The Hulk's True Enemy Is None Other Than Bruce Banner

The Hulk’s Deadliest Enemy Isn't a Villain, It’s Himself

MCU Hulk with Infernal Color Change in Thor Ragnarok

By Ambrose Tardive Published 23 minutes ago Ambrose Tardive is an editor on ScreenRant's Comics team. Over the past two years, he has developed into the internet's foremost authority on The Far Side. Outside of his work for ScreenRant, Ambrose works as an Adjunct English Instructor. Sign in to your ScreenRant account Summary Generate a summary of this story follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap

The Hulk's greatest enemy has always been Bruce Banner, and vice versa. It's a tragic twist on the superhero alter ego that Marvel has embraced in the last several years, after trying to get away from it. Hulk is always a complicated character, but he's at his most dynamic when the Jade Giant is at odds with his human side.

The Hulk originated as Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's superheroic riff on Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Banner and Hulk are separate beings fighting for supremacy in the same body.

Hulk clenches his fists while looking at the reader in Marvel Comics

Yet a "Unified Hulk Theory" was a fixation of Marvel fans and creators alike for decades. Only in modern Hulk lore has Marvel fully embraced the dramatic potential of the divide.

The Dueling Identities Have A Long, Convoluted History

More than color-changes and fluctuations in height, the defining feature of Hulk's evolution in Marvel lore has been the ever-shifting relationship between Bruce Banner and the Hulk. Initially, Hulk was a monster that Banner turned into, and the scientist sought to "cure" himself of his gamma-induced affliction. As he became more heroic, the goal changed. Banner wanted to control his Hulk powers.

The early idea was a trade-off, a Faustian bargain of sorts, a monkey's paw situation. Upon transforming, Bruce Banner became the most powerful being on Earth, but at the cost of his considerable intellect. As the character developed, though, Hulk was revealed to be a distinct personality. This is when the feud between Hulk and Banner truly began.

The current status of their feud? More complicated than ever. Marvel's latest Hulk comic redefined the nature of their relationship once more, reimagining Bruce Banner as a prisoner in the nightmarish "Hulkscape" that Marvel has revealed exists inside the character. Hulk has gone full body horror, and Banner is the one on the losing end.

The Birth Of The Infernal Hulk Is A Major Paradigm Shift

Hulk Flatline cover art Bruce is hulking out and smashing

It's fair to call Bruce Banner and the Hulk each other's greatest antagonists in Marvel Comics lore. No adversary they've faced, no matter how great, has caused as much damage to either as the other. Yet their antagonist is also punctuated by frequent reconciliations. One just occurred in the final issue of The Incredible Hulk Volume 6.

Which was immediately followed by Banner being ripped from Hulk's body, and the Hulk subsequently being possessed by a powerful primordial force, transforming into the demonic Infernal Hulk. Assuming Bruce Banner and Hulk will eventually be reunited, it will be exciting to find out what the next stage of their often-volatile relationship is going to be.

Incredible Hulk Last Call Comic Art by Dave Keown

Hulk Created By Stan Lee, Jack Kirby First Appearance The Incredible Hulk (1962) Alias Robert Bruce Banner Alliance Avengers, Defenders, Horsemen of Apocalypse, Fantastic Four, Pantheon, Warbound, S.M.A.S.H., Secret Avengers Franchise Marvel

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