Marvel Comics' Hulk has never been an out right superhero, not really. Even in-universe, he’s treated more as a cautionary tale than he’s respected. He’s the ever-living proof of what happens when you let your rage take over.

Even at his strongest moments of clarity, the fear and fury that he tries to repress are still a prominent feature of the character. There’s a core of terror to him, rooted in his very conception. And it’s when the character embraces that element that the concept really shines. Because at the end of the day, the Hulk is scary.

Is He Man Or Monster… Or Both?

Bruce Banner first appeared in Incredible Hulk #1, dated May of 1962, credited to Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. And from those first days, there’s been a core of horror to him. Stan Lee said as much when discussing the creation of the character.

VIA: Immortal Hulk #1 (Ewing, Bennett)

Recounting the creation of the character in the Origins of Marvel Comics, Lee said ‘I've always had a soft spot in my heart for the Frankenstein monster. No one could ever convince me that he was the bad guy. He never wanted to hurt anyone; he merely groped his torturous way through a second life trying to defend himself, trying to come to terms with those who sought to destroy him. I decided I might as well borrow from Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde as well—our protagonist would constantly change from his normal identity to his superhuman alter ego and back again.”

RELATED: The Immortal Hulk Is Now Smarter Than Bruce Banner

Beyond the psychological changes brought on by his transformation, it’s worth remembering how terrible the actual first moments must be for Banner. When Bruce Banner is first bombarded by gamma rays, it’s not a big bold splash page or crazy transformation like Kirby had done in the past. It’s Bruce Banner, consumed in an eerie light, screaming in pain. It’s not triumphant, even though he just saved Rick Jones. It’s not portrayed as a noble act. It’s treated as an absolutely horrifying moment, recalling Kirby’s earlier monster comics more than his work on Captain America.

VIA: Incredible Hulk #1 (Lee, Kirby)

From the start, the character had the duality of Frankenstein and Dr. Jekyll encoded into his creation, a mix of a sad beast and a mad monster. Lee’s comparison to Frankenstein harkens to the 1931 Frankenstein film by Universal Studios. There, a lumbering green giant didn’t want people to mess with him, but he kept being forced to become the monster they all saw him as. If that sounds familiar, it’s because it’s literally most Hulk stories. Especially when he’s in superhero mode, the Hulk reflects more of this Frankenstein aspect than the classic Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde narrative. Still a character based in horror, but one that embraced that more innocent interpretation over his more frightening roots.

Page 2: [valnet-url-page page=2 paginated=0 text='%27The%20Other%20Guy%27%20Concept%20is%20Straight-Up%20Horror']



It’s that secondary idea, again stemming from the original Hulk comics, that keeps him firmly planted in the world of horror. Because like with the eventual events of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the transformation into a grey (then green)(then about nine other colors but let’s skip those) Hulks isn’t something Banner does by choice. There’s no thing ring to do its thing. Banner transforms against his will. Think about how terrible that is, how frightening that can be. Or just go watch the transformation scene from the MCU’s forgotten redheaded child, The Incredible Hulk.

Banner groans in pain as his body expands. His muscles increase, and his mind simplifies things. He’s not himself anymore; he’s the other guy now. But more than the transformations, Lee and Kirby also cribbed the changing personality of the Hulk from Robert Louis Stevenson’s book.

RELATED: It’s Official: An Alpha Flight Member Dies In Immortal Hulk #4 (But It’s Complicated)

VIA: Incredible Hulk #1 (Lee, Kirby)

There was a personality change when the transformation took place, a shift away from the scientist who threw himself in the way of danger to save a teenager he never knew. He becomes quick tempered and prone to violent outbursts. Lois Gresh and Robert Weinberg describe the Hulk as the “dark, primordial side of Banner's psyche” in their book The Science of Superheroes, and they’re not far off. Like Dr. Jekyll, the transformation unleashes something dark from the back of Bruce Banner’s mind, from his very soul. And it reveals itself to be something horrible. While some writers have explored the mental health of Bruce Banner to explain the ferocity hidden in his soul, others (like Ewing) just make it part of his soul. Something foul and twisted in him that the Hulk brings out.

The Hulk was straight up a few seconds from killing Rick Jones in that moment, and it's only the sun that saves him. He is immediately on board to become a super villain. And that was in his first appearance.

While he would eventually become the more friendly and slow-witted version of the character, the original version of the Hulk would transform every night and become something more hateful than Banner realized he had in him. And no matter what he does, he can’t escape his transformation into that thing. The Hulk who is a monster. No matter what he does or what happens to him, Banner just keeps turning into the other guy.

Maestro is what happens when it gets fully loose and gets the freedom to do what it wants i.e. destroy everything. Joe Fixit comes out and revels in the power of being the Hulk, and the freedom it gives him to do whatever he likes. Even when the character seemingly hit his personal peak in his Professor Hulk form, there was still his transformations into a feral Bruce Banner. The darkness in him is something the Hulk can never truly escape. It’s in his DNA.

Page 3: [valnet-url-page page=3 paginated=0 text='The%20Immortal%20Hulk%20Brings%20the%20Horror%20to%20the%20Surface']



Look at what Al Ewing and Joe Bennet are doing on Immortal Hulk. After being resurrected for the umpteenth time, Bruce Banner has come to the pretty obvious conclusion: he can’t die. Every time he does, the other guy will just walk it off. But instead of his traditional “HULK SMASH!” whenever the green giant breaks loose, now it’s quiet, mean rampages. Because that’s what separates this Hulk from the version you’ll see in Avengers. His rage is premeditated, it’s focused. He’s cruel. By accepting that darkness intrinsically tied to the character, Ewing has made the Hulk a true horror character – and he’s never been better.

REALTED: Bruce Banner Struggles With His Immortality – and Hulk’s Lack of Morality

VIA: Immortal Hulk #1 (Ewing, Bennett)

It makes the Hulk the awful impulse we all have made flesh. He gets mad, and he takes it out on someone without ever once even considering the repercussions. His actions have been cruel and premeditated. Yes, on arguably deserving targets, but they were still vindictive actions. He left a man in a coma, barely breathing. He trapped an immortal at the bottom of a mountain. In Immortal Hulk #3, he destroyed a man’s car just because he annoyed him. He’s petty. He’s cruel. Even when he’s avenging the death of a twelve year old girl, he’s got a terrifying grin plastered across his face. This is a Hulk that knows what it is, and loves being it.

It’s a monster. It’s not a goofy super hero character. It’s a devil made flesh, that nothing can stop. What’s scarier than that? Hell, what’s more compelling than that? Because at the end of the day, this isn’t a story about Bruce Banner trying to keep the Hulk at the bay. It never has been, not really.

It’s always been about Bruce Banner and what happens when the other guy gets out.

VIA: Immortal Hulk #1 (Ewing, Bennett)

Immortal Hulk #5, written by Al Ewing with art by Joe Bennett, is set to be released September 5th.