Hulk

"The Incredible Hulk" redirects here. For uses of "The Incredible Hulk" in popular media, see Hulk.

Hulk
File:Incredible-hulk-20060221015639117.jpg Variant cover art for The Incredible Hulk vol. 3 #92. Art by Bryan Hitch.
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	The Incredible Hulk vol. 1, #1 (May 1961)
Created by	Stan Lee Jack Kirby
In-story information
Alter ego	Robert Bruce Banner
Team affiliations	Warbound Avengers Defenders Secret Defenders Fantastic Four Pantheon The Order
Notable aliases	Joe Fixit, The Green Scar, The World Breaker, Two-Hands, Harkanon, Haars, Holku, The Eye of Anger, The Sakaar'son, War
Abilities	Superhuman strength, speed, stamina, and durability Regenerative healing factor Ability to see astral forms Radiation absorption Transformation Resistance to mind control Genius level intellect in certain incarnations

The Hulk (real name Dr. Robert Bruce Banner), sometimes referred to as The Incredible Hulk, is a fictional character, a superhero appearing in publications from Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the Hulk first appeared in The Incredible Hulk vol. 1, #1 (May. 1962). He has since become one of Marvel Comics' most recognized superhero characters.

After physicist Dr. Bruce Banner was caught in the blast of a gamma bomb he created, he was transformed into the Hulk, a raging monstrosity. The character, both as Banner and the Hulk, is frequently pursued by the police or the armed forces, often as a result of the destruction he causes. While the coloration of the character's skin varies during the course of its publication history, the Hulk is most often depicted as green.

He is featured in a number of animated series, a feature film directed by Ang Lee, and a television series with spin-off television movies starring Bill Bixby as Banner and Lou Ferrigno as the Hulk.

Publication history

Debut

The Incredible Hulk vol. 1, #1 (May 1962). Cover art by Jack Kirby and Paul Reinman.

In the Hulk's debut appearance in The Incredible Hulk #1, the Hulk was gray rather than his longtime trademark green. That initial color choice was by writer and Marvel editor-in-chief Stan Lee, who wanted a color that did not suggest any particular ethnic group. Colorist Stan Goldberg, however, insisted to Lee that the coloring technology at the time could not present the color gray clearly or consistently, resulting in different shades of gray, and even green, in the issue. So in issue #2 and after, Goldberg colored the Hulk's skin green. Reprints and retellings of the Hulk's origin during the next two decades feature him with green skin from the beginning, but starting in 1985, with issue #302, the Hulk was again shown as having been gray in flashback to an early appearance. Furthermore, in 1986, issue #318 states definitively that the Hulk was gray at the time of his creation, and all subsequent reprints of the first issue have reinstated the original coloring.

In early stories, Banner becomes the Hulk at sunset each day, but he later transforms whenever he becomes angry or panicked. Another method was shown in Fantastic Four #12 (March 1963), featuring the Hulk's first battle with The Thing; Banner intentionally uses a gamma ray machine of his own design to transform into the Hulk. Many early Hulk stories involve General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross trying to capture or destroy the Hulk with his U.S. Army battalion, the Hulkbusters, at his side. Ross' daughter, Betty, loves Banner and criticizes her father for pursuing the Hulk. General Ross' right-hand man, Major Glenn Talbot, also loves Betty and is torn between pursuing the Hulk and trying to gain Betty's love in a more honorable way. Rick Jones serves as the Hulk's friend and sidekick for a time. Later, another teenager, Jim Wilson, also befriends the Hulk.

Cancellation

The original series was canceled after six issues, in part due to a distribution deal Marvel Comics then had with DC Comics that limited the number of titles that could be published every month. Shortly afterward, co-creator Jack Kirby received a letter from a college dormitory stating the Hulk had been chosen as its official mascot. Kirby and Lee realized their character had found an audience in college-age readers. The Hulk had proven a saleable guest-star in three issues of Fantastic Four and an issue of The Amazing Spider-Man, and was included, however briefly, as a founding member of the superhero team the Avengers.

Tales to Astonish

Tales to Astonish #60 (Oct. 1964). Cover art by Jack Kirby and Sol Brodsky.

The Hulk starred again in his own feature in the "split book" Tales to Astonish, beginning with issue #60 (Oct. 1964), following his appearance in the previous issue as the antagonist for Giant-Man, star of the book's other feature. These new stories were initially scripted by Lee and illustrated by the seldom-seen team of penciler Steve Ditko and inker George Roussos. Other artists later in this run included Jack Kirby from #68-84 (June 1965 - Oct. 1966), either as full pencils or, more often else, layouts for other artists; Gil Kane (making his Marvel Comics debut, under the pseudonym "Scott Edwards", in #76; Bill Everett (inking Kirby, #78-84); and John Buscema (one of his earliest Marvel assignments). "Split books" were common in the 1960s, again due to the aforementioned distribution deal.

This early part of the Hulk's run introduced the Leader, who would become the Hulk's archnemesis, and the Abomination, a gamma being stronger than the Hulk. Additionally, in issue #77 (Mar. 1966), the Hulk's identity was rendered public knowledge.

Giant-Man's popularity in the title waned, and he departed the book after issue #69 (July 1965), replaced by Namor the Sub-Mariner beginning with #70 (Aug. 1965). When the distribution deal with DC ceased, the Hulk took over the book, which was re-titled beginning with issue #102 (Apr. 1968). It ran under that name until March 1999, when Marvel restarted the series with a new issue #1.

Late 1980s through late 1990s

Peter David became the writer of the series in 1987 (issue 331), beginning a run that lasted nearly 12 years. David's run altered Banner's pre-Hulk characterization and the nature of Banner and the Hulk's relationship. Originally, Banner was written as a normal but shy man whose negative emotions (the normal, repressed anger that all humans have) found expression through the Hulk; David, however, turned Banner into a victim of dissociative identity disorder (DID) who had serious mental problems long before he became the Hulk. David expanded on earlier stories by Roger Stern and Bill Mantlo that established that Banner had suffered child abuse, writing that it fostered a great deal of repressed anger within the character, which in turn triggered a latent case of DID, which was first examined in issue #312. In issue #377, Doctor Leonard Samson engages the Ringmaster's services to hypnotize Bruce Banner and force him, the Rampaging Hulk (Green Hulk) and Mr. Fixit (Gray Hulk) to confront Banner's past abuse at the hands of his father, Brian Banner. Upon finally facing this abuse, a new, larger and smarter Hulk emerges and completely replaces the "human" Bruce Banner and Hulk personae. This Hulk is a culmination of the three aspects of Banner. He has the vast power of the Rampaging, green Hulk, the cunning of the gray Hulk and the intelligence of Bruce Banner.

In 1998, David followed editor Bobbie Chase's suggestion to kill Betty Ross. In the introduction to the Hulk trade paperback Beauty and the Behemoth, David said that his wife had recently left him, providing inspiration for the storyline. Marvel executives used Ross' death as an opportunity to push the idea of bringing back the Rampaging Hulk. David disagreed, leading to his and Marvel's parting ways. His last issue of Hulk was #467, his one-hundred and thirty-seventh.

Relaunch

When David left the Hulk, Marvel hired Joe Casey as a temporary writer. Casey brought the character in the direction that Marvel had requested earlier, making the Hulk mute, but his short run found little critical success, and he ended the series. Marvel then hired John Byrne for a second volume of the series, re-titled Hulk, with Ron Garney penciling. Byrne wrote of his plans for the first year, but creative differences led to his departure before the first year was over. Erik Larsen and Jerry Ordway briefly filled scripting duties in his place, and the title of the book soon returned to The Incredible Hulk with the arrival of Paul Jenkins.

Jenkins wrote a story arc in which Banner and the three Hulks (Rampaging Hulk, Gray Hulk, and the Merged Hulk, now considered a separate personality and referred to as the Professor) are able to mentally interact with one another, each personality taking over their shared body. He also created John Ryker in issue #14, a ruthless military general in charge of the original gamma bomb test responsible for the Hulk's creation and planning to create similar creatures.

Bruce Jones followed as the series' writer, and his run features Banner using yoga to take control of the Hulk while he is pursued by a secret conspiracy and aided by the mysterious Mr. Blue. Jones focused on a horror theme with the Hulk as a fugitive, influenced by the classic TV series . He appended his 43-issue Incredible Hulk run with the Hulk/Thing: Hard Knocks limited series, which Marvel published after putting the ongoing series on hiatus.

Peter David, who had initially signed a contract for a six-issue Tempest Fugit limited series, returned as writer when it was decided to make the story, now only five parts, part of the ongoing series instead. David contracted to complete a year on the title. Tempest Fugit revealed that Nightmare has manipulated the Hulk for years, tormenting him in various ways for "inconveniences" that the Hulk had caused him. After a four-part tie-in to the House of M crossover and a one-issue epilogue, David left the series once more, citing the need to do non-Hulk work for his career's sake.

Planet Hulk and World War Hulk

Main article: World War Hulk

File:Wwh.PNG

Promotional art for World War Hulk #1 by David Finch.

In the 2006 storyline "Planet Hulk" by Greg Pak, after the Hulk destroys much of Las Vegas, a secret group of superheroes called the Illuminati trap the Hulk and rocket him into space to live a peaceful existence on a planet uninhabited by intelligent life. After a trajectory malfunction, the Hulk travels through a wormhole and crashes on the violent planet Sakaar. Weakened by his journey, the Hulk is captured, then sold as a slave. In a gladiatorial arena, he makes a deadly enemy by scarring the emperor's face. The Hulk overcomes great odds to become a gladiator, a rebel leader and eventually a king.

The Hulk's kingdom is in the process of making treaties with all the factions on the planet, lifelong enemies are now becoming allies and the Hulk is content. The peace does not last long. The shuttle which carried Hulk to Sakaar malfunctions, causing a massive explosion, killing millions, including his spouse and queen, Caiera, and their unborn child. The explosion fractures the planet's tectonic plates leading to their eventual disintegration, killing almost everyone on the planet.

The Hulk and his allies, the Warbound, are however able to escape Sakaar, and after a brief stop on the Moon to take vengeance over Black Bolt, they invade Earth, beginning from Manhattan, hunting the Illuminati.

Personality and behavior

File:Hulks.jpg

The four main Hulk incarnations. Clockwise from top left: Bruce Banner, the Rampaging Hulk, the Gray Hulk, and the Merged Hulk/The Professor

The Hulk is the alter ego of Dr. Robert Bruce Banner, an expert in nuclear physics. As a result of exposure to gamma radiation, Banner often becomes a large, superhumanly strong green creature. Although the Hulk is usually classified as a superhero, he and Banner share a Jekyll and Hyde-like relationship. In his most well-known incarnation, the Hulk has little intelligence or self-control, and can cause great destruction. As a result, he has been hunted by the military and other superheroes, and as such, Banner considers the Hulk a curse. The transformation is usually triggered by emotional stress, but at times has been initiated by radiation or other factors, and even at will in later incarnations of the character.

The Hulk initially was characterized as a separate entity from Bruce Banner, a symbol of inner rage and Freudian repression; a distillation of his anger that gradually developed its own personality and memories separate from Banner's.

Due to retroactive continuity established by writers Bill Mantlo and later Peter David in the 1980s, Banner is said to suffer from dissociative identity disorder, which stems from the child abuse he had suffered early in life. The Hulk has many incarnations, each representing a different aspect of Banner's psyche.

Bruce Banner

The core personality, an emotionally-suppressed genius and prodigy, rating amongst Reed Richards and Tony Stark as one of the greatest minds in the Marvel Universe. In Hulk: The Incredible Guide, Bruce is revealed to possess a mind so brilliant that it cannot be measured on any known intelligence test. Banner can transform into the different versions of the Hulk, whereas his alter-egos seem to be able only to transform into Bruce Banner. These transformations are usually involuntary, as is the selection of which one emerges.

Rampaging Hulk/Savage Hulk

The "classic" Hulk, the Rampaging Hulk (also known as the Savage Hulk) possesses the mental capacity and temperament of a young child, and typically refers to himself in the third person. The primary drive of the Rampaging Hulk (other than utterly destroying anything that angers him) is the urge to "get away" and "to be left alone." It has been proposed that if the authorities simply let the Rampaging Hulk escape to the wilderness and isolation he desires, that much less damage would result, as any attack simply angers him further and increases his strength. Characterised by his extraordinarily bulky, muscular physique, his green skin and his loping, ape-like gait, the Rampaging Hulk is instantly recognizable. Since the Hulk's (all versions) strength is directly proportional to his rage, this is one of the incarnations with the greatest potential for sheer physical power as it possesses little self-control. As a result, this version is famous for destroying large portions of urban and rural areas during "rampaging" tantrums, while uttering "Hulk Smash!"

Gray Hulk/Joe Fixit

The Gray Hulk, the original Hulk incarnation, later returned and worked for a time as a Las Vegas enforcer called Joe Fixit. He has average intelligence, although he occasionally displays knowledge and intellectual ability normally associated with Bruce Banner. He is hedonistic, cunning, arrogant, crafty, and distant with a hidden conscience. In most of his Las Vegas appearances, he appears only at night. According to the Leader in Incredible Hulk Vol. 1, #333, the Gray Hulk persona is strongest during the night of the new moon and weakest during the full moon; this aversion to sunlight and moonlight vanished when the Gray Hulk's night-induced transformation trigger is 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 and his base strength level is the lowest of all the primary Hulk incarnations. However, this strength level can grow as he gets angry, but at a much slower pace than the other Hulk incarnations. Despite his lower strength, Gray Hulk is able to use cunning and strategy in fights to gain the upper hand against foes expecting a Rampaging Hulk.

Merged Hulk/The Professor

File:Inhulk424.jpg

Incredible Hulk #424 (Dec. 1994). Art by Darick Robertson and Lee Sullivan. The Merged Hulk with the Pantheon.

The merging of Bruce Banner and the Rampaging and Gray Hulks in Incredible Hulk #377 (written by Peter David). The Merged Hulk is later ret-conned into The Professor. The Professor, rather than being a merging of the three core personalities, was interpreted as a fourth, separate personality that represented Banner's ideal self. The primary difference between the two is that the Merged Hulk demonstrated aspects of the Banner, Grey Hulk, and Rampaging Hulk personalities (also possessing Banner's intelligence, Joe Fixit's cunning, and the Rampaging Hulk's size and strength), while the Professor did not. The Merged Hulk is even prone to uttering "Hulk smash!", which is the Rampaging Hulk's most common catchphrase. The Merged Hulk is an associate and leader of the team of superheroes called the Pantheon. Despite his exaggerated musculature, the Merged Hulk had a relatively normal-looking face, resembling that of Bruce Banner, and straight-backed posture that gives him the appearance of being the tallest and least bestial Hulk incarnation. The Professor's personality is defined during Paul Jenkins' run as a "revelation" that the Merged Hulk is not actually a merging of the three personalities but rather a separate personality altogether. Unlike the Merged Hulk, the Professor is physically distinguished by having a pony tail, which the Merged Hulk did not. Jenkins justified this by ret-conning into the Hulk's continuity a new character named Angela Lipscomb (modeled after Jenkins' own girlfriend) who knew more about Bruce Banner than even Doc Samson. Lipscomb confronted Doc Samson with her observations of the Professor and Doc Samson validated them, despite events presented in previous issues to the contrary.

Mindless Hulk

Nightmare, in an attempt to find new ways to hurt his enemy Doctor Strange by going through his friends, penetrated Bruce Banner's mind and discovered his influence had an unexpected side effect; a new personality began to develop out of Banner's worst visions of the Hulk (Incredible Hulk vol. 2 #298; Sleepwalker). 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 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 original Hulk, this version was based on a nightmarish imagination made 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. It finally became its own personality after Banner made his "psychic suicide", allowing it to break free of Banner's domination. Eventually, with the assistance of three creatures created by his subconscious, (Glow, Goblin, and Guardian), this Hulk gained the ability to speak and behave much less savagely. Since then, this personality has not been seen again, and it has been suggested that it is no longer a part of Banner's personality. In Web of Spider-Man #7, a part of the Hulk, with the assistance of Doctor Strange, entered the Dimension of Nightmare as a similar manifestation as Mindless Hulk, threatening to kill him. Nightmare was forced to seek out Spider-Man's help, as this Hulk was destroying the whole domain. Spider-Man eventually pushed the Hulk into another realm, but he pulled Nightmare in with him. Nightmare has since been seen still alive, but this Hulk seems to have disappeared.

Guilt Hulk

File:GuiltHulk.jpg

The Guilt Hulk

File:Devil Hulk.JPG

The Devil Hulk

The Guilt Hulk, also known as "The Beast", is another of Bruce Banner's personas, though this one created by his regret. The Guilt Hulk originally manifested itself in Banner's mind as his father and tormented him by forcing him to relive memories of his traumatic childhood. Eventually, the Guilt Hulk was defeated by Banner himself.

The Guilt Hulk later returned after Betty's death, albeit much more powerful because of Banner's emotionally fractured state. After brutally beating the Professor and Joe Fixit, the Guilt Hulk was eventually subdued again by the Rampaging Hulk.

Due to its monstrous size, the Guilt Hulk was physically very powerful. It also possessed claws and spikes all over its body. The Guilt Hulk also showed the ability to breathe fire on one occasion.

Devil Hulk

The Devil Hulk is the malevolent personality of Bruce Banner, personifying all of Banner's resentment at the way he is treated by the world. He is also one of the Hulk's enemies, constantly threatening to escape confinement in Banner's mind and destroy the world that has tormented and abused them, simultaneously leaving nothing intact that Banner holds dear. He first appeared when Banner was dying of Lou Gehrig's Disease, and Banner used a machine to travel into his own mind and make a deal with the three dominant Hulks that they would gain control of his body once the disease became too much for him to bear. The Devil Hulk was revealed at this point, but escaped a short while afterwards when the machinations of General Ryker shattered the barriers keeping the Devil Hulk imprisoned. He was contained long enough for a cure for Banner's condition to be found, before finally being contained in Banner's subconscious. Devil Hulk appears as a boss in the Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction video game.

War Hulk

The War Hulk of the mid-2000s "Planet Hulk" and "World War Hulk" story arcs, is a cunning and more powerful version than the previous incarnations. His rage is at it's most focused, due to meditation training by his ally Hiroim. War Hulk has extremely high durability as evidenced by his ability to fully withstand Black Bolt's voice (whereas the Rampaging Hulk could not) Professor Xaiver commented that although previous versions' minds were "difficult to control," War Hulk's psyche was more resistant to even his influence, although he was able to probe War Hulk's memories. War Hulk has extensive training in combat arms, including the usage of broadswords, spears, and battleshields. This version is also more commonly known by his name on the Planet Sakaar, the 'Green Scar'.

Powers and abilities

File:Hulk mount.jpg

Secret Wars #4 (Aug. 1984). Cover art by Bob Layton.

The Hulk possesses the potential for astounding levels of physical strength, directly depending on his emotional state, particularly his anger, spawning the famous quote: "The madder Hulk gets, the stronger Hulk gets."

The Hulk has been shown capable of supporting, with the assistance of leverage, a 150 billion-ton mountain range, as well as held together the continental plates of an entire planet to keep it from collapsing. The Hulk has also been shown shattering an asteroid twice the size of Earth with a single punch. There are examples of the Leader and Doc Samsonattempting, unsuccessfully, to measure the limits of the Hulk's strength using the advanced technology at their disposal.

During combat with the psionic entity known as Onslaught, Jean Grey psionically disables Bruce Banner's persona, bringing out a version of the Rampaging Hulk. While trading punches, Onslaught angers Hulk to a point where he is able to overcome Onslaught's strength and destroy the latter's physical form.

The Hulk possesses highly developed leg muscles and is able to leap several miles at a time. Since the Hulk's strength increases with anger, he is able to leap distances much greater than he normally could while in a "calm" state. For instance, he has been shown covering a distance of 1,000 miles in a single leap and even leaping into a low-Earth orbit.

The Hulk is depicted with extremely high levels of superhuman stamina and resistance to physical injury. His muscles are resistant to fatigue poisons, which allows him to function at peak performance without tiring for extremely long periods. He's been shown withstanding the impact of high-caliber artillery shells, falls from orbital heights, and extremely powerful energy blasts without sustaining injury, and resisting poisons and diseases with no ill effect. The Hulk is capable of withstanding a ground zero nuclear explosion, as well as the 1,000,000 Fahrenheit "nova-burst" of the Human Torch. At the end of the "Planet Hulk" storyline, he survives the impact of a "warp core breach", which generates enough force to destroy a planet.

File:Hulk heal.jpg

The Hulk's healing factor

Despite his body's high resistance to injury, it is possible to hurt the Hulk. He has been injured numerous times by opponents wielding weapons composed of adamantium. However, the Hulk can regenerate damaged or destroyed tissue with far greater efficiency than an ordinary human. He has proven capable of regenerating his eyes, skin, and most of his muscle tissue, within moments of having it flayed from his body.. His future "Maestro" incarnation proved capable of eventually reconstructing himself after being blown to powder. It has been stated that the Hulk's durability (resistance to physical injury), stamina and the efficiency of his healing powers all fluctuate with his emotional state, much like his physical strength.

The Hulk is extremely resistant to drugs, but they can affect him, however, his near-impenetrable skin makes gas a more reliable method of administering them. He can also be immobilized, put to sleep, transformed into Banner (or other Hulk manifestations), or pacified against his will, either by the use of magic or by the powers of certain superhuman individuals, such as the radiation emitted by the Missing Link, and the light of Robert Reynolds, the Sentry.

Marvel Comics executive editor Tom Brevoort has officially listed the Hulk as possessing superhuman speed comparable with Thor or Spider-Man.

The Hulk has also demonstrated great resistance to psychic control and/or assaults from Xemnu the Titan, Cable, and Charles Xavier.

In addition to his physical and healing powers, the Hulk has demonstrated the ability to "home in" on the desert base where he was empowered. He also has a unique ability to see and hear spectres, such as the astral form of Doctor Strange.

As a result of the Planet Hulk storyline, Hulk has been written with combat skills and experience as a military strategist and leader.

Related characters

Main article: List of Hulk supporting characters

Other versions

1602

In the Marvel 1602 setting David Banner is introduced as a courtier at the court of James VI of Scotland. When James becomes king of England, he sends Banner to the New World to kill Sir Nicholas Fury, who has betrayed the crown by saving the "witchbreed" (mutants). In the same way as Bruce Banner saved Rick Jones, David dives in front of Peter Parquagh when the Anomaly that has affected the universe explodes. The radiation of the Anomaly transforms him into the Hulk.

2099

Main article: Hulk 2099

In Marvel 2099, the Hulk is John Eisenhart, a selfish film producer in "LotusLand" (future Hollywood). He is inadvertently exposed to gamma radiation by the Knights of the Banner, who intend to create a Hulk of their own. As the Hulk, Eisenhart finds himself representing freedom to a closed-off society.

Age of Apocalypse

In the Age of Apocalypse, Banner was never exposed to gamma radiation, and never became the Hulk. Eventually he became a scientist for the Human High Council and one of its weapons designer. However, Banner sought to become more than human, thus offering his loyalty to Mikhail Rasputin, one of the Horsemen of Apocalypse, who supplied Banner with mutant test subjects. Thanks to his experiments, Banner was capable of transforming into The Thing (a being similar to the Grey Hulk).

Earth X

In this reality, due to the continuing absorption of gamma radiation, the Hulk and Bruce Banner have finally achieved separation. However, they still rely on each other. Banner is now a child, and blind. He can only see through the Hulk's eyes. Banner also seems to have control over the Hulk's movements. The Hulk is more gorilla-like now, and he seems incapable of speech besides a growl. It is said of this Hulk that he is "always angry".

In an interview in Comicology Volume I: The Kingdom Come Companion, Alex Ross said that the design of Earth-X Banner and Hulk was based on the appearance of Moon Boy and Devil Dinosaur.

The End

The Incredible Hulk: The End one-shot, set almost two hundred years into an alternative future, portrays Bruce Banner as the last human and the sole survivor of a nuclear war. In the aftermath of the war, Hulk retreats to a cave - emerging to find that the only other life left on earth is a swarm of monstrous mutant cockroaches. Banner, now extremely old due to having absorbed some of the Hulk's regenerative ability, has lost his will to live. As he suffers heart failure, Banner hallucinates the sight of all his loved ones, and embraces his demise. The Hulk, on the other hand, is not ready to die, and transforms himself as Banner finally passes, leaving the Hulk sitting on a deserted mountain as he reflects on how, at last, he is alone.

House of M

In the altered reality of the 2005 company wide crossover House of M, Bruce Banner disappears in Australia, where he befriends an Aborigine tribe, and attempts to control his dark side. When the mutant rulers of the Earth attack his tribe he retaliates, and eventually conquers Australia with the aid of Advanced Idea Mechanics, most notably his former college girlfriend Monica Rappaccini, her daughter Thanasee, Dr Isaac Aaronson, and his son Adam.

The Maestro

The Maestro, who first appears in Hulk: Future Imperfect #1 (Jan. 1993), is a version of the Hulk from an alternate future timeline, approximately a hundred years into the future, combining Banner's intelligence with the Hulk's more malevolent aspects. After a nuclear war kills almost all of Earth's superhumans and brings the world to the brink of extinction, the Maestro seizes control.

Gray haired and balding, the Maestro is clearly older than the Hulk, but is also significantly stronger due to the radiation he has absorbed since the war. He rules the city of Dystopia, built to his own designs and protected by radiation shielding. Brutal soldiers with hi-tech equipment keep the "peace" and impose the Maestro's iron will. The Maestro himself dwells in a grand palace, where a Bacchanalian atmosphere reigns. Other gamma-irradiated beings, She-Hulk (now calling herself "Shulk") and the Abomination, survived the war and seem to have conquered other areas of the world.

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The Maestro on the cover of The Incredible Hulk: Future Imperfect #2. Art by George Pérez.

Not long after the war, an elderly Rick Jones encounters the reality-hopping mutant Proteus, who has possessed the body of an alternate reality Hulk from the year 2099. Proteus intends to discard his current body and possess the Maestro. Jones, unaware of his plan, provides a weapon created by the X-Man Forge, which might be able to kill Maestro. However, the plan fails when the Maestro is warned by the Exiles, who are pursuing Proteus. Proteus possesses a new host and flees to another world, breaking the Maestro's neck during his escape.

Years later the Maestro, fully recovered from his injury, encounters a time-travelling Genis-Vell and Spider-Man 2099. Manipulated by the supervillain Thanatos, the three battle - but Captain Marvel and Spider-Man eventually return to their own time, with no consequence for the Maestro.

Acquiring Doctor Doom's time machine, the rebels opposing the Maestro (led by Rick Jones) eventually decide to bring the 'Professor' Hulk forward from the past, hoping that he can defeat the Maestro. The Hulk agrees to help them and confronts the Maestro, but loses due to the Maestro's greater experience, and his ability to predict the Hulk's moves in combat. The Maestro breaks Hulk's neck to immobilize him, then tries to persuade the incapacitated Hulk that he should side with his future self, telling him that nothing will change when he returns home and he will still be persecuted.

After the Hulk's recovery, the two clash once more; but despite the Hulk's best efforts, the Maestro is still far too powerful for him. At the last minute, the Maestro is defeated by the use of Doom's time machine, and sent back to the time and place that the Hulk was created: ground zero during the testing of the atomic Gamma Bomb, the only bomb that the Hulk knew the ground zero location of. Appearing next to the bomb itself, Maestro is seemingly killed in the same moment that creates the Hulk, but some part of his consciousness still remains, tied to the skeletal fragments at the Gamma Bomb site.

Eventually the Hulk learns that the "homing sense" which has always allowed him to locate ground zero, his "birth" place, is actually attracted to the Maestro's spirit and remains. The Maestro has also been absorbing gamma radiation from the Hulk each time he returns to the site, gradually restoring himself. When the Hulk returns, shortly after the Heroes Return crossover, he is radiating vast amounts of energy. Maestro finally absorbs enough radiation to restore himself to life, although in a weakened and emaciated form.

Shortly thereafter, Maestro is captured by Asgardian trolls, who place his soul into the Asgardian Destroyer. As the Destroyer, he battles the Hulk - but as the Hulk and Maestro share the same DNA, Hulk is able to enter the Destroyer and defeat the weakened Maestro, who is covered by a rockslide.

Creator Peter David has stated that the Maestro is intended to be an evil and insane alternate Hulk - not a separate personality within Bruce Banner.

Marvel Zombies

In the series Marvel Zombies, set in an alternate world, the Hulk, like almost every other superbeing on the planet, has been affected by the zombification virus. Although he retains his strength and invulnerability, he no longer heals, does not feel pain and now craves human flesh. The zombie Hulk's transformations have been altered by the virus from being controlled by Banner's emotions to being controlled purely by his appetite — after feeding, he transforms back into Banner (also a zombie) until the hunger returns. As Banner is much smaller than the Hulk, one such transformation, following the Hulk's ingestion of a large object (Magneto's leg), causes his stomach to burst.

In the second issue, after devouring Magneto's leg, zombie Banner begs someone to hurt him to transform into zombie Hulk before his chest explodes from Magneto's leg. Thor hits him in the face with his "hammer", but since he can't feel pain, he can't transform unless hungry, and this subsequently gives Banner difficulty speaking. Soon afterward, Magneto's femur bursts out of his chest. With subsequent transformations, he speaks and behaves as usual, though with the hole in his chest.

Hulk succeeds in killing the Silver Surfer and is one of the zombies who devours the Surfer's corpse and absorbs some of its cosmic powers. The zombies then kill and consume Galactus himself, enhancing their powers further, though only the Hulk, Spider-Man, Iron Man, Giant-Man, Luke Cage, and Wolverine survive the battle. Cosmically enhanced, they takes Galactus' ship, leave Earth, and seek food elsewhere. Ravaging and devouring planets, the six zombies eventually become the cosmic threat known as The Galactus.

Ultimate Hulk

File:Ultimates 5.jpg

Promotional art for Ultimates #5. Pencils by Bryan Hitch.

A version of the Hulk appears in the Ultimate Marvel series, first in Ultimate Marvel Team-Up #2 (2001), written by Brian Michael Bendis and drawn by Phil Hester. "Ultimate Hulk" amplifies Banner's emotions, particularly wrath, seeking to destroy those who wrong Banner. He also exhibits extreme sloth, lust (Ultimate Wolverine Vs. Hulk #1), and gluttony; several stories mention his devouring people (Ultimate War #3). Ultimate Hulk has also been portrayed as being able to break Ultimate adamantium.

In Ultimates, Banner works for S.H.I.E.L.D., attempting to re-create the super-soldier formula that created Captain America. When Captain America is recovered from a block of ice, Banner's funding seems likely to be cut. The team forms without Banner's input, but S.H.I.E.L.D. faces heavy criticism for its extensive budget and lack of purpose. Banner, ridiculed by members of the Ultimates and rejected and taunted by his ex-girlfriend Betty Ross, combines Captain America's blood with the Hulk formula, and injects it into himself (Ultimates #4). He then calls Betty to warn her, saying that his intention was to give the Ultimates a visible enemy, but then breaks down and admits that he "just missed being big". He becomes a grey-skinned Hulk that tracks down Betty Ross, destroying everything in his path and murdering hundreds of people. The Hulk overpowers the Ultimates until the Wasp fires her bio-electric sting directly into his brain, which changes the Hulk back into Banner, who is restrained and imprisoned in the S.H.I.E.L.D. base the Triskelion - in a cell Banner himself has designed.

During the Chitauri invasion, Captain America orders the incredulous Banner (dubbed the "Weapon of Last Resort") to be beaten and thrown from a helicopter into the battlefield fray below. Banner transforms into the Hulk before hitting the ground, and immediately assaults Captain America, who uses Banner's jealousy to divert the Hulk on the Chitauri commander, Herr Kleiser, whom the Hulk obliterates and subsequently consumes. Captain America then redirects the Hulk to destroy the airborne Chitauri fleet, telling the Hulk that the aliens had previously referred to him as a "sissy-boy."

Following the Chitauri invasion Banner is returned to his cell and resumes his work for the Ultimates with Hank Pym. One day, top-secret information regarding the Hulk/Banner connection is leaked to the press. Banner is convicted for the deaths of the more than 800 people who died in his New York City rampage and sentenced to death by nuclear weapon. After consuming a sedative designed by Hank Pym, his unconscious body is left on a ship in the ocean. Banner assumes Pym intended the sedative to wear off too soon, making a secret phonecall to thank Hank Pym after the incident, but Pym's shocked reaction implies it was not.

Ultimate Wolverine Vs. Hulk shows the aftermath of the assassination attempt, chronicling Banner's travels through France, Ireland and India, seeking a means to control the Hulk within. Bruce Banner finally arrives in Tibet, seeking the Panchen Lama whom he hopes can reveal the true relationship behind Banner and the Hulk and the ability to control him. Nick Fury, now aware of Banner's existence, dispatches Wolverine to assassinate Banner. During their initial battle, the Hulk overpowers Wolverine and tears him in half, severing his adamantium spinal column, and scatters his remains for miles across the Tibetan mountain range.

In Ultimates 2 #11, Bruce Banner appears in Washington D.C. He proclaims himself "in touch with [his] inner sociopath" before allowing a Crimsom Dynamo robot to step on him. He immediately transforms into the Hulk and, with uncharacteristic wit, promptly rips the droid apart. He then continues to aid the Ultimates against the Liberators in issue #12, by defeating, dismembering, killing, and eating the Abomination.

Parodies

• In The Young Ones episode Summer Holiday, Neil (Nigel Planer) becomes angered after being insulted relentlessly by his housemates, and turns into the Hulk, throwing everyone about in slow motion.

• The television show Saturday Night Live uses the Hulk character in several sketches. In the March 17, 1979 episode hosted by Margot Kidder, Lois Lane and Superman hold a dinner. One of the guests is the Incredible Hulk, played by John Belushi as a rude and offensive boor. In the November 21, 1992 episode hosted by Sinbad, Chris Farley plays the Incredible Hulk in a sketch about Superman's funeral. Farley's Hulk protests the suggestion of his giving a eulogy in broken English but then puts on a pair of glasses and delivers an erudite, impassioned farewell. In the December 17, 1994 hosted by George Foreman, Tim Meadows appears as Bruce Banner, who repeatedly has laboratory accidents and then changes into the Hulk, played by Foreman, who proceeds to further trash the laboratory before asking for the sketch to end because of its boring repetition.

• The character Russell in the video game Bully has the most hulking figure of any character in the game, is the toughest character to take down during normal gameplay, has the mind of a small child, and even constantly refers to himself in the third person. Russell's catchphrase is "Russell smash!"

• The "Justice Friends" sketch of Dexter's Laboratory follows three parody superheroes. One of them is a Hulk spoof, The Infraggable Krunk, an overgrown muscle-man with arrested mental development that has a purple skin and wears green pants - reference to Hulk's green skin and usual purple pants. Also in episode: 047 or Hunger Strikes, Dexter turns into a giant green monster and rampages through the town's grocery stores in search of greens when ever he cannot find any vegetables. In this episode, he also says Banner's classic line: "You're making me angry. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry", although he says "hungry" instead of "angry".

• In the television show Aqua Teen Hunger Force, the character Meatwad once dressed as "The Incredible Plum" for Halloween, painting himself purple, donning a Hulk-like mask, and telling other characters they wouldn't like him when he's angry.

• In an episode of Scrubs, Dr. John "J.D." Dorian daydreams of turning into the Hulk inside the hospital.

• In the episode of The Simpsons entitled, "I Am Furious (Yellow)", Homer - after holding in all his anger for an extended period of time - falls victim to an elaborate prank by Bart, ending with him falling into a pool full of green paint, tearing his shirt off, and going on a rampage. Stan Lee also guest stars in this episode, and even attempts to Hulk-out himself (claiming he "really did it once").

• There have been multiple references to "The Hulk" in the series "Family Guy" : in one episode, Peter claims he transformed into The Hulk in a fictional evil rendition of Chuck E Cheese, after failing to get Stewie's birthday party set up there, before Lois snaps at him saying that can't be what happened. In another episode, Lois discovers Peter's hidden ability to play the piano as a professional player when drunk, and Stewie asks Peter to play "that sad little tune at the end of The Incredible Hulk" while hitchiking away. In another episode, when Lois younger sister Carol is about to have a baby, Peter and Lois go over to her house to assist her. In the absence of her husband, Peter wears one of her husband's shirts (which are of a much smaller size than his) and asks Carol to say "David Banner, I just slashed your tires” before ripping the shirt apart while mimicking the transformation depicted on the TV show. And finally, in another episode, Peter claims that "Jesus" will return to Earth and turn into the Hulk.

• In the deleted scenes of Scary Movie 3, as aliens descend on Earth, the charatcer of George Logan randomly transforms into the Hulk and destroys them. Upon seeing this, the President (played by Leslie Neilson) attempts to Hulk out as well, but only succeeds in soiling his pants and is then forced to have his diaper changed in front of the other characters.

• In the opening credits of Mall Rats, where everyones character is introduced in comic book form, William Black (Ethan Suplee) comic book has the title "The Bulk".

In other media

Television

The Hulk started out in television as part of the Marvel Super Heroes animated television series in 1966. The 39 (10-minute) episodes were shown along with those featuring Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, and the Sub-Mariner episodes based on early stories appearing in the Hulk and Tales to Astonish series.

Main article: The Incredible Hulk (TV series)

The most famous TV adaptation is the live-action The Incredible Hulk TV series and its spin-off TV movies, starring Bill Bixby as David Banner and Lou Ferrigno as the Hulk.

After the live-action show ended in 1982, the Hulk returned to cartoon format with 13 episodes of The Incredible Hulk, which aired in a combined hour with Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends. The series featured more characters from the comics than the live-action series, including Rick Jones, Betty Ross, and General Ross.

Typical of many superhero cartoons of the era, the show used stock transformation scenes which include Bruce Banner transforming back with his clothing somehow restored intact. The She-Hulk and the Leader made an appearance in the show. This series featured Stan Lee as a narrator. Bruce Banner and the Hulk also appeared in the Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends episode, "Spidey Goes Hollywood."

The Hulk appeared as a robot in the danger room of the X mansion in the X men animated series episode The Juggernaut Returns. The Juggernaut easily destroys it.

File:Hulk Ep 16.jpg

Dark Hulk from The Incredible Hulk TV series.

In 1996, Marvel Studios and Saban Entertainment brought the Hulk back to animated form in the animated series The Incredible Hulk, with Neal McDonough voicing Bruce Banner and Lou Ferrigno providing the voice of the Hulk. The first season's stories are exceptionally dark, but in 1997, the show's name changed to The Incredible Hulk and She-Hulk, and featured She-Hulk in several episodes with the Gray Hulk. In the episode "Mind Over Anti-Matter", Banner turns into a monstrous Dark Hulk. The series became much lighter during this season and was cancelled quickly. The show aired briefly on ABC Family following the release of the live-action movie in 2003.

The Hulk also appeared in episodes of the Fantastic Four and Iron Man cartoons that also made up the Marvel Action Hour, although the character design for both Banner and Hulk were markedly different, with Ron Perlman playing both roles.

The Hulk appears in the 2006 Fantastic Four episode entitled "Hard Knocks" with Bruce Banner voiced by Andrew Kavadas and the Hulk voiced by Mark Gibbon. Bruce Banner came to see Reed Richards to help him find a cure for the Hulk transformation. The Fantastic Four also had to keep Agent Pratt from using the Hulk as their weapon upon other people. In some scenes, the Hulk battles Thing. In this show, he resembles the Ultimate version of Hulk.

Movies

Main article: Hulk (film)

In 2003, Ang Lee directed a film based on the Hulk for Universal Pictures. Eric Bana played Bruce Banner, and the Hulk was created with CGI. Here, Banner's father, David Banner (played by Nick Nolte), is partly responsible for the Hulk's origin as before Banner was born, he experiments on himself and passes his mutated genes on to his son. When Banner grows up, believing his real parents died (this is only half-true, as only his mother dies and his father is incarcerated for twenty years), he saves a co-worker from being killed by gamma radiation and takes the impact of the rays instead, mysteriously surviving the onslaught.

The Hulk causes a lot of destruction, wounding Glenn Talbot, killing his father's mutated dogs in battle, makes a path of danger from the Desert Base to San Francisco, and finally battles his insane father, who had morphed into an amorphous cloud of energy. General Ross decides to end the battle by having one of his soldiers drop a gamma bomb at the site of the battle, ending the confrontation. It ostensibly kills and disintegrates Banner, whom we nonetheless later see living incognito as a secret doctor in South America.

The Hulk appears in the 2006 direct-to-DVD animated feature Ultimate Avengers, based on the comic book The Ultimates.

A second Hulk movie is in pre-production and scheduled for release on June 13, 2008. Titled The Incredible Hulk, it will be directed by Louis Leterrier. At the 2006 Comic-con International Hulk panel, Letterier revealed that the Abomination, played by Tim Roth, will be the villain. According to SuperHeroHype! Edward Norton has been cast as Bruce Banner.

Syndicated Comic Strip

The Hulk also appeared in his own syndicated newspaper strip, which debuted in October 1978 and ran until 1981. Credited to Stan Lee and Larry Lieber, this strip modeled its version of the character after the television series airing at the time; with Banner's first name being given as "David", a speechless Hulk, and a "wandering man" format.

Video games

File:MVSC2HULK.jpg

A Hulk image from Marvel vs. Capcom 2.

The Incredible Hulk appears in video games for many different systems, including the Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, Sega Genesis, SNES, Sega Master System, Game Gear, PlayStation, Sega Saturn PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, Game Boy Advance, and personal computer.

The first released Hulk game was called Questprobe featuring The Hulk[1] for the PC,Commodore 64, and ZX Spectrum. It was followed by The Incredible Hulk, The Incredible Hulk: The Pantheon Saga, Hulk (which was loosely based on the 2003 film rather than the comic books), The Incredible Hulk for the Gamboy Advance, and finally The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction. Neal McDonough, who voiced Bruce Banner in the 1996 animated series, reprises the role in Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction. In this game, the Hulk is so uncontrolled that he kills both the Desert Base soldiers and civilians in his path. Conversely, the Hulk also keeps the supervillain the Abomination from destroying a dam and the soldiers guarding it have safely evacuated.

In addition to his own games, the Hulk appears as a playable character in several games by Capcom. The first was a SNES game for the home consoles called Marvel Super Heroes: War of the Gems. After this the Hulk appeared in several arcade fighting games, starting with Marvel Super Heroes in 1995, followed by Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter, Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes and concluding with Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes. In all of the Capcom games, Hulk's persona is that of his merger with Bruce Banner.

The Hulk has a cameo in the Fantastic Four (1997 video game) for the PS and Sega Saturn.

The Hulk is in a cutscene in the Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects game for the PS2, Xbox, and GameCube.

The Hulk makes an appearance in Marvel: Ultimate Alliance as Bruce Banner (voiced by Robin Atkin Downes in the Xbox versions, and Arin Hanson in the PS3 and Wii versions). He was seen working on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s gamma bomb project on the S.H.I.E.L.D. Omega Base. He also ironically claims that "He's no superhero" after your team tells him to stay put. Muscular green arms and legs are seen (with the torso and head under rubble) during a cutscene detailing Dr. Doom's defeat of many of Earth's heroes, perhaps implying that the Hulk was one of the heroes who failed to stop Doom. The Hulk recently became available as a playable character in the Xbox 360 version. He can be downloaded as part of the "Heroes Pack" over Xbox Live, along with Hawkeye, Cyclops and Nightcrawler.

The Hulk will be in the upcoming Marvel Trading Card Game for the various handheld consoles.

Themed products

Hulk-themed products include action figures, clothes, jewelry, video games, cards, pins, posters, cars, games, lunchboxes, toys, a pinball machine [2], all types of collectibles and even the Incredible Hulk roller coaster at Universal Studios Islands of Adventure in Orlando, Florida.

Bibliography

• The Incredible Hulk #1–6 (Marvel Comics, May 1962–March 1963)
• Tales to Astonish #59–101 (Marvel Comics, September 1964–March 1968)
• The Incredible Hulk #102–474 (Marvel Comics, April 1968–March 1999)
• The Incredible Hulk Annual #1–20 (Marvel Comics, 1968–1994)
• The Incredible Hulk #-1 (Marvel Comics, July 1997, ISSN 0274-5275)
• Hulk #1–11 (Marvel Comics, April 1999–February 2000)
• The Incredible Hulk #12–76, #77–present (Marvel Comics, March 2000–September 2004, January 2005–present)
• Hulk Weekly #1–69, Marvel UK title published between 1979–1981. Features new material produced by the likes of Paul Neary and Steve Dillon.

Collections

• Hulk Visionaries: Peter David Vol. 1 Written by Peter David; Pencils & Cover by Todd McFarlane; collects Incredible Hulk #331-339 Vol. 1.
• Hulk Visionaries: Peter David Vol. 2 Written by Peter David; Penciled by Todd McFarlane, Erik Larsen & Jeff Purves; collects Incredible Hulk #340-348 Vol. 1.
• Hulk Visionaries: Peter David Vol. 3 Written by Peter David & Steve Englehart; Penciled by Jeff Purves, Alex Saviuk & Keith Pollard; Collects Incredible Hulk #349-354 Vol. 1, Web of Spider-Man #44 and Fantastic Four #320.
• Incredible Hulk: Dogs of War Written by Paul Jenkins; Penciled by Ron Garney and Mike McKone; collects Incredible Hulk #12-20 Vol. 2.
• Incredible Hulk Vol. 1: Return of the Monster Written by Bruce Jones; Penciled by John Romita, Jr.; collects Incredible Hulk #34-39 Vol. 2.
• Incredible Hulk Vol. 2: Boiling Point Written by Bruce Jones; Penciled by John Romita, Jr.; collects Incredible Hulk #40-43 Vol. 2.
• Incredible Hulk Vol. 3: Transfer Of Power Written by Bruce Jones; Penciled by Stuart Immonen; collects Incredible Hulk #44-49 Vol. 2.
• Incredible Hulk Vol. 4: Abominable Written by Bruce Jones; Penciled by Mike Deodato, Jr.; collects Incredible Hulk #50-54 Vol. 2.
• Incredible Hulk Vol. 5: Hide In Plain Sight Written by Bruce Jones; Penciled by Leandro Fernández; collects Incredible Hulk #55-59 Vol. 2.
• Incredible Hulk Vol. 6: Split Decisions Written by Bruce Jones; Penciled by Mike Deodato Jr.; collects Incredible Hulk #60-65 Vol. 2.
• Incredible Hulk Vol. 7: Dead Like Me Written Bruce Jones & Garth Ennis; Pencils by Doug Braithwaite & John McCrea; collects Incredible Hulk #65-69 Vol. 2, and Hulk Smash #1 and #2.
• Incredible Hulk Vol. 8: Big Things Written Bruce Jones; Pencils by Mike Deodato, Jr.; collects Incredible Hulk #70-76 Vol. 2.
• Hulk: Tempest Fugit Written by Peter David; Penciled by Lee Weeks & Jae Lee; collects Incredible Hulk #77-82 Vol. 2.
• House Of M: Hulk Written by Peter David; Penciled by Jorge Lucas & Adam Kubert; collects Incredible Hulk #83-87 Vol. 2.
• Hulk: Planet Hulk Prelude Written by Daniel Way; Penciled by Keu Cha & Juan Santacruz; collects Incredible Hulk #88-91 Vol. 2.

External links

• Hulk comics at marvel.com
• MDP: Hulk (Bruce Banner) - Marvel Database Project
• One of Stan Lee's Best Article on the Incredible Hulk's Popularity
• The 1982 Incredible Hulk Cartoon @ Toon Zone
• Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Awards
• Hulk Library
• Engine of Destruction
• Doug's Incredible Hulk Comic Page