Hulk

"You're not the stupid Avenger. Nobody calls you the stupid Avenger." "It's okay." "You just can't go around throwing shields at people, you could have killed me." "I know, I'm sorry! I just get so angry all the time! Hulk always... always angry."

- Thor and Hulk

Robert Bruce Banner, M.D., Ph.D is a renowned scientist in the fields of, , and Gamma Radiation. He is one of the scientists who tried to recreate the Super Soldier Serum which originated Captain America in World War II, but when an exposure to high levels of Gamma Radiation instead of Vita Radiation went awry, the mild-mannered scientist found himself plagued with a peculiar condition; when angered or provoked, he would transform into the huge rage-fueled and nearly mindless green-skinned monster known as Hulk.

Fearful of the damage that Hulk could inflict, Banner chose to live a discreet life in remote parts of the world, working to cure the sick and help the poor while trying to elude those who would take advantage of his ability to change into the enormous green menace.

When a mounting threat called for Banner's specialized scientific expertise, S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Nick Fury recruited him, knowing full well that the incredible strength of Banner's alter ego, Hulk, would be an additional asset to the Avengers. After the Avengers split up, he became good friends with Tony Stark and was also given the freedom to live in the world without being hunted down.

After the HYDRA Uprising, the Avengers regrouped to battle the growing threat of HYDRA. To make it so that the Earth could be safe without constantly needing the Avengers to protect it, Banner assisted Stark in creating Ultron, an artificial intelligence. The AI quickly turned against them, trying to cause the extinction of humanity. Hulk helped in the fight against Ultron and decided to go off the grid after the team successfully defeated him. In his exile, Hulk somehow left Earth and crash landed on the planet Sakaar, where the stressful environment prevented him from regressing into Banner, causing him to remain in Hulk form for two years.

On Sakaar, he became a gladiator for Grandmaster and was revered as a beloved champion. When Thor arrived on the planet, Hulk fought his old friend in the arena. After their fight, Hulk helped Thor and the other Revengers escape the planet, reverting to Banner in the process. In order to defeat Hela, Asgard was destroyed during Ragnarök, so Banner joined the surviving Asgardians under the rule of their new king, Thor, on their quest to Earth.

Meeting Betty Ross
Robert Bruce Banner was born on Thursday, December 18, 1969. As he grew up, he started going by his middle name. In his youth, Banner had an estranged relationship with his father, believing that he was never able to impress him.

Bruce met Betty Ross while in college, where they fell in love. At, the couple participated in an experiment involving hallucinogens. They soon graduated and moved on to Willowdale, Virginia, working together at Culver University as instructors, where Bruce specialized in, , and was a member of the Bio-science Department. During that time, he was involved in a praised work on anti-electron collisions and Gamma Radiation, becoming one of the foremost geniuses of his generation. Throughout his career, he obtained seven PhDs. Banner later met Erik Selvig, another one of the university's instructors.

Gamma Accident
Banner and Betty Ross were recruited by the United States Armed Forces to work on a top-secret research project under the guise of a research of radiation resistance, called the Bio-Tech Force Enhancement Project, a subprogram within Infantry Weapons Development. However, the project's true intention was to duplicate the results of Project Rebirth by making Super Soldiers using a combination of Bio-engineering and Gamma Radiation, replacing Abraham Erskine's original formula of Vita Radiation. The project was run under the watch of General Thaddeus Ross, the father of Banner's then girlfriend, Betty. A while later, Banner became so confident that, in order to prove his work's worth, he decided to test it upon himself, injecting a promising version of what was really a replication of the Super Soldier Serum, made along with military scientists using his radiation-resistance formula. However, wanting to impress Ross, Banner upped the dosage of the radiation. The combination of the serum and an above lethal amount of Gamma Radiation caused Bruce to undergo a violent transformation. The effects of the procedure provoked Bruce Banner to develop the alter ego, Hulk, transforming him into a giant, green-skinned, muscle-bound titan with incredible strength, but who posed very little intelligence and was driven by fits of extreme rage; however, his transformations were temporary, being sporadically triggered by the release of adrenaline when he became intensely excited or angry. An enraged, nearly mindless Hulk caused an explosion on the campus and destroyed the lab, hospitalizing his lover Betty, killing two scientists and an army officer, and crushing General Ross' arm. In the wake of the accident, the military closed the entire lab building for a year and shut down the entire Bio-Tech Force Enhancement Project. Banner tried to visit Betty while she was in the hospital, but her father made him leave. Ross admitted to Banner that the project was being developed as a weapon, not just defense, also telling him that if he refused to let the Army use Hulk for military purposes, then his troops would come after him.

Three days after the accident, Ross met Banner in the destroyed lab, offering him to take him to another workplace in Maryland. Banner refused and blamed himself for all the people he hurt, including Betty Ross. Banner ran off, hiding in the janitor's room and using the clothes available for disguise, while prompting Ross to order his troops to chase after him, only to find that Banner was gone. Now a fugitive from the United States Army, Banner went on the run.

Chase of Bruce Banner
Banner, while escaping from Thaddeus Ross' troops, hid inside a trailer, unbeknownst to the driver. When reaching the Canadian border, the driver was pulled over for a vehicle inspection. Upon opening the trailer, the border patrol officers found Banner and brought him in for questioning. Enraged, Banner transformed into Hulk and tore up the freeway, before making his way to Canada.

Eventually making his way to South America, Banner discovered a lost boy named Miguel on his travels through the jungle. He offered to help the child and take him to a nearby village for directions soon before being attacked by the criminal leader Espinoza and his men, under the impression that he was a spy working for the government. After being beaten into telling the 'truth' and confessing, Banner transformed into Hulk and destroyed the terrorist hideout.

Emil Blonsky and his team later arrived at the village discovering a path of destruction left by Hulk, whose whereabouts were still unknown.

In 2006, Banner tried to contact Betty one last time, but the email was intercepted by the military and she never received it. During his run, Banner travelled through the Dakotas and towards Idaho, where an encounter with some State Troopers led to violence.

Some time later, the scientist was spotted via satellite recon photo in Canada and Hulk was sighted by locals along the United States/Canada border, who mistook him for a “.”

Failed Suicide Attempt
"The cell was just in case-" "In case you needed to kill me, but you can't. I know! I tried! I got low. I didn't see an end so I put a bullet in my mouth, and the other guy spit it out. So I moved on, I focused on helping other people."

- Bruce Banner to the other Avengers and Nick Fury

Seeing no end to his run from Ross, Banner went up to the top of a mountain in the Arctic region of Greenland to shoot himself. He fired with his gun in his mouth but transformed into Hulk, who spat out the bullet. The enraged monster caused a quake followed by an avalanche and fell on the ice. Hulk then walked along the bottom of the ocean until he reached land.

This incident was detected by satellite, and this was the last sighting of Bruce Banner for at least five months.

Meeting Nick Fury
"No, I don't think you're gonna want to be doing that. At least I don't think the man I just met - the man inside you - wants to do that. He seemed like a decent enough guy who wouldn't want to hurt these people."

- Nick Fury to Hulk

While Banner was on the run, he visited a bar, not knowing he was being followed by Nick Fury, who was trying to find him to learn what General Thaddeus Ross' "Super-Soldier Program" did to him. He tried to earn Banner's trust by buying him a beer but he refused, saying he was "sort of a mean drunk."

Fury continued to try to gain his trust, until he eventually tried to test his abilities by making two S.H.I.E.L.D. agents appear to be dating, with one cheating on the other with Banner, which made Banner confused about the situation. Agent Peterson started to fight Banner, but Fury tried to act like he was going to help him and the disguised spy punched the Director in the face. This turned Banner into Hulk and he went on a rampage. Everyone else in the bar was surprised by his transformation. Fury tried to calm him down, but Hulk yelled at him causing nearly all of the glass in the room to shatter. Fury didn't move at all. Hulk then ran out through the wall.

Two days later, Fury called a meeting of several S.H.I.E.L.D. operatives, including Phil Coulson. He told them that Hulk was only a secondary threat.

Returning to South America
Banner wandered the world avoiding population centers, eventually returning to South America, where he would look for vascular plants that could inhibit radiation and therefore, find the key to cure his condition. On the way, he visited a Tibetan monastery, where a rug dealer got Internet access and he learned about a cellular biologist using the pseudonym "Mr. Blue", that could help him in his search.

Searching for a Cure
Banner eventually settled in the Brazilian slums of the Rocinha favela, Rio de Janeiro, working as a handyman in a soft drink bottling factory that produced Pingo Doce while attempting to find a cure for his condition, with the help of his Internet friend, "Mr. Blue". He also studied martial arts and meditative breathing techniques with an expert to help control his emotions and heart rate, and because of this, had not suffered a transformation for 158 days.

Although avoiding the daily stress, he was constantly victimized by xenophobia of his coworkers, being supported by the friendship of his colleague and neighbor Martina, also by the company of his mutt, Ricky.

The search for a cure for his condition drove Banner to study a flower described in the book "Inventory of Rare and Endangered Tracheophyta of Amazônia," and he finally received it that day. Banner contacted "Mr. Blue," to inform him of the discovery. His friend advised him to try a high dose of the component extracted from the plant, and he was able to produce a serum using homemade laboratory equipment.

Banner tried the serum on a drop of blood, and while it seemed to be successful at first, it triggered a reaction that made the cells explode. Informing "Mr. Blue" of the failure, the scientist insisted on meeting Banner in person, as living with Gamma poisoning could be more dangerous than the eventual risks of their meeting, and convinced him to send a blood sample.

A few days later, Banner received news from "Mr. Blue," that preliminary blood tests showed significant gamma reduction, but that in order to develop an appropriate antidote for Banner he would need more data. Banner realized he should return to Culver University to retrieve it.

Ambush in Rio de Janeiro
"Leave me alone..."

- Hulk

After Banner was cut while working in the factory, his blood dripped into a soda bottle where it was eventually drunk by an ill-fated consumer in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. General Ross used this incident to discover Banner's location, and sent a team to capture him, led by Russian-born British special operations expert Emil Blonsky.

General Ross and his unit located Banner's house and burst in to shoot him with tranquilizer ammo, but Banner fled through the window and momentarily hid with Martina at her house, in order to deceive the military. Blonsky and the other soldiers pursued Banner through the streets and rooftops of Rocinha, while Banner tried to slow down his heart rate to prevent his transformation.

While fleeing, Banner came across General Ross, realizing he was the man behind the chase, and also a man who almost got into a fight with him when Banner prevented him from harassing Martina earlier at the factory. This man also pursued Banner with his friends to the bottling factory in order to beat him. Blonksy located Banner in the factory and approached to witness the appearance of Hulk, as the transformation was triggered by the men beating him. Following a ferocious battle in the soft drink bottling plant, Hulk incapacitated the men and the soldiers except Blonsky, who watches the green titan in astonishment. Banner escaped from the factory and fled into the jungle, awakening in Guatemala the morning after the incident.

Going Back Home
"Stan, I give you my word. Whatever you've heard about me, it's not true."

- Bruce Banner to Stanley Lieber

Taking the advice of "Mr. Blue" to gather more information on the incident that started his transformations, in order to research a more effective cure, Banner traveled back to the United States after 17 days of losing sight of the soldiers, passing through Chiapas, Mexico, where he lived as a beggar and received alms that helped him in his journey. Upon returning home, he saw that a now-recovered Betty had continued working at Culver University and was dating psychiatrist Leonard Samson. Banner also met with his old friend Stanley Lieber, a pizzeria owner, who gave him a job as a delivery boy.

Banner used his job as delivery boy to sneak past a security guard to continue his research, but discovered that the data from his accident and the project had been deleted. After Betty visited Stanley's pizzeria and saw Banner, she later reunited with him and gave him the missing pieces of their research that she secretly held after the first ever transformation of Hulk.

Battle at Culver University
After a worried Leonard Samson informed the military of the scientist’s whereabouts, Blonsky led an assault on Banner at Culver University. The soldiers chased Banner into the library and locked him into a walkway. Ross ordered tear gas fired through the window which caused Banner to transform into Hulk. His monstrous persona jumped out the window and was attacked by the Strategic Operations Command Center. Hulk attempted to reach Betty, but the gunfire from the army angered him, causing him to fight back and destroy several Humvees. The ensuing battle outside the university proved to be futile for Ross' forces and they eventually retreat, though Emil Blonsky, whose sanity was starting to falter after injecting a new version of the Super Soldier Serum, boldly attacked and mocked Hulk. Despite with the aid of a Sonic Cannon made by Stark Industries and Blonsky's increased strength, speed and agility, Hulk destroyed the equipment and crushed most of the bones in Blonsky's body, after kicking him into a tree. Betty approached Hulk as an began firing on them. Hulk blocked the gunfire and threw a piece of debris at the helicopter, knocking it to the ground. Banner shields Ross from the explosion and escaped with her to the Smoky Mountain National Forest. After the battle, the nickname "Hulk" is reported in the media for the first time, during an interview to WHiH World News with the students Jack McGee and Jim Wilson, who were present during the conflict.

Meeting Mister Blue
"You should know that there is a flip side to this too. If we miss on the low side, if we induce me and it fails, this will be very dangerous for you." "Ha-ha-ha. Look, I've always been more curious than cautious and that's served me pretty well, so are we gonna do this?"

- Bruce Banner and Samuel Sterns

Banner and Betty hide out in a motel outside of Ashwood, North Carolina in the foothills of the Smokies. Toward New York City, they were making small stops along the way and both were located by Major Kathleen Sparr, using the locating system of S.H.I.E.L.D. They went to Grayburn College in Manhattan, having a meeting with "Mr. Blue", a resident scientist named Samuel Sterns.

Accompanying Sterns to his lab, Banner and Betty learned that Sterns had completely the possible antidote that could potentially cure Banner's condition, or merely reverse each individual transformation. However, in order to test the antidote they would have to trigger a transformation, and an underdose would prove futile and make Hulk wreak havoc again, while an overdose could kill him. Despite the risks, Banner agreed to test Sterns' antidote and was restrained and transfused with the cure mid-transformation, after being electrically induced into transforming; he was successful in returning him to normal.

Exhilarated by the success of the antidote, Sterns revealed that he has synthesized Banner's blood sample into a larger supply with the intention of using it to enhance the human condition to the next evolutionary level. Appalled by what Sterns had done and fearful of Hulk's power falling into the wrong hands, Banner attempted to convince Sterns to immediately destroy the blood supply but was shot by a tranquilizer from one of General Thaddeus Ross' snipers.

Captured
"What are you saying? You think you can control it?" "No no no, not con-not control it, but, I don't know, maybe aim it."

- Betty Ross and Bruce Banner

As both Banner and Betty Ross were taken into custody, a freshly healed Emil Blonsky, seeking Hulk's power, demanded that Samuel Sterns subject him to a transfusion of Banner's synthetic blood. Sterns warned that the combination of the Super Soldier Serum and the Gamma Radiation in the blood would be an unpredictable combination that could turn him into an "Abomination". Blonsky was less than concerned about this, and Sterns promptly administered the transfusion. As Blonsky mutated into the monstrous Abomination, he knocked Sterns aside and an irradiated sample of Banner's blood-derivative dripped into an open wound on Sterns' temple, causing his cranium to mutate and expand.

Seeking a challenge to match his new strength, Abomination went on a rampage through Harlem. Banner, realizing that he was the only one who could stop the Abomination, convinced General Thaddeus Ross to release him. He jumped from Ross' helicopter as it hovered over the city, hoping the fall would stimulate his adrenal glands into triggering a transformation. Banner's plan succeeded as he crashed on the streets.

Duel of Harlem
"Any last words?" "Hulk...SMASH!"

- Abomination and Hulk

Hulk charged toward his enemy and got speared off his feet. Hulk then smashed a police car in half and used the pieces as boxing gloves, repeatedly punching Blonsky into the pavement so hard it caused a crater. After reaching back for one more punch, Blonsky kicked him through a wall into a nearby building. Blonsky climbed the wall and Ross ordered the helicopter to open fire on him, chasing him to the roof. The helicopter chased Blonsky across the rooftops. Blonsky lunged and grabbed the helicopter just as Hulk arrived and grasped him. The helicopter crashed on a rooftop. The two faced off again and Blonsky pinned Banner against a wall and stabbed him in the chest with his exposed elbow. However, seeing Betty in danger angered Hulk and he overpowered Blonsky, slamming him into the wall just as the helicopter caught fire. Hulk thunder-clapped his hands together to blow out the fire saving Betty and Ross. Blonsky hit Hulk from behind with a concrete pillar on a high-tensile chain. Abomination turned his attention to the Ross' but Hulk smashed a large crack in the roof where Blonsky's foot got caught and the pillar hit him in the head. Banner grabbed the chain and began strangling him. Poised to deliver a final blow, he was stopped in the act of killing by the intervention of Betty. Abomination collapsed, and Hulk fled the scene with the army in hot pursuit.

Gaining Control of Hulk
Thirty-one days after his fight with Abomination, Banner arrived at Betty Ross's cabin in Bella Coola, British Columbia. He left Betty a note along with a necklace that he reclaimed after she had to sell it. After his first success in controlling Hulk, Banner now more focused on gaining control over his transformations into Hulk instead of suppressing them. Bruce entered a meditative stance, his eyes turned green as he pushed his heart rate higher and a grin appeared on his face.

Moving Countries
Banner crossed the border from Pakistan into India. An incident involving some local mercenary bandits forced him into transforming into Hulk and protecting local residents from the attempted terrorist attack.

Initiation
"It's good to meet you, Dr. Banner. Your work on anti-electron collisions is unparalleled. And I'm a huge fan of the way you lose control and turn into an enormous green rage monster." "Thanks."

- Iron Man and Bruce Banner

Banner had been working as a doctor in Kolkata, India having not transformed for over a year. He was tricked into contact with Natasha Romanoff by a little girl and was brought into the Avengers Initiative and asked to find the Tesseract.

Attack on the Helicarrier
"Target acquired. Target engaged. Target angry, target angry!"

- A pilot trying to stop Hulk's rampage After meeting and befriending members of the team on the Helicarrier, Banner and Tony Stark began research on the recently captured Scepter of Loki. He and Stark talked about the negative sides of their skills, Stark referring to the shrapnel in his heart and Banner talked about his constant fear of Hulk's destructive powers. They also talked to Steve Rogers about what Nick Fury's true intentions with the Tesseract were. As they completed their work and waited for the information, Fury arrived, demanding to know why Stark had been downloading all of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s files. At the same time Rogers arrived, having discovered HYDRA weapons powered by the Tesseract. Natasha Romanoff and Thor tried to convince Banner to remove himself from the situation as they believed he was being manipulated by Loki. When the team began to spark unnecessary arguments, Banner became so annoyed due to Loki's influence that he unintentionally picked up the Scepter. The team was able to snap him back to reality just as the computer located the Tesseract. Before Banner could inform the team of the Tesseract's whereabouts, the brainwashed Hawkeye led a team of mind-controlled soldiers into the ship and destroyed one of the engines, causing Banner and Black Widow to fall into the weapons cache room. Banner transformed unwillingly despite Romanoff's efforts to calm him down; as soon as he fully became Hulk, he saw Romanoff and gave chase. Although she managed to evade him for a long time, Hulk was able to catch up to her and throw her against a wall. Before he could kill her with another hit, he was intercepted by Thor. As Hulk's rage increased during his fight with Thor, he was able to survive direct hits from Mjølnir and throw the Asgardian across the room several times. At one point he ripped the wing off a fighter jet and hurled it at Thor. During the fight Hulk attempted to lift Mjønir, but even with his incredible strength, he was unable to move the hammer, which only increased his rage. As the fight got more more intense, Nick Fury and Maria Hill were left with no other choice than to send a fighter jet to shoot at Hulk, as they feared he would destroy the Helicarrier and kill everyone aboard. When the jet began firing at him, Hulk's enforced skin was able to deflect the bullets leaving him unharmed. Outraged by the attack Hulk roared, left Thor and leaped at the jet. He was able to rip it apart in the sky causing it to spin out of control, the pilot attempted to eject, Hulk caught him and threw him across the skyline, fortunately, the pilot survived. Hulk fell to the ground as the jet exploded. He eventually transformed back into Banner and woke up naked in a warehouse where he had crashed through the ceiling. He learned that he had been watched falling by a security guard. Banner made sure that he did not harm anybody during his crash landing, the security guard asked him if he was in fact an alien, to which Banner assured him he was not. The man then told him he had a condition, which Banner could not argue with. The security guard gave Banner some new clothes and a motorcycle and Banner made his way back to New York to assist the Avengers.

Battle of New York
"Doctor Banner, now might be a really good time for you to get angry." That's my secret Cap, I'm always angry."

- Captain America and Bruce Banner

Banner returned to fight in the battle of New York and re-teamed with the Avengers, he apologized to Romanoff for attacking her earlier. He then finally revealed his secret of keeping calm: he is always angry. Banner transformed into Hulk and took out a Leviathan with one punch, then aided the Avengers in the battle. Steve Rogers gave all the Avengers detailed orders on how to fight the Chitauri army, and turned to Hulk and simply ordered him to "smash", to which Hulk simply smiled and leapt into battle. Hulk threw himself at the Chitauri army, immediately killing many soldiers climbing buildings, using his incredible strength and leaping abilities he was able to leap high in the air and hit the Chitauri Chariots out of the sky. He also killed several Leviathan creatures, at one point battling on top of one along side Thor, together they killed it and as they took a moment to catch their breath, Hulk punched him across the room, getting revenge for their earlier fight. Hulk entered the Stark Tower and threw Loki against the wall. Loki screamed at Hulk that Hulk was unworthy to fight him, not listening to the speech Hulk beat Loki into submission. Hulk left Loki unable to move, said "Puny God", and rejoined the battle. At one point Hulk became surrounded by Chitauri Chariots who all fired down at him together. As the battle looked almost hopeless, the World Security Council eventually sent a missile to destroy Manhattan. Stark flew the missile to the Chitauri's Wormhole, destroying the Chitauri ship and thus killed all the other soldiers. Stark was able to escape the closing Wormhole but his suit shut down in the process. Hulk caught Stark as he fell and brought him to the other Avengers. For a moment it seemed Stark had made the ultimate sacrifice and had suffocated in space, however Hulk roared in his face, waking him up. Later, all of the Avengers silently ate at the Shawarma Palace. They were interrupted by War Machine, who arrived too late to aid in the battle. After Loki was sent back to Asgard with Thor and the Tesseract, Banner and Stark drove away in one of Stark's Acura 2012 Stark Industries Super Car as the Avengers went their separate ways.

Freedom
After fighting in the Battle of New York, Banner was able to show that he could keep Hulk under control. Nick Fury made it so that Banner could move around in the world without being afraid of being arrested or kidnapped.

A Therapy Session
"I'm sorry, I'm not that kind of doctor. I'm not a therapist. It's not my training, I-I don't have the-" "What? The time?" "Temperament."

- Bruce Banner and Tony Stark

Some time after his battle against Aldrich Killian, Tony Stark came to Dr. Banner to talk about his traumas. But Banner fell asleep near the beginning of the session, so Stark told Banner more stories about his life, to which Banner again quickly fell asleep.

Targeted by HYDRA
Bruce Banner was mentioned by Jasper Sitwell as one of the numerous individuals who posed a threat for HYDRA's plan, as concluded by Arnim Zola's algorithm for Project Insight.

The Genius of Banner
S.H.I.E.L.D. resorted to use many inventions developed by Banner that maybe did not have the use he intended to have, but were useful in other ways.

For example, Nick Fury explained that he used Tetrodotoxin B, an anti-stress serum developed by Banner, to slow his heart to a beat per minute to fake his death following a HYDRA assassination attempt.

In order to defeat Marcus Daniels, Leo Fitz used the Gamma Power Reserve designed by Bruce Banner to modify the stage lights of the Portland Symphony Orchestra to emit concentrated beams of light.

Banner created the Retreat, a place nicknamed "the house that Banner built"; it looks like a log cabin on the outside, but the inner walls have Vibranium lining. Inside, there is a Hulk-sized fist print in the wall.

War on HYDRA
Banner received an apartment from Tony Stark in the new Avengers Tower. The team eventually reunified to take down HYDRA bases around the world. During this time, Banner began to develop a romantic relationship with Natasha Romanoff. Romanoff developed a lullaby that she found could successfully make Hulk transform back into Banner.

Battle of Sudan
"This is what I get for waiting in the car."

- Bruce Banner

While Banner was occupied with a scientific examination, J.A.R.V.I.S. informed him that Natasha Romanoff was in need of assistance from the other Avengers in Sudan. Banner went into the team's Quinjet in order to fly to her location. As the other Avengers ran out to fight the HYDRA agents, Banner stayed inside the Quinjet, waiting for further instructions.

HYDRA soldiers found him in the jet and shot it with one of their tanks, trying to kill him. Unfortunately for them, the explosion only made Banner transform into Hulk, allowing him to help his allies in the fight. Together, the team was able to defeat the soldiers and their leader, Jensen.

Attack on the HYDRA Research Base
Some time later, the Avengers discovered through Maria Hill the whereabouts of Loki's Scepter, which had been taken to Baron Wolfgang von Strucker's secret HYDRA Research Base in Sokovia, where it had been used by Doctor List to conduct experiments on individuals with powers. The heroes attacked the fortress protecting the laboratory with Hulk destroying armored vehicles and bunkers defending the outpost. Romanoff performed the lullaby with Hulk to get him to calm down and turn back into Bruce Banner. On the way back to the Avengers Tower, Banner listened to classical music. Natasha then came to him and told him that the lullaby worked better than ever.

Designing Ultron
"I thought Ultron was a fantasy. "Yesterday it was. If we can harness this power, apply it to my Iron Legion protocol." "That’s a mad-sized if."

- Bruce Banner and Tony Stark

Once they got back to the Avengers Tower, Banner and Stark started decoding the secrets of the Scepter for the use of the Ultron Program. Once everyone left, J.A.R.V.I.S. awakened Ultron, who proceeded to eliminate him after telling about Ultron's meaning and existence.

Celebration
"So what do you think? Should I fight this, or run with it?" "Run with it right? Or did he... Was he... What did he do that was so wrong to you?" "Not a damn thing. But never say never."

- Natasha Romanoff and Bruce Banner

To celebrate the victory on HYDRA, Stark organized a party in the Avengers Tower. During the party, Natasha Romanoff flirted with Banner, making him realize the two had feelings for each other. Steve Rogers spoke to Banner, telling him that Romanoff was clearly flirting with him. Rogers insisted that Banner should not let the chance for a happy life go passed, noting that Romanoff had flirted with him in the past but the way she spoke to Banner was more than mere flirting. As Rogers walked away, Banner pondered this before questioning how much Romanoff had flirted with Rogers in the past.

During the victory celebration at the Tower, the Avengers and guests attempted to lift Mjølnir. Banner sat with Romanoff who opted not to play. When Banner tried to lift the hammer, he pretended to turn into Hulk, which none of the others found funny, except Romanoff. Thor then teased them that none of them were worthy enough to lift the hammer.

Attack on Avengers Tower
‎"Ultron?" "In the flesh."

- Bruce Banner and Ultron

Ultron, now with a robotic body, played a loud screeching noise through the speakers, questioning how could they be worthy. Following his speech that he no longer had "these strings holding him down", Ultron forced drones from the Iron Legion to begin an attack on the Avengers. In order not to lose control, Banner hid behind the Tower's bar with Romanoff. Ultron began mocking the Avengers, but Thor had enough and destroyed Ultron's body.

Argument
"Tony, maybe this might not be the time..." "Really? That's it? You just roll over and show your belly, every time somebody snarls?" "Only when I've created a murder-bot!"

- Bruce Banner and Tony Stark

After a brief battle, the lead Ultron robot was destroyed, although it claimed it would attack again. With the team gathered together, Stark began examining the robot to understand what caused it. He learned that it had destroyed J.A.R.V.I.S.' mainframe in a rage. Thor stormed in and grabbed Stark by the throat, accusing him of bringing destruction to the Earth; Stark defended himself however claiming that he was coming up with a solution to end a war that would destroy the Earth. Banner was not convinced by Stark's argument. The team later learned that Ultron had built himself a new body and had killed Wolfgang von Strucker, that he was planning on stealing vibranium from Ulysses Klaue and that he had made an alliance with Wanda and Pietro Maximoff.

Duel of Johannesburg
"You listening? That little witch is messing with your mind. You're stronger than her, you're smarter than her, you're Bruce Banner."

- Tony Stark to Hulk

The Avengers soon went to South Africa to keep Ultron from getting Vibranium. As the others were fighting Ultron, Banner remained in the Quinjet. Wanda Maximoff found Banner and forced him to turn into Hulk using her mental manipulation powers. Under her control, Hulk started destroying the city of Johannesburg. Iron Man then got his Hulkbuster Armor and fought with Hulk, trying to get him to stop. Eventually, the battle ended, but the damage it caused was huge. The Avengers regrouped, forced into hiding.

The Farm
"Where in the world am I not a threat?" "You're not a threat to me." "You sure? Even if I didn't just... there's no future with me. I can't ever... I can't have this, kids,"

- Bruce Banner and Natasha Romanoff

With the public ridiculing them for Hulk's rampage, the Avengers went to Hawkeye's home. While there, Banner took a shower and when he was finished, he found that Romanoff was waiting for him. Banner explained her that they cannot be together because he could present her a threat, but also because he cannot make children. She told him about her training in the Red Room, where she was sterilized, which made her unable to have children. They planned to elope together after defeating Ultron.

Nick Fury also arrived at the farm and spoke with the group at length about stopping Ultron. Banner then realized that Ultron wanted to improve his body. So he needed Helen Cho and the Cradle device to build for him the ultimate body. While Banner was brought back to the Avengers Tower by Fury, the Avengers flew to Seoul to take the synthetic body from Ultron, and Stark went to the NEXUS base in Oslo to find the person who prevented Ultron from obtaining nuclear launch codes.

Birth of Vision
"If we’re wrong about you, if you’re the monster that Ultron made you to be…" "What will you do?"

- Bruce Banner and Vision

Tony Stark and Clint Barton returned to the Avengers Tower. Barton brought with him the Cradle with the synthetic body in it, but he said that Ultron had kidnapped Natasha Romanoff, so he went to search for her. Stark revealed to Banner that J.A.R.V.I.S., who was not destroyed by Ultron as he thought, was the person who prevented from Ultron to get the nuclear codes. Stark tried to convinced Banner to help him put J.A.R.V.I.S. inside the body. At first, Banner refused but Stark claimed that it was the only hope they got to stop Ultron. Banner then agreed to help him.

As the two were almost finished, Steve Rogers with Wanda and Pietro Maximoff came and ordered them to shut it down. After Banner and Stark refused, the two and Barton fight against the three with Banner personally threatening Wanda Maximoff and assuring her that he could kill her without losing control and transforming into Hulk. As Stark and Rogers began attacking one another, suddenly Thor came in and revived the synthetic body with his lightning.

The living body jumped out and briefly attacked Thor until he looked out over the city, the living body apologized and called itself the Vision and claimed to wish to assist them to fight Ultron. Thor explained that he had seen the Vision in his vision and the Mind Stone, one of the six Infinity Stones, that is in the Vision's forehead. At first, the team did not trust him, but as proof of his honor, Vision handed Thor Mjølnir.

Rescuing Black Widow
"You’re not going to turn green?" "I’ve got a compelling reason not to lose my cool." "I adore you. But I need the other guy."

- Black Widow and Bruce Banner

The Avengers tracked Ultron down in Sokovia, where Natasha Romanoff was being held. While the other Avengers were busy facing off against Ultron and his sentinels, Banner managed to sneak into Ultron's lair and break Romanoff free. Determined to make good on their earlier plan to run away together, Banner told Romanoff that he did not want to change into Hulk, but Black Widow kissed him and pushed him over the edge of a well, forcing the transformation. Moments later, Banner emerged as Hulk, ready for the battle. With Romanoff clinging to his back, Hulk began jumping through the air, trying to reach the flying city of Novi Grad. Crash landing on solid ground, Hulk and Black Widow ran off in separate directions to deal with Ultron's forces.

One Last Fight
Hulk joined the Avengers, protecting the key that could drop the city and thus cause global destruction. Ultron summoned his sentinels, and they reached the key and activated it. The team defended it and made Ultron distraught. Hulk then hit him strongly and threw him far away. Hulk was far from the battle, and Romanoff tried to calm him back to his human state. Her calming technique was interrupted by Ultron, who was at the controls of the Avengers' own Quinjet, raking Hulk with gunfire. Hulk became enraged, and Natasha was knocked out. Hulk grabbed Romanoff and bore her to safety on a newly arrived S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier that had been brought by Nick Fury and Maria Hill, before leaping after Ultron. He threw him from the jet and then took control of it.

After the battle was over, and the Avengers succeeded in saving the world and defeating Ultron, Hulk chose to remain in the Avengers Quinjet that Ultron had previously hijacked. Natasha Romanoff tried to make him disable the plane's stealth mode, but he cut off its communications, keeping with the stealth mode so he would not be tracked. Nick Fury later assured Romanoff that Banner was safe and alive; however, they would not be able to track him due to the cloaking systems that Stark had applied on the ship.

Grandmaster's Favorite
"You know, I haven't seen this beloved champion he talks on, but I've heard he's astonishingly savage."

- Loki to Thor

Shortly after leaving Sokovia, the Quinjet somehow left Earth and crash landed on the alien planet of Sakaar. Stranded on the unknown planet, which stressed him out, Banner remained in Hulk form. During his stay there, he was taken to the Grandmaster by Valkyrie and became his champion. Over the course of two years, Hulk fought in the arenas and became a famous champion. He also made sure that he wouldn't switch back to Banner. Hulk came to enjoy his lifestyle as the champion of Sakaar. One day, Hulk met his newest opponent, who turned out to be none other than his former teammate and fellow Avenger, Thor. Refusing to acknowledge Thor, despite his pleads and attempts to make him calm down, Hulk fought against his former ally. A grueling duel took place as both combatants smashed and ruined the arena. During the battle, Thor managed to gain the upper hand when he summoned his lightning powers. Hulk secured his victory when the Grandmaster activated the taser that has been implanted on Thor's neck.

After their fight, Thor was brought to Hulk's chamber. The two former allies resumed their conversation. Thor kept pleading for Hulk's assistance, but Hulk refused to acknowledge their friendship, since he believed that Thor liked Banner better. Hulk also refused to return back to Earth as he believed that everyone hated him there. Eventually they managed to reach a cordial ground and Thor convinced Hulk to call on his sparring partner, Valkyrie to his room.

The next day, Hulk did as he promised and he watched as the two Asgardians conversed. Thor managed to get the remote for his taser implant and he immediately took the implant off and made his escape toward the Quinjet that Hulk has arrived on the planet on. Hulk immediately followed Thor, not wanting his friend to leave the planet. He caught up to Thor and tried to stop him from leaving. During his attempt, Thor turned on Natasha Romanoff's recording back during the Battle of Sokovia. Seeing her, Banner was able to awaken and transform back into himself.

Hunted by the Grandmaster
"You're just using me to get to the Hulk. That's low. You're not my friend. No, no, no. I don't even like Hulk. He's always like, grr... smash, smash, smash. I prefer you."

- Bruce Banner and Thor

Returning back to his senses, Banner found himself in the Quinjet and met with Thor. He quickly asked what happened to Ultron and Sokovia. Banner was shocked to be informed that while they won the fight, that event happened two years ago. With no memories of what happened in the past two years, it dawned to Banner that his relation with Hulk is starting to change. Banner voiced his fear to Thor that if he ever transform back to Hulk again, he might not be able to come back.

They didn't have long to catch up. Soon they heard an announcement from the Grandmaster that they are hunting Thor, due to believing that Thor has captured Hulk. The two former Avengers made their escape from the Quinjet and start making their way through the city. All the while, Thor made sure that Banner wouldn't be too stressed to transform. Eventually, amidst a Hulk parade, they encountered Valkyrie. She has decided to join Thor in his fight against Hela. She brought them to her apartment, where she has chained and captured Loki. They decided to steal the Grandmaster's ship and escape through the biggest portal of Sakaar.

Banner stayed with Valkyre while Thor and Loki went to capture a ship. During their escape, Thor forced Banner to steer the ship while he assisted Valkyre with fighting off their pursuers. Banner unwittingly made Topaz crash into a rock when he turned on the ship's fireworks in his attempts to assist his allies. Banner handed the control to Valkyre and traveled with his allies to Asgard.

Turning back into Hulk
"Hulk, stop! Just for once in your life, don't smash!" "Big monster!"

- Thor and Hulk

Banner and his allies got to Asgard onboard the Grandmasters' ship. Thor headed back to the throne room to confront Hela, while Banner stayed with Valkyrie to prepare and assist the remaining Asgardians with the evacuation. They immediately went to Bifrost Bridge to assist the Asgardians. When Fenris was blocking their path and Skurge and Hela's forces attacking them from behind, Banner decided to turn back into Hulk in order to prevent the Asgardians from getting slaughtered, despite knowing that he might not be able to turn back into himself.

He jumped off the ship. Despite landing and injuring himself at first, Hulk resumed control and immediately battled against the wolf. They fought fiercely and eventually their battle forced them off into the sea where they continued to battle. Hulk managed to defeat Fenris by throwing the wolf off the edge of the sea and into the void.

Hulk got back on the bridge and saw Surtur destroying Asgard. He immediately charged into battle and jumped at Surtur's face. Surtur threw Hulk back onto the bridge. Before he could resume his battle, Thor and Valkyre convinced him to stand down as they wanted Surtur to destroy Asgard so that Hela could be killed. Hulk helped his allies escape onto the large ship commandeered by Loki and Korg.

Joining Thor
With Asgard destroyed, Hulk joined its new king, Thor, on their trip towards Earth.

Personality
"You got a lousy taste in men, kid." "He's not so bad. Well, he has a temper. Deep down he's all fluff. Fact is he's not like anyone I've ever known. All my friends are fighters. And here comes this one guy, spends his life avoiding the fight because he knows he'll win." "Sounds amazing." "He's also a huge dork. Chicks dig that."

- Bruce Banner and Natasha Romanoff

Bruce Banner is shown as a mild-mannered, mysterious, shy and analytical man of science. The incident at Culver University caused Banner to become somewhat mentally troubled and obsessed with finding a cure for his mutation. He is compassionate and afraid of hurting someone unintentionally, so he tries not to get close to something or someone that leaves him stressed.

In turn, Hulk is more primitive with his senses amplified to such an extent that it is difficult for his brain to process it all. In Banner's own words, he describes the experience as "It's like someone poured a liter of into my brain." When Banner returns to his normal human form, he has little recollection of events aside from fragments and images.

In his earliest transformations, Hulk appeared as a savage with no real ability to distinguish friend from foe. Because of this, he was responsible for the deaths of two scientists, an army officer, a police officer from Idaho, and two Canadian hunters when he was a fugitive. However, while extremely aggressive and destructive, Hulk only attacked when provoked as a form of self-defense and wanted to be alone, often fleeing and ending up in areas uninhabited by humans like caves or forests to calm himself.

Ever since his first transformation Banner was terribly afraid of Hulk and the risk of him hurting those around him. He abandoned everyone and everything he cared about and became a fugitive for five years to prevent Hulk's power from falling into the wrong hands, while desperately searching for a cure and attempting to avoid transforming at all costs. On some occasions, he lost the hope of getting rid of his other persona and showed suicidal tendencies, attempting to kill himself once. The only times he was willing to let himself transform was during the Battle of New York, when attempting to intimidate Scarlet Witch, as he was angry with her for having set the Hulk loose on Johannesburg, to the point where he threatened to kill her without even transforming, and when he tried to protect the Asgardians from Hela, her army of Berserkers and the Fenris. Despite this, he still dislikes having to transform into the Hulk to battle, as it would require him to harm and kill others, which he expressed after the Attack on the HYDRA Research Base, as Thor commented on the Hulk's kills and inadvertently made Banner feel ashamed and regretful.

Hulk keeps fragments of Banner's personality and gradually attained a better reasoning capacity over time, becoming able to show affection, demonstrating a capacity to work collaboratively with others once they've established a rapport with him, be aware that his name is "Hulk", and demonstrating he's capable of directing his savagery at foes instead of allies. Betty suggested that this is because Banner's mind is still within Hulk and can influence his behavior. Over time, he supplemented his scientific pursuit by learning meditation and breathing techniques, gaining a greater control over the transformations. Banner discovered that by focusing during the moment of transformation he can control Hulk's destructive behavior or at least "aim" it at a desired target, first seen during the Duel of Harlem. Banner usually has a love interest to act as Hulk's handler and soothe him back into his normal state. Hulk would check his aggression if Betty Ross desired it and would be given a lullaby to lull him into a calmer state by Black Widow.

After having shown some success in controlling the monster, he seemed to have abandoned the search for a cure and redeemed himself, helping sick people in poor areas of the world. Thus, he appeared to be more comfortable and sarcastic in various situations with fellow Avengers. Tony Stark encouraged Banner to see Hulk as an ally rather than a destructive curse by pointing out that Hulk technically saved his life when the Gamma exposure accident occurred. Eventually Banner became confident enough to bring out Hulk voluntarily knowing he won't attack his allies. By the time Thor found Hulk while trapped in Sakaar, Hulk became intelligent enough to speak, albeit somewhat rudimentary.

However, Banner is the Avenger his teammates are the most wary of despite their camaraderie and often don't call Hulk to a battle unless strictly necessary. Though Banner is able to suppress his transformations through emotional intelligence, he has been known to lose control or be manipulated into lose control. Should he be completely overwhelmed with rage or stress, he loses all reason and becomes a volatile rage monster. Because of this, Banner had requested Tony to build the Hulkbuster armor. For example, he once attacked Black Widow on the Helicarrier, when they were blasted out of the lab and he transformed and attacked her, and when the Scarlet Witch used her mental manipulation powers on him in South Africa to force him to transform. After the War against Ultron, Hulk himself decided to abandon his Avengers friends much like he did when he defeated Abomination.

During his time in Sakaar, the Hulk's control over Banner's body increased, to the point that he was able to stay as Hulk for two whole years and prevent himself from reverting back to Banner. The Hulk was intelligent enough to acknowledge his human half but repeatedly refuted Banner's existence, claiming "No Banner, only Hulk!", though he did so out of resentment and bitterness for Banner. While he gained more self awareness and personality, Hulk was still susceptible to emotion and could easily become more savage due to stress and frustration, such as when he fought Thor in the Contest of Champions. Despite this, he could still demonstrate a calm and stable demeanor, which allowed him to not solely act aggressive and hostile, such as when he talked calmly with Thor after the two of them argued and befriended Valkyrie during his stay on the planet. However, the Hulk was also wary of others, due to his history of violence on Earth, which caused him to believe that humanity hated him and made him refuse to return. Upon regaining control, Banner became afraid of Hulk once more, as transforming again would likely result in the Hulk gaining full control and the ability to indefinitely suppress Banner.

Powers
Transformation: Bruce Banner subjected himself to a combination of a recreated version of the Super Soldier Serum and an exposure to high levels of Gamma Radiation, in an attempt to develop a result similar to the original Project Rebirth from World War II. As a result, Banner is able to transform into Hulk when his heart rate increases to high levels or he loses control of his emotions. As Hulk, Banner is a giant green-skinned humanoid with immense strength fueled by his rage, meaning the angrier he gets the stronger he becomes, and is one of the most powerful beings on Planet Earth. According to Samuel Sterns, the transformation is triggered when an electric pulse generated on the amygdala (when Banner loses control or the pulse is induced) increases the gamma radiation of Bruce's cells. Betty Ross' reagent allows the cells to absorb the energy temporarily, which then abates, resulting in a chemical reaction that produces a myostatin primer. When Hulk transforms back into Banner, the excess muscle mass and energy is dissipated. The total time of transformation falls anywhere between seconds to several minutes, depending on the initial adrenaline surge, which will be determined by the original stimulus. Despite Banner's initial inability to control the transformations, he managed to attain some level of control through training and practice, and Banner's consciousness is buried within Hulk, influencing his behavior to a very limited extent. Shortly before being part of the Avengers, Banner became able to trigger his transformations at will, remaining angry in a controlled state, which allowed Hulk to be much smarter and self-controlled in battle. However, the more stressful or provoking his surroundings, the more difficult it is for Hulk to become calm enough to transform back into Banner, which lead to the Natasha Romanoff using her “lullaby” technique to calm Hulk at the end of each battle. Despite Banner previously being able to control the Hulk, his alter-ego was slowly becoming more self-aware and developing a mind of his own. After the events of Sokovia, the Hulk left Earth and became a gladiator on Sakaar, keeping Banner suppresses for two years. After meeting Thor, Banner re-emerged and, despite realizing that transforming again would mean that he might not change back, willingly unleashed the Hulk to aid Thor and the Asgardians. Currently, Banner has remained transformed, with Hulk being conscious enough to keep himself from changing back to Banner. "The cell was just..." "In case you needed to kill me, but you can't! I know, I tried. I got low, I didn't see an end, so I put a bullet in my mouth and the other guy spit it out."
 * Superhuman Strength: Hulk´s primary power is his immense superhuman strength. Hulk's strength increases with his anger, thus making it essentially Immeasurable. His incredible strength allows him to rip steel apart as if it were made of paper, to break vehicles with a punch, stop a speeding Humvee in its tracks by stomping it into the ground, leave a dent after punching a wall made of an extremely durable silicon-carbide Vibranium alloy, kill a massive Leviathan with a single punch, or do a powerful thunderclap to stop a military helicopter from blowing up, saving Betty and her father in the process. In combat, Hulk often uses his strength to throw heavy objects (like cars and forklift trucks, for example) or his smaller opponents in order to defeat his enemies, such as when Hulk threw a human-sized Emil Blonsky more than 40 feet away with a single kick or when he hurled Loki around repeatedly while holding him by the leg. Very few individuals have been able to match Hulk's strength, such as: the Abomination, who despite his greater base level of strength ultimately succumbed to the Hulk's when he endangered the life of Betty Ross, angering him enough to overpower the gamma monster. Thor, who was hit hard enough by Hulk to make his nose bleed, Iron Man, who had to develop a special Hulkbuster armor to battle him in case of need, Fenris, who had managed to contend with Hulk in their battle, but was ultimately hurled into outer space by Hulk, or Surtur, whom Hulk was able to slightly stagger with a leaping blow, before Surtur effortlessly swatted Hulk away. As such, Hulk remained the undefeated champion of the Grandmaster's Contest of Champions, right up until he faced off against Thor, who was able to stalemate Hulk after getting his powers fully enhanced by a vision of Odin's spirit and even then Hulk was only able to stalemate the newly powered up Thor thanks to the Grandmaster interfering in the contest.
 * Super Leaps: Hulk's strength also extends to his legs, allowing him to leap great distances, such as when he traveled from Brazil to Guatemala in a single night, covering at least from 1500 to 1600 miles in over 7 to 10 hours, or great heights with precision, such as when reached the top of Stark Tower from ground level in a single leap, or when he caught Iron Man in mid-fall when Stark came back through the Wormhole over New York City.
 * Superhuman Durability: Hulk is able to withstand blows and attacks of considerable force; even high caliber bullets bounce off him and flames cause him little damage. His bone, skin, and muscles have an extreme density and he possesses a high degree of resistance to injury, pain, and disease. Hulk also withstood multiple energy blasts from Chitauri weaponry, extreme cold in the Arctic, great impacts from heights of several miles (though the impact knocked him unconscious, forcing him to revert back into Banner). In addition, Iron Man noted the amount of gamma radiation Banner was exposed to would have killed him if it had not given him the ability to transform into Hulk. Only beings with incredible force or extremely powerful weapons can harm him, such as when Hulk was painfully pierced by Abomination's skeletal spikes, was later painfully pierced by Fenris' teeth, and when a blow from Thor wielding Mjølnir knocked him out for a moment. While Hulk did survive quite a few blows from the Hulkbuster with little discomfort, he got a tooth knocked out in the confrontation. In addition, Hulk's durability is also tied to his anger level - during the fight against the Hulkbuster, he slightly calmed down, which slightly reduced his durability after witnessing the destruction that he caused in South Africa, allowing Iron Man to use the advantage, hammering Hulk with a massive punch, which sent him flying into a tall building, knocking him out. Similarly, during the Contest of Champions when Thor sent Hulk flying with a strike from the Sakaaran hammer, Hulk was further enraged to the point that he managed to block the next hammer blow with a single hand. However, after Thor had his powers fully enhanced (from a vision of Odin's spirit), Hulk was visibly dazed by a single lightning-charged blow from Thor. Hulk's skin was also pierced and noticeably wounded by Fenris who bit him several times, forcing Hulk to throw him into the void.
 * Superhuman Stamina: Hulk has substantially greater endurance than a normal human, allowing him to run and fight for a long time. His enraged state, during a fight, allows him to maintain peak output for hours on end and still continue to become even stronger as his anger escalates.
 * Superhuman Speed: Regardless of his size, Hulk's superhuman strength of his legs allow him to run at speeds that are far beyond the natural physical limits of a human being. He also possesses enhanced reflexes and agility proportionate to his size, but his large size can still be exploited by smaller foes to use to their advantage.

- Nick Fury to Hulk


 * Regenerative Healing Factor: Should he receive damage that penetrates his extreme durability, his biology has a very high rate of cellular regeneration. Grievous bodily harm has also proven to be a trigger for Banner's transformations, and he has recovered from otherwise fatal injuries sustained in his normal form. Banner said he tried to put a bullet in his mouth but the "other guy" merely spit it out. Hulk also has an enhanced immune system; Samuel Sterns described that a synthesized sample of Banner's blood would make humans impervious to diseases. These attributes make him extremely difficult to kill, even if he is in his human form.

Bruce Banner's Abilities
"How many PhD's does the Hulk have? None. Me? Seven."

- Bruce Banner

"I don't know how to fly this thing!" "You're a doctor. You have PhDs. You should figure it out." "None of them for flying alien spaceships!"
 * Genius-Level Intellect: In his Bruce Banner persona, he is one of the smartest humans in the world, rivaled only by fellow geniuses like Tony Stark, Stephen Strange, Hank Pym, Shuri, and Helen Cho. Hence, Banner achieved his doctorate at Harvard, and, prior to the Bio-Tech Force Enhancement Project, worked as a biochemistry and radiophysics professor as Culver University. Indeed, Phil Coulson once compared him to, and Banner is one of the few modern scientists famous and prominent enough to be pictured in the science lab of Midtown School of Science and Technology. Banner is also fairly disciplined in emotional intelligence, particularly in meditative breathing techniques and anger management, due to his experience with attempting to control and reign in his Hulk persona.
 * Master Scientist: Banner is brilliant in many different fields of science, notably biochemistry, and bioorganics, as well as both atomic and radiophysics, being a former professor at Culver University, and one of the world's most renown scientists overall. Indeed, even fellow genius Tony Stark admired Banner's brilliance, claiming that the latter's work on anti-electron collisions is unparalleled, while Nick Fury referred to Banner as the world's foremost expert in gamma radiation. In addition, Stark needed Banner's assistance in downloading J.A.R.V.I.S. into the Vision android, due to Banner also being the world's foremost expert in the discipline of bioorganics.
 * Master Engineer: Banner, while not quite on par with Tony Stark, is an extremely skilled engineer, computer scientist, and robotics technician. Hence, Banner was able to help Stark construct the Hulkbuster, create the Ultron AI, and download J.A.R.V.I.S. into the Vision android.
 * Skilled Physician: Banner possesses enough medical knowledge to help the sick and injured while living in India.
 * Expert Tactician: Banner has over the years become an expert in developing strategies to go unnoticed and run from the government, military, and even S.H.I.E.L.D. by using his intellect to quickly evaluate his surroundings and develop feasible escape strategies. As such, Banner also became quite skilled at going undercover.
 * Multilingualism: Banner speaks his native English, as well as some Hindi, Spanish, and Portuguese. However, he only demonstrated a fluency in Hindi, while in Kolkata, and had notable trouble with Spanish and Portuguese while in South America, occasionally mixing up words.
 * Martial Artist: Banner learned and basic meditative breathing techniques in Brazil from a martial arts expert.

- Bruce Banner and Thor


 * Pilot: Banner can fly numerous aircraft, including a Quinjet and the alien Commodore.

Hulk's Abilities

 * Combatant: As Hulk, while having no formal training, he is a formidable hand-to-hand combatant simply due to his great physical attributes. Hulk often engages his enemies using brawling techniques that make full use of his incredible strength and also employs pieces of his immediate environment to fight with, often using them as range projectiles to strike distant targets, while sometimes for melee attacks or protection. While fighting in the Grandmaster's Contest of Champions, however, Hulk demonstrated much more combat skill than before, as he wielded a huge hammer and battle-ax in the arena. His improved skills allowed him to fight almost equally against Thor himself, although Hulk had to rely on his superior strength and surprise attacks to gain the upper hand and even then was on the verge of being defeated by the newly empowered Thor until The Grandmaster interfered with the battle to ensure Hulk won to keep Thor imprisoned.
 * Minor Fluent Communication: Initially, Hulk was only able to speak very short lines and only in extremely rare occasions, most of the time he communicated with others with roars and gestures, much like an animal would. After having stayed in his Hulk form for 2 years on Sakaar, however, Hulk's ability to speak improved enough for him to have casual conversations with Thor and Valkyrie, however, his vocabulary is still very limited and rudimentary.

Equipment

 * Stretchable Pants: After the Battle of New York, Bruce Banner became a consecrated member of the Avengers, he acquired a uniform with the main feature of stretching to fit his Hulk physique after his transformations. He uses a pair of trousers made with a flexible microfiber fabric, the material of which was shown to be extremely durable on several occasions, like when the team attacked the HYDRA Research Base, Banner turned back into Hulk with his pants still intact.
 * Battle Axe (Formerly): As he became a gladiator, Hulk had gained a large special metallic battle axe that suitable to his own size.
 * Hammer (Formerly): With him as a gladiator, Hulk had also obtained a special metallic war hammer that aids him with battling others in the arena.

After the Culver University's incident, Banner used several pieces of equipment while he was a fugitive. Some of these were destroyed or confiscated by United States Armed Forces. To prevent clues, Banner avoided the use of credit card, identity documents and phones. The materials he used included:
 * Wrist-Mounted Cardiovascular Monitor: A gauge used to monitor Banner's heart rate, helping him to prevent a transformation into Hulk. The first monitor was destroyed after Banner's transformation in Brazil. The last one seen was given by Betty Ross and seized by United States Armed Forces.
 * Laptop Computer: A cheap laptop with an encrypted instant messaging software installed. Banner used it to chat with "Mr. Blue" a.k.a. Samuel Sterns. Banner always carried it in a backpack, so he could maintain a communication where he was.

Family

 * David Banner

Allies

 * Betty Ross - Former Colleague and Former Lover
 * Leonard Samson - Rival turned Psychotherapist
 * Erik Selvig - Former Colleague
 * Stanley Lieber - Friend
 * Rick Jones
 * Plant Manager - Former Boss
 * Martina - Former Colleague
 * Ricky - Pet
 * Samuel Sterns - Former Ally
 * Avengers - Former Teammates and friends
 * Steve Rogers/Captain America - Team Leader
 * Tony Stark/Iron Man - Collaborator, Colleague and Close Friend
 * Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow - Love Interest
 * Clint Barton/Hawkeye
 * James Rhodes/War Machine
 * Pietro Maximoff/Quicksilver † - Former Enemy
 * Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch - Former Enemy and Enthraller
 * Vision - Co-Creation
 * S.H.I.E.L.D. (First Incarnation) - Former Enemies
 * Nick Fury
 * Maria Hill
 * Phil Coulson
 * Jasper Sitwell † (former)
 * Helen Cho
 * J.A.R.V.I.S.
 * Laura Barton - Hostess
 * Sakaaran Rebellion
 * Korg
 * Miek
 * Revengers - Teammates
 * Thor - Former Avengers Teammate and Friend
 * Brunnhilde/Valkyrie
 * Loki - Enemy turned Situational Ally
 * Sam Wilson/Falcon
 * T'Challa/Black Panther
 * Okoye
 * Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier

Enemies

 * United States Armed Forces - Reluctant Ally
 * Thaddeus Ross - Reluctant Ally
 * Joe Greller
 * Strategic Operations Command Center
 * Kathleen Sparr †
 * Emil Blonsky/Abomination
 * Tough Guy Leader † - Victim
 * Chitauri
 * Leviathans
 * Espinoza
 * HYDRA
 * Wolfgang von Strucker †
 * List †
 * Ultron † - Co-Creation
 * Ultron Sentries †
 * Grandmaster
 * Sakaaran Guards
 * Topaz † - Victim
 * Doug † - Victim
 * Hela †
 * Berserkers †
 * Fenris † - Victim
 * Surtur †
 * Thanos
 * Black Order
 * Corvus Glaive
 * Ebony Maw
 * Cull Obsidian
 * Proxima Midnight
 * Outriders

Trivia

 * Hulk has the distinction of directly or indirectly defeating the most amount of main villains, with three so far. He defeated Abomination at the Duel of Harlem, smashed Loki multiple times in Stark Tower taking him out of the fight only for him to be capture by the rest of the Avengers after the battle, and threw Ultron back into the floating part of Sokovia and leaving him too damaged to stop Scarlet Witch from ripping out his power source.
 * Banner appeared in the non-canon short film Team Thor, where he met Thor in a café and they discussed why the latter had not been invited to the Avengers Civil War.
 * In the comics, most of the Marvel Heroes sent Hulk to space, leaving Hulk vow a revenge on Earth against his former allies.

Behind the Scenes

 * An alternate opening sequence scene was shot for The Incredible Hulk, though it was eventually cut from the final draft of the movie. In the scene, Banner travels to Greenland to commit suicide due to his incurable Hulk transformations. Banner shoots himself in the mouth, which only serves to trigger his transformation into Hulk, whose appearance destroys the glacier he was on. This scene is still considered canon because it is referenced in The Avengers by Banner.
 * Additionally, within the deleted scene is a Captain America "Easter egg" in the form of the silhouette of his body and shield encased in ice; though it is widely cast aside as a subtle nod anyway as it contradicts the continuity of the Marvel Cinematic Universe based on his placement. This is disregarded due to the scene remaining canon through spoken account and not by what is visually present in the deleted scene.
 * There are several noticeable visual differences between Hulk's physical appearances in The Incredible Hulk and The Avengers, despite the fact they are both in the same continuity. Hulk is slightly taller in The Incredible Hulk than he is in The Avengers, although this cannot be collaborated because Hulk in The Avengers was hunched over. He is more slender in The Incredible Hulk than he is in The Avengers, and has darker green skin, and in The Avengers he has a shorter hair cut. Their faces are also slightly different, with his face in The Avengers more strongly resembling Banner's than in The Incredible Hulk. Much of these differences are because Mark Ruffalo is using motion-capture to actually play Hulk, whereas Hulk was entirely CGI in The Incredible Hulk.
 * Banner/Hulk is one of the few characters who are played by different actors in different films. The others are James Rhodes, Howard Stark, Fandral, and Thanos.
 * In The Incredible Hulk, Bruce is given a mailed package with the name "David B." on it. This is a reference to the TV series , where the character was renamed to David Bruce Banner.
 * Mark Ruffalo was uncredited for his appearance in Iron Man 3.
 * To prepare for the role of Hulk in Avengers: Age of Ultron, Mark Ruffalo worked with motion capture expert Andy Serkis.
 * There was an idea for Hulk to turn gray during the Hulkbuster battle in Avengers: Age of Ultron, as a reference to his original comic book incarnation, but it went unused.
 * Loki using Hulk to attack the Helicarrier is a reference to Loki using Hulk to destroy a train track to lure out Thor, and unwillingly creating the Avengers in the process in the main Marvel Comics Universe.
 * Mark Ruffalo was written into Captain America: Civil War at one point but was removed as Marvel felt Hulk's current whereabouts were too huge to be revealed in the packed film; he did however make a very short cameo on video.
 * Hulk is one of the three main protagonists to defeat the main antagonist of their debut film without any assistance, the others being Ant-Man and Spider-Man.
 * J.B. Blanc, J.D. Hall, Fred Tatasciore and Jonathan Lipow all provided voiceover work for Hulk in The Incredible Hulk, though none of them were credited.
 * Hulk in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is the third live-action incarnation of the character, following incarnations portrayed by (Bruce Banner) and Lou Ferrigno (Hulk) and by.
 * Chad Camilleri, Jamie Jones and Cyril Raffaelli were stunt doubles for Edward Norton and Anthony Molinari, Troy Brenna, Josh Dyer, Clint Elvy and Ryan Tarran were stunt doubles for Mark Ruffalo in the role of Hulk.
 * On Hulk's advanced ability to talk in Thor: Ragnarok, Mark Ruffalo explained: "Hulk refuses to turn back into Banner, He's actually enjoying his time on Sakaar, because he's a gladiator champion. Which means he kicks lots of ass and he's enjoying his life for once. And he'll be damned if he goes back to Banner. He's a little perma-hulked, and because he's been Hulk for two years he has the vocab of a two-year-old."
 * Taika Waititi said that: "I was always fascinated with the duality of Hulk and Banner, and seeing how their brains could be interconnected. Could we sometimes see Hulk and have a bit of Banner's voice in there? Could we see Banner and have Hulk's personality through there? I think in this film we're going to see that for the first time, where the two are fighting -- really fighting this time -- for control over the body. And Hulk talking -- this idea of a more cognitive Hulk who can say sentences -- that obviously has existed in the comics, but it's something the fans want to finally see. It's exactly what fans want to see, and what I have wanted to see."