Hulk’s Character Development: From Monster to Hero

Hulk Character Development: Hero vs Monster | Evolution in Marvel Comics

5 to 7 min read

When it comes to comic book characters few are as iconic as the Hulk. That's because he's a green temper tantruming vandal. He was created by the comic book legends Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in 1962, but has made a few evolutionary changes since—his first colour was a creepy grey, and he had more in common with Wednesday Addams than The Avengers. But who is the Hulk today? What makes him such a compelling character?

The central theme of The Incredible Hulk is contrasts, not too dissimilar to that of Dr. Jekyll and Hyde. Likewise, we have the brilliant scientist: Bruce Banner, a man with a calling to understanding the mysteries of the world and his contrasting counterpart, a super monster man with the IQ of guinea pig. An entire age of sage rage from this not so jolly green giant; he is a monster but he can't be seen as a victorian murderer, like what we see with the rage of Mister Hyde. He's a good monster, right? F*** off he is! 😂

The way Hulk/Banner interact within the confines of the same person can be interesting, but it isn't though is it? 

Bruce Banner's like the nerdy kid at school who is, to be fair, quite well mannered but boring. You know, until they sort go full-on toadlicked warriortard before kicking the shit out of any poor bully who makes a move? Every male, from teen to seniority always imagine soft hanging things in excruciatingly tight confines when the skinny guy turns green and triples in size. Yes, the clothes remain the same size but burst, withering away under the pressure of green expansion, but the jeans hold well. Whats not expanding? No wonder he's angry. Massive and defined by unparalleled muscular prowess but, well, look, its like a grown man being able to run around comfortably in a childs underpants without bursting a bollock, no pulling or pain. 

Hulk has beef with Banner because he's in proportion, if you know what I mean? The green drama is all an over compensating performance because he's insecure and threatened by Banner. Bruce Banner can charm and date a woman, even try it with Betty or Scarlet, that Black Widow. He can hold a conversation because of his superiour intelligence, while Hulk, clearly sounds like a caveman. Come on, the rage monster thing is just a smoke screen. Has his primordial savagery de-bowelled, decapitated, quartered innocent children, women or old people? Why have we never seen him covered in the blood of his kills? Chains of nutsacks strung around his neck? Why doesn't he practice territorial pissing or other primordial animalistic shows of dominance? He's only a vandal. He smashes stuff, then runs away from authority. 

The Hulk's power in print, is almost limitless! He's ridiculous strong, but what's insane, is he becomes more godlike as his anger grows! The bloke lifted a mountain and jumped across cities, but still, he never kills anyone! The movie versions dropped that nonsense. Hulk was afraid and had limits and thats great! However, he is still a prick, because the US military still have to struggle with him whenever he has a dramatic meltdown. Hulk is like a selective natural disaster, no danger to the populace, its purely economic damage to the country. 

For a moment imagine this incredible sulk is factual. Get gritty, realistic. Hulk gets lusty, not worth thinking about. If he is a monster would he eat human flesh as opposed to casually ordering food from Greggs? You would have to judge his actions, and the interventions the authorities are forced to take. When you follow the genius of 'The Boys' the Hulk really does stand out as a bullshit PR branded hero who isn't what he seems. What would truth seeker news report after he halves a man using only his bare hands before throwing the soggy meat at a pensioner and her yorkshire terrier? That's the crux of it, when you look at a real rage monster properly. I doubt I'm alone here. Hulk is one or the other. Not both. There really is a monster here or just an expensive tantrum. 

Look, whenever alien shit kicks off, he plays his part and saves countless many human lives, but the shitbag works with the army and police!! The bastard always goes against them normally so he knows better. He's a very naughty boy. The writers should, in these scenarios, make this creature a controlled or manipulated monster at the very least. He can fall into being portrayed as a poorly designed accidental hero type monster. Ill defined. The pitbull will protect it's owners children by chewing the neighbour kids arm off. Hulk is a labrador. 

Bruce Banner and the Hulk remind me of my bipolarity, going on the shifts in mental state alone. I can sympathise with Bruce Banner! Bipolar rage is also a real danger and even though my eyes remain brown, I could hurl car at someones house.  However, if I was a super villain-like enemy or a comic writer, I would make Hulk very angry with himself, promote self destructive tendencies and watch hulk smash himself. The green guy could not save himself from self obliteration—his own gimmick is rage. 

Even though Hulk's a fictional character, the issues he raises are very real. No they're not, no one smashes buildings down because they're put out. Well. . . maybe Adele. Why would we need to deal with a rage rescuer? A savage saviour? A primordial protector of people, it makes little sense. He's reduced to a muscular vandal with bad hair. How do we balance the need to protect society with the rights of a human being, cursed to be a walking maelstrom of power?

We might recognise that this quagmire is neither very good nor bad. I find it quite shite because its like edging, nothings going to come of it. We are led to pity Bruce Banner who lives as the tormented bearer of the guilt of smashing property and screaming at people. He's challenged with a Jekyll and Hyde type dilemma, but fuck me: it's time to do this properly! 

In some ways, 'The Incredible Hulk' can be seen as a metaphor for some kind of human condition. That's why I never wanted to play as this character when I was a child: I much prefered Superman or Luke Skywalker. Anyone else really. I mean, who wants to pretend to be the hero with cognitive impairment? 

Bruce Banner's emotional struggles were a constant theme in that show in the eighties. At the end of each episode the poor bastard walked away, sad and alone, while the most upsetting piano outro music left viewers miserable. 

Be that as it is, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Many truths would escape the story of a mountain throwing rage monster, which is, I repeat, for all intent and purposes, framed as a superhero. In Age of Ultron, for example, the green dude rampaged the city; cars are crushed (all empty of course) and our intrepid hero, booted a police vehicle into two police officers with such an impact that should've killed them—that's my point. 

This Hulk bloke has the potential to be a dream character, but at the moment, he's pretty much either a badly designed hero or a cheap villain with muscles. He's a cognitively impaired He-Man. Make him a monster or give it up.