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Overanalyzing Anime
Blog Owner & Lead Writer
For this series I’ll be taking an in depth look at each of the original Avengers by analyzing both their stories before Avengers: Endgame, but also how their respective stories end.
Click here for the full list so far!
Needless to say – SPOILERS follow.
The next Avenger on my list is Doctor Bruce Banner: AKA The Incredible Hulk.
Alright, this one is a real doozy. As we all know, during the events of Avengers: Infinity War Bruce was at odds with his beefy alter-ego. While Hulk was in control when Thanos and the Black order first attacked the Asgardians while searching for the Infinity Stone that Loki had in his possession. Hulk was the first to exchange fisticuffs with the Mad Titan, though he suffered a devastating defeat as Thanos took him down with seemingly little effort. After that exchange, Heimdall used the last of his energy to summon the Bifrost and send Hulk back to Earth to warn them of the impending attack. Upon arriving on Earth, Hulk quickly reverted back to Dr. Banner and, for the rest of the film (aside from a few partial transformations) he remained dormant and we never saw him again. right?
I mean, after Hulk screamed “no!” at Bruce, and Bruce responded with, “screw you, you big green asshole!” I can’t think of another instance wherein we see the Hulk again.
“Umm, but Hulk was clearly in Avengers: Endgame,”you might say.
To which I say..
Since his introduction into the MCU - I’m talking way back when Edward Norton was in the role - the Hulk has always been described as another entity that lived within Dr. Banner. In Avengers, Ruffalo’s Banner repeatedly refers to the Hulk as “the other guy” and whenever the Hulk is subsequently mentioned it is always spoken about as if it is its own person. Even the Hulk speaks about himself as being something different than Banner - as he calls Thor one of Banner’s friends in Thor: Ragnarok. Even if we, for whatever reason, considered nothing before Avengers: Infinity War as cannon, that movie still makes it clear that Bruce and the Hulk are two separate entities because the two literally speak to one another; and not in some sort of dialogue that happens within Banner’s mind, but by the Hulk literally transforming, speaking, and then reverting back to Banner.
Don’t get me wrong, I completely understand the science behind the fact that the Hulk is not really its own being; he is simply the result of Bruce being exposed to a botched version of the Super Soldier Serum and crazy amounts of Gamma Radiation. He is, scientifically speaking, Bruce Banner - nothing more, nothing less (obviously he’s more, but still). If we were to get into the psychological aspect of it all, the hulk would be the physical manifestation of Bruce Banner’s Id.
However, understanding the science of it does little to change the fact that, for all intents and purposes, Hulk had always been his own person - and now that Bruce’s mind is in full control of the Hulks body, where does that leave the character we had grown so fond of over the last few years? I don’t have access to a poll, so i can really only speak from my own perspective, but I didn’t particular care for this version of the Hulk.
It’s not as though I liked seeing Dr. Banner struggle with the Hulk for dominance or anything like that - in all honesty, finding out that he seemingly lost close to half a decade on Sakaar because the Hulk was in control seemed, honestly, depressing. It’s as though he was in a coma for four years, but worse, because someone was still out there using his body the entire time. I mean, they played it for laughs in Thor: Ragnarok but that’s a pretty raw deal.
However, the same can be said for the Hulk - who’s only allowed any genuine semblance of freedom when it comes time to fight. Hulk isn’t invited to hangout with the other Avengers when they have parties, such as in Avengers: Age of Ultron, nor does he have any real choice as to when he gets to come out of get put back in his cage. He’s used by Bruce and the other Avengers for years and, that too, is a pretty raw deal.
“For years, I’ve been treating the Hulk like he’s some kind of disease. Something to get rid of. But then I started looking at him as the cure. 18 months in a Gamma lab... I put the brains and the brawn together and now look at me. Best of both worlds.”
With my feelings towards their volatile relationship being what they are, one might think that I would like the new relationship presented in Avengers: Endgame, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. While the Hulk’s form is clearly present throughout the film, there's nothing else about the Hulk that theres. It’s just Bruce. There are no moments where, say, some remnant of the Hulks personality shines through - like, perhaps, Bruce gets frustrated with something and glowers or growls like the Hulk might have, or maybe if he behaved more childishly as the Hulk did in Thor: Ragnarok. Something, besides the body, that showed us that the Hulk we got to know over the last decade was still in there to some extent. But we got nothing - nothing at all; which means that the Hulk is dead.
I know, I know - it sounds dramatic; especially with actual deaths like Natasha’s and Tony’s in this film. However, while it may sound overly dramatic, it doesn’t really make it any less true. The Hulk, as we had gotten to know him over the last decade - especially in Thor: Raganrok - is dead; or, at the very least, has been wholly absorbed by Bruce. And, honestly, that really sucks.
BB-Hulk (as I’m going to start referring to him from this point), while interesting, is just nothing compared to the Hulk we had gotten to know on Saakar. I hate to say it, but BB-Hulk just doesn’t have the charisma and charm that Hulk has; in fact - and this is just my own opinion - he comes off as kind of a smug a-hole. This is going to sound weird, so I’m going to ask that you bare with me, but his transformation is very reminiscent of Hal Stewart in Megamind. He was a normal, dorky guy who was suddenly given incredible powers and he let it go to his head. I’m not saying BB-Hulk is anywhere near as bad as Tighten, but I can’t help but notice the similarities in the difference between Dr. Banner and BB-Hulk. While I can appreciate the fact that he feels more confident as BB-Hulk, it just seems like he has a smugness about him that wasn’t there before. But, I digress.
For as much as I don’t care for BB-Hulk, I cannot deny the fact that it is an interesting idea. As i said before, the Hulk was the physical manifestation of Bruce’s Id, but by spending a year and a half trying to better understand Hulk (or, rather, himself) he was able to transform the Hulk from the monster within him into the guardian that would protect him; fundamentally turning the green beast from the manifestation of his Id to manifestation of his Superego, which is, pretty cool.
Not only that, he was able to completely change the public opinion of the Hulk. No longer a monster to be feared, BB-Hulk was a celebrity that children felt comfortable approaching for selfies and autographs. It’s an interesting switch from who he was at the start of his journey, and while the trip wasn’t without its losses, its nice to see the best possible version of Bruce in (what may possible be) his final outing in the MCU.
Be sure to leave a comment telling me your thoughts and stay tuned for my next post which will focus on Thor, the God of Thunder!
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