After so many other superheros have dominated the box office and the world in general over the years (superman, Batman and Spider-Man), one character has somehow fallen off the radar and has not been receiving his well deserved recognition. So I've compiled a few points that will help people remember why this character is one of the best. And in case you've been living under a rock for decades and don't know who he is, let me give you a hint. He's mean, he's green and you'll have a 0% chance of surviving and would probably get punched so hard, heaven and hell would merge together if you got him angry. He is the HULK.
1)HULK IS ONE OF THE MOST LAYERED CHARACTERS IN COMIC BOOK HISTORY.
Both Marvel and DC have many interesting and layered characters which we've all come to love. Most of these characters are three-dimensional characters (which is a good thing) but Bruce Banner is much more layered. Without Bruce Banner's mind, Hulk would probably go insane and without the the Hulk in Banner, Bruce would feel like he just lost his foot. But in reality, he is so layered that it would be extremely difficult (almost impossible) to add all the aspects of his personality into one solo film. To be honest, I think it would take a seven hour film to accomplish this. Without the Hulk, Bruce would feel like he just lost a foot and without Bruce's mind, the Hulk would have no compassion at all. Both of them are important.
Batman has always been known to be very brooding character who rarely smiles. Tony Stark is known to be an arrogant wise-cracking playboy while Bruce Banner has evolved constantly since his his first appearance in 1962.
He's been a mentally and emotionally unstable character (as he was Ang Lee's Hulk)
A desperate and love-struck fugitive (as he was in Edward Norton's Incredible Hulk)(One of my favorite CBMs ever)
And finally, a wary and humerous scientist (Played by Mark Ruffalo in The Avengers).
Fans all over the world have a specific stage of Bruce's evolution that they are used to. Some people only see Bruce as a quiet fugitive while others see him as a charismatic kind of guy. I have personally enjoyed all portrayals of the character. In fact, I don't like comparing their portrayals. Comparing them would be like comparing arrogant Thor to the humble hero he later became. As I said before, its slow change of character. Here are a few of my favorite Bruce Banner scenes.
2)HULK IS A HERO OF OPPORTUNITY.
The Hulk may be a lot of things but he isn't exactly what most people would call a superhero. And that's one of the things I love about him. If you take notice, Bruce Banner has intentionally unleashed the monster twice on the big screen. The first time was when The Abomination was destroying Harlem and murdering innocent people in an attempt to lure out the Hulk. Bruce realizes that The Hulk is the only person who can stop his murderous rampage so he jumps off a helicopter in hopes that he will transform. Thankfully it works. By the end of the movie, Bruce is scene meditating and by the last shot, it is revealed that Bruce is able to summon the Hulk at will when his eyes turn green and a smile appears on his face.
The second time Bruce mans up is when aliens are invading New York City. He casually walks up to an approaching ship and transforms once again. Bruce Banner isn't like spider-man or superman who would jump into a dangerous situation like a tornado. The guy is known for avoiding stress no matter what. In The Incredible Hulk movie, Bruce ignores the bullies at his work. Not because he's afraid of them, but because he's afraid what the Hulk might do. But once in a while, when he has no other choice whatsoever, Bruce would dig down deep and pull out the monster out onto the surface and let him do what he does best. SMASH!
3)WHEN HULK SPEAKS... PEOPLE LISTEN.
Hulk is a character of few words but when he does speak, it is always a highlight. Especially in the live action films. When the Hulk got up and shouted 'HULK SMASH!!!'(Incredible Hulk) my reaction was "Awesome!", when hulk said 'TAKE IT ALL!!!' (Ang Lee's Hulk) I was like "wow" and when Hulk said 'Puny god' (Avengers) I thought, "badass".
3)BRUCE BANNER WILL NEVER BE TRULY HAPPY.
This may not necessarily be a reason why the Hulk is great but this sad fact makes the character much more unique. I can imagine most superheroes having a happy ending but not Bruce Banner. Everyday he takes a walk outside he knows he is risking the life of the people around him, every time he sleeps he has nightmares of the destruction the Hulk created. He may show a smile here and there but behind it lurks misery. His brain is a container of torment. The fact that he he hurt his true love Betty Ross (TIH) is something that he'll never forgive himself for.
There are many things I could mention but I think I've said enough for now. The Hulk is a being not to be messed with. He is a monster with a heart. Whenever he has made an impact, you can hear his roar from a long distance.
Sound off below and Fly High!