IGN's Top 100 Comic Book Heroes in 2011.[718]
The Hulk was also ranked as 4th in "The Top 50 Avengers."[719]
Stan Lee revealed that the Hulk went from gray to green because at the time Marvel had ink problems, causing the strips to look weird. So when Lee was asked to change the Hulk's color, it became green because it looked like a monster the most. He revealed this in the 2003 film's bonus features.
Australian actor Eric Bana portrayed both Banner and the Hulk in the 2003 film version, directed by Ang Lee. Edward Norton played Banner in the 2008 reboot of The Incredible Hulk, directed by Louis Leterrier.[720]
Ang Lee actually played the action scenes with the Incredible Hulk in motion capture, while Eric Bana was used to model the Green Behemoth's face.
Lou Ferrigno starred in the 1970s television series of the same name as the character - from Universal Studios and not Marvel Comics - opposite Bill Bixby, who portrayed the David Banner persona instead of the true version; however, this did not follow the original plot from the comics. In the television series, Banner's first name was changed from Robert to David and he was never called by his middle name of Bruce, only David. In the DVD commentary of the pilot episode, series developer and executive producer Kenneth Johnson explained that it was a way to honor his late son, David. Also, according to Stan Lee, Universal changed the name because "Bruce" sounded, in the eyes of the network, like a "gay" name, and David sounded much better.[citation needed] "Bruce" ultimately became the TV version of Banner's middle name, as it had been in the comics, visible on Banner's tombstone at the end of the pilot episode.[citation needed]
Stan Lee never intended the Hulk's real name to be Robert Bruce Banner. Stan ran the first issues with Bruce Banner, then mistakenly ran some more with Bob Banner. Notified of his mistake, he quickly announced that the official name of the Hulk's alter ego was Robert Bruce Banner.
While the Hulk was intended to be the physically strongest character in Marvel, at the time Stan Lee created Thor in 1963, he intended to make a character who was "stronger than the Hulk, and smarter than Reed Richards, in a godly wisdom aspect." However, it should be noted that the above was simply Stan's intention in 1963, and whereas the Hulk has continuously grown in power since then, Thor has not. Under Stan Lee's watch, 10 years later during the 1970s, the Hulk stalemated Thor in strength,[561] and during the late 1980s Stan wrote a Thor issue in which the title character was clearly outmatched against the Hulk, even without using Mjolnir.[563] His current (2013) view on the topic is that it simply depends on if the writer is a Hulk fan or a Thor fan. The subject over which titular hero is the strongest is the source of many debates between comic book fans.
In DC Comics' Doomsday Clock #12, when Doctor Manhattan looks forward into the history of Superman, he refers to the Hulk (as a green behemoth) alongside Thor as part of an alleged event bound to happen in the year 2030 named the "Secret Crisis". In this story, Superman would be thrown into a brawl with the Hulk and Thor, with the former dying to protect him.
In Tarot #3, the two halves of the Hulk merged with the halves of Captain America and the Vision to create Captain Cosmos and the Hulkoid.
,_Brian_Banner_(Earth-616),_and_Rebecca_Banner_(Earth-616)_from_Incredible_Hulk_Vol_1_603_001.jpg){kind=link}
_and_Anthony_Stark_(Earth-616)_from_Indestructible_Hulk_Annual_Vol_1_1_001.jpg){kind=link}
_from_Incredible_Hulk_Vol_1_1_002.jpg){kind=link}
_from_Incredible_Hulk_Vol_1_1_001.jpg){kind=link}
_from_Incredible_Hulk_Vol_1_340_001.jpg){kind=link}
_from_Incredible_Hulk_Vol_1_610_0001.jpg){kind=link}
_from_Incredible_Hulk_Vol_1_610_0002.jpg){kind=link}
_and_Sanjay_(Earth-616)_from_Fear_Itself_Hulk_vs._Dracula_Vol_1_2_0001.jpg){kind=link}
_from_Uncanny_Avengers_Vol_3_15_001.jpg){kind=link}
_from_Avengers_Vol_1_684_001.jpg){kind=link}
_from_Immortal_Hulk_Vol_1_45_002.jpg){kind=link}
_and_Elizabeth_Ross_(Earth-616)_from_Immortal_Hulk_Vol_1_47_001.jpg){kind=link}
_from_Hulk_Vol_5_1_001.jpg){kind=link}
_from_Hulk_Vol_2_7_0001.jpg){kind=link}
_from_Secret_Empire_Vol_1_6_001.jpg){kind=link}
_from_Incredible_Hulk_Vol_2_19_001.jpg){kind=link}
_from_Incredible_Hulk_Vol_4_1_001.jpeg){kind=link}
_from_Avengers_Vol_1_1_0004.jpg){kind=link}
_and_Thaddeus_Ross_(Earth-616)_from_Hulk_Vol_2_30_001.jpg){kind=link}
_from_Indestructible_Hulk_Vol_1_14_0001.jpg){kind=link}
_from_Avengers_%26_X-Men_AXIS_Vol_1_4_cover.jpg){kind=link}
_Incredible_Hulks_Vol_1_632_001.jpg){kind=link}
_from_Hulk_Vol_5_6_002.jpg){kind=link}
_from_Hulk_Vol_5_6_003.jpg){kind=link}
_from_Defenders_Vol_1_3_0001.jpg){kind=link}
_from_Incredible_Hulks_Vol_1_622_0001.jpg){kind=link}
_and_Thaddeus_Ross_(Earth-616)_from_Hulk_Vol_2_24_0001.jpg){kind=link}
_from_Incredible_Hulk_Vol_1_398_0001.jpg){kind=link}
_from_Indestructible_Hulk_Vol_1_1.jpg){kind=link}
_from_Incredible_Hulk_Vol_1_312_001.jpg){kind=link}
_and_James_Darnell_(Earth-616)_from_Immortal_Hulk_Vol_1_44_001.jpg){kind=link}
