Request made by BiggerG : "Poll,you should do a thing on Hulks different colors/aliases/and personalities"
Who is the Hulk?
The Hulk is the alter ego of Bruce Banner, a scientist working on a gamma bomb. During a test run on the bomb he noticed a young boy on the test range. He rushed out into the test site and heroically pushed the boy into the protective trench, saving him from the blast. As a result, Bruce was exposed to extreme amounts of gamma radiation that altered his DNA structure, causing him to become a monster of incredible power whenever he became angry. His sometimes girlfriend, Betty Ross, seems to be the only thing to calm the Hulk back into Banner form, and he is often pursued by her father, General Thunderbolt Ross, who seeks to stop the Hulk's rampages, hoping to bring the Hulk to justice or destroy him altogether. Because of this, Bruce is often on the run, trying to find a cure for his problem and keep calm as much as he can.
What are his Powers and Abilities?
Note: Due to the nature of comicbooks his powers along with his appearance, is in a constant state of flux. Below is a list of powers and abilities he had, whether this is still true in his present incarnation in any media remains to be seen.
The Hulk is one of the most powerful beings in the universe since his powers increase with his rage, because of that he is capable of matching the power of beings like Thor and Silver Surfer.
Transformation: The process by which Banner usually transforms into the Hulk is presumably the result of a chemical catalyst, like adrenaline or could be a psychological trigger.
Superhuman Strength: The Hulk possesses the capacity for vast levels of physical strength.
Superhuman Speed: Regardless of his size, Hulk's super humanly strong legs allow him to run at speeds that are far beyond the natural physical limits of even the finest human athlete.
Superhuman Stamina: The Hulk's body counteracts fatigue poisons that build up in his muscles during physical activity. In an enraged state, he is capable of exerting himself at peak physical capacity for several days before fatigue begins to affect him.
Superhuman Durability: In addition to great strength, the Hulk's body possesses a high degree of resistance to injury. The Hulk's skin is impervious to conventional blades, adamantium and vibranium being amongst the very few metals that are truly capable of piercing his skin. The Hulk is capable of withstanding high caliber bullets, explosives, pressures extremes, falls from orbital heights, just to name a few.
Regenerative Healing Factor: Despite his high resistance to physical harm, it is possible to cause the Hulk injury. However, he is capable of regenerating damaged or destroyed areas of his body with far greater speed and efficiency than an ordinary human.
Resistance to Psychic Control: In many instances, the Hulk has demonstrated great psychic resistance as a side-effect of his rage and the multiple personalities inside his mind.
Immunity to Diseases and Viruses: The Hulk is immune to all known Earth-based diseases and viruses. He can operate under intense conditions for extended periods of time due to his body not developing fatigue toxins quickly.
Superhuman Leaping Ability: The Hulk is able to use his highly developed leg muscles to leap great distances. While calm, he is capable of leaping roughly 3 miles. However, as he becomes enraged, his strength increases considerably, which means he can jump much farther than usual. On more than one occasion, the Hulk has nearly jumped into orbit.
Adaptation to Hostile Environments: There have been several instances in the past where Hulk has not only spent extended periods of time in oxygen-less outer space without suffocating, but he has also moved his mouth and spoken in these environments. The Hulk's body is capable to adapt itself to new inhospitable environments whenever it is necessary.
Underwater Breathing: The Hulk has been seen on the ocean floor a number of times so that he is capable to breathe due to his body developing a gland which creates an oxygenated perfluorocarbon emulsion which fills his lungs and equalizes the pressure.
Astral Form Perception: The Hulk has the unique ability of being able to see "astral forms"--or ghosts.
Gamma Radiation/Energy Manipulation and Emission: Not usually a power associated with the Hulk, but there is enough evidence that Hulk possesses at least a limited ability to manipulate forms of energy, particularly gamma radiation. The Hulk's body works like a "gamma battery" by creating and radiating gamma energy.
Who are the Different Incarnations of the Hulk?
Bruce Banner suffers from "multiple personality disorder", which stems from the abuse he suffered as a child. The Hulk has many incarnations, each representing a different aspect of Banner's psyche; there are hundreds or possibly thousands of other Hulk personalities, but only a few major versions have been seen to date.
1. Gray Hulk
The original Hulk was gray in his first appearance. Stan Lee, the Hulk's co-creator, intended to make the Hulk's skin gray, but since the printers of that time (1962) did a mediocre job with that color, he changed it to green. Though many writers then on tried to explain the color change, and hence we get the different personalities and incarnations of the Hulk.
2. Savage Hulk
The most well-known personality of Hulk, he has childlike levels of intelligence and curiosity, he longs for friendship and love, and is prone to violent fits of rage. The Savage Hulk is usually unaware that he is actually Banner, whom he sees as a different person and an enemy. This personality is stronger than most.
3. Mr.Joe Fixit
This identity lacks Bruce Banner's scientific knowledge and intellect, but Mr. Fixit is exceptionally clever and crafty, with selfish motives and desires, with a similar knack to violence. His height and original strength level are lower than those of the Savage Hulk.
4. Merged Savage and Gray Hulk
After the Heroes return storyline there appeared Hulk with that merges the Savage and Gray Hulk personae. This happened when Banner had control over the Hulk's personality after using his Gamma Projector. This Hulk persona displayed the cunning intellect of the Gray Hulk and the raw power of the Savage Hulk
5. Merged Bruce Banner, Savage and Gray Hulk
This Merged Hulk demonstrated aspects of Banner's intelligence, Joe Fixit's cunning, and the Savage Hulk's size and strength. The Merged Hulk was an associate and leader of the team of superheroes called the Pantheon. Despite his exaggerated musculature, the Merged Hulk had a relatively normal looking face, resembling that of Banner.
6. The Professor
The Professor personality though similar to the Merged Hulk was a separate personality altogether like Fixit or Savage Hulk. The Professor is the representation of Banner's ideal self. He distinguishes himself from other incarnation by having a pony tail. The Professor is the largest of the three primary Hulk incarnations and he also possesses a higher base strength level. While in a calm emotional state, the Professor is capable of lifting about 100 tons. However, unlike the other Hulk incarnations, Bruce Banner subconsciously installed a type of safeguard within the Professor. When the Professor's anger reaches a certain level, he will transform back into Bruce Banner, though with the mind and personality of the Savage Hulk. Due to this safeguard, the Professor is ultimately the weakest of the three primary Hulk incarnations despite being the physically largest.
7. Maestro
The Maestro is a version of the Hulk from a future timeline when he has conquered mankind after it had already been brought to the brink of extinction through nuclear warfare. The Maestro's green skin is darker than that of the other green skinned incarnations, and his hair is gray and balding on top. Due to the increased radiation from nuclear fall-out, the Maestro is significantly stronger than the Merged Hulk, and his strength still increases with rage, making him more powerful still. The Maestro's base strength level is considerably greater than that of the other primary Hulk incarnations, including his younger self. The Maestro's body absorbed the ambient radiation of the nuclear fallout, dramatically increasing his strength. While calm, the Maestro can lift well over 100 tons.
8. Mindless Hulk
This identity showed itself when Banner's influence has been completely removed. He has a bestial look and his intellect is that of a primitive human, but he is capable of showing complex emotions like love or friendship.
9. War
Taken by Apocalypse, the hulk submitted to the Villains offer of removing his mental and emotional vulnerability. Using celestial technology Apocalypse transformed Hulk into his horseman, War.
10. Guilt Hulk
Known as "The Beast", the Guilt Hulk is another of Bruce Banner's personae, though this one created by his regret. The Guilt Hulk originally manifested itself in Banner's mind as his father and tormented him by forcing him to relive memories of his traumatic childhood. Eventually, the Guilt Hulk was defeated by Banner himself. The Guilt Hulk later returned after Betty's death, albeit much more powerful because of Banner's emotionally fractured state. After beating the Professor and Joe Fixit, the Guilt Hulk was eventually put down after the Savage Hulk joined forces with his other incarnations; Banner believes it has been destroyed. Due to its monstrous size, the Guilt Hulk was physically very powerful. It also possessed claws and spikes all over its body. The Guilt Hulk also showed the ability to breathe fire on one occasion.
11. Devil Hulk
Malevolent and destructive, this identity is kept submerged deep within Banner's psyche, but it's constantly struggling to escape and take over. He broke the psychic chains that restrained him, increasing the possibility of his manifesting physically.
12. Green Scar
Green Scar is a cunning and more powerful version than the previous incarnations. His rage is at its most focused, due to meditation training by his ally Hiroim. This incarnation has extremely high durability. He has had training in combat arms, including broadswords, spears, and battle shields, and is a capable leader and strategist. Another source of the Green Scar's strength in comparison to other versions was his lack of inner conflict, if not alliance, with Bruce Banner.
13. Wendihulk
On a storyline involving wendigos Bruce Banner, Grey Hulk persona was bitten by a wendigo later he transfomred into the "Wendihulk" who ends up attacking his other heroes present at that time. The heroes managed to cure Hulk and drive away the Wendigos
14. Dark Hulk
The Dark Hulk is a manifestation of an entity that took control of the Hulk. Bruce battles for control of the Hulk. Dr. Strange joins Namor against the Dark Hulk and lures him back to his sanctum, where the entity is sucked back into its own dimension.
15. Captain Universe Hulk
Captain Universe, suffering from memory and power loss, bonds with Bruce Banner and recruits him to assist in finding the scientist who knows the most about the uni-power.
16. Blue Hulk
This Hulk was given a "water breather elixir" by a scientist of Atlantis, the side effect of this elixir was his skin turned blue.
There's probably a lot more, I didn't consider versions outside the 616 universe. (Though you have to pardon me, because to be honest I'm not really familiar with half of the version of hulks here, so whether they are part of the main continuity, is up to the bigger geeks out there to determine. Visit the comment section for any corrections and additions in this article.)
Live Versions
1. The Incredible Hulk (TV series)
The Hulk in this series was far inferior to the Hulk from the comics (he had no bulletproof skin and was only strong enough to smash down doors, walls and hold a car compressor). The show ran from 1978 to 1982. Hulk was played by Lou Ferrigno
2. Hulk (2003)
Hulk here and later reiterations are all computer generated. This version unlike the one in the comics grows larger as he gets angrier.
3. Incredible Hulk (2008)
This is sort of a soft reboot from the previous adaptation. A whole new casts are involved, and the setting of the story is patterned from the TV show. The Hulk here is a closer representation from the comics.
4.Avengers (2012)
Mark Ruffalo will take over Edward Norton who was portraying Hulk's Alter Ego, Bruce Banner in the previous movie. This would be in continuity with The Incredible Hulk(2008). It is reported that the Hulk's face will resemble that of Ruffalo's. (Which makes me think of the Professor Hulk above, So, I'm hypothesizing that this new version might have Banner's intellect, which I think will give us fans something different to watch).
sources: http://marvel.wikia.com/Robert_Bruce_Banner_(Earth-616): http://www.incredible-hulk-library.com/superhero-library/incredible-hulk/incredible-hulk-incarnations.aspx: http://spider-bob.com/heroes/marvel/HulkII.htm
Everytime Hulk smashes its always fun for us fans
This is the 7th article in my Comic Book History series. Any requests and suggestions for an article for this series write it down in the comment section BELOW.
Note: Any error in the article above, if any, just blame it on my age, humanity and ignorance. Just be sure to check the comment section for the corrections, any error I made will surely be pointed out and corrected by much bigger geeks (because there will always be a bigger geek out there). -This has been PollMaster inviting you to the geekside.