Doctor Robert Bruce Banner, M.D., Ph.D., is a renowned scientist and a founding member of the Avengers. Highly respected for his work in biochemistry, nuclear physics and gamma radiation, Banner was tasked by Thaddeus Ross to recreate the Super Soldier Serum that created Captain America. However, Ross elected not to inform Banner what he was creating. During the experiment, Banner substituted vita radiation for gamma radiation and administered the serum on himself. As a result, the mild-mannered scientist found that when angered, provoked or excited, his body and brain would transform into a huge, rage-fueled, primitive-minded creature known as the Hulk.
For five years, Banner remained on the run from the United States Army. He chose to live a discreet life in South America while communicating with Samuel Sterns to cure himself. However, when General Ross sent a team led by Emil Blonsky to apprehend Banner, Banner was forced to return to New York City. He recruited the help of Betty Ross and Sterns to cure him of his affliction but was captured shortly thereafter at Grayburn College. Blonsky, who had received a variant of the Super Soldier Serum, was administered Banner's gamma-irradiated blood, transforming him into Abomination. This new threat forced Ross to allow Banner to turn into Hulk and battle Blonsky, before allowing Banner to escape.
Banner had become good friends with Stark and relocated to Avengers Tower, free to live his life without apprehension. In the wake of the HYDRA Uprising, the Avengers regrouped once more to battle the ever-growing threat of HYDRA, successfully capturing Baron Strucker. With the Scepter in their custody, Banner assisted Stark with creating Ultron, an artificial intelligence peacekeeping program. Ultron, programmed to protect Earth at all costs, deemed humanity and the Avengers as the world's greatest threat and focused on annihilating them. Banner and Stark created Vision as a deterrent to Ultron and participated in the Battle of Sokovia to dismantle Ultron's threat. After Ultron's defeat, Hulk commandeered a Quinjet and left Earth.
During his interstellar travel, Banner came across a wormhole that caused him to crash on Sakaar. There, the stressful environment prevented him from returning to his human form, causing him to remain in Hulk form. For two years, Hulk's consciousness grew as he became a gladiator for Grandmaster and was soon revered as a beloved champion, choosing to turn his back on Earth and enjoy the life of an admired warrior. However, when Thor arrived on the planet, Hulk fought against his old friend in the arena. In the wake of their fight, Thor informed Hulk that Asgard was under threat due to Hela's return. Despite Hulk's protest, Banner managed to retake control of the body, agreeing to help Thor in his plight. While witnessing the Asgardians in peril, Banner transformed back into Hulk and aided the Asgardians in their fight, defeating Fenris and allowing the Asgardians to board the Statesman. Hulk witnessed as Ragnarök was fulfilled and Asgard was destroyed and elected to stay with the Asgardians as they decided to travel to Earth.
Months later, the Statesman was attacked by the Black Order, who massacred half of the passengers. Hulk fought their leader Thanos, who quickly defeated him before Heimdall used the Bifrost Bridge to transport him to the New York Sanctum. Shifting back to Banner, he warned Doctor Strange, Iron Man and later Captain America of Thanos' upcoming arrival. With Hulk unwilling to transform, Banner operated a Hulkbuster armor to aid the Avengers in the Battle of Wakanda Although Banner and his allies managed to kill off Thanos' forces, Thanos personally arrived in Wakanda to retrieve the Mind Stone. He effortlessly subdued Banner and completed the Infinity Gauntlet, wiping out half of the universe's population. Having survived the Snap, Banner joined the Avengers on their trip to the Garden, where Thanos was killed.
After the Snap, Banner went to Mexico and worked with Stark to merge his consciousness with Hulk's body to become Smart Hulk, after which he became an adored celebrity. In 2023, he rejoined the Avengers to help them use Pym Particles and the Quantum Realm to travel through time to alternate universes. After traveling back to the Battle of New York in an alternate 2012, Banner successfully acquired the Time Stone and returned to the present. Using the Nano Gauntlet, Banner used the Stones to initiate the Blip, resurrecting all the lives claimed by the Snap, albeit injuring his right arm in the process. After participating in the Battle of Earth, he attended Stark's funeral before he sent Captain America back in time to return the stones to their respective universes.
By 2024, Banner had constructed the Hulk Inhibitor Device to return to human form so that his arm could heal. Along with Captain Marvel, Banner was called upon by Wong to aid in investigating the mystical Ten Rings which Shang-Chi had harnessed. After his cousin Jennifer Walters came into contact with his blood and gained the ability to transform into She-Hulk, Banner advised her on how to deal with her new abilities before leaving Earth on a Sakaaran ship. He later returned to Earth in order to introduce his family to his newly discovered son, Skaar.
Hulk is the identity shared with Doctor Robert Bruce Banner, a superhero and member of the Avengers. Banner is a renowned scientist with expertise in nuclear physics and gamma radiation and could transform into the powerful creature Hulk when angered. He has blue eyes and brown hair as Banner and green eyes and black hair as Hulk. He later combined his personalities into one body, so that Banner's mind would work with Hulk's body. He appears in the Marvel Cinematic Universe projects The Incredible Hulk, The Avengers, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Thor: Ragnarok, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, What If...?, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, and She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. Now that's an incredible factoid!
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Who is the biggest Hulk?
Out of the three Hulks, Robert Bruce Banner, Jennifer Walters, and Skaar, Banner is bigger and stands significantly taller than his cousin and son. Banner was even larger in his Hulk form than his Smart Hulk form.
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Why are there no more Hulk movies?
After The Incredible Hulk movie in 2008, Marvel and Universal Pictures began a rights sharing agreement for future movies due to Universal's ownership of the distribution rights. This has made a sequel unworkable. Despite multiple attempts over the years, now it looks like the future of Hulk movies is uncertain. However, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law was released in 2022, featuring several Hulk characters, including Bruce Banner/Hulk, Jennifer Walters/She-Hulk, Emil Blosnky/Abomination, and Skaar.
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Why didn't Edward Norton return as Hulk?
Edward Norton did not return as he was fired by Marvel, who stated that they had difficulties working with him. Norton took over writing duties on "The Incredible Hulk" (2008) in an attempt to "make the film better", much to the ire of the film's screenwriter. Prior to being cast, Mark Ruffalo was considered for the role. When Marvel decided that Bruce Banner/Hulk would be featured in "The Avengers", they chose to fire Norton and recast the role with Ruffalo.
Robert Bruce Banner was born on Thursday, December 18, 1969,[2] in Dayton, Ohio.[4] As he grew up, he started going by his middle name.[2] During his youth, Banner had an estranged relationship with his father Brian, believing that he was never able to impress him.[10] In his student days, Banner worked at Stanley's Pizza Parlor and his boss Stanley Lieber hoped he would follow in his footsteps and take over the restaurant. Banner met Betty Ross while in college, where they fell in love. At Harvard University, the couple participated in an experiment involving hallucinogens.[2]
Scientist[]
Specializing in Gamma Radiation[]
"Remember those experiments we volunteered for at Harvard? Those induced hallucinations?"
"So this Dr. Banner was trying to replicate the serum that was used on me?" "A lot of people were. You were the world's first superhero. Banner thought gamma radiation might hold the key to unlocking Erskine's original formula."
Believing he was recreating a serum designed to prevent radiation poisoning,[2] such as to protect soldiers from depleted uranium,[14] Banner chose to substitute the original formula's vita radiation with gamma radiation.[4] Banner and Betty Ross also saw the project's potential to eliminate malignant brain tumors caused by radiation exposure, find a remedy for neurodegenerative diseases and strengthen the immune system, but they still needed a patient having its hippocampus exposed to radiation.[15]
"He thought he was working on radiation resistance. I would never have told him what the project really was. But he was so sure of what he was onto, that he tested it on himself. And something went very wrong. Or it went very right. As far as I'm concerned, that man's whole body is the property of the U.S. Army."
In 2005, a Super Soldier Serum was recreated by Banner and Betty Ross with military scientists consisting of gamma radiation as an activator and stabilizer as opposed to vita radiation, while the project was being threatened with funding cuts at an early phase. Believing that his serum was designed for radiation resistance, Banner decided to test it on himself and was administered a myostatin primer designed by Betty that allowed his cells to absorb radiation temporarily.[2]
Before entering the radiation room of a Culver University facility, Banner took a picture with Betty for posterity. Betty tried to convince Banner that there was still time to back out, as no one would think less of him, worried that the project might not be ready for human testing. Banner responded that the pressure from General Thaddeus Ross served as a reminder that the budget was not infinite and stressed the importance of the project for science. The two kissed, as she saw it as an act of bravery, and declared their love for each other.[10] Banner sat on the Gamma Ray Projector, winked at a concerned Betty and the procedure was initiated by his colleagues, with his hippocampus being exposed to gamma radiation.[2] Wishing to impress General Ross and gain his approval, Banner manually upped the dosage of the radiation on the device, despite Betty's warnings, after no apparent effects to 15 seconds of exposition at level 1.[10]
Banner undergoes a transformation
Banner was doused with an immense amount of gamma radiation, however, the serum's effects, along with Dr. Ross' primer, caused Banner to transform into a giant, green-skinned, muscle-bound titan with incredible strength, but who possessed little intelligence and was driven by fits of extreme rage. In that instant, gamma pulses stored in Banner's amygdala to be released during high stress moments, serving as a trigger for the transformation. As an enraged, nearly mindless creature, Banner destroyed the lab, accidentally injuring Betty and several graduate students, crushing General Ross' arm and killing two scientists and an army officer who was shooting at him.[2] Following an explosion on the campus, the monster fled the scene and was spotted by students; however, those sightings were attributed by officials as possible effects of a chemical released into the air, causing hallucinations.[15]
In the wake of the accident, the military closed the entire lab building for a year, kept the incident a secret and shut down the entire project. Having managed to revert to his human form, Banner tried to visit Dr. Ross while she was in the hospital, but her father made him leave. Ross admitted to Banner that the project was developed for military offense and informed him that if he did not allow his monstrous form to be used as a weapon in combat, then his troops would come after him.[2]
Banner is forced to make his escape
Three days after the accident, Ross met Banner in the destroyed lab, offering him to take him to another workplace in Maryland to perfect the serum, noting that he has tried for twenty years to create a super soldier. Banner refused and blamed himself for all the people he hurt, including Dr. Ross, and General Ross for not informing him about the project. Banner ran off, hiding inside the janitor's room and using the clothes available for disguise, while prompting Ross to order his own troops to chase after him, only to find that Banner was gone.[10] Now a fugitive of the United States Army, Banner went on the run.[2]
"Is he a fighter?" "Your target is a fugitive from the U.S. government who stole military secrets. He is implicated in the deaths of two scientists, a military officer, an Idaho state trooper and possibly two Canadian hunters. So don't wait to see if he's a fighter."
Between the incident and his early run, Banner remained in contact with a friend, Culver University student Rick Jones.[2] Banner protected Jones from a dangerous situation by throwing him in a trench.[4] The United States Army and S.H.I.E.L.D. watched Jones' movements in case he contacted and helped Banner.[2]
"Despite appearences, he's exactly the man I'm looking for... Robert Bruce Banner. So yeah, while one would never believe it looking at this milksop... Guess they don't make ultimate soldiers like they used to anymore."
Banner traveled through the Midwestern U.S. and towards Idaho, where an encounter with some state troopers led to violence and his transformed self was seen by locals like Elliot Litton, who had mistaken him for a green Sasquatch.[2] Somewhere in this area shortly after the original incident, Banner visited Kirby's and watched a soccer game where he met an undercovered Nick Fury, who was curious if Ross had rekindled Project Rebirth and wanted to see the potential super soldier for himself.
In a friendly conversation, Fury claimed to not believe it possible for soccer to become popular in the United States of America, due to it being too calm of a sport, and Banner said that that was why he liked it. Fury tried to buy Banner a drink,[1] but Banner turned down the offer. After talking about shallow topics in their lives, Banner begins to suspect something is amiss after a vague response about his missing eye lost in a supposed war. Unsettled, Banner tried to leave.
Hulk attacking in the bar
On his way to the door, he bumped into agent Johnson who started to flirt with him, which was planned by Fury. Agent Peterson, playing the jealous boyfriend, began to threaten Banner and grabbed him by his shirt. Fury then intervened, trying to calm the situation, but got punched in the face by Peterson. This triggered Banner to transform, much to everyone's shock. He knocked out his aggressor, shoving him away, and started to wreck the bar. Then, he picked up a jukebox, willing to throw at the rest of the fleeing patrons, until being talked down by Fury, who stated he doesn't believe the man he just spoke to wanted to hurt those people. The enraged monster roared in Fury's face, shattering every glass inside the place, and ultimately left by smashing through the bar's door and wall with a jukebox.[16]
One month after the original incident, Banner attempted to escape to Quebec, Canada sneaking on board an empty freight truck at a stop. The truck was searched by border patrol, much to the driver's annoyance. Once the driver opened the freight, the agents found Banner, who tried to explain himself. As he was escorted out of the truck, one of the Border Patrol agents learned Banner was a wanted fugitive by the military. He was immediately arrested, with the agents preparing to hand him over to the feds in Virginia. Banner pleaded the agents to release him as he was being cuffed, causing them to believe he was threatening them. Banner realized it was too late as the stress from his arrest triggered his transformation into his monstrous form. He easily broke off the handcuffs before causing a series of mindless destruction in the station in response to the anger fueling him.
Hulk retaliating against Border Patrol
As the driver and Border Patrol agents fled, the enraged monster grabbed the freight truck and threw it away, causing it to crash into a nearby busy road. Many cars were crushed together, forming into a pile. The ongoing impact of the cars crashing additionally damaged the pillar of a nearby border highway, causing a portion of it to crumble. Amidst the chaos, the creature managed to flee from the border station, leaving behind a wristwatch that was a gift from Betty Ross. With the civilians focused on protecting themselves from him, no clear video footage of the creature was captured.[10] The scientist was later spotted via satellite recon photo in Canada, where he would be attributed for the death of two hunters.[2]
Monitored by S.H.I.E.L.D.[]
In 2006, a hopeless and depressed Banner tried to contact Betty Ross one last time, but the email was intercepted by the military and she never received it.[2] Meanwhile, S.H.I.E.L.D., in collaboration with the World Security Council, tracked his activities, hiding certain information from Thaddeus Ross.[17] At one point, there was another incident in Alaska that was detected by satellite, the last sighting of Banner in five months.[2]
Failed Suicide Attempt[]
Banner's suicide attempt goes wrong
"I got low. I didn't see an end, so I put a bullet in my mouth, and the other guy spit it out. So I moved on. I focused on helping other people."
At one point, seeing no end to his run from Thaddeus Ross nor a chance of getting rid of Hulk, Banner attempted to take his own life. He fired a bullet into his mouth, only to transform and spit out the bullet. Banner then decided to redirect his efforts into providing medical assistance to the poor as he dedicated his life to help people.[4]
Hope in South America[]
Banner made his way to South America, where he would look for Amazonian vascular plants that could inhibit radiation and therefore find the key to cure his condition. On his journey, Banner roamed the world trying to outwit authorities, leaving behind hiding places with research material for a possible cure whenever a hasty escape was needed. Arriving in Asia, he was sighted by the military in Japan, near Osaka and in Sapporo. He passed through Israel, Samara, and Russia,[2] ending up in a Tibetan monastery. While in Tibet, a rug dealer got Internet access he learned about a cellular biologist using the pseudonym "Mr. Blue" who could aid him. He eventually managed to reach South America, having a mysterious incident in Paraguay.[13]
In the heart of South America, wandering in the rainforest, Banner helped a lost boy Miguel to find his home. He spotted fresh tracks and used them to guide Miguel to reach a compound. Once arriving at a mansion, they were captured by Espinoza and his cartel, who accused Banner of being an American spy. Espinoza interrogated and beat Banner, threatening to kill him, despite Banner's pleas not to anger him. As the criminal continued to brutally beat him, Banner transformed and picked up the members who were holding him down, throwing them away. He then picked up a vehicle nearby and threw it, where it nearly killed Emil Blonsky, Greg Pak, and Bill Mantlo, who were on their way to capture Espinoza. The rest of the cartel heard explosions and ran to help, and Miguel watched as people were knocked away and thrown great distances. With everybody in the cartel rendered unconscious except a traumatized Miguel, the creature walked away from the destroyed cartel hideout, eventually ending up in Brazil.[10]
Five years after the original incident, Banner eventually settled in the Brazilian slums of the Rocinha favela, Porto Verde, working as a handyman in a soft drink bottling factory that produced Pingo Doce while still attempting to find a cure for his condition, with the aid of his Internet friend Mr. Blue. To keep himself sane while living in his exile, Banner had adopted a dog and taught himself Portuguese by reading a bilingual dictionary and watching television, including translated broadcasts of US TV shows.
Banner tries to find ways to control his rage
He also studied martial arts and meditative breathing techniques with a Brazilian Jiu-jitsuexpert to help control his emotions and heart rate, and because of this, had not suffered a transformation for 158 days. During some of his training, Banner would learn new breathing exercises and would allow his sensei to slap him across the face to ensure he maintained control even in harsh environments, although he would stop the lesson if his heart rate went up too far.
Banner begins working at a bottling plant
Although avoiding the daily stress, he was constantly victimized by xenophobia of his coworkers, being supported by the friendship of his colleague and neighbor Martina. While working at the factory one day, Marcos de Souza, the Plant Manager, called Banner upstairs in order to fix some broken machinery, offering to place Banner on payroll, which he refused, fearing his name and face being put on the system would then allow Thaddeus Ross to find and capture him.
Banner attempts to find his dropped blood
While finishing all his repairs on the machinery, Banner accidentally sliced open his finger, causing a large drop of his gamma-infected blood to floor down onto the bottles below. Horrified, Banner then demanded that the manager stop the machines while he searched for the blood and cleaned it up. However, Banner was unaware that more of his blood had dripped into a soda bottle, where it was drunk by an ill-fated consumer back in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Once he was done for the day, Banner prepared to go home, only to witness Martina being harassed by Silva and all his friends. Although Banner initially tried to walk away, he eventually intervened and asked Martina to join him for dinner. When the man tried to push him away, Banner tried to warn him but got his language wrong and claimed he would not like him when he was hungry, not angry, before then leaving.[2]
The search for a cure for his condition drove Banner to study the Corablanca flower described inside of the book Inventory of Rare and Endangered Tracheophyta of AmazĂŽnia, and he finally received it from someone he had hired to search for it. Returning to his house, Banner put up a picture of Betty Ross before he contacted Mr. Blue to inform him of the discovery, as Mr. Blue commented on what a beautiful flower it was and then advised Banner to use a high dose of it.
Banner trying to create an antidote
With Mr. Blue advising him to try a high dose of the component extracted from the plant and wishing him good luck, Banner was able to produce a serum using homemade laboratory equipment and every bit of the flower to ensure he had enough to likely cure himself. Banner tried the serum on a drop of his own blood to undo all the effects of the gamma radiation, and while it seemed to be successful at first as all the green gamma-infected blood was reduced, after just a few seconds it triggered a reaction that made all of the cells explode, marking this latest experiment as a failure.
Informing Mr. Blue of the failure, noting that he had used all of the flowers and therefore, he could not try it again. The scientist insisted on meeting Banner in person in the United States of America, as he noted that living with gamma poisoning could be more dangerous than the eventual risks of their meeting. Banner still refused, fearing that Thaddeus Ross could find him; however, Mr. Blue then convinced him to send a blood sample for more testing.
Banner is asked for more data
A few days later, Banner finally received some more news from Mr. Blue, that the preliminary blood tests showed some significant gamma reduction, but that in order to develop an appropriate antidote for Banner, he would need more data and requested the details behind the Project Gamma Pulse. Banner realized he would have to return to Culver University to retrieve the data and told Mr. Blue that it would be impossible to get it.[2]
While Banner attempted to sleep that night, he became alerted upon hearing one of the nearby dogs yelping out in pain. As it turned out, Thaddeus Ross had tracked Banner's location due to his infected blood falling into a Pingo Doce bottle, and sent his team led by Emil Blonsky to capture him. They attempted to break into his home and take Banner back into custody by force.
Realizing the danger that had arrived, Banner quietly escaped through his window as Blonsky and his unit located Banner's house and burst in to shoot him with tranquilizers, although Banner had already fled through the window and momentarily hid with Martina in her apartment. As Blonsky and the other soldiers looked for Banner, they assumed he had run into the streets of Rocinha, allowing Banner a moment of relief.
Banner tries to slow down his heart rate
However, despite Banner attempting to hide his face with his hood, before long Blonsky had caught sight of him and chased him down. As Banner desperately ran for his life, Blonsky and the other soldiers pursued Banner through the streets and rooftops of Rocinha, with Banner using his knowledge of pre-planned escape routes to ensure he could keep an advantage. Hiding around a corner, Banner tried to slow his heart rate to prevent his transformation before continuing to run.
Continuing to flee from the United States Army unit, Banner came across General Ross himself, realizing that he was the man behind the chase. Once the two enemies had locked eyes for a brief moment, Banner continued to desperately run for his life, only to accidentally crash into Silva who attempted to start a fight with him. Banner used his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to defend himself against the men away before running from both them and the soldiers.
As Banner ran away for safety, the tough guy leader and his friends followed Banner inside the Pingo Doce factory in order to assault him, with Blonsky and his men not far behind. Attempting to hide from all those chasing him, Banner had attempted to control his heart rate to ensure that he did not transform again, only for the tough guy and his friends to locate Banner and throw him against the wall. Banner attempted to defend himself but the man wanted revenge for Banner saving Martina from him and ignored Banner's warnings that something really bad was about to happen, with the leader punching Banner in the stomach and raising his heart rate.
Banner is forced to transform
Blonsky located Banner in the factory and approached to witness the appearance of Banner's transformation, triggered by the men beating him. Unaware that Banner had transformed, the tough guy leader attempted to kick him, only to be thrown through two windows, with the monstrous green giant managing to subdue another thug while the third escaped.
Banner transforms into Hulk
With all the thugs taken out of the picture, the SOCC soldiers began firing their tranquilizer darts, which merely bounced off the green goliath's skin. As the soldiers continued firing, the monster told them to leave him alone before furiously fighting back against the soldiers, using his own incredible strength to his advantage. Following their ferocious battle in the soft drink bottling plant, the monster incapacitated almost all the soldiers.
With only Emil Blonsky remaining, who had watched in astonishment, Blonsky loaded his weapon and fired bullets at the green titan, which continued to have no effect on him. Enraged, the Goliath picked up a forklift truck and launched it at Blonsky, who had barely avoided the attack. He then proceeded the smash through the factory wall, escaping from Brazil and fled into the jungle, much to General Ross' considerable ire the failure.[2]
Returning Home[]
Banner recovers from his transformation
"I could use a bed for a few nights." "You can have the spare room upstairs." "That'd be so great. There is one other thing."
Having escaped from the Pingo Doce factory and reverting to normal, Banner awoke in the jungle the morning after the incident, soaking and freezing cold. Spotting an oncoming car, Banner asked for help, only to learn he was no longer in Brazil but had made it all the way to Guatemala. The driver agreed to take Banner to a nearby town, which he thanked him for as the driver wrapped the freezing cold Banner up in a blanket.
Banner is forced to beg on the streets
Taking the advice of Mr. Blue to gather more information on the incident that started his transformations, in order to research a more effective cure, Banner slowly made his way back to the United States, while passing through Chiapas, Mexico, where he became a beggar and received alms to help pay for his journey. Banner managed to buy himself stretchy clothes but suffered nightmares about Emil Blonsky shooting at him.
Within seventeen days, Banner made enough money and managed to return to the United States of America, heading to Culver University where he knew his research was being kept. While he was still keeping a low profile and hiding behind a Culver University Press newspaper, Banner saw that Betty Ross had continued working at the university and was dating another man, a psychiatrist named Leonard Samson, and Banner quietly left there without being seen.
Banner paid a visit to his old friend Stanley Lieber, who agreed to give him a place to stay at his pizza parlor. As they sat down for a catch-up, Banner insisted that everything Thaddeus Ross and the government had said regarding his fugitive status was untrue, with Lieber responding that he had never believed the news regarding Banner. They then briefly discussed Ross and her relationship with Samson before Lieber agreed to grant Banner some pizza in order to infiltrate the university as a pizza delivery man.
Using Lieber's pizzas, Banner returned to the university and attempted to sneak past a security guard to recover his research, claiming that there was somebody upstairs who had ordered a pizza. When the security guard refused to let him pass without clearance, Banner claimed he risked being fired if he did not collect payment and offered the guard a box of pizza, he had not been able to collect on, with the guard accepting the pizza and allowing Banner access into the university.
Banner attempts to locate his old research
Having made it upstairs, Banner looked inside a room and recalled it once being the same space where they had worked on the Project Gamma Pulse before everything had gone terribly wrong. Entering the room, Banner bribed Roger Harrington with the pizza and logged on to the computer using Dr. Ross' password. Discovering that all the data regarding the project had been deleted, Banner contact Mr. Blue and notified him that the data no longer existed.[2]
"Listen, I should leave early, as early as I can." "Really? You can't stay at all?" "I want to, but it's just not safe for me to be here. If I could borrow some cash... I need to take a bus."
In the wake of his failure to reclaim his research, Banner prepared to go on the run again; however, he was unaware that Betty Ross had just arrived to visit Stanley Lieber's pizzeria for a meal. As Banner headed downstairs, he came into the dining room where Ross caught a glimpse of him.
This forced Banner to quickly run outside and hide behind the dumpster, desperate to not be seen by Ross, as he still believed that bringing her into his situation would put her in grave danger. Convinced about what she had seen, Ross came out searching for him. Banner remained hidden as Leonard Samson followed to learn what Ross was looking for. Eventually, they both went back inside to question Lieber, allowing Banner to slip away into the night.
As it began to rain, Banner made his way out of the city, attempting to flee. However, just as Banner attempted to hitch a ride in the pouring rain, he heard a car pull up behind him and discovered that Dr. Ross had successfully tracked him down. The two former lovers then ran into each other's arms and embraced, with Ross then desperately telling Banner not to leave. Banner eventually relented and got in Ross' car as she drove him back to her home to rest so they could discuss everything that had happened since he had gone on the run.
Banner contemplates on his predicament
Back at Ross' home, she had revealed to Banner that she had extracted the data on the Project Gamma Pulse before the lab had been raided, which she secretly retained. Ross questioned why they could not go to Thaddeus Ross and explain everything, but Banner told her that the general had made all his intentions clear. Ross gave Banner a bed and agreed to take him to a bus station the following morning.[2]
Intending to leave town, Banner and Ross returned to Culver University the following morning. However, as Banner and Ross were having a moment of looking at each other, Banner noticed the United States Army soldiers surrounding the campus.
Banner trying to flee the incoming soldiers
As the worried Leonard Samson had chosen to inform the military of Banner's whereabouts, Banner ordered Dr. Ross get as far away from him as she could before he ran away as quickly as possible, with the Strategic Operations Command Center soldiers mounting a full-scale assault on the campus.
Banner swallows the memory stick
As the soldiers chased Banner through the university, he managed to hide for a brief moment in the library and, fearing the memory stick containing all the information of the Project Gamma Pulse would be destroyed or lost, chose to ingest it. Having swallowed the flash drive, Banner continued to run, only to find himself trapped in an overpass.
With no escape in sight as soldiers blocked both doorways, Banner watched as Thaddeus Ross ordered his troops to fire tear gas into the overpass. As the gas filled the walkway, Banner removed his shirt and tried to cover his mouth but became distracted when he witnessed one of the SOCC soldiers knocking Dr. Ross to the ground as she tried to run to his aid.
Banner transforms into Hulk once again
The emotional response to seeing Dr. Ross being tackled coupled with the effects of the gas triggered Banner to transform. His monstrous persona then destroyed the overpass, leaping out into the lawn and roaring at the soldiers. As the green beast stepped towards them all, he was attacked by the SOCC soldiers under the direct orders of General Ross, who was still determined to capture him.
Hulk fights against the army soldiers
After transforming, he attempted to reach Dr. Ross, only to be assaulted with gunfire. Despite his near invulnerable skin allowing the bullets to merely bounce off him, the constant attacks caused him to furiously fight back and destroy several Humvees, knocking over one before moving towards a nearby statue, picking up the second Humvee and smashing it apart against the statue, forcing all the nearby soldiers to retreat as the giant titan reduced the vehicle to pieces.
With his troops failing to apprehend Banner, General Ross ordered Emil Blonsky, who had been injected with a variant of the Super Soldier Serum, to enter the fray. Blonsky then fired multiple tear gas grenades at the beast before leaping over his head and shooting him in the face. Angered at the assault, the jade giant attempted to retaliate.
Hulk covering his ears in considerable pain
Using his newfound agility, Blonsky evaded being killed before being ordered by General Ross to run, causing the titan to chase him down. As he pursued Blonsky, the soldiers activated the Stark Sonic Cannons made by Stark Industries, which managed to subdue him.
As he was forced onto his knees due to the incredible pain delivered by the sound waves, he heard Dr. Ross calling out Banner's name, which invigorated him into using a metal shard to shield himself from the sonic waves before using it to destroy one of the cannons and leaping high into the air to destroy the second and final cannon.
Following the destruction of the cannons, Blonsky made his way towards Banner's alter-ego, ignoring General Ross' orders. As Blonsky provoked the titan standing in front of him, he was swiftly kicked into a tree, which crushed most of his bones.
As he paced around the campus, he was approached by Dr. Ross, who was unafraid of him as she attempted to calm him down and turn him back into Banner. However, just as his anger was fading, General Ross ordered an Apache Helicopter to fire on him. With Dr. Ross in danger as she stood near him, the green beast used his makeshift metal shard to destroy the helicopter.
As the helicopter fell to the ground and exploded, he shielded Dr. Ross from the explosion while General Ross looked on in horror. Cradling her unconscious body in his arms, the massive monstrosity proceeded to escape with her to the Smoky Mountain National Forest. The Battle at Culver University marked the first time Banner's alter-ego had been revealed to the public, and during an interview with WHiH World News, Jim Wilson, a student at Culver University, described the green monster he had witnessed as a hulk, prompting the media, the world, the military, and eventually Banner himself, to refer to his beastly persona as "Hulk."
Hulk attempts to calm himself down
Hulk took the unconscious Ross to the national forest where he laid her inside a cave until she woke up. Upon waking up, Ross screamed in surprise as she looked at Hulk, causing him to hit his head before roaring at the thunder, perceiving it to be a threat. Noting that Hulk was shielding her from the thunder, Ross calmed Hulk down, and the pair sat in silence side by side.[2]
Hunting for a Cure[]
Heading to New York[]
Banner transforms back overnight
"Maybe your mind is in there, it's just overcharged and can't process what's happening." "I don't want to control it. I want to get rid of it."
Hulk had eventually reverted into his original human form as Banner overnight and Betty Ross awoke while still hiding out in the Smoky Mountain National Forest. With Banner struggling to even stand due to the trauma of his latest Hulk transformation during the Battle at Culver University, Ross helped him walk as they made their way out of the mountains and chose to hide out in a motel outside of Ashwood, North Carolina in the foothills of the Smokies. Once there, Banner took a shower to relax but was haunted by visions of Emil Blonsky and the helicopter fired at him during the last battle.
Banner is given some new clothing options
While Ross went out to buy him more clothes, since he was torn during his transformation, Banner went to the bathroom and vomited up the memory stick he had swallowed containing all their research on the Project Gamma Pulse. Eventually, Ross then returned and expressed her surprise at his decision to swallow the memory stick before handing Banner the clothes she had bought for him, with Banner rejecting a pair of stretchy purple trousers.
While they hid out inside the motel room, Ross spent time cutting Banner's hair, teasing him as he appeared concerned, she would not do it right. Once she had finished, Ross held Banner in her arms, leading to the pair kissing and falling on the bed. However, Banner noticed that being intimate with Ross was raising his heart rate so, fearing it would cause him to transform into Hulk if they were to have sex, Banner stopped them, much to both of their disappointment.
As they prepared to go on the run once again, Banner explained to Ross how they would avoid detection from the United States Army, noting that she could no longer use her phone or her credit cards due to them being tracked. When Ross questioned how they would be able to get to New York City with only forty dollars, she suggested selling her mother's necklace. Despite Banner refusing to let her, Ross insisted and used the money to buy a truck.
As they prepared to leave, Banner emailed Mr. Blue before Ross took a quick photograph of Banner as they got inside the truck and began the long drive. Along the way, Ross asked Banner what his own experience of turning into Hulk was like, with Banner comparing it to experiments they volunteered for at Harvard University only more intense. Ross inquired as to whether Banner could learn to control Hulk, citing that Hulk knew her and therefore a part of Banner existed within Hulk, only for Banner to respond to her father had made his intentions clear on weaponizing Hulk and that he wished to get rid of his alter-ego permanently.
Banner learns the police are catching up
Having spent several hours asleep while still on the road, Banner was eventually awoken by Ross as she had just seen the New York City Police Department were currently searching all the vehicles which were attempting to get into New York City, clearly searching for the fugitives. Fearing this would mean that the SOCC would be able to locate them, Banner and Ross got out of their truck and got off the bridge, instead of using their remaining cash to hire a boat.
Having made it onto the mainland, Banner and Ross discussed what would be the best way to get across the city in order to finally meet with "Mr. Blue." Ross at first suggested that they take the subway, but fearing Banner turning into Hulk underground, they decided to take a taxi. However, when the taxi driver drove like a maniac, they got out as Ross screamed at the driver. Seeing how angry she was, Banner suggested Ross use some of his calming techniques.[2]
"We have the antidote now." "They don't want the antidote! They want to make it a weapon! And if we let it go, we will never get it back. You don't know how powerful this thing is."
While they continued to avoid detection, Betty Ross and Banner then arrived at the Grayburn College in Harlem, New York City, where they planned to finally meet with the mysterious "Mr. Blue," a resident scientist named Samuel Sterns. Ross at first greeted Sterns, who was surprised to meet her before Banner made himself known, with Sterns amazed to finally meet Mr. Green.
Accompanying Sterns to his lab, Banner and Ross listened as Sterns expressed his amazement at meeting Banner, noting he was shocked that such an unassuming man had so much gamma radiation inside of him. They learned that Sterns had completed the possible antidote that could potentially cure Banner's condition, or merely reverse a specific transformation, although Sterns warned that the procedure did hold the risk of killing Banner if anything went wrong.
Banner undergoes his transformation
In order to test the antidote's effectiveness, Stern would be forced to trigger a Hulk transformation, and an underdose would prove futile and make Hulk wreak havoc again, while an overdose could kill him. Despite the risks, Banner agreed to test Stern's antidote and was restrained, becoming quite nervous when Stern had begun kicking the machinery to get it all working. With Ross standing close by him, Banner attempted to relax as Stern began the experiment. Sterns then gave Banner an electric shock directly to his head, which caused him to undergo his transformation into Hulk, with Sterns looking on in amazement at the power Banner was manifesting.
Banner briefly gains control over Hulk
When Hulk inadvertently knocked Sterns overdue to attempting to break free of his restraints, Ross was forced to then jump onto his chest and attempted to keep Hulk as calm as possible. Using this brief distraction, Sterns was able to administer the antidote. The antidote succeeded in granting Banner control over Hulk for the first time shortly before prompting Hulk to revert into Banner.
Banner learns his blood has been replicated
Exhilarated by the success of the antidote, Sterns began gushing how the antidote had never worked for any of his previous test subjects. When Banner questioned what he meant, Sterns revealed that he had synthesized Banner's blood sample into a larger supply with the intention of using its gamma-irradiated properties to benefit mankind, adding that his test subjects did not survive because they were not administered Dr. Ross' myostatic primer, which allowed Banner's blood cells to absorb much of the radiation instead of outright killing him.
Appalled by what Sterns had done and fearful of Hulk's power falling into the wrong hands, Banner then attempted to convince Sterns to immediately destroy the blood supply, claiming it was too powerful if it were to fall into the government's hands. However, just as Sterns attempt to convince Banner that he was being paranoid regarding the government's interest, Banner was shot in the back by a tranquilizer from an SOCC snipers. As Banner dropped onto the floor, Emil Blonsky charged into the room and attempted to trigger his transformation into Hulk, only to be stopped by his fellow SOCC soldiers.[2]
"You think you can control it?" "No, no, not control it, but, I don't know, maybe aim it." "And what if you can't?" "We made this thing. All of us. Please."
As both Banner and Betty Ross were taken into custody, Banner was strapped down on a stretcher while the SOCC kept a close watch over him. Banner was then brought to Thaddeus Ross who, upon seeing that Banner had seemingly had no reaction to the ordeal, warned that if he had been successful in curing himself of Hulk, he would then ensure that Banner spent the rest of his life in a prison without any hope of regaining his freedom.
Banner is taken away on board a helicopter
While Banner was handcuffed, they were moved inside a helicopter with General Ross as Dr. Ross, who would be granted freedom by her father, while Samuel Sterns was left to be interrogated by Kathleen Sparr back at Grayburn College, who wished to know what they could do with Banner's blood samples. While in the air, Banner and Dr. Ross made eye contact and smiled at one each other to reassure themselves. However, the helicopter suddenly received news that "Hulk" was terrorizing the citizens of Harlem.
As it turned out, Emil Blonsky had forced Sterns to inject him with Banner's infected blood, which coupled with the imperfect Super Soldier Serum in his system, caused Blonsky to mutate into a behemoth dubbed Abomination. Banner, realizing that Blonsky was Abomination and that he was the only one who could defeat him, informed the Rosses that while he could not necessarily control Hulk, he believed he could aim its power and use it to provide relief to the soldiers and citizens of Harlem.
General Ross ordered the soldiers to land the helicopter, but Banner insisted that they remain in the air so that he could jump out and keep everyone else safe, while also using the altitude to trigger a transformation. Dr. Ross attempted to stop Banner, warning that he was unsure if he had been cured or not, but Banner insisted that he had to try regardless in order to save all of the United States Army soldiers and the many innocent civilians from Abomination's rampage. Having kissed her goodbye, Banner then fell from the helicopter, hoping that the fall would trigger his transformation. To his horror, he discovered that it was not working; however, the fear of dying from such a height triggered Banner's transformation into Hulk right before he slammed into the street below.[2]
Having survived the fallout from Thaddeus Ross' helicopter, Banner transformed into Hulk and punched his way back to the surface, while many of the people of Harlem ran in terror. Getting to his feet, Hulk roared as loud as he could, getting the attention of Abomination, who stopped killing all of the people as he clearly delighted at the chance to fight Hulk and try to prove himself the superior monster.
Ripping off the remains of Banner's shirt, Hulk furiously charged towards his enemy, as Abomination did the same. Both roaring as loud as they could, Hulk and Abomination launched at one another, only for the larger and more powerful Abomination to counter Hulk's attack as Hulk was thrown across the street. The impact of the hit shocked Hulk as he had struggled to get back onto his feet, while Abomination laughed at his suffering, challenging Hulk to get up and continue their fight to the death.
Hulk furiously rips a police car in half
Getting back up, Hulk saw a New York City Police Department car parked just beside him and proceeded to then smash the police car in half and used the pieces as boxing gloves. As Abomination came closer to him, Hulk furiously smashed the two ends of the car together before striking his enemy as he repeatedly punched Abomination into the pavement so hard that it caused a deep crater and had completely destroyed the remains of the car.
Having seemingly beaten Abomination into submission, Hulk prepared to unleash one more punch to finish off his enemy, only for Abomination to question if that was all Hulk had in him, as Emil Blonsky had done during the Battle at Culver University. Getting his revenge for what happened to him during that previous encounter, Abomination proceeded to kick Hulk across Harlem and through a wall into a nearby building, giving chase in order to continue their battle, while Hulk recovered while inside a nearby dumpster.
As Abomination had climbed up the wall and searched for Hulk, Ross then ordered his gunman inside of the helicopter to open fire on him, with the soldiers of the United States Army briefly unsure about which monster to target. As Abomination ran after the helicopter across the rooftops, Hulk recovered from the last hit and chased after Abomination, who was now targeting General Ross' military helicopter itself.
Before Hulk could reach him, Abomination lunged and grabbed the helicopter just as Hulk arrived and grasped him. Desperate to do whatever he could to protect Betty Ross and everyone else on board the helicopter, Hulk began punching and pulling at Abomination, even trying to crack his exposed spine. However, despite all of Hulk's efforts, the helicopter still lost control and crashed down onto the ground, with Hulk and Abomination being briefly separated.
While Hulk recovered from the crash and went to see if Betty and the general had survived, Abomination reappeared and challenged Hulk to continue fighting. The two furiously faced off once again and Abomination pinned Hulk against a wall and stabbed him in the chest with his exposed elbow, while Banner briefly gained control of Hulk, unable to defeat his foe. Telling Hulk that he did not deserve his power, he threatened that Hulk would be forced to watch Betty die.[2]
Hulk puts out the fire with his powerful clap
With Abomination threatening Betty, Hulk began to feel rage, which augmented his strength.[19] Reasserting his control, Hulk liberated himself from Abomination's grasp, pulling him away from him before slamming him into the wall with all his might just as the helicopter caught fire due to the leaking fuel. Seeing this, Hulk charged forward and thunder-clapped his hands together and managed to blow out the entire fire, saving Betty and the general from being consumed by the flames.
However, just as Hulk watched as Betty and the general were pulling themselves out of the wreckage of the helicopter, Betty screamed out a warning just before Abomination hit Hulk from behind with a concrete pillar on a high-tensile chain. The power of the hard blow was enough to knock Hulk to the ground, with another hit almost rendering Hulk unable to move while Abomination relished at all of the painful sufferings he was inflicting onto Hulk.
Hulk prepares to smash the ground
With Hulk seemingly unable to continue the fight, Abomination then turned his attention to Ross, swinging the concrete pillar and chain to kill Betty and the general. As Abomination inquired as to whether they had any last words, Hulk rushed to his feet and uttered "Hulk Smash!" as he stamped on the ground, shattering the concrete and trapping one of Abomination's legs. As Abomination lost his footing, the chain flew into the air and wrapped itself around his neck.
Charging back into the battle, Hulk then grabbed the chain and began strangling Abomination. The pair engaged in a brutal fight, as Abomination desperately tried to free himself from Hulk's powerful grasp as he struggled for air, with Hulk even managing to rip out one of Abomination's exposed elbows and stabbing him with it. Poised to deliver a final blow and crush Abomination's throat, Hulk was stopped in the act of killing by the intervention of Betty as Hulk finally let out a powerful, victorious roar.
With Abomination finally defeated, members of the New York City Police Department as well as the Strategic Operations Command Center arrived on the scene with the guns aimed directly at Hulk. However, Ross ordered all the men to lower the weapons as Hulk and Betty had a moment as they briefly looked at one another. As more soldiers arrived in a helicopter, Hulk was left with no other option and fled the scene to avoid capture.[2]
Learning to Control Hulk[]
Banner tries to control Hulk
"You've been more than a year without an incident. I don't think you wanna break that streak."
Thirty-one days after his fight with Abomination, Banner arrived at a cabin in Bella Coola, British Columbia. Having repurchased Betty Ross' necklace from a pawn shop, he left the necklace in a letter addressed to Ross. After his first success in controlling Hulk, Banner focused on trying to gain control over Hulk instead of suppressing it.[2]
Banner eventually managed to learn how to retain control over his alter-ego if he chose to transform.[4] Banner traveled to Asia, crossing the border from Pakistan into India, where an incident involving some local mercenary bandits soon forced him into transforming into Hulk and protecting local residents from the attempted terrorist attack.[20] However, Banner continued to reside in India for over a year and focused his efforts on helping others.[4]
"This is the Tesseract. It has the potential energy to wipe out the planet." "What does Fury want me to do, swallow it?" "Well, he wants you to find it. It's been taken. It emits a gamma signature that's too weak for us to trace. There's no one that knows gamma radiation like you do."
One evening, in 2012, Banner was approached by a girl that claimed her parents were very ill. He followed her to her home on the outskirts of the city where she made a quick escape. Banner remarked to himself that he should have been paid upfront. To his surprise, he was approached by Natasha Romanoff. Banner asked Romanoff did she was sent there to kill him, to which she assured him that she was sent by S.H.I.E.L.D. Suspicious, Banner suggested that the building was already surrounded.
Romanoff revealed that S.H.I.E.L.D. had been assisted Banner in his hiding; keeping their distance and derailing parties interested in capturing Hulk. She divulged that S.H.I.E.L.D. was facing a potential global catastrophe, events that Banner claimed to actively avoid. Banner is shown an image of the Tesseract, to which he questioned if Nick Fury wanted him to swallow it. Romanoff claimed that Fury needs his help finding it as the object emits gamma radiation, Banner's specialty.
Banner remained doubtful of S.H.I.E.L.D. intentions as he suggests that S.H.I.E.L.D. needed him in a cage. He suddenly yells in a fit of rage, with Romanoff immediately draws her firearm in response. Banner takes a step back and apologizes for getting angry at her. He reveals that he wanted to see how Natasha would respond to a Hulk incident; to which she orders a surrounding S.H.I.E.L.D. task force to stand down. Banner agrees to assist S.H.I.E.L.D. in finding the Tesseract.[4]
"You really have got a lid on it, haven't you? What's your secret? Mellow jazz? Bongo drums? Huge bag of weed?" "Is everything a joke to you? Threatening the safety of everyone on this ship isn't funny. No offense, Doctor." "No, it's all right. I wouldn't have come aboard if I couldn't handle pointy things."
Banner was then brought on board the Helicarrier by Natasha Romanoff. Upon arriving on the Helicarrier, Banner began awkwardly walking all around the ship. Soon after Phil Coulson arrived with Steve Rogers and Banner was soon introduced to Rogers and shook hands with him while he expressed how amazed he was at seeing him alive. While he and Rogers began discussing finding the Tesseract, Romanoff told them to move back inside as the Helicarrier, just moments before the entire Helicarrier then lifted into the air, while Banner jokingly noted what a poor idea this was due to the risk of him transforming into Hulk and causing complete mayhem inside the flying headquarters.
Arriving inside the Helicarrier, Banner shook hands with Nick Fury who thanked him for coming. Banner asked Fury how long he would be required to stay with S.H.I.E.L.D. but Fury assured him that it would only be until they found the Tesseract. Now feeling more confident, Banner asked where were they with that. Phil Coulson informed Banner that they were searching all around the planet. Banner then suggested that they begin scanning for Gamma Radiation to locate the Tesseract. Banner asked Fury if he had somewhere to work to which Fury ordered Romanoff to show Banner to his laboratory.
After they managed to locate Loki in Stuttgart, Germany, Banner stayed on board the Helicarrier while Captain America went to capture Loki. After successfully capturing him with the help of Iron Man, as well as the arrival of Thor, Loki was brought on board the Helicarrier. As Banner was in his laboratory, he spotted Loki being marched down the hallways and had a mild headache as Loki smiled at him. Banner then headed to the main deck with the other Avengers then listened while Fury interrogated Loki in his cell about his whereabouts of the Tesseract while Loki taunted Fury about his knowledge of Hulk's nature and the despair he must suffer to call those creatures to defend him.
When the interrogation was over, Thor informed them that Loki had an army called the Chitauri and he prepared to use them to conquer Earth to which Banner stated that that's what Loki needed Erik Selvig for to which Thor asked about him. Banner informed Thor that Selvig was an astrophysicist, to which Thor stated that he was a friend. Banner then insulted Loki, calling him crazy, to which Thor told him that he cared how he spoke about Loki since he was his brother. However, Romanoff informed Thor that Loki killed eighty people in two days, leading Thor to say he was adopted.
Just then, Tony Stark arrived and explained what Loki needed Selvig and Hawkeye for. Banner then shook hands with Stark, having understood all of his theories, which delighted Stark who then complimented Banner on his own intelligence and ability to turn into Hulk. Nick Fury then informed them that Banner was only there to track the Tesseract and suggested that Stark and Banner work together to try and understand Loki's Scepter. Stark and Banner then departed for the lab to begin their research.
At the lab, Banner began his analysis on the Scepter while Stark informed him that J.A.R.V.I.S. was hacking into S.H.I.E.L.D.'s files on his behalf. Stark then discussed Banner's alter-ego, stating that Banner needed to let loose. Stark then jabbed Banner's side and shocked him, causing Banner to yelp and Captain America to reprimand Stark for putting the lives of everyone on the Helicarrier at risk.
Banner then assured Rogers that it was fine, stating that he would not have come on board if he could not handle pointy things. Stark then notified Rogers about the hacking, which upset Rogers. Stark then redirected the conversation to Banner, who stated that he did not wish to get involved and merely wanted to focus on his work. However, at the captain's insistence, Banner mentioned that he found it suspicious that S.H.I.E.L.D. would want the Tesseract's powers to give mankind renewable energy, citing that S.H.I.E.L.D. would not be in the energy business and that if they were, they would have consulted with Stark.
Banner discusses his alter-ego
As Rogers left to investigate, Stark and Banner continued with their research, attempting to hone in on the Tesseract's emitting gamma signature in order to determine its location. Stark declared that they would fight Loki, although Banner clarified that the others would fight and he would merely read about it. Stark replied that Banner could suit up with them, to which Banner responded that he did not have a suit of armor and that his transformation was like an exposed nerve. As Banner returned to his computer, Stark approached him and disclosed that he read up on Banner's gamma incident, citing that the exposure should have killed him. Discerning that Stark was implying that Hulk transformation had saved his life, Banner demanded what purposed there was in saving him, to which Stark replied that they would soon find out.
Fury, along with Romanoff and Thor, made their way into the laboratory after discovering the hack. Fury demanded to know what they were really doing, and Banner replied that they were tracking the Tesseract and would know of its location soon. Stark then asked Fury what Phase 2 was, revealing that he and Banner had seen S.H.I.E.L.D.'s true plans for Phase 2, which was to use the Tesseract to create weapons of mass destruction. Rogers returned to the laboratory with physical evidence, prompting Fury to explain that it was to defend themselves from future extraterrestrial attacks.
Banner reveals his previous suicide attempt
Unbeknownst to Banner, the Scepter behind him activated and began to subtly influence him, increasing his agitation. Banner lashed out at Fury, declaring that the Avengers were not a team but rather a chemical mixture, likening them to a time bomb, adding that he knew Loki's cage was really intended for him, as a way to kill Hulk. Fury attempted to explain that it was just a security measure, although Banner divulged that they could not kill Hulk and that he himself had tried to die by suicide years ago. Romanoff attempted to calm Banner down much to Stark's protests, who believed Banner should be able to relieve some of his stress.
With the arguments increasing rapidly among everyone, Banner took hold of the Scepter in his hand. Realizing the potential threat, Fury and Romanoff reached for their guns, although Banner was snapped out of the Scepter's influence by Rogers, who politely asked him to put the Scepter down. Just then, the computer's alert went off, and as Banner put the Scepter back, he informed the others that they would not get to see his transformation after all. Walking over to the computer, Banner took off his glasses in shock as he discovered that the Tesseract was located atop Stark Tower in New York City.[4]
Before Banner could inform the team of the Tesseract's whereabouts, the brainwashed Hawkeye led a team of mind-controlled soldiers into the ship and destroyed one of the engines, causing an explosion that resulted in Banner and Black Widow falling into the weapons cache room. The explosion angered Banner and prompted him to begin transforming into Hulk. As Banner was in the process of transforming, Hulk looked back at Romanoff. Horrified of what she was witnessing, Romanoff muttered Bruce's name. This angered Hulk, as he despised those who referred to him as his other half. As Romanoff continued looking on in horror, Hulk chased after the agent, attempting to kill her. Although she managed to evade him for a long time, Hulk was able to catch up to her and throw her against a wall.
Before he could kill Romanoff, Banner was intercepted by Thor. As Hulk's rage increased during his fight with Thor, he was able to survive direct hits from MjĂžlnir and throw the Asgardian across the room several times. He ripped the wing off a fighter jet and hurled it at Thor. During the fight, Hulk attempted to lift MjĂžnir, but even with his incredible strength, he was unable to move the hammer, which only increased his rage.
Hulk tears a fighter jet apart in mid-air
As the fight got more intense, Nick Fury and Maria Hill were left with no other choice than to send a VTOL fighter jet to shoot at Hulk, as they feared he would destroy the Helicarrier and kill everyone aboard. When the jet began firing at him, Hulk's enforced skin was able to deflect the bullets leaving him unharmed. Outraged by the attack Hulk roared, left Thor and leaped at the jet. He was able to rip it apart in the sky causing it to spin out of control, the pilot attempted to eject, Hulk caught him and threw him across the skyline, fortunately, the pilot survived. As the jet exploded, Hulk fell from the sky, crash-landing into an empty warehouse.
Banner wakes up after transforming back
Hulk eventually transformed back into Banner and woke up naked in the warehouse. A security guard at the warehouse informed Banner that he did not harm anyone during his crash-landing and that he believed that Hulk had controlled his fall to prevent casualties. The security guard then asked him if he was an alien, to which Banner assured him he was not. Giving Banner clothes, the guard asked Banner if there was someplace he had to be. Deciding to help the Avengers, Banner informs the man that he needs to go to New York, and the guard allows Banner to use his motorcycle.[4]
Banner arrived during the midst of the Battle of New York, where he apologized to Natasha Romanoff for attacking her earlier. As Captain America informed Iron Man that the latter's prediction of Banner returning had come true, Iron Man informed them that he was leading an enemy towards them.
As the Avengers witnessed the Leviathan heading their way, Banner made his way towards the creature. As Captain America claimed that now would be a good time for Banner to get angry, Banner responded that his secret to learning how to induce a controlled transformation was that he was always angry. Banner then instantly transformed into Hulk, stopping the Leviathan with one punch, causing its armor plates to fall off and allowing Iron Man to kill it. Hulk then roared out loud as he joined the Avengers, and was tasked by Captain America to "smash" the Chitauri.
Hulk threw himself at the Chitauri army, immediately killing many soldiers climbing buildings, using his incredible strength and leaping abilities he was able to leap high in the air and hit the Chitauri Chariots out of the sky.[4] Landing on the streets on New York, Hulk repeatedly smashed a car on top of a Chitauri soldier, before furiously ripping off the tire and jumping on the car as he continued smashing his enemies.[21] Hulk also killed several Leviathan creatures, battling on top of one alongside Thor. Together, they killed one and caused it to crash into the Grand Central Terminal. As they took a moment to catch their breath, Banner punched Thor across the room, getting revenge for their earlier fight.
Continuing to fight the Chitauri on the streets, Banner witnessed Loki being knocked off his glider and into Stark Tower. Hulk then bounded into the skyscraper and prepared to attack Loki, but stopped at Loki's command. Loki then declared that he was a god and referred to Hulk as a dull creature, but was unable to finish his speech as Banner grabbed him by the legs and repeatedly flung him into the ground. As the defeated Loki whined in pain, Hulk referred to Loki as "puny god" as he walked away.
Hulk during the Battle of New York
Returning outside, Banner rejoined the battle, prompting a Chitauri commander to order the Chitauri Chariots to all fire down at him together. While Hulk survived the onslaught, the attack caused him to have a nosebleed. As the battle looked almost hopeless, the World Security Council eventually sent a nuclear missile to destroy Manhattan.
Stark flew the missile to the Wormhole, destroying the Chitauri Command Center which in turn killed all of the Chitauri on Earth. While Stark managed to fall back through the wormhole to New York, he fell unconscious and his suit had lost its power. As Stark plummeted down, Banner leaped up and grabbed him, saving his life. He observed the unconscious Stark alongside Thor and Captain America, who feared Stark had died, although Hulk roared in his face and woke him up.[4]
As Tony Stark secured the Tesseract in a silver case, Hulk prepared to join his teammates as they boarded an elevator headed to the lobby. However, Stark informed Hulk that they had already reached the maximum weight occupancy and that he would have to take the stairs, which resulted in Hulk punching the elevator door in anger. Agitated, he muttered that he hated the stairs as he headed towards the staircase.
Hulk bursts into the lobby
Taking the stairs down, Hulk was irritated at the amount of stairs he would have to walk in order to get downstairs. Doing so increased his anger, which caused him to burst through the door when he finally reached the lobby. As the people in the lobby screamed and fled at the sight of him, Hulk roared in frustration and punched a hole in the wall.[21] Having calmed down and returned to his human form, Banner joined the other Avengers and silently ate lunch at the Shawarma Palace.[4] They were interrupted by War Machine, who arrived too late to aid in the battle.[22]
Following their meal, Banner and the other Avengers reclaimed Loki and took him to Central Park, where Banner aided Erik Selvig with handling the Tesseract. There, the group bade farewell to Thor as he activated the Tesseract and transported it, along with himself and Loki, back to Asgard. As the Avengers disbanded and went their separate ways, Natasha Romanoff then gave Banner a travel bag, which he tossed into Stark's Acura 2012 Stark Industries Super Car as the two drove off.[4] Banner later moved into an apartment in the new Stark Tower.[23]
Sometime after his battle against Aldrich Killian, Tony Stark met with Banner at Avengers Tower to talk about his traumas. However, Banner fell asleep near the beginning of the session, expressing that he isn't qualified to deal with a psychological stress, so Stark told Banner more stories about his life, to which Banner again quickly fell asleep.[24]
World Renowned Scientist[]
"They cut you open. Your heart stopped." "Tetrodotoxin B. Slows the pulse to one beat a minute. Banner developed it for stress. Didn't work so great for him, but we found a use for it."
By 2014, Banner had used his genius to develop many new technologies, due to this, Project Insight labeled him a potential threat to HYDRA.[25]
S.H.I.E.L.D. resorted to using many of said inventions, using them not as Banner had intended, but instead finding other uses, such as Tetrodotoxin B[25] or Gamma Power Reserve.[26] Banner also designed the Retreat, a place that looks like a log cabin on the outside, but the inner walls have vibranium lining and capable to contain Hulk. Banner transformed to Hulk inside the Retreat and attempted to break outside. However, the wall was strong enough to handle his punch.[27]
Eventually, the Avengers reassembled again to take down HYDRA, with the financial backing of Tony Stark. Using the Avengers Tower as their headquarters, they embarked on several missions to thwart HYDRA's plans for world domination. During this time, Natasha Romanoff began to develop a romantic interest in Banner, which he reciprocated. Romanoff developed a lullaby that she found could successfully make Hulk transform back into Banner.[5]
While Banner was occupied with a scientific examination, J.A.R.V.I.S. informed him that Natasha Romanoff was in need of assistance from the other Avengers in Sudan. Banner went into the team's Quinjet in order to fly to her location. As the other Avengers ran out to fight the HYDRA agents, Banner stayed inside the Quinjet, waiting for further instructions.
HYDRA soldiers found him in the jet and shot it with one of their tanks, trying to kill him. Unfortunately for them, the explosion only made Banner transform into Hulk, allowing him to help his allies in the fight. Together, the team was able to defeat the soldiers and their leader, Jensen.[23]
In 2015, the Avengers discovered through Maria Hill the whereabouts of Loki's Scepter, which had been taken to Baron Strucker's secret HYDRA Research Base in Sokovia, where it had been used by List to conduct experiments on individuals with powers.[28] The heroes attacked the fortress protecting the laboratory with Hulk destroying armored vehicles and bunkers defending the outpost.[5]
Romanoff performed the lullaby with Hulk to get him to calm down and turn back into Bruce Banner. On the way back to the Avengers Tower, Banner listened to some classical music. Romanoff then came to him and told him that the lullaby worked better than ever.[5]
Once they arrived at Avengers Tower, Banner and Tony Stark began decoding the secrets of the Scepter. Stark compared J.A.R.V.I.S. to the contents of the Scepter which Banner believed to be a form of thinking, as exemplified by the neuron-like patterns. He concluded that Baron Strucker was working on a form of artificial intelligence.
Stark revealed that he was mystified by the idea of using the A.I. to frame the Ultron Program. Banner was skeptical of the idea as it was based in the hypothetical, having never been accomplished before. He also questioned Stark's decision to not reveal their plans to the rest of the team. Stark summarized his motivations by suggesting that he sees a 'suit of armor' around the world. To which Banner suggested that it would be a cold world to live in.
Ultimately, Stark was able to convince Banner to help him by proposing it could create peace in their time. Over the course of three days, the two scientists worked on merging the scepter's code with the Ultron Program. Believing they had hit a roadblock, Banner and Stark chose to enjoy the party being held at Avengers Tower. Once everyone left, J.A.R.V.I.S. awakened Ultron, who proceeded to eliminate him after telling about Ultron's meaning and existence.[5]
"All my friends are fighters. And here comes this one guy, spends his life avoiding the fight because he knows he'll win." "Sounds amazing." "He's also a huge dork. Chicks dig that."
To celebrate the victory on HYDRA, Tony Stark organized a party in Avengers Tower, where Banner had dressed up for the people who were invited. During the party, Banner walked up to Natasha Romanoff, who was working as a bartender for the guests. Asking her about having any relationships, Banner was told that Romanoff had started to have feelings for in a flirtatious way, after telling him a sarcastic story about it.
As Romanoff left the bar, Banner looked over to Steve Rogers and spoke about how she is usually much more closed off but highly relaxed around him. Banner then told Rogers that Romanoff was clearly flirting with him, but was insisted that he should not let the chance for happiness pass by, noting that Romanoff had flirted with him in the past. As Rogers walked away, Banner pondered this before questioning how much Romanoff had flirted with Rogers in the past.
Banner joins the gathering
Once most of the guests had finally returned home from the party, the group, joined by Helen Cho, took turns attempting to lift MjĂžlnir. Leading the attempts was Clint Barton who was the first to try and when he failed, both Tony Stark and James Rhodes tried using Iron Man Gauntlets but still failed to even make the hammer move an inch, much to the great amusement of Thor who continued pushing the other Avengers to try out their luck during their game.
When it was Banner's turn to lift MjĂžlnir, he struggled with his attempt to nudge the hammer with his normal form. Once he failed to lift the hammer, Banner pretended to turn into Hulk, which none of the others found funny, much to Romanoff's awkward feeling toward his situation. Thor then teased them that none of them were worthy enough to lift the hammer, causing all the others to mockingly boo him for his egotistical claims.[5]
The party was interrupted when a loud noise rang through the room before broken down robot stepped forward. Ultron claimed that all the Avengers could never be worthy, as they were all killers who wanted to protect the world but not allow it to change. Following his speech, Banner realized that it was Ultron, only to be interrupted about his appearance and that he no longer had strings holding him down.
Announcing that the only path to peace on Earth was the Avengers' deaths, Ultron and some hijacked Iron Legion drones attacked the group, proclaiming humanity inferior and ready for extinction. In order not to lose control, Banner hid behind the Tower's bar with Romanoff. Ultron began mocking the Avengers, but Thor had enough and destroyed Ultron's body. However, Ultron's mind had still managed to escape by accessing through the internet.[5]
"Tony, maybe this might not be the timeâ" "Really? That's it? You just roll over and show your belly, every time somebody snarls?" "Only when I've created a murder-bot."
As the team regrouped following the Attack on Avengers Tower, they discussed what had occurred, as Banner explained that Ultron had cleared out their computer files before escaping through the internet. When James Rhodes discussed the fear of Ultron getting into the nuclear codes, it was mentioned that Ultron had claimed to have killed somebody, although they still did not know who.
With the team gathered any suspicions on Ultron, Stark began examining the robot to understand what caused it. He learned that it had destroyed J.A.R.V.I.S.' mainframe in a rage. Thor stormed in and grabbed Stark by the throat, accusing him of bringing destruction to the Earth. As Thor dropped from his grasp, Stark defended himself, however, claiming that he was coming up with a solution to end a war that would destroy the Earth.
Once Stark made his argument, Banner was not convinced by Stark's claims, saying that it's not a good idea to speak on behalf since they created Ultron. Stark then recalled the Battle of New York, claiming that what was out in space would destroy them all if they did not plan ahead. As Steve Rogers claimed they could beat that threat as a team, Stark claimed that they would fail, with Rogers telling him they would still be a team.
Seeking leads, the team later learned that Ultron had built himself a new body and had killed Baron Strucker in his prison cell and that he had made an alliance with Pietro and Wanda Maximoff. Upon learning of von Strucker's death, it was noted that this was likely a smokescreen to throw them off, with all of their own information on Strucker having been deleted off their computers.
Forced to use old S.H.I.E.L.D. files, the team researched anyone who was connected to Strucker who may be able to find a new lead. Stark soon pointed out Ulysses Klaue among the files, whom he had met at a weapons dealers meeting in the past. Banner researched the brand on Klaue's neck and originated it to a Wakandan dialect meaning 'thief.' As Stark and Rogers realized Wakanda was where vibranium originated from, they tracked Klaue's location to South Africa and headed there.[5]
"You listening? That little witch is messing with your mind. You're stronger than her, you're smarter than her, you're Bruce Banner. Right, right, right. Don't mention puny Banner. Okay. In the back? Dick move, Banner."
The Avengers soon went to South Africa to keep Ultron from getting vibranium. As the others were fighting Ultron, Banner remained in the Quinjet. Banner exited the Quinjet shortly after the fighting started unsure if they called a "Code Green" which is a call for Hulk to come out during battles. Wanda Maximoff found Banner outside the Quinjet and forced him to turn into Hulk using her mental manipulation powers. Under her control, Banner started destroying the city of Johannesburg. Iron Man called upon his Mark XLIV and Veronica in an attempt to subdue Hulk himself.
Despite soon being trapped inside Veronica's enforced and electrified metal cage, the enraged Hulk had soon managed to break himself free. As the South African Police Service started to attack, Hulk began to attack them while civilians started to be terrified from his devastating attacks. Iron Man arrived on the scene with his equipped the Hulkbuster armor, ordering the police to "stand down" and drawing the attention of Hulk.
Stark attempted to calm Hulk down through conversation but inadvertently enraged him by referring to him as Bruce Banner. Enraged even further, Hulk then threw a car at Iron Man but he managed to catch it. Hulk hit him through the car and sent him backwards, so Iron Man took off and grabbed Hulk by the neck, dragging him through the street. Hulk kicked the Hulkbuster armor, freeing himself and crashing Iron Man.
During the fight, Hulk then pounced on the Hulkbuster before Iron Man could recover and severely damaged its left arm but as Hulk tore through the thick armor, Iron Man reversed the damaged arm and punched him off. Seeing that the left arm of the suit was too damaged, Iron Man ejected it and called Veronica for a replacement. With a barraged of repulsor blasts from Iron Man, Hulk punched Iron Man but he punched back with his new arm, causing a shockwave.
Once Iron Man managed to grip onto him, Hulk was thrown down on the ground and proceeded to pound him repeatedly with the new arm. Hulk grabbed hold of the arm but it turned out to be a trap, imprisoning Hulk's hand. Iron Man then attempted to fly Hulk away from the city, but Hulk punched him mid-air, causing him to crash into a building full of people. Iron Man tried to sedate Hulk but Hulk kicked him into an elevator full of people.
As the fight escalated into catastrophic damage, Iron Man grabbed the elevator wire before it crashed, allowing the people to escape. Hulk jumped on him but the Hulkbuster flip-kicked him away before smashing him with the elevator and punching him full in the face, making him lose a tooth. Hulk angrily spit out the tooth, scaring Iron Man enough to apologize. The fight spilled out once again, with Hulk angrily gliding the Hulkbuster across a tall building before ripping out vital components off of it.
Hulk bursts out of the pile of rubble
As Stark called Veronica in order to replace Iron Man's damaged parts, Hulk smashed the incoming replacement right into the carrier, destroying both of them, leaving Iron Man defenseless. Seeking to end the fight quickly, Iron Man flew high above the city, throwing Hulk into a building under construction, shooting missiles to destabilize it and ramming Hulk all the way to the ground floor, burying them both under the rubble.
Once they were buried under the rubble from their duel, Hulk burst through the concrete and began to calm himself down as the South African Army arrived on the scene and civilians screaming at the site of his appearance. Seeing the armed army men, Hulk started to get angry again but Iron Man punched him in the head, knocking him unconscious. The Avengers regrouped, forced into hiding.[5]
"Natasha, where can I go? Where in the world am I not a threat?" "You're not a threat to me." "You sure? Even if I didn't just... There's no future with me."
With Banner back to normal and rest of the Avengers went back on the Quinjet, the public ridiculed them for Hulk's rampage. Maria Hill called Tony Stark and told him of all the reactions to the Avengers' actions in South Africa and talks for Banner's arrest. As the Avengers cope with their losses, Banner holds himself into place and tried to calm himself.
The team went to Hawkeye's home, as they were surprised to learn that it was Barton's family home and that he has a wife and children. While there, Banner took a shower and when he was finished, he found that Natasha Romanoff was waiting for him. Banner explained to her that they cannot be together because he could present her a threat, but also because he cannot make children. She told him about her training in the Red Room, where she was sterilized, which made her unable to have children.
After Romanoff had imposed with Banner, Nick Fury had arrived at the farm and spoke with the group at length about stopping Ultron. Banner then realized that Ultron wanted to evolve after observing a drawing of a butterfly by Lila. So he needed Helen Cho and the Regeneration Cradle device to build for him the ultimate body. While Banner was brought back to the Avengers Tower by Fury, the Avengers flew to Seoul to take the synthetic body from Ultron, and Stark went to the NEXUS Internet Hub in Oslo.[5]
"I'm caught in a time loop. This is exactly where it all went wrong." "I know, I know. I know what everyone's going to say, but they're already saying it. We're mad scientists. We're monsters, buddy. You gotta own it. Make a stand."
Tony Stark and Clint Barton returned to the Avengers Tower. Barton brought with him the Regeneration Cradle with the synthetic body in it, but he said that Ultron had kidnapped Natasha Romanoff, so he went to search for her. Stark revealed to Banner that J.A.R.V.I.S., who was not destroyed by Ultron as he thought, was the person who prevented from Ultron to get the nuclear codes. Stark tried to convinced Banner to help him put J.A.R.V.I.S. inside the body. At first, Banner refused but Stark claimed that it was the only hope they got to stop Ultron. Banner then agreed to help him.
As the two were almost finished, Steve Rogers with Wanda and Pietro Maximoff came and ordered them to shut it down. After Banner and Stark refused, the two and Barton fight against the three with Banner personally threatening Wanda and assuring her that he could kill her without losing control and transforming into Hulk. As Stark and Rogers began attacking one another, suddenly Thor came in and revived the synthetic body with his lightning.
The living body jumped out and briefly attacked Thor until he looked out over the city, the living body apologized and called itself the Vision and claimed to wish to assist them to fight Ultron. Thor explained that he had seen the Vision in his vision and the Mind Stone, one of the six Infinity Stones, that is in the Vision's forehead. At first, the team did not trust him, but as proof of his honor, Vision handed Thor MjĂžlnir.[5]
The Avengers tracked Ultron down in Sokovia, where Natasha Romanoff was being held. While the other Avengers were busy facing off against Ultron and his sentinels, Banner managed to sneak into Ultron's lair and break Romanoff free with the help of Thor.
Banner is forced to turn into the Hulk
Determined to make good on their earlier plan to run away together, Banner told Romanoff that he did not want to change into Hulk, but Black Widow kissed him and pushed him over the edge of a well, forcing the transformation. Moments later, Banner emerged as Hulk, ready for the battle. With Romanoff clinging to his back, Hulk began jumping through the air, trying to reach the flying city of Novi Grad. Crash landing on solid ground, Hulk and Black Widow ran off in separate directions to deal with Ultron's forces.[5]
Hulk joined the Avengers, protecting the key that could drop the city and thus cause global destruction. Ultron summoned his sentinels, and they reached the key and activated it. The team defended it and made Ultron distraught. Hulk then hit him strongly and threw him far away.
Banner was far from the battle, and Romanoff tried to calm him back to his human state. Her calming technique was interrupted by Ultron, who was at the controls of the Avengers' own Quinjet, raking Hulk with gunfire. Hulk became enraged, and Natasha was knocked out. Banner grabbed Romanoff and boarded her to safety on a newly arrived Helicarrier that had been brought by Nick Fury and Maria Hill, before leaping after Ultron. He threw him from the jet and then took control of it.
Hulk flies to an unknown destination
After the battle was over, and the Avengers succeeded in saving the world and defeating Ultron, Hulk chose to remain in the Quinjet that Ultron had previously hijacked. Natasha Romanoff tried to make him disable the plane's stealth mode, but he cut off its communications, keeping with the stealth mode so he would not be tracked. Nick Fury later assured Romanoff that Banner was safe and alive; however, they would not be able to track him due to the cloaking systems that Stark had applied on the ship.[5]
Piloting the Quinjet, Hulk left Earth and flew into space, encountering a wormhole which transported him to the alien planet of Sakaar.[29] Stranded on the unknown planet, which stressed him out, Banner remained in Hulk form. During his stay there, Hulk was taken to the Grandmaster by Valkyrie and became his champion. Over the course of two Earth years, Hulk fought in the arenas and became a famous champion. Hulk also made sure that he would not switch back to Banner, by avoiding anything that could calm and reawaken his other self.[6] During his stay, he helped conceive a child named Skaar, although he was not aware of him.[7]
Beloved by the arena crowds, Hulk came to enjoy his lifestyle as the Champion of Sakaar. One day, Hulk met his newest opponent, who turned out to be none other than his former teammate and fellow Avenger, Thor. Refusing to acknowledge Thor, despite his pleads and attempts to make him calm down, Hulk fought against his former ally. A grueling duel took place as both combatants smashed and ruined the arena.
During the battle, Thor managed to gain the upper hand when he summoned his lightning powers. Hulk secured his victory when the Grandmaster activated the taser that has been implanted on Thor's neck. Hulk gain the advantage after Thor was incapacitated from the Obedience Disk, he leaped up high into the air and punched Thor to the ground, leaving him unconscious.[6]
"You just can't go around throwing shields at people, you could have killed me." "I know, I'm sorry! I just get so angry all the time! Hulk always... always angry."
Following their fight, Thor was brought to Hulk's room in the Grandmaster Palace. Thor had eventually awoken inside with a team of nurses tending to his injuries. Getting to his feet, Thor put his armor back on before exploring the room, discovering that Hulk was also there. Hulk was taking a bath at that moment, as Thor first confirmed that Hulk would not attempt to attack him again.
They resumed their conversation. Thor began questioning Hulk about exactly how he had managed to get into Sakaar, becoming frustrated as Hulk struggled to answer his questions. When Hulk claimed he had gotten where he was by winning at the Contest of Champions, Thor insisted that he had won by cheating since the Grandmaster had activated his Obedience Disk. Hulk revealed that he arrived in the Quinjet by imitating the crash-landing noise in the bathtub.
Thor then asked where it is to which Hulk walked by Thor while naked and then showing where it was in a scrapyard. Thor asked Hulk to come to Asgard with him and ensure that Hela could not cause Ragnarök. Hulk decides to stay as Thor kept pleading for Hulk's assistance, but Hulk yawned at the idea and refused to acknowledge their friendship since he believed that Thor liked Banner better. Hulk also refused to return to Earth as he believed that everyone hated him there following the Duel of Johannesburg.
Although Thor attempted to convince Hulk that everybody loved him since he was a member of the Avengers, Hulk insisted that Thor was only friends with Bruce Banner, which Thor denied by claiming that he did not even like Banner. Hulk still refused and Thor made his way out while insulting the room. However, Thor was electrified by the door and Hulk laughed hysterically at him.
Hulk puts back on his Sakaaran Battle Armor and tells Thor that he goes under training with Valkyrie for his next fight with the Contest of Champions. As Hulk reaches the door Valkyrie asked him how he was doing to which he replies that he has been winning the tournament. Once he was alone, Thor had meditated and attempted to come into contact with Heimdall back on Asgard.
At night, Thor attempted to rip out of his Obedience Disk out of his neck once again to which he had no luck as it had instead caused him considerable pain. Waking up in his bed and seeing this, Hulk noted how sad Thor looked, to which Thor simply told him to shut up as he sat alone and contemplating his next move. Hulk pushed him over and still continued teasing him, the annoyed Thor rebutted that he was furious to what had happened to his home, the death of father and losing his hammer before he had become imprisoned by the Grandmaster.
Hulk decided to ignore and irritated with Thor's complaints, Thor furiously accused him of not listening and began kicking some stuff towards Hulk. Hulk furiously told Thor to stop kicking stuff, to which Thor responded by claiming that Hulk was known as the stupid member of the Avengers, as Hulk called Thor the tiny Avenger. As his temper rose, Hulk threw a shield at Thor which nearly decapitated him, resulting in Thor angrily claiming that everybody on the Earth hates Hulk. Eventually, they managed to reach a cordial ground and Thor convinced Hulk to call on his sparring partner, Valkyrie to his room.[6]
"The city. Sokovia. Did we save it?" "Banner, listen." "What?" "Sokovia, Ultron. That was two years ago." "What are you saying? I've been Hulk for two years?"
The next day, Hulk did as Thor requested and had Valkyrie come up to his chamber, as together they playfully sparring with each other as Hulk played with the Sakaaran War Hammer while Valkyrie kicked him over. Thor then revealed himself in the room, awkwardly trying to look impressive before Valkyrie simply ignored him and prepared to leave the room, as she claimed that Thor was too thick headed to see she was in Sakaar only to hide away from her problems.
As Valkyrie was about to leave, Hulk threw part of his bed to ensure she did not leave. Valkyrie agreed to listen to Thor, as the two conversed about the threat of Hela would bring to Asgard. Though unsuccessful in bringing Valkyrie over to his side, Thor managed to get the remote for his Obedience Disk and took the implant off. With that, Thor took a ball that Hulk was playing with and used it to crack the room's glass window, although this resulted in the ball bouncing back and striking Thor's face. Getting back onto his feet, Thor immediately made his escape toward the Quinjet. Hulk was distraught at leaving him behind and preceded to follow him.
Hulk transforms back into Bruce Banner
As soon as Thor could take off and escape from Sakaar, Hulk immediately tried to stop him from leaving, damaging the Quinjet in the process. During his attempt, Thor turned on Natasha Romanoff's recording back during the Battle of Sokovia. Seeing her, Banner was able to awaken and transform back into himself, despite Hulk's attempts to prevent it from happening. Confused by his surroundings, Banner was confronted by Thor and was told to calm down.[6]
Returning to his senses, Banner found himself in the Quinjet and met with Thor. He quickly asked what happened to Ultron and Sokovia. Banner was shocked to be informed that while they won the fight, that event happened two years ago. With no memories of what happened in the past two years, it dawned to Banner that his relationship with Hulk is starting to change; he compared it to previously both of them having a hand on the wheel, but this time it was like Hulk stuffed him in the trunk. Banner voiced his fear to Thor that if he ever transformed back to Hulk again, he might not be able to come back.
They did not have long to catch up. Soon they heard an announcement from the Grandmaster that they are hunting Thor, due to believing that Thor has captured Hulk. Much to Banner's annoyance, Thor forced him to wear the only available clothes in the Quinjet; they belonged to Tony Stark, which were a tight fit for Banner. The two former Avengers made their escape from the Quinjet and start making their way through the city.
Though Thor attempted to keep Banner calm, he only succeeded in agitating Banner even further. The two discussed leaving Sakaar and fighting Hela; however, Banner made it very clear he was tired of fighting evil beings and only wanted to go back to Earth to be left in peace, and felt Thor was only using him to get to Hulk. However, Banner agrees to accompany Thor back to Asgard on the condition that he doesn't have to think about Hulk ever again.
Eventually, amidst a Hulk parade, they encountered Valkyrie, who questioned who Banner was as she failed to recognize him as Hulk. She has decided to join Thor in his fight against Hela. She brought them to her apartment, where she has chained and captured Loki, much to Banner's surprise. Banner then reminded Loki of how they had last seen each other during the Chitauri Invasion, as Loki then calmly threatened him.
Banner, Thor, and Valkyrie then discussed how to leave Sakaar and return to Asgard. As Banner was in Valkyrie's kitchen eating, Thor suggested that they go through the Devil's Anus. As Banner commented on how it looked like a collapsing neutron star inside of a wormhole, he and Valkyrie remarked how they seemed familiar to one another. Banner then discussed with Thor about what they would need to survive the journey.
While they discussed which ship to use, Loki interrupted them and explained how he no longer wanted to be stranded on Sakaar and told Thor that he had the Grandmaster's security codes that give him control over his systems. Banner then listened as Thor retold a story of how Loki had turned into a snake and stabbed them when they were children, much to Banner's shock as he looked at Loki in disbelief. In the end, they decided to steal the Grandmaster's ship, the Commodore and start a revolution as a distraction. When Loki suggested unleashing Hulk, Thor dismissed this and hid Banner's link to Hulk from Valkyrie as she got excited.[6]
Due to his distrust of Loki in the wake of the last Chitauri Invasion of Earth, Banner stayed with Valkyrie while Thor and Loki went to steal the Commodore which belonged to the Grandmaster. During their escape, Thor forced Banner to steer the ship while he assisted Valkyrie with fighting off their pursuers. Banner unwittingly made Topaz crash into a rock when he turned on the ship's fireworks in his attempts to assist his allies. Banner handed the control to Valkyrie and traveled with his allies to Asgard.[6]
Turning Back into Hulk[]
Banner contemplates turning into Hulk
"Hulk, stop! Just for once in your life, don't smash!" "Big monster!"
Banner, Thor, and Valkyrie arrived on Asgard, on board the Commodore. Horrified by the destruction Hela and her resurrected Berserkers caused to the civilization, Banner commented that Asgard was not in good condition and would have looked nicer if it had not been in flames. Thor informed them that while he would be dealing with Hela, he needed Banner and Valkyrie to help evacuate the Asgardians. When Banner asked how they were supposed to do that, Thor informed him that he already had someone on the ground protecting the Asgardians. Banner stayed with Valkyrie to prepare and assist the remaining Asgardians with the evacuation while Thor headed back to the throne room to confront Hela. They immediately went to the Rainbow Bridge to assist the Asgardians.
When they arrived, they found Heimdall and the rest of the Asgardians trapped by Fenris, who was charging towards them. Valkyrie then proceeded to shoot at the gargantuan wolf, only for the creature to absorb the bullets. Having discerned that the bullets caused no harm to the wolf and witnessing Skurge and Hela's forces attacking them from behind, Banner decided to turn back into Hulk in order to prevent the Asgardians from getting slaughtered, despite knowing that he might not be able to turn back into himself. Banner then jumped off the ship, landing in front of Heimdall and the rest of the Asgardians and injuring himself at first. Fenris tried to sniff out Banner to see if he was alive.
Showing no signs of it, the wolf continued charging towards the Asgardians. As Fenris lunged towards the Asgardians, preparing to attack, Banner transformed into Hulk and dragged the wolf back by their tail to prevent them from attacking. Banner resumed control and confronted the wolf on the Rainbow Bridge. They then began to fight, with Fenris charging towards Hulk, attempting to devour him but they only succeeded in tossing them both into the river below, where they continued to battle.
Hulk continued to battle against Fenris until Loki arrived on board the Statesman to help evacuate the remaining Asgardians before they could all be wiped out, during which Hulk was seen keeping Fenris' massive jaws open as they tried to devour him again. Eventually, he was snatched in their jaws and throttled around like a chew toy as he was dunked into the water, where Fenris bit painfully into Hulk's highly impervious skin, causing him to bleed. However, Hulk managed to defeat Fenris by throwing the wolf off the edge of the sea and into the void.
Hulk then got back on the Rainbow Bridge and saw Surturdestroying Asgard. In an effort to stop him, Hulk immediately charged into battle and jumped onto Surtur's face, where he immediately began punching at the Fire Demon. Despite throwing punches at him, Hulk was thrown back onto the bridge. Before he could resume his battle, Thor shouted at Hulk to stop and told him not to smash, but Hulk wanted to fight Surtur. However, Valkyrie convinced Hulk to stand down as they wanted Surtur to destroy Asgard so that Hela could be killed. Hulk reluctantly agreed and carried Thor and Valkyrie onto the Statesman, which was being commandeered by Loki and Korg.[6]
Hulk boarded up inside the Statesman with the rest of the Asgardians and alongside his allies. He then watched as Surtur fulfilled the prophecy and destroyed Asgard. In a brief coronation, Hulk, along with Loki, Heimdall, Valkyrie, Korg, and Miek, and the rest of the Asgardians, witnessed Thor officially becoming the new King of Asgard as he sat on his throne. Hulk then joined Thor on their trip after the Asgardian had decided to lead the remaining Asgardians to Earth.
Hulk spent months on board the ship while Banner was still inside Hulk's mind. On their way to Earth, they were intercepted by the Sanctuary II, a vessel commanded by the warlord Thanos.[6]
Thanos and the Black Order attacked the Statesman and killed half of the ship's population so they could take the Tesseract and the Space Stone within, while Valkyrie was able to lead the other half to the escape pods, along with Korg and Miek. Hulk, however, remained behind along with Thor, Loki, and Heimdall to fight the invaders. After they killed or otherwise subdued most of the Asgardians on board, Hulk remained in hiding while Thanos tortured Thor in order to make Loki give him the Tesseract.
However, instead of giving him the Tesseract, Loki revealed that he had a Hulk on their side. This remark signaled Hulk to immediately spring from hiding and attack Thanos, tackling him to the ground before he could retrieve the Tesseract. However, once he had Thanos pinned to a wall, he soon found the Titan's strength to be superior to his own, and his grip on Thanos was quickly overcome and he was subsequently punched by Thanos in the face with enough force to briefly daze him.
Hulk then attempted to strike back, but to his complete surprise, Thanos displayed a vast superiority and proceeded to block all of Hulk's blows and punches, leaving Hulk completely stunned about being so vastly overpowered. Finally, Hulk was punched in the face by Thanos' knee which left him completely dazed before he was lifted into the air and thrown onto the ground by Thanos and was beaten within an inch of his life.
However, Hulk was then saved by a badly injured Heimdall, who used the last of his power to master enough dark magic to conjure a Bifrost Bridge, which sent Hulk away from the battle and to the New York Sanctum on Earth. Thanos killed Heimdall and Loki and destroyed the ship, seemingly killing the rest of those on board, including Thor.[9]
"Thanos. He's a plague, Tony. He invades planets. He takes what he wants. He wipes out half the population. He sent Loki. The attack on New York. That's him."
Traveling to Earth, Hulk crashed through the roof of the New York Sanctum in New York City, creating a crater in the atrium's staircase. As Doctor Strange and Wong investigated, Banner reverted to his human form and warned them that Thanos was coming. Shocked, Strange asked Banner who Thanos was,[9] but Banner insisted on contacting Tony Stark first.[30] After Banner was dressed, Strange summoned an Inter-Dimensional Portal to Stark, and Banner was reunited with him and Pepper Potts, who were in Central Park.
Back in the Sanctum, Wong and Strange explained the history of the Infinity Stones to Stark and Banner. Upon Banner once again telling Thanos' name to Stark, he revealed that Thanos was the mastermind of the Chitauri Invasion, referring to it as Thanos' doing instead of Loki's, due to coming to terms with him. Banner then informed Stark that Thanos had already acquired the Space and Power Stones.
When Strange and Stark argued over what to do with Strange's Time Stone, Banner quickly stopped their bickering, stating that they must find Vision to protect his Mind Stone, only for Stark to reveal that he was off the grid. When Stark suggested that Steve Rogers could find him, Banner told Stark to call Rogers. However, Stark revealed that the team had separated after a conflict between Stark and Rogers. However, Banner convinced Stark to call Rogers by telling him that Thor was gone and told him that whatever happened should be nothing compared to Thanos.[9]
"Where's your guy?" "I don't know. We've sort been having a thing." "There's no time for a thing. That's the thing right there. Let's go. Dude, you're embarrassing me in front of thewizards." "Tony, I'm sorry. Either I can't or he won't."
However, just before Stark could make the call, a Q-Ship descended upon the city. Leaving the Sanctum, to investigate, they found people fleeing and screaming in panic on the streets.
Banner tries to turn into Hulk
Outside the Sanctum, the Q-Ship was confronted by Banner, Stark, Strange, and Wong. In the confrontation between them and Ebony Maw and Cull Obsidian, Banner tried to turn into Hulk, which embarrassed Stark in front of Strange and Wong. Hulk, however, refused to come out, forcing Stark to use his new armor, which generated repulsors out of nothing to blast Obsidian. A shocked Banner asked where they came from, with Stark revealing the armor to be made of nanotechnology.
Banner continuously fails to turn into Hulk
While Iron Man went to fight Obsidian, Strange teleported Banner away to the nearby Washington Square Park for his own safety. When Stark himself ended up in the park Banner was sent to, he asked about the conflict, only for Stark to remark that it was getting worse. Stark then asked Banner if he could help, only for Banner to notify that he was trying but Hulk would not come out.
While Stark continued to protect Banner by fighting Cull Obsidian, Banner then tried to call Hulk again, only for Hulk to directly refuse his orders, due to Hulk's trauma at his defeat at the hands of Thanos as well as anger over being feared and hated and used as a tool. Banner then watched as Stark and Spider-Man fought Obsidian as the battle continued. When Stark was about to be killed by Obsidian's hammer, he was saved by Wong, who transported the alien to Antarctica.
Before Obsidian could escape through the portal, Wong closed it, severing the former's left arm, causing Banner to kick it aside. Once Maw left with a captive Strange, Banner managed to find the discarded burned phone that was left for Stark by Steve Rogers. He then watched Wong leave to secure the Sanctum, before contacting Rogers to notify him of the coming threat on Vision's life.[9]
Banner then found the Avengers Compound and reunited with James Rhodes. However, after Rhodes got a call from Thaddeus Ross, Banner left the room to hide. Banner heard the exchange and learned of the Sokovia Accords. After the call ended, he returned and reunited with Rogers, Wanda Maximoff, Sam Wilson, Vision, and Natasha Romanoff, who had returned from saving Vision and Maximoff. Now reunited with most of the Avengers, Banner asked where Clint Barton was, knowing that they must need all the help possible, only to be told that he is on house arrest due to the Accords along with Scott Lang, whom Rogers revealed to be Ant-Man, which surprised Banner when he learned that there was an Ant-Man and a Spider-Man.
Upon resuming their conversation, the team would decide on what to do with Vision, who suggested to destroy the stone even if it would kill him. Unwilling to kill their friend, Banner proposed the difficult task of removing the Stone from Vision to safely destroy it without needlessly taking Vision's life. He stayed that Vision was more than stone, as he, Stark, Ultron, and J.A.R.V.I.S. all contributed to him. When he stated he couldn't perform the task there, Rogers suggested taking Vision to Wakanda, the only nation on Earth with the resources capable of achieving this.[9]
"Guys! Vision needs backup now! Hulk. Hulk, I know you like making your entrance at the last second. Well, this is it, man! This is the last, last second! Hulk. Hulk! Hulk!" "No!" "Oh, screw you, you big green asshole! I'll do it myself!"
Banner and the Avengers flew in the Quinjet, piloted by Sam Wilson, and arrived in Wakanda, specifically in the Golden City, landing on the helipad. They were then greeted by T'Challa, who James Rhodes told Banner to kneel before him, in which he did, only to get humiliated. Banner then proceeded to warn T'Challa of the threat, before they were taken into the Wakanda Medical Center to meet Shuri. Banner spoke with her, in which she questioned why he had not constructed Vision differently, in which he replied he and Tony Stark had not thought of it.
The Black Order then arrived in Wakanda to get the Mind Stone. In order to stop them, the Avengers got the Hulkbuster armor for Banner, who managed to pilot it successfully until he hit a rock and nearly fell. Banner would help in the Hulkbuster armor by firing repulsor blasts at the Outriders. However, Banner noticed that the limited success of the direct forward assault caused the Outriders to begin to circle the barrier to flank the armies instead. He told Steve Rogers that if the Outriders breached the barrier behind them, they had a clear path to the vulnerable Vision in Shuri's attempt to remove the Mind Stone.
During the battle, Banner, Bucky Barnes, T'Challa, and Rogers were mobbed and forced to the ground by sheer numbers of Outriders. However, they were suddenly wiped out when the Bifrost Bridge beamed down from the sky into the center of the battlefield. Thor, armed with Stormbreaker, Rocket, and Groot stepped out of the Bridge into the battlefield confronting the Outrider armies, with Banner happy to see that his friend survived the attack on the Statesman.
Later, Vision would get attacked by Corvus Glaive with Banner quickly arriving to assist against Cull Obsidian and Glaive. Banner engaged in a ferocious duel with Obsidian. Falling into a nearby waterfall, Banner called for reinforcements to stop Glaive as he fought. However, Obsidian began to gain the upper hand, severing the Hulkbuster's left arm. In response, Banner attempted to bring out Hulk to turn the tables, to no avail.[9]
Frustrated, Banner resolved to handle Cull Obsidian himself, managing to trap the latter's arm in the severed Hulkbuster arm. Activating the arm's repulsor thrusters, Banner sent Obsidian flying into the Wakandan energy barrier, where he violently exploded. Afterwards, Banner and the Avengers, alongside T'Challa and Okoye, gathered in the forest to protect Vision and witnessed when a wormhole appeared. They then watched as Thanos stepped out, in which Banner confirmed his identity to Steve Rogers. Thanos began slowly advancing towards Vision and Banner made the first strike, only for Thanos to phase Banner out of space using the Space Stone.
When Thanos snapped his fingers upon completing the Infinity Gauntlet, half of the universe was disintegrated into dust, leaving Banner as one of the survivors with Rogers, Natasha Romanoff, Thor, James Rhodes, and Rocket, having his head exited out of the Hulkbuster Armor and bowing his head in despair over their defeat.[9]
Following the Battle of Wakanda, Banner, along with Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanoff, and James Rhodes, returned to the Avengers Compound. Having discovered the Transmitter PagerNick Fury had activated prior to his disappearance, Banner and Rhodes bypassed the pager's battery in order for it to continue to send out its signal. As Rogers and Romanoff were witnessing reports on the aftermath of the Snap, Rhodes, who was monitoring the pager, informed the pair and Banner that the pager had stopped transmitting the signal.
Banner discusses who the signal was for
Rogers requested that they reboot the pager and resend the signal, only for Banner to respond that they had no idea what the signal was for. As Romanoff explained that Fury knew whom the signal was for and that she wanted to know who it was as well, she came face to face with Captain Marvel herself, who demanded to know where Fury was.[31]
Three weeks later, Captain Marvel brought back Tony Stark and Nebula safely from outer space by carrying the Benatar to the Avengers Compound. After reuniting with the rest of team, Steve Rogers asked Stark about Thanos' location, angering Stark who began to rant at him, blaming him for rejecting Ultron and how that left them unable to prevent and stop cosmic level threats like Thanos. During the discussion, Stark collapsed, and Banner gave him a sedative to put him out for a while so he could recover properly.
Returning to the topic of Thanos, Danvers decided to go to find Thanos herself until Nebula said she knew where he currently was. Rocket then informed the rest that two days ago, the same energy signature of the Snap was detected in a certain planet and they all concluded the Mad Titan was there. Danvers proposed to go after him and get the Infinity Stones to reverse the Snap, but Banner was very concerned about their numbers and the high chances of failing again. However, Danvers convinced them that with her, they were more than enough.
Excluding Iron Man, Banner, the remaining Avengers as well as Guardians of the Galaxy and Captain Marvel suited up and boarded the Benatar. Banner sat up front with Nebula while they headed to the Garden, the planet where Thanos resided. When they arrived, Captain Marvel did a recon. When she returned, she informed them that it was only Thanos on the planet, to which Nebula stated was enough.
They then ambushed the Titan at his own house, with Captain Marvel placing him in a headlock, Banner piloting the Hulkbuster quickly joined her by bursting out from the floor of Thanos' campfire and restraining the Titan's arm, with War Machine joining him by holding Thanos' other arm. Thor then arrived and chopped the Infinity Gauntlet arm off. The others then entered the hut, only to realize the Infinity Stones were gone. They then demanded Thanos to tell them where the stones were located, but they learned by word that he used the very stones to destroy the stones.
Banner then pushed him in anger to the ground and yelled at Thanos for murdering trillions of lives. Thanos stated that he should be grateful, but Banner punched him in the face. They initially believed Thanos to be lying, but Nebula stated that while Thanos was many things, he was not a liar. Banner could only watch in horror as Thor decapitated Thanos. Once they realized they could never use the stones again, the Avengers returned to Earth in defeat.[21]
Becoming Smart Hulk[]
Merging with Hulk's Body[]
"This is where I spent the Blip fixing myself and integrating the Hulk-Banner identities."
After the deviation of Snap destroyed Banner emotionally,[32] he began to re-evaluate himself and Hulk. Tired of viewing Hulk as a problem in his life, Banner chose to see Hulk as "the cure" to the disease of his inner discontent.[21] Between 2018 and 2023 Banner decided to restart his research into gamma radiation, with Tony Stark building Banner a beach house with an underground lab on a private island in Mexico where he could work from. During this time, Banner and Stark would build a bar together, although Stark spent most of the time drinking and complaining about Steve Rogers.[3] Outside of Stark's occasional trips to his house, Banner had no contact with the Avengers or its members during this time.[32]
After eighteen-months of experimenting, Banner's research allowed him to merge his intelligence with Hulk's physical appearance and powers into one being. Banner's self-image skyrocketed as he embraced his new form, becoming as beloved as the other Avengers after being feared as Hulk in the past. He coined the catchphrase "Hulk out" to capitalize on his newfound popularity,[21] and was given the moniker of "Smart Hulk" by the public.[3]
"The whole time travel do-over? Guys, it's outside my area of expertise." "Well, you pulled this off. I remember a time when that seemed pretty impossible time, too."
At one point, Lang expressed his confusion surrounding Banner's new appearance. Banner responded by stating that they lived in confusing times and joked about how he was now wearing shirts. Lang, still overwhelmed by Banner looking like Hulk but speaking and eating like a human, required further explanation. Banner revealed his guilt about losing twice to Thanos; first as Hulk then as Banner, and because of that, they were defeated.
Banner posing with fans
Banner explained that his guilt and devastation over his failure to stop Thanos provoked him to see Hulk from a new perspective. Instead of the destruction-causing monster, Banner considered that Hulk may be able to help the newly fragile and desperate world. He explained to Lang that after eighteen months in a Gamma Lab, he was able to merge his mind with Hulk's body. At that moment, a group of children, including Lia, Augie, and Julian, asked to take a photo with 'Mr. Hulk', to which Banner gladly obliged. With Lang taking the photo, Hulk and the children said 'Green' in unison.
Scott asked the children if they wanted a photo with Ant-Man, which the kids rejected. Before the children left, they shared a 'Hulk Out!' catchphrase with Banner. Rogers interrupted and reminded Banner about the plan they had pitched. Banner, growing serious, told his teammates that his expertise in the field of physics not being at the level of quantum physics like Stark, the chances of him being able to achieve time travel was not high, to which Natasha reminded him that merging himself with Hulk appeared impossible, too.[21]
The Avengers later returned to the Avengers Compound where they decided to begin their experiences on time travel. They decided to use the Quantum Tunnel experiment with the time scale of bringing Scott Lang into the past and back into the present. Banner mentioned not wanting something to go wrong and have Lang stuck in the 1950s, Natasha Romanoff said he was joking, but Banner was unsure of that, due to the uncertainty of the experiment.
Banner set the machine up to send Lang back a week and bring him back in ten seconds. Banner then attempted to send Lang through time, but instead ended up turning Lang into an old man, a baby, and a teenager, causing them to lose hope that the plan would work. Banner ordered Romanoff to kill the power in order to bring Lang back to his normal self. Romanoff did so and Banner was pleased with how they had just achieved time travel, to which Steve Rogers was not pleased with due to some difficulties sending Lang through time.
Thankfully, just then, Tony Stark arrived with a change of heart, proposing a method of safely traversing the Quantum Realm and revealing that the EPR paradox was what caused the Avengers' initial attempt to fail in the first place. Later, Banner offered his tacos to Lang after his were destroyed by the Benatar landing in the Avengers Compound.[21]
"I get it. You're in a rough spot, okay? I've been there myself. You wanna know who helped me out of it?" "I don't know. Is it... Natasha?" "It was you. You helped me."
Banner joined Rocket in recruiting Thor for the Time Heist. Having flown to TĂžnsberg, Norway, the pair travelled by a pickup truck for the remainder of the journey. Upon arrival, Rocket noted how New Asgard was a shadow of the gold and glory found in Asgard. Banner implored Rocket to show some compassion as the Asgardians had lost their home, then half their people. The pair were interrupted by Valkyrie, who warned them that they should not have come. Unimpressed by Banner's new form, Valkyrie noted that she preferred him either of the other ways.
Banner and Rocket entered Thor's house and were immediately surprised by the stench and mess they encountered. To their shock, they found an overweight and alcoholic Thor, devastated by his failure to kill Thanos before the Snap occurred. Thor embraced his old friends and reintroduced his new housemates, former Contest of ChampionsKorg and Miek. Korg invited Banner and Rocket to use their free Wi-Fi and drink their beer. Banner and Rocket felt a sense of embarrassment and pity for the demigod reduced to yelling at people through online video games.
Banner reached out Thor, suggesting that they may be able to undo Thanos' Snap. This was met with fear and grief from Thor, who was frightened at the mention of Thanos' name. Banner calmly asked Thor to let go of him, and forced the Asgardian to stop grabbing him. Banner sympathized with Thor's fear, which Thor rejected, reminding everyone that he killed the Mad Titan five years ago. Banner reminded Thor that when he was lost on Sakaar, frightened and confused by his new surroundings; that Thor helped him. Thor reflected on his failed leadership, pointing to half of the Asgardians that perished during the Snap. Banner optimistically noted that they may be able to resurrect them. Thor denied the possibility of hope until Rocket explained they had beer on the ship.[21]
"I don't know why everyone believes that, but that isn't true. Think about it: If you travel to the past, that past becomes your future. And your former present becomes the past, which can't now be changed by your new future."
Banner and Nebula assisted Scott Lang in preparing for a test run using the Advanced Tech Suit. However, Lang was not ready for the test and accidentally triggered one of the few Pym Particles. Clint Barton appeared from across the lab and volunteered for the next test. As Barton's suit was being prepared, James Rhodes suggested that instead of collecting the Infinity Stones, the team should travel back in time and kill Thanos as a child.
Disgusted, Banner immediately rejected Rhodes' idea; claiming it was immoral and scientifically impossible. Banner explained to Rhodes, Lang and Barton that changing the past does not change the future. Banner operated the Quantum Realm machine as Barton successfully traveled to his homestead prior to the Snap and back, demonstrating their plan had worked.[21]
With the means of time travel accounted for, the Avengers brainstormed when and where they could retrieve the Infinity Stones from. Thor talked about the origins and location of the Aether, but was distracted by his emotions and past trauma. Rocket informed the team about the Power Stone and how Peter Quill stole it from Morag. Nebula revealed the Soul Stone and how Thanos killed her sister on Vormir.
"Once we are done with the stones, we can return each one to its own timeline at the moment it was taken. So, chronologically, in that reality, it never left."
When Banner, Iron Man, Ant-Man, and Captain America traveled to the alternate 2012 timeline, they landed in New York City during the Battle of New York. The four witnessed 2012 Hulk brutally murdering a few Chitauri and smashing everything in his way, causing Banner to look away in embarrassment. Captain America suggested that Banner destroyed objects around him to make himself look like 2012 Hulk. Banner hesitantly agreed and took off his shirt, then proceeded to smash a nearby car, roaring weakly to sound like his old self. He jumped across tall buildings to reach the New York Sanctum where the Ancient One was fighting off the Chitauri. He went to the roof and began looking for Doctor Strange and encountered the Ancient One.
The Ancient One responded by saying that Strange was not with her and would not be with her for 5 years to come. Banner then attempted to take the Time Stone, only for his opponent to force out his astral form. At first, she refused because she claimed it would leave her timeline in disarray against future threats, she would require the Time Stone to defend against. Though Banner reasoned they could return each Infinity Stone to its respective timeline at the moment it was taken and avert potential catastrophe, she declared she could not risk her reality on the off chance that he may or may not survive to return the stones and explained the duty of the Sorcerer Supreme to protect the Time Stone with their life, leading Banner to question why his Strange gave it up to Thanos in the first place, much to the Ancient One's surprise.
The Ancient One then realized that if he had done this, it was for a good reason. She then restored Banner to his body and handed him the stone and made sure he was confident that he would return with it. After receiving the stone, Banner reunited with the rest of the Avengers in 2012 and went back to 2023 through the Quantum Realm.[21]
The Avengers returned from the Time Heist and were shocked by its apparent success. The team's celebrations were cut short by Clint Barton, who fell to his knees. Banner immediately asked Barton about Natasha Romanoff's whereabouts; to which Barton only looked on in sadness and devastation. Realizing that Romanoff was dead, Banner fell to his knees and pounded the platform with his fist.
The original Avengers gathered outside the Avengers Compound to mourn Romanoff's sacrifice. Banner spent the majority of the discussion staring mournfully across the lake. Thor encouraged the team to pull together and attempt to resurrect her with the Infinity Stones, which was met with renouncement and anger from Barton. Banner suddenly vented his anger by throwing a piece of furniture across the lake. Proclaiming that Romanoff could not return, Banner charged the team with making her sacrifice worthwhile.[21]
Tony Stark, Banner and Rocket finalized the creation of the Nano Gauntlet as they assembled all six Infinity Stones into their new creation. Rocket asked which member of the team would be the one to snap their fingers and revive half of all life. Thor immediately volunteered, to the skepticism of the team.
The God of Thunder reminded everyone that he was the strongest Avenger, so the responsibility fell upon him. Stark agreed, but noted that he was in no condition to perform the task. Across the room, Banner was deep in thought, considering their only option. Stark reminded Thor that the gauntlet had enough energy to power a continent, but Thor responded by stating that lightning ran in his veins.
At this moment, Banner interjected, stating that Thor's lightning wouldn't help him. Instead, Banner announced that he had to be the one to undo the Snap. As he walked towards the gauntlet, he reminded the team that the Stones almost killed Thanos, and that none of them would survive. Rogers questioned if they knew Banner would survive, to which Banner admitted he did not know. Banner believed he had the best chance, given that the Stones emitted mostly gamma radiation. Banner noted the irony of the situation; that were he not exposed to the Gamma radiation all those years ago, he would not be able to reverse the genocide Thanos had inflicted on the Universe.
Before he wielded the gauntlet, Stark reminded Banner to only bring back the victims of the Snap, and not kill anyone who had been born afterwards. Banner understood Stark's instructions as F.R.I.D.A.Y.locked down the Avengers Compound. As the gauntlet expanded onto Banner's right hand, Banner reminded himself that everyone would come home, should he succeed. The gauntlet sent powerful bolts of energy through Banner's arm, burning him from his hand to his shoulder.
Initially unable to bear the pain of the Infinity Stones' combined energy, Banner composed himself. Stark and Rogers asked if he was alright, to which Banner assured them that he was still okay. After a moment, Banner composed himself and began to scream as he found the strength to raise the gauntlet and snap his fingers. After a flash of light, the emitted energy caused Banner to pass out and drop the gauntlet.
Stark applied a cooling agent to Banner's right arm, which was horribly burned. Banner asked the team if the Snap worked, Thor answering they were not sure. At that moment, Barton received a call from his wife Laura, who had perished in the Snap. Ant-Man noticed birds outside the facility, and stated that they may have succeeded. However, their celebration was short-lived as Banner, to his horror, saw 2014Thanos' ship outside the Avengers Compound, which opened fire on the Avengers mere seconds later.[21]
After Thanos completely wiped out the Avengers Compound, Hulk was trapped underground with War Machine and Rocket. He protected his fellow Avengers by holding back the falling rubble. However, this would prove to be futile as water began rushing in from the nearby lake, threatening to drown all three of them.
As Hulk continued to fight off the falling debris and War Machine and Rocket began to accept their fate, Ant-Man rushed towards them to save them by turning into a giant. The four Avengers were the last to join the battle, escaping the rubble after Ant-Man burst through the debris. Hulk smiled at the realization that he had succeeded at resurrecting the victims of the Snap, bringing half of all life in the universe back into existence.[21]
During the battle, Hawkeye emerged from the underground with the Nano Gauntlet and asked Captain America what to do with it. Captain America ordered that the Infinity Stones be removed as far from the battle as possible. However, Hulk interjected, stating that the Stones would have to be returned to their original locations, remembering the promise he made to the Ancient One.
Later in the battle, when Thanos ordered an airstrike from the Sanctuary II, Hulk was knocked back by one of the blasts but was saved by War Machine. The battle was ultimately concluded when Iron Man obtained the Infinity Stones and wiped out Thanos and his army. However, this action cost Iron Man his life due to the power of the Infinity Stones.[21] Following Hawkeye, all the heroes show their respect for the fallen hero and kneeled before him.[33]
As Hulk had been wounded during the battle, he spilled his blood on the battlefield, which was collected by Nick Fury's secret Skrull unit and placed into a vial known as the Harvest alongside other enhanced DNA samples. The Harvest vial was later administered by Super-Skrulls Gravik and G'iah, granting them access to Hulk's physiology and abilities.[34][35]
Banner later attended the funeral of Tony Stark along with all of his allies. Banner, along with Pepper Potts and her daughter, Happy Hogan, James Rhodes, and the remaining original Avengers, gathered inside Stark's home, where they watched a recorded message Stark left before the Time Heist. They then went outside and Banner stood next to Thor as they watched Potts her daughter place Stark's Arc Reactor in the lake.
Later, Banner prepared a Quantum Tunnel so that Steve Rogers could return the time-displaced Infinity Stones and MjĂžlnir back to the timelines they came from. He warned Rogers that if the Stones were not returned to their original positions, countless alternate realities would be opened, many of which would be dangerous. As he discussed the mission with Rogers, Banner mourned Natasha Romanoff's death, stating he tried to bring her back with those killed in the Snap.
Rogers parted ways with Banner, Bucky Barnes and Sam Wilson before traveling back in time to return the Infinity Stones and MjĂžlnir. Wilson asked Banner how long the mission would take, to which Banner contended it would only take five seconds in their time. Wilson interrogated Banner after Rogers missed his timestamp, provoking Banner to check the system's diagnostics. However, Barnes pointed to a man sitting on a bench before the lake. Banner shared in Wilson's surprise that Rogers chose to remain in the past with Peggy Carter.[21]
Lunch with Scott Lang[]
"I'm pretty sure at least half the population knows what happened." "Yes, of course, billions had experienced these jarring and mind-bending events, but they don't know the full story. And ultimately, that's what people need the most to get through and get past traumatic events: a narrative that helps it all make sense."
One day, Banner, joined by Clint Barton invited Scott Lang to lunch. During lunch, Banner and Barton suggested that Lang should write an official account of the events surrounding Thanos' defeat, in order to alleviate the public's confusion surrounding it. Banner insisted that Lang would be the perfect candidate, so Lang agreed, titling the book Look Out for the Little Guy!, and publishing it in 2025. Banner read and reviewed the book, noting that it introduced Lang, whom he called a friend. Banner's review was featured on the back of the book, alongside Barton's, Doctor Strange's, Sam Wilson's and Christine Everhart's.[32]
Reverting to Human[]
Healing His Arm[]
"I made this little device which keeps me in human form."
Sometime after, Banner began working on healing his right arm from the damage it sustained from implementing the Blip, which resulted in him creating a Hulk Inhibitor Device, which returned him to human form. Over time, Banner's arm began to heal, but he still needed to keep it in a sling.[3] Banner later would receive a letter with a haiku from Emil Blonsky, in which he apologized for his attempts to kill him, claiming that he had reformed. Banner decided that Blonsky's apology was genuine and accepted it, putting their past behind them.[36]
In 2024, after Shang-Chi used the Ten Rings, they sent out a beacon which was detected by the Masters of the Mystic Arts. Wong got in contact with Banner and Carol Danvers as well as Shang-Chi, who had become the new owner of the Rings, to better understand the mysterious items.
Neither Danvers or Banner were familiar with the Rings, only knowing they had existed for thousands of years, and that they were sending out a message, but did not know to where. Danvers was then abruptly called away, telling Shang-Chi that it was nice to meet him and that if he wished to speak to her further, he could get her number from Banner, and left the meeting. Banner then informed Shang-Chi that he did not have her number and that Danvers often disappeared for long stretches of time. Needing to attend to other matters, Banner bid Shang-Chi farewell after welcoming him to their world of heroes.[37]
In Fall 2024, Banner went on a road trip with his cousin, Jennifer Walters. As she drove, he explained to her about the Hulk Inhibitor Device, before she decided to discuss Steve Rogers and theorize that he never had time to get together with a woman due to his busy schedule. This line of conversation made Banner feel awkward and he tried to dismiss her queries.
As they were talking, a Sakaaran Class-Eight Courier Craft appeared suddenly in front of them. Startled by this, Walters veered off the road and crashed down a hill. Her car rolled upside down and landed roughly. Walters struggled to get out and found out that her arm was bleeding. She then ran to get Banner, and helped him get out from his seat. As she did, he told her to leave as he was bleeding.
Banner gets injured from the car accident
However, his gamma-irradiated blood spilled into her open wound, entering her bloodstream. She became larger and turned green, which scared her and caused her to run off into the forest. Soon after, Banner received a phone call and arrived at the Ideal Sports Bar to pick her up. He found her as She-Hulk confronting a group of men, but he stopped her and knocked her out.[3]
"Forget Hulk rage. Just regular anger means death and destruction for everything and everyone around you. And I'm telling you, when people start seeing you as a monster, that never goes away."
Banner then took Jennifer Walters to his private island in Mexico. He laid her in a bed in his house and went down to his laboratory. He played some Spanish music and was found by Walters, who was surprised to see him back in Hulk form. He told her that he had been named Smart Hulk by the public and that he had spent the years following the Snap there, merging his twin personalities. He added that Tony Stark had built it all for him and said that Stark joked about one day coming to take it back, but cut himself off.
Hulk wanted to start training with Jennifer Walters on how to control her temper. He put her in a cage and sent saw blades after her. She started getting scared, believing she would not turn into a hulk. As the blades came closer, she turned, smashing the blades and going after Hulk. Banner tried to calm her down before realizing that she did not have another personality.
Banner woke Walters up the next morning with an airhorn, turning her into a hulk. He asked her questions about how she was feeling. They then practiced meditation, which Walters was not a fan of. She then went on a monologue about how she was really good at hiding her rage as she had to do it everyday and infinitely more than Banner. While doing this, she turned into a hulk, but quickly calmed herself down. Banner stood up, saying that was completely new territory.
Banner shows off his strength
They went out to the cliff as Hulk showed her how to control her strength, throwing a boulder. Walters then threw it further than him, happy with herself. Hulk then showed off by throwing the boulder further than any of them could see. They trained more with balance and strength. When she showed him up, Hulk pushed her off a cliff, earning a middle finger. Hulk felt bad, saying he was going to show her the fun sides of being a hulk now.
They went to his bar and drank with Hulk saying that they cannot get drunk in hulk form. They drank all night. Walters continued her conversation of Steve Rogers being a virgin. Thinking the human form Walters was drunk, Hulk revealed that Rogers did, in fact, lose his virginity in 1943. Walters then said she was not drunk, exclaiming that Captain America got laid.[3]
"Oh, so you didn't wind up alone, hiding away on some remote beach with no friends, no relationships, never seeing your family, and definitely not dealing with a decade's worth of trauma? Why would you want that for me, Bruce? You're a cautionary tale." "That's the price you have to pay for keeping the world safe."
The next day, Walters grew tired and wanted to go home to get back to her life as a lawyer. Hulk told her that she could not as she had a responsibility now. Walters walked away and Hulk chased her. When she got into the car, Hulk held it down so she sped him into a rock. Hulk got up, getting angry. He said he felt bad and then thunderclapped her. She did it back, but failed. She then learned how to do it and incapacitated Banner.
Banner watches Walters leave
The two fought some more until they went crashing into Banner's bar. Hulk sadly told Walters they were going to fix it. As they did, Hulk told Walters that she could go back to her life if she wanted. Walters said that he did not really mean that, getting a look from Banner. Banner then watched Walters leave for Los Angeles.[3]
"Blonsky wrote me a really nice letter a while back, and a really heartfelt haiku. So we put everything behind us. That fight was so many years ago, I'm a completely different person now. Literally."
In 2025, Banner boarded the Sakaaran Class-Eight Courier Craft and left Earth once again to take care of the unfinished business on Sakaar. During his flight, Banner received a phone call from Jennifer Walters who told Hulk that she was accepted into Goodman, Lieber, Kurtzberg & Holliway, but her client would be Emil Blonsky. Walters was worried that Banner could have a problem with her representing a person who tried to kill him, but Banner assured her that he put the past behind him.
Banner told Walters that she should accept the job, mentioning that he and Blonsky wrote letters to each other and that he believed that his reformation was genuine. Walters was relieved to hear that Banner was okay with that and he congratulated her with her big step into the world, mentioning the time she had to Hulk out in public. Banner laughed at the name "She-Hulk" that the public gave to Walters but said that it had a nice ring to it, asking Walters to be careful.
Walters then asked Banner will he be able to visit her in Los Angeles any time soon, but since Banner already left the planet, that was not an option, but he decided not to mention it. Banner told Walters that he had unfinished business to take care of before the ship left the connection radius, ending the call.[36]
Hulk arrived on Sakaar and soon found out that he had a son named Skaar. Excited, Hulk went down to Earth only to hear that She-Hulk was in trouble. Hulk arrived at Summer Twilights, crashing through the ceiling. He then saw Abomination holding Walters. Thinking he was fighting her, Hulk told him to back off and started punching Abomination.[7]
In a revised version where She-Hulk picked the plot, Hulk met his son, Skaar, and went down to Earth, excited to see everyone. He arrived at the Walters Residence and introduced them to Skaar. The family was surprised, but happy to see that Hulk had a son.[7]
Personalities[]
Bruce Banner's Personality[]
"I know you didn't ask for this, but whether you like it or not, you're now a superhero. And who's gonna protect the world if it isn't people like us?"
Bruce Banner is shown as a mild-mannered, mysterious, shy, logical and analytical man of science. The incident at Culver University caused Banner to become somewhat mentally troubled and obsessed with finding a cure for his mutation. He is compassionate and afraid of hurting someone unintentionally, so he tries not to get close to something or someone that leaves him stressed.
Ever since his first transformation Banner was terribly afraid of Hulk and the risk of him hurting those around him. He abandoned everyone and everything he cared about and became a fugitive for five years to prevent Hulk's power from falling into the wrong hands, while desperately searching for a cure and attempting to avoid transforming at all costs. On some occasions, he lost hope of getting rid of his other persona and showed suicidal tendencies, attempting to kill himself once. Banner also appears to suffer from post-traumatic stress, such as being awakened by nightmares of Hulk being shot by Emil Blonsky or falling into the bathtub when the shower reminded him of a minigun that previously attacked Hulk and Betty Ross. The only times he was willing to let himself transform was during the Battle of New York, when attempting to intimidate Wanda Maximoff, as he was angry with her for having set Hulk loose on Johannesburg, to the point where he threatened to kill her without even transforming, and when he tried to protect the Asgardians from Hela, her army of Berserkers and the Fenris. Despite this, he still dislikes having to transform into Hulk to battle, as it would require him to harm and kill others, which he expressed after the Attack on the HYDRA Research Base, as Thor commented on Hulk's kills and inadvertently made Banner feel ashamed and regretful.
After having shown some success in controlling the monster, he seemed to have abandoned the search for a cure and redeemed himself, helping sick people in poor areas of the world. Thus, he appeared to be more comfortable and sarcastic in various situations with fellow Avengers. He is no longer even afraid to get angry as it no longer triggers a transformation instantly. Tony Stark encouraged Banner to see Hulk as an ally rather than a destructive curse by pointing out that Hulk technically saved his life when the Gamma exposure accident occurred. Eventually Banner became confident enough to bring out Hulk voluntarily knowing he won't attack his allies.
After getting his wish of being cured of Hulk's identity, this has left Banner vulnerable and unable to help his teammates directly as he has lost the strength gained from being Hulk. However, despite this, Banner displays great courage by fighting in the Battle of Wakanda wearing the Hulkbuster Armor, even facing Thanos again without fear.
In the years that followed the Snap, Banner started to see Hulk as a cure to his woes instead of a disease in need of curing. His 18-month-long transformation into his current form, which combined his intelligence with Hulk's strength, helped him feel peace and acceptance in his life, a balance that the separation of Hulk and Banner would never have allowed as long as it remained.
Ironically, Banner was one of the few individuals who improved themselves in the post-Snap world. In contrast to figures such as Tony Stark or Thor, who had quit heroism, Banner was active within the community. Consequently, he became a celebrity and a figure of safety and stability in the fragile world. Attitudes about Hulk sharply contrasted to those a decade ago. A once feared figure was now a beloved hero.
In his new form, Banner kept his pacifist ways, having expressed disgust at War Machine's suggestion that the Avengers strangle an infant Thanos and written off his past penchant for property damage as "gratuitous" before halfheartedly smashing up a New York taxi, later he obtained the Time Stone by calmly negotiating with the Ancient One instead of attacking her. Despite his guilt for losing to Thanos twice, he felt no need to seek vengeance when Thanos attacked the Avengers Facility. This, combined with his embarrassment of his past Hulk-self, illustrates how he had moved beyond feeling a need to 'smash' things and prove his strength.
Banner became significantly more casual and confident in public areas after Hulk became a celebrity, openly giving autographs to his fans and joking about "Hulking out" while doing so. Despite this, Banner can still take a more aggressive form when the situation calls for it and behave more like his former Hulk self, as seen during the Battle of Earth. Additionally, during times of conflict, Banner had developed a polite sternness and authority. This was seen during his encounter with Thor on New Asgard, in which he politely asked Thor to stop holding him before forcing him to let go. Furthermore, during his encounter with the Ancient One, Banner asked for the Time Stone before calmly attempting to take it from her.
The Nano Gauntlet and the Blip represented a chance for Banner's life to have a meaningful resolution. Previously, Banner would not have been strong enough to solely wield the gauntlet. Conversely, Hulk would not have had the mental capability to resurrect half of all life. Banner noted the irony of Stones emitting gamma radiation as it was his expertise and the source of Hulk's power.
Hulk's Personality[]
"For all the destruction Hulk has caused over the years, he's done that only after we attacked him. In fact, whenever he's seen innocents threatened, Hulk has gone out of his way to protect them. Suggests to me that buried within that raging monster beats the heart of a hero."
Hulk is more primitive and illogical, with his senses amplified to such an extent that it is difficult for his brain to process it all. In his earliest transformations, Hulk appeared as a simple-minded savage with little to no ability to distinguish friend from foe. Because of this, he was responsible for the deaths of two scientists, an army officer, a police officer from Idaho, and two Canadian hunters when he was a fugitive. However, while extremely aggressive and destructive, Hulk primarily attacked when provoked as a form of self-defense and wanted to be alone, often fleeing and ending up in areas uninhabited by humans like caves or forests to calm himself.
Hulk keeps fragments of Banner's personality and gradually attained a better reasoning capacity over time, becoming able to show affection, demonstrating a capacity to work collaboratively with others once they've established a rapport with him, and evidencing he's capable of directing his savagery at foes instead of allies. Betty suggested that this is because Banner's mind is still within Hulk and can influence his behavior to a degree. Even in his early stages, the mostly taciturn Hulk has demonstrated being capable of crude, rudimentary speech to the point of usually naming himself in the third person, notably telling soldiers to leave him alone in Brazil and calling Loki a âpuny godâ after repeatedly hammering him into the floor of Stark Tower. Banner's emotional bonds to those closest to him persisted even during his earliest transformation, as Hulk has always been able to recognize and been protective of Betty Ross. In the past, people whom Banner has had romantic feelings for in particular have acted as Hulk's handler, as they are able to soothe him into a calmer state. Hulk would check his aggression if Betty desired it and would be given a lullaby to lull him into his normal state by Black Widow.
While initially compelled into conflict due to his aggressive survival instincts and Banner's attempts to influence him, Hulk has also displayed being pleased when given the chance to channel his aggression, notably grinning after being told by Captain America to âsmashâ invading Chitauri. Similarly, Hulk was shown smiling after being unleashed from Banner by Natasha, who intentionally knocked him off a platform. This was seemingly due to both his and Bruce's bond with Natasha, as well as being freed from Banner's control.
Hulk would also sometimes show reluctance to revert into Banner and relinquish his control over their body, becoming more self-aware. In fact, Hulk would consistently become belligerent when being referred to as Banner, something Stark remembered being warned about after him making this very mistake sent a mind-controlled Hulk into a violent rage. For example, he once attacked Black Widow on the Helicarrier, when they were blasted out of the lab and he transformed and attacked her, and when Wanda Maximoff used her mental manipulation powers on him in South Africa to force him to transform. As her influence faded, Hulk showed remorse at the destruction he caused the people caught in the crossfire of his rampage before being briefly provoked at the site of armed police approaching and knocked unconscious by Iron Man. After the war against Ultron, Hulk himself decided to abandon his Avengers friends and exile himself much like he did when he defeated Abomination.
During his time in Sakaar, Hulk's control over Banner's body increased significantly, to the point that he was able to stay as Hulk for two whole years and prevent himself from reverting to Banner. His increased self-awareness gave him increasingly visible layers of personality, similar to a five-year-old's,[38] instead of just being a very destructive rage monster. By the time Thor found Hulk while himself trapped in Sakaar, Hulk became intelligent enough to actively converse with others, albeit still with an immature speech pattern. Thusly, he was able to verbally acknowledge his human half but repeatedly refuted Banner's existence, claiming "No Banner, only Hulk!" to resentment and bitterness for Banner. He would later call Thor âBanner's friend," demonstrating a reluctance to trust or help him as a result. While he gained more self-awareness and personality, Hulk was still susceptible to emotion and could easily become more feral due to stress and frustration, such as when he fought Thor in the Contest of Champions. Despite this, he could still demonstrate a calm and stable demeanor, which allows him to not solely act aggressive and hostile, such as when he talks calmly with Thor after the two of them argue and befriend Valkyrie during his stay on the planet. However, Hulk was also wary of others, due to his history of violence on Earth, which caused him to believe that humanity hated him and made him refuse to return. As Banner's personality resurfaced due to Hulk's positive encounters with Thor and seeing Romanoff's last message to him after their battle with Ultron, Hulk became frantic and desperately tried to not lose control to him, resorting to almost pleading to Banner to stop.
Hulk's time on Sakaar allowed him to fully develop his own identity. Having risen to the top of the ranks and becoming the Grandmaster's Champion, Hulk enjoyed a celebrity lifestyle. This was as close to a "normal life" that he was able to enjoy. During such time, he was able to develop his emotions beyond just anger. His interactions with Valkyrie and Thor demonstrated his playful nature. In addition, upon hearing Thor's spiteful claim that Earth indeed hated him, Hulk appeared genuinely upset. This fortifies the notion that Hulk doesn't want to be alone as he claims. This was highlighted when he begged Thor to stay on Sakaar as his friend. Unfortunately, Hulk's low emotional intelligence and raw strength provide a combination that creates a being who cannot easily co-exist with others. Tragically, Hulk may be the loneliest Avenger yet the one who needs friends the most.
Because Hulk has never lost a fight before; his experience and growing intelligence in Sakaar reinforced the idea and image so much that he believed himself to be invincible, no longer a primitive rage monster like when he first came into existence, and now capable of grasping a wide spectrum of emotions, the defeat at Thanos' hands traumatized Hulk tremendously; he has since grown fed up of being used as a weapon by Banner and the Avengers that he outright leaves Banner alone to fend for himself for the first time since his creation, to the extent of staunchly refusing to transform and come out to fight even when told to.
Powers and Abilities[]
Powers[]
"For years, I've been treating the Hulk like he's some kind of disease... something to get rid of. But then, I start looking at him as the cure. Eighteen months in a gammalab, I put the brains and the brawn together. And now, look at me. Best of both worlds."
Artificially Enhanced Physiology: Bruce Banner subjected himself to a recreated version of the Super Soldier Serum in an attempt to replicate the same results to the original Project Rebirth from World War II, albeit substituting vita radiation with gamma radiation. As a result, Banner was able to transform into Hulk when his heart rate increases to high levels or when he loses control of his emotions, thus transforming back to his original human form when calmed or rested. The process involving gamma energy that abates in his body, with an initial pulse in his amygdala and a chemical reaction that produces a myostatin primer, changes his metabolism, musculature, bone structure, skin, size, color and durability, which results in his superhuman powers. As Hulk, Banner is a giant, green-skinned humanoid with immense strength and is one of the most physically powerful beings on Earth. Former director S.H.I.E.L.D.Nick Fury classified Hulk as THREAT LEVEL RED, only to be dealt with using surveillance in the future. Hulk is a distinct personality from Banner, with both having memory lapses from each other. Despite Banner over time being able to control Hulk, his alter-ego was slowly becoming more self-aware and developing a mind of his own. After the events of Sokovia, Hulk left Earth and became a gladiator on Sakaar, keeping Banner suppressed for two years. After meeting Thor, Banner re-emerged and, despite realizing that transforming again would mean that he might not change back, willingly unleashed Hulk to aid Thor and the Asgardians. Following this battle, Hulk fought Thanos one-on-one and was effortlessly defeated in a one-sided battle. Hulk refused to come back during the rest of Thanos' invasion because he was tired of Banner using him to fight his battles just to revert to human form again. This left Banner to use his own skills to fight. After the Snap, Banner spent eighteen months in a gamma lab to fuse his genius-level intellect and knowledge with Hulk's body, rendering it his default form and losing his ability to naturally transform. In 2024, due the Hulk Inhibitor Device, he was able to return to human form, although he reverted to Hulk form after the device was broken. However, in the process, Banner discovered that he and Jennifer Walters shared a rare combination of genetic factors that allowed them to synthesize gamma radiation into something else.
Hulk's primary power is his immense superhuman strength, which can be augmented by his rage. His incredible high-level of superhuman strength allows him to perform feats such as ripping apart steel, destroying vehicles with a single punch, stopping a speeding Humvee in its tracks by stomping it into the ground, and stopping a massive Leviathan with a single punch. He is able to create a shockwave with his hands powerful enough to extinguish fire and also create thunderclaps when slapping his hands together, which he uses to incapacitate She-Hulk for a short time. His feet can stomp holes through cement.[13] In combat, Hulk often uses his strength to throw heavy objects such as vehicles or his smaller opponents in order to defeat his enemies, such as when Hulk threw a human-sized Emil Blonsky more than 40 feet away with a single kick (leading a doctor to state that most of his bones looked like crushed gravel afterwards, even with his enhancements) or when he hurled Loki around repeatedly while holding him by the leg. Overall, few individuals have been able to match or surpass Hulk's strength, such as Abomination, who despite his greater base level of strength ultimately succumbed to Hulk's when he endangered the life of Betty Ross, angering him enough to overpower the gamma monster. Thor, who Hulk was able to hit hard enough to cause his nose to bleed, sent him flying with a punch, and upon growing angry, managed to almost overpower him in the Contest of Champions. Although he was himself, he was almost overpowered after Thor gained his full powers. Iron Man, who had to develop a special Hulkbuster armor to battle him in case of need, still needing Hulk to calm down to overpower him. Fenris, who had managed to contend with Hulk in their battle, was ultimately hurled into outer space by Hulk. The fully empowered Surtur, whom Hulk was able to impressively stagger with a leaping blow, before he effortlessly swatted Hulk away, and Thanos, who Hulk managed to surprise and stagger with his blows; however, Thanos effortlessly struck him with various blows and knocked him out, leaving him unconscious for a short amount of time. Hulk was also able to lift and throw a Chitauri a great distance. Hulk's immense strength allowed him to hold the debris from the crumpling base with one arm because the other was badly damaged from using the Nano Gauntlet, so that neither Rocket, Rhodey and himself were crushed. He managed to do this long enough for Ant-Man to arrive and rescue them by becoming Giant-Man. One of Hulk's most impressive strength feat is leaving a fist dent on the wall of the Retreat which was made of an extremely durable silicon-carbide vibranium alloy. While training his cousin, Banner was able to use his strength to launch a rock with the force of a meteor that pierced the atmosphere and reached outer space. He also proved to be superior in brute force to She-Hulk, with his punches being strong enough to knock her down and launch her into the air with relative ease.
Superhuman Durability:
Hulk withstanding multiple bullets
Hulk is able to withstand blows and attacks of considerable force; tranquilizer darts and even high caliber bullets bounce off him, and flames cause him no damage whatsoever. His bones, skin, and muscles have an extreme density, and he possesses a high degree of resistance to injury, pain, and disease. Hulk has bulletproofed skin and near unbreakable bones.[13] Hulk also withstood multiple energy blasts from Chitauri weaponry, extreme cold in the Arctic, and great impacts from heights of several miles (though the impact knocked him unconscious, forcing him to revert into Banner). In addition, Iron Man noted the amount of gamma radiation Banner was exposed to would have killed him if it had not given him the ability to transform into Hulk. Only beings with incredible force or extremely powerful weapons can harm him, such as when Hulk was painfully pierced by Abomination's skeletal spike, pierced by Fenris' teeth, when a blow from Thor wielding MjĂžlnir knocked him out for a moment, and when Thanos badly beat him. While Hulk did survive quite a few blows from the Hulkbuster with little discomfort, he got a tooth knocked out in the confrontation. However, after Thor had his powers fully enhanced, Hulk was only visibly dazed by a single lightning-charged blow from Thor. Hulk's skin was also pierced and noticeably wounded by Fenris who bit him several times, forcing Hulk to throw him into the void. When fighting Thanos, Hulk managed to withstand many blows from the Mad Titan, despite being visibly affected and even bleeding because of the force of the Titan's blows, and soon thereafter be subdued, to the point where Hulk refused to transform back anymore. Hulk also was able to hold a full Nano Gauntlet quite a while, though it badly damaged his right arm to the point where he needed a cast. Banner was able to withstand being crushed by various rocks and later She-Hulk's blows without problems. He was also completely immovable while being hit by various objects thrown by his cousin.
Superhuman Speed: Regardless of his size, Hulk can run and move at great superhuman speed, allowing him to run at speeds that are far beyond the natural physical limits of a human being. After the Ambush in Porto Verde, Hulk traveled on foot from southeastern Brazil to the forests of Guatemala in a single night, covering at least from 4,000 (6,500 km) to 4,100 miles (6,600 km) in over 7 to 10 hours, implying his superhuman displays of leaping power, speed and stamina. He was fast enough to go toe-to-toe with Abomination and quick enough to dodge some of Thor's attack in the Contest of Champions, but his large size can still be exploited by smaller foes to use to their advantage. He was also able to stay on Captain America's heels while charging at Thanos.
Regardless of his size, Hulk can leap great distances and heights with precision due to the superhuman strength in his legs. His powerful legs can leap hundreds of meters.[13] Allowing him to reach the top of Stark Tower from ground level in a single leap. Carrying Black Widow on his back, Hulk was able to make enormous jumps through the air, reaching the flying city of Novi Grad. During the Destruction of Asgard, Hulk was also able to leap several hundred meters from the Rainbow Bridge towards Surtur and launch himself onto the Statesman while grabbing Thor and Valkyrie. During the Theft of the Time Stone, Hulk was able to mimic his 2012 self by jumping from building to building trying to reach the Ancient One.
Superhuman Stamina: Hulk has substantially greater endurance than a normal human, allowing him to run and fight for extremely long periods of time. Hulk has the ability to withstand major amounts of damage without breaking a sweat, unless and until he fights beings of higher power such as Fenris or Thor.
Hulk can react and dodge objects traveling at high speeds. During the Attack on the Helicarrier, Hulk was quick enough to catch an ejection seat from an Aircraft and during the Skirmish at the Pakistani Border he caught a rocket - at short range fired by a mercenary thanks to his superhuman reflexes. During the Battle of Sokovia, his reflexes allowed him to catch a supersonic Aircraft used by Ultron.
Regenerative Healing Factor: Should he receive damage that penetrates his extreme durability, his biology has a very high rate of cellular regeneration. Grievous bodily harm has also proven to be a trigger for Banner's transformations, and he has recovered from otherwise fatal injuries sustained in his normal form. Banner said he tried to put a bullet in his mouth, but the "other guy" merely spit it out. Hulk also has an enhanced immune system; Samuel Sterns described that a synthesized sample of Banner's blood would make humans impervious to diseases. These attributes make him extremely difficult to kill, even if he is in his human form. During his fight with Abomination, Hulk suffered a strike to the chest, but it has since healed well leaving only a scar. Mere moments after his fight with Fenris in which Hulk suffers a deep puncture wound in his leg, no wound or scar tissue is seen. However, he did not yet regenerate immediately from the damage done by wielding the Nano Gauntlet, most likely due to the immense power of the Infinity Stones. Later on, during 2024, it can be seen that Banner's arm has started to heal when his scar tissue disappeared, despite the sling that he now wears from the heavy exposure to radiation. With the help of She-Hulk's blood, Banner managed to enhance his healing abilities, allowing him to fully heal his arm and return to full fitness.
Radiation Immunity: Due to the exposure of high levels of gamma radiation, Banner has developed a high level of immunity to radiation. When he is in his Hulk form, he can withstand an even greater level of radiation, as he was chosen to activate the Nano Gauntlet that holds the Infinity Stones where the radiation levels are very high when they are combined.
Former Powers[]
"I'm a huge fan of the way you lose control and turn into an enormous green rage-monster."
After being exposed to gamma radiation, Banner was able to morph from his human form to his Hulk form. His skin turns green and hardens as his size and musculature becomes gigantic, with his eyes occasionally turning green as well. Unable to control the transformation, Banner would involuntarily transform into Hulk if his heart rate exceeded 200 beats per minute, usually caused by strong emotional responses like anger or stress. The transformation process is often physically excruciating and exhausting. According to Samuel Sterns, the transformation is triggered when an electric pulse generated on the amygdala increases the gamma radiation of Bruce's cells. Betty Ross' reagent allows the cells to absorb the energy temporarily, which then abates, resulting in a chemical reaction that produces a myostatin primer. When Hulk transforms back into Banner, the excess muscle mass and energy is dissipated, with the metabolic shift in his system requiring him to refuel. The total time of transformation falls anywhere between seconds to several minutes, depending on the initial adrenaline surge, which will be determined by the original stimulus. Despite Banner's initial inability to control the transformations, he managed to attain some level of control through training and practice, and Banner's consciousness is buried within Hulk, influencing his behavior to a very limited extent. If a transformation was occurring and Banner unsuccessfully attempted to repress it, the Hulk personality would be in control; however, if Banner willingly allowed himself to transform, he would retain some mental control over Hulk. Shortly before being part of the Avengers, Banner became able to trigger his transformations at will, remaining angry in a controlled state, which allowed Hulk to be much smarter and self-controlled in battle. However, the more stressful or provoking his surroundings, the more difficult it is for Hulk to become calm enough to transform back into Banner, which led to Natasha Romanoff using her "lullaby" technique to calm Hulk at the end of each battle. Following the Snap, Banner merged his consciousness with Hulk's body, rendering Hulk form as his default state and losing the ability to transform naturally. In 2024, through the Hulk Inhibitor Device, he was able to return to human form as long as he wore the device, although its removal reverted Banner back to Hulk form.
Hulkbuster Armor Capabilities: When Thanos went out to gather the Infinity Stones, he battled Hulk and easily beat him. This made Hulk realize that Banner only let him out when he needed him in battle, so he didn't come out to fight Thanos' forces. Due to this issue, Banner borrowed Iron Man's Hulkbuster Armor to imitate Hulk's powers.
When inside the Hulkbuster 2.0 Armor, it amplified Banner's physical strength, allowing him to match the incredible superhuman strength of Hulk. It has several Arc Reactors all over the suit. It was strong enough to kill many Outriders and despite sustaining heavy damage and losing the left arm, was still able to take on Cull Obsidian. It was even able to push the Mad TitanThanos to the ground and deliver a blow to his face, although it should be noted that Thanos was greatly weakened due to the injuries on half of his body and his recently severed left arm.
Superhuman Durability: Banner's armor was meant to be stronger than any of the previous suits, to take more extreme damage, such as attacks from Cull Obsidian and the Outriders.
Superhuman Speed: With the armor, Banner was able to run at fast speeds, he kept up with a Wakandan vehicle. However, he was very unskilled and fell on the ground. He could also fly at very high speeds.
Superhuman Stamina: Banner's stamina was increased by a large margin, imitating Hulk's stamina. He fought Cull Obsidian for a short time, right after battling Outriders.
Superhuman Reflexes: With the HUD system, Banner could see attacks coming at him from any angle, allowing him to dodge attacks.
Flight: With the repulsor technology included in the Mark XLVIII armor, Banner is able to utilize the repulsors in his suit to enable flight.
Like Stark's other armors, the suit contains a heads-up display within the helmet to allow Banner to analyze the environment. He can utilize the display for targeting assistance. Besides flight, the repulsor technology in his suit enables Banner to battle offensively by unleashing energy blasts from his hands, similar to Iron Man and War Machine. They are capable of easily killing Outriders and stunning Cull Obsidian.
Nigh-Omnipotence: When Banner put on the Nano Gauntlet, it granted him nearly unlimited levels of power at the cost of damaging his arm.
With the power of the Infinity Stones, Hulk was able to snap his fingers and resurrect every life killed by Thanos during the Snap and bring them all back into 2023. Despite his best efforts, Hulk was only able to resurrect those killed by the Snap, while unable to resurrect people killed in the events preceding or following it. Hulk's will to resurrect everyone had spread over a universal level, bringing back every life Thanos had decimated in the entire universe.
Abilities[]
"How many PhDs does Hulk have? Zero. How many PhDs does Banner have? Seven."
Genius-Level Intellect: Bruce Banner is among the smartest humans in the world, on par with Tony Stark's own level of intellect. Hence, Banner achieved his doctorate at Harvard University and worked as a biochemist and nuclear physics professor at Culver University and a colleague of renowned scientist Dr. Erik Selvig.[13] Banner is the brains of Avengers - S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Phil Coulson once compared him to Stephen Hawking,[13] and Banner is one of the few modern scientists famous and prominent enough to be pictured in the science lab of Midtown School of Science and Technology. Among them, he is the world's foremost expert on gamma radiation. He has a M.D. and 7 PhDs, in Nuclear physics, Biochemistry, Radiophysics, Engineering, Robotics, Computer science, and Mathematics.[13] Banner was able to discover time travel which ultimately went unused in favor of Tony Stark's version that was much safer. Banner pushed time through the subject while Stark's pushed them through time. Banner is also fairly disciplined in emotional intelligence, particularly in meditative breathing techniques and anger management, due to his experience with attempting to control and reign in his Hulk persona.
"Your work on antielectron collisions is unparalleled."
Banner is an ingeniously resourceful and brilliant scientist who is extremely skilled in many different fields of science, notably biochemistry and nuclear physics, being a former professor at Culver University, and one of the world's most renown scientists overall. Banner was able to replicate to a certain degree the Super Soldier Serum, a feat many other scientists were unable to accomplish. He also created the Tetrodotoxin B and Gamma Power Reserve, scientific devices that would be successfully used and complimented by S.H.I.E.L.D. for its uses. Indeed, even fellow genius Tony Stark admired Banner's brilliance, claiming that the latter's work on anti-electron collisions is unparalleled, while Nick Fury referred to Banner as the world's foremost expert in gamma radiation. In addition, Stark needed Banner's assistance in downloading J.A.R.V.I.S. into Vision, due to Banner also being the world's foremost expert in the discipline of bioorganics. Stark himself admits to Banner surpassing him in the fields of radiophysics, particle collisions, and bioorganics although Banner also acknowledges to Stark surpassing him in the field of quantum physics. His knowledge in astrophysics and astronomy also allowed him to identify the Devil's Anus as a collapsing neutron star inside of an Einstein-Rosen bridge. He was also able to partially build a laboratory using scavenged trash while in Brazil, such as an old record player and a bicycle tire. Banner's mastery of gamma-radiation even allowed him to, after 18 months inside a Gamma Lab, merge his intelligence and consciousness with Hulk's physical appearance and immense power into one being and he was able to deduce that the Infinity Stones mostly radiated gamma radiation, which would allow him to survive snapping his fingers to initiate the Blip.
"Who did you say created this technology, again?" "Bruce Banner." "Then I'm sure it'll go off without a hitch."
Master Engineer: Banner, while not quite on par with Tony Stark, is an extremely skilled engineer, computer scientist, and robotics technician. Hence, Banner was able to help Stark construct the Hulkbuster, create the Ultron AI, and download J.A.R.V.I.S. into the Vision android and along with Rocket and Tony, even create an Infinity Gauntlet that was, despite being made of nanites inferior to the Uru metal of the original, strong enough to withstand having him undo the Snap and allow him to survive. When he worked at the Pingo Doce Bottling Plant for five months, he regularly repaired Marcos de Souza's devices, who said he was too smart for day labor. He also built an improvised centrifuge from a record player and components of a bicycle.
"He made it five years and got across borders without making any mistakes."
Banner has over the years become an expert in developing strategies to go unnoticed and run from the government, military, and even S.H.I.E.L.D. by using his intellect to quickly evaluate his surroundings and develop feasible escape strategies. As such, Banner also became quite skilled at going undercover.
Physician: Banner possesses enough medical knowledge to help the sick and injured while living in India.
"When it comes to fighting evil beings, he is very powerful and useful."
As Hulk, while having no formal training from the beginning, he is a formidable and experienced hand-to-hand combatant simply due to his great physical attributes. Hulk often engages his enemies using brawling techniques and street fighting skills that make full use of his incredible strength and also employs pieces of his immediate environment to fight with, often using them as range projectiles to strike distant targets, while sometimes for melee attacks or protection. He demonstrated proficiency in boxing against Abomination. While training and fighting in the Grandmaster's Contest of Champions, however, Hulk demonstrated much more combat skill than before, as he wielded a huge hammer and battle-axe like a common gladiator in the arena and his prowess allowed him to kill all of his competitors. His improved skills allowed him to compete against Thor himself, although Hulk had to rely on surprise attacks to gain the upper hand and when against the newly empowered Thor because simply, Thor was a lot smaller, faster and far more skilled than Hulk in a close quarter combat, Hulk was quickly outclassed and was only able to win due to The Grandmaster interfering with the battle to ensure Hulk won to keep Thor imprisoned. He also still depends on using his physical attributes to dominate in a hand-to-hand fight, with his style still having little subtlety and technique, which can prove to be a debilitating issue when confronted by opponents of equivalent, if not even superior physical power, with far greater experience, as against the even stronger Thanos, whose fighting experience was thousand years ahead of him, Hulk was able to land a few blows on the Titan until he was caught off-guard after Thanos recomposed himself, Hulk was no match for Thanos, who eventually beat him with aid of his combat skills and superior reflexes to ensure his victory. During the Battle of Earth, Hulk defeated whole hordes of Chitauri, Outriders and Sakaarans soldiers with relative ease despite his damaged arm from using the Nano Gauntlet.
"I could choke the life out of you and never change a shade."
Banner learned Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Aikido and basic meditative breathing techniques in Brazil from a martial arts expert. This allowed him to defeat Silva and his thugs when he was confronted by them. By the time of the Battle of Wakanda, Banner seems to have undergone considerable improvement in skill, as he is able to defeat many Outriders and even hold his own and eventually best Cull Obsidian.
"You were amazing! The way you were flying this thing! "Aah, I've got no guns!" We did it! Where'd you learn to fly like that?" "I don't know! It was like an instinct." "Trust those instincts more. They're working."
Pilot: Despite admitting himself that he does not know how to fly ships, Banner was nevertheless able to fly a couple of aircrafts, this being the Quinjet and an alien spaceship known as the Commodore just well enough to avoid any severe damage, although he struggles first. He also was able to pilot the Hulkbuster armor effectively despite having never used it before.
Multilingualism: Banner is fluent in his native English, as well as some Hindi, Spanish, and Portuguese. However, he only demonstrated fluency in Hindi, while in Kolkata, and had notable trouble with Spanish and Portuguese while in South America, occasionally mixing up words. According to his S.H.I.E.L.D. file, Banner can speak English, Latin, Portuguese, Malay, and Punjabi.
Equipment[]
Weapons[]
Smith & Wesson Model 10: Banner used this revolver in his unsuccessful suicide attempt. He ended up shooting himself, but Hulk responded quickly enough to heal the damage and crush the gun.
As he became a gladiator, Hulk had gained a large special metallic battle axe that suitable to his own size.
Sakaaran War Hammer: With him as a gladiator, Hulk was given a massive war hammer made of a reporpused engine part that aids him with battling others in the arena.
Other Equipment[]
Wrist-Mounted Cardiovascular Monitor: A gauge used to monitor Banner's heart rate, helping him to prevent a transformation into Hulk. The first monitor was destroyed after Banner's transformation in Brazil. The last one seen was given by Betty Ross and seized by United States Army.
Encrypted Laptop Computer: A cheap laptop with an encrypted instant messaging software installed. Banner used it to chat with Samuel Sterns. Banner always carried it in a backpack, so he could maintain a communication where he was. The laptop was lost during a scuffle with a group of thugs while Banner was attempting to escape military capture in Brazil.
Stretchable Pants: After the Battle of New York, Bruce Banner became a consecrated member of the Avengers, he acquired a uniform with the main feature of stretching to fit his Hulk physique after his transformations. He uses a pair of trousers made with flexible microfiber fabric, the material of which was shown to be extremely durable on several occasions, like when the team attacked the HYDRA Research Base, Banner turned back into Hulk with his pants still intact.
Since Hulk refused to come back following his defeat by Thanos, Banner had to use the Hulkbuster 2.0 Armor of Tony Stark to fight Thanos' army during the Battle of Wakanda. He uses the armor a second time during the Ambush on Thanos. Banner used the Hulkbuster without an internal Iron Man armor.
Stretchable Hulk Suit: Suit, worn by Hulk, with the main feature of stretching to fit his physical form.
Transmitter Pager: A communication device used by Nick Fury, an ordinary Earth pager modified by Carol Danvers using Kree technology for use as an instrument of last resort in extreme emergencies. Fury was eventually forced to use it in response to the Snap. It was found by the Avengers.
Advanced Tech Suit: This suit was designed in order to time travel through the Quantum Realm safely. It is a white, red and black suit that materialize around the wearer's regular clothes, managing to be summoned when time travel is required again, and disappear when no longer in use. It has size-shifting adaptability down to subatomic levels and a wrist gadget that allows for displacement through time and space.
Nano Gauntlet: After retrieving the Infinity Stones through the Time Heist, Banner, Stark, and Rocket created the Nano Gauntlet to harness the power of the Stones in order to revive everyone that Thanos killed. Banner volunteered to use the gauntlet due to his resistance to the Stones' immense radiation and succeeded with the cost of his right arm severely burned.
"Give me that little device thing that you had that kept you as Bruce." "That device was a prototype. It was calibrated to me."
Hulk Inhibitor Device: After his right arm received severe injury due to the Blip, Banner sought out to heal his arm, which lead him to develop the Hulk Inhibitor Device to keep him in his human form.
Vehicles[]
Motorcycle: Banner rode a 1970 Triumph T 100 R Daytona 500cc motorcycle he got from a security guard in order to regroup with the Avengers during the Battle of New York.
Quinjet: Banner has used a Quinjet for transportation to travel around the world and take out threats during active missions as a member of the Avengers. Following the Battle of Sokovia, Hulk left Earth in a Quinjet against the request of Natasha Romanoff. He would end up on Sakaar after entering a wormhole where the Quinjet remained inactive for 2 years before being abandoned by Banner.
Commodore: Bruce Banner and the other Revengers stole the Grandmaster's ship to escape Sakaar. Bruce Banner briefly piloted the Commodore, taking over from Valkyrie, who left to attack the Grandmaster's forces pursuing them.
Statesman: Hulk was present on the Statesman, witnessing Ragnarök and the crowning of Thor as the new King of Asgard. Eventually, Thanosattacked the Statesman with the Sanctuary II and killed half of the passengers. Hulk waited to ambush Thanos, but was quickly beaten by the Mad Titan before being sent to Earth by Heimdall.
Benatar: Banner and the Avengers used this ship to travel to the Garden to undo the Snap and kill Thanos.
Harvard University: Banner attended Harvard University, where he met Betty Ross and the pair participated in an experiment involving hallucinogens. They graduated from the school.
Culver University: Banner worked at Culver University, where he worked with Thaddeus Ross to recreate the Super Soldier Serum. However, the experiment resulted in Banner being transformed into Hulk. Banner was forced on the run and returned to the university years later to retrieve the date from the experiment, where he saw that Betty Ross was working there and was greeted by Roger Harrington. Banner returned with Betty the next day, but got attacked by Thaddeus and his forces. Hulk attacked the soldiers and escaped with Betty.
"Looks like Coulson took her to, uh, Retreat." "Really? Bold, taking her to the house that Banner built."
Banner designed a hideout to contain Hulk while appearing to be a log cabin from the outside, lining the walls with vibranium. While inside the Retreat, Banner turned into Hulk and punched a wall, leaving an indent.
Pingo Doce Bottling Plant: Banner worked at the Pingo Doce Bottling Plant as a handyman off the record, despite Marcos de Souza's insistence. He accidentally bled into a bottle, killing the person who drank from it. Banner defended his coworker, Martina, from a group of workers who were being antagonistic toward her. Banner later fled the Americanmilitary into the bottling plant, but was followed by the antagonistic coworkers and attacked, causing him to transform into Hulk. Hulk defended himself from Banner's coworkers and the military before fleeing.
Stanley's Pizza Parlor: Banner worked for Stanley Lieber at his pizzeria, and Lieber hoped that Banner would take over the restaurant. Banner returned to the restaurant after returning to Culver University, and Lieber agreed to let him stay there for the time being. Banner got the information he needed and prepared to move out but saw Betty Ross and Leonard Samson eating at the restaurant and ran out.
Grayburn College: Banner and Betty Ross went to Grayburn College to meet with Samuel Sterns, who performed an experiment on him and got rid of Hulk. Sterns then revealed to Banner that he had synthesized Banner's blood, shocking him. Banner was shot with a tranquilizer dart and taken into military custody.
Avengers Tower: Hulk entered Stark Tower during the Battle of New York and confronted Loki, brutally beating him and leading to Loki's arrest. As S.H.I.E.L.D. sorted out the aftermath, Hulk attempted to join the rest of the Avengers on the elevator, but Tony Stark told him to take the stairs. Hulk got frustrated descending the stairs and burst out the bottom in a rage, leading to chaos. Banner listened to Stark talk about his struggle against Aldrich Killian, but fell asleep toward the beginning of the story. Banner interrupted Stark and said that he was not a therapist, but Stark retold his story, causing Banner to fall asleep again. Banner went to Avengers Tower following the defeat of HYDRA and was present for Clint Barton's treatment. Banner and Stark decided to use the Mind Stone's framework to create an artificial intelligence named Ultron and attended a party to celebrate the Avengers' victory at the tower, where he flirted with Natasha Romanoff. Ultron attacked the party and fled. Banner later returned to the Tower with the Regeneration Cradle and debated with Stark about uploading J.A.R.V.I.S. into the body inside the Cradle.
Grand Arena: Hulk fought as the Grandmaster's Champion in the Contest of Champions at the Grand Arena. He killed every opponent he came across, including Doug. He fought Thor in the Arena but failed to kill him as Thor increased his power and the Grandmaster ended the match early.
Grandmaster Palace: As the Grandmaster's Champion, Hulk had a room in the Grandmaster's palace. Hulk met in the apartment with Thor and discussed how Hulk arrived on Sakaar. Hulk played with Scrapper 142 in his apartment and argued with Thor, but the two reconciled. Hulk then left the palace to stop Thor from leaving him.
Kirby Residential Spires: While living on Sakaar, Hulk navigated the Kirby Residential Spires. While Thor and Banner made their way through the Spires, a parade was held to honor Hulk. Banner flew the Commodore through the Spires while getting chased by Topaz.
Avengers Compound: Banner went to the Avengers' compound to discuss their move against Thanos and decided to go to Wakanda so that Shuri could remove the Mind Stone from Vision's head and Wanda Maximoff could destroy it. Thanos succeeded, however, and Banner returned to the Compound and monitored the casualty reports, when they were joined by Carol Danvers, who brought Tony Stark back to Earth. Banner gave Stark medical care in the Compound and planned to attack Thanos at the Garden. Banner later returned to the Compound to work on time travel and developed a successful Quantum Tunnel with help from Stark. The Avengers time traveled and returned to the Compound after retrieving the Infinity Stones, and Banner aided Stark and Rocket in building a new Infinity Gauntlet. Banner then used the Gauntlet to snap his fingers and resurrect the people Thanos killed. However, the Compound was then attacked and Banner was buried under the Compound. He surfaced with the remaining Avengers and participated in a fight against Thanos. Sometime later, Banner operated another time machine near the former Compound.
Thanos' Farm: Banner attacked Thanos at his farm, hoping to get him to undo his genocide, only to learn that the Infinity Stones were destroyed. Thor then killed Thanos, causing the Avengers to realize that they had lost.
Hulk is one of the three main protagonists to defeat the main antagonist of their debut film without any assistance, the others being Ant-Man and Spider-Man.
Hulk's Sakaar gladiator armor consists of a repurposed engine part for a hammer and sandals made from the tires of a Quinjet. In addition, his galea-like helmet had a crest made of winged horsehair.[13]
Hulk has his own flavor of Ben & Jerry's ice cream called Hunka Hulka Burning Fudge, which is Doctor Strange and Wong's favorite.
Hulk can be seen eating a tub of this while discussing the Time Heist.
Hulk was first indirectly referenced in an alternate version of the post-credits scene for Iron Man, in which Nick Fury mentioned to Tony Stark about "gamma accidents" on the "bigger universe" he has become part. This version ultimately went unused from the finished film likely because it included indirect mentions to Spider-Man and the X-Men, characters whose film rights were owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment and 20th Century Fox.[39]
An alternate opening sequence scene was shot for The Incredible Hulk, though it was eventually cut from the final draft of the movie. In the scene, Banner travels to the Arctic to die by suicide due to his incurable Hulk transformations. Banner shoots himself in the mouth, which only serves to trigger his transformation into Hulk, whose appearance destroys the glacier he was on. This scene is still considered canon because it is referenced in The Avengers by Banner.
In the film's opening title sequence, which details the accident that transformed Bruce into Hulk, his brain scans display the name "BANNER, D. BRUCE," making his full name "David Bruce Banner."
The envelope Banner uses to mail Betty's necklace to her displays the name "David B." In the television series, David concealed his identity by using various last names beginning with the letter 'B'. Similarly, Peter David's novelization of the film states that Bruce used the name David as an alias while residing in Brazil.
The name is also present in Edward Norton's screenplay for the film, where a reporter states Bruce's full name after the manhunt for him is reopened.
Before Edward Norton was cast as Bruce Banner/Hulk and was later replaced by Mark Ruffalo for future films. David Duchovny, Dominic Purcell and Joaquin Phoenix were also considered.
Loki using Hulk to attack the Helicarrier is a reference to Loki using Hulk to destroy a train track to lure out Thor, and unwillingly creating the Avengers in the process in the main Marvel Comics Universe.
Mark Ruffalo was written into Captain America: Civil War but was removed as Marvel felt Hulk's current whereabouts were too huge to be revealed in the packed film; he did, however, make a very short cameo on video.[41]
On Hulk's advanced ability to talk in Thor: Ragnarok, Mark Ruffalo explained: "Hulk refuses to turn back into Banner, He's actually enjoying his time on Sakaar, because he's a gladiator champion. Which means he kicks lots of ass and he's enjoying his life for once. And he'll be damned if he goes back to Banner. He's a little perma-hulked, and because he's been Hulk for two years he has the vocab of a two-year-old."[43]
Taika Waititi said that: "I was always fascinated with the duality of Hulk and Banner, and seeing how their brains could be interconnected. Could we sometimes see Hulk and have a bit of Banner's voice in there? Could we see Banner and have Hulk's personality through there? I think in this film we're going to see that for the first time, where the two are fighting -- really fighting this time -- for control over the body. And Hulk talking -- this idea of a more cognitive Hulk who can say sentences -- that obviously has existed in the comics, but it's something the fans want to finally see. It's exactly what fans want to see, and what I have wanted to see."[43]
When interviewed regarding why Hulk didn't come out and fight in Avengers: Infinity War, Joe Russo stated "I think people have interpreted it as Hulk's scared. I mean, certainly, that's not a -- I don't know that the Hulk is ever... he's had his ass kicked before, and he loves a good fight. But I think that it's really reflective of the journey from Ragnarok. Is that these two characters are constantly in conflict with each other over control. And I think that if the Hulk were to say why, it'd be [that] Banner only wants Hulk for fighting. I think he's had enough of saving Banner's ass."[45]
In a Q&A with Collider, Joe and Anthony Russo answered a question regarding the fight against Thanos. Joe said, ..."I would say he is just that powerful. I mean...you didn't see him actively use the...Power Stone in the fight. I think ultimately the way we looked at that fight and the way we talked about it with our stunt team when we're executing was Hulk is obviously very powerful, but he's a little mindless in his fighting style. It's aggressive; it's pummeling. Thanos is the Genghis Khan of the universe. He's a very skilled fighter, equally as strong, so when you put those two up against each other, the more skilled fighter is going to win ultimately, which is why Hulk has a moment where he overpowers Thanos, but ultimately Thanos is smarter."[46]
An action figure released in the time leading up to the release of Avengers: Infinity War, the "Hulkout Hulkbuster," depicts Hulk as emerging from the Hulkbuster armor, presumably transforming from within the armor. This event never happens in the actual film, with Banner remaining in his human form throughout the entirety of his time in the armor.
Mark Ruffalo stated that had been unsure of whether to take the role, but he was convinced by Robert Downey, Jr. and the script for his first scene in The Avengers.[47]
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Hulk on Marvel Database
Hulk on Wikipedia
Hulk on Marvel.com