ROCK & REDEEMER

 

ROCK & REDEEMER

Real Names: Samuel John LaRoquette (Rock); Craig Saunders, Jr. (Redeemer)
First Appearances: The Incredible Hulk (Vol. 1) #317, December 1985 (originally); The Incredible Hulk (Vol. 1) #343, May 1988 (As Rock & Redeemer)

Powers: Samuel LaRoquette and Craig Sauders were S.H.I.E.L.D. advisors who were captured by longtime Hulk foe the Leader, who mentally manipulated and brainwashed both men until they became his loyal followers. Shortly after, he placed LaRoquette in a shape-shifting rock-like exoskeleton and Saunders in a powerful suit of high-tech armor, empowering them as his servants, Rock & Redeemer.

As Rock, Samuel J. LaRoquette was permanently bonded to a powerful rock-life exo-skeletal armor. In its default state, Rock resembled a man's face peeking out from inside a meteor. The exo-skeleton also gave him superhuman strength (Class 25) and was extremely durable. He could levitate and fly with the exoskeleton, and he could reshape it with his thoughts. Rock has used the exo-skeleton to protrude sharp spikes, shift his outer frame into a smooth ball, sprout enormous hands with bladed fingers, or even temporarily form into a roughly humanoid shape over 30 feet tall. The exo-skeleton had the ability to regenerate, and would re-form around LaRoquette's body even if it were completely shattered. Rock was mentally bonded to the exo-skeleton, feeling it and controlling it as if it were his own body; however, he also felt damage to the exoskeleton as if it were his own body being harmed.

As Redeemer, Craig Saunders Jr. wore an armored mechanical battlesuit that granted him enhanced human strength and durability. The battlesuit wielded a variety of powerful guns, rocket launchers, and energy cannons.

As a Hulkbusters, both men had access to advanced technology such as battlesuits, planes, and large land vehicles outfitted with weapons powerful enough to threaten the Hulk. LaRoquette is also a survival expert with experience in many harsh climates and terrains. Saunders was also a distinguished demolitions expert.

AMADEUS CHO

 

AMADEUS CHO

Real Name: Amadeus Cho

First Appearance: Amazing Fantasy (Vol. 2) #15, November 2005 (As Amadeus Cho); Totally Awesome Hulk (Vol. 1) #1, December 2015 (As Hulk); Champions (Vol. 2) #22, July 2018 (As Brawn)

Powers: Amadeus Cho is a hypermind, possessing a reoccurring form of superhuman intelligence that manifests from time to time in humanity. His mind is capable of simultaneously performing infinite calculations, allowing him to observe and assimilate virtually all available data in his environment. This form of "light-speed mathematics" allows Amadeus to instantly compute highly complex equations for things like triangulation and trajectory. For instance, Amadeus was once inside a ship while the villain Artume stood out of sight on top of it, while Hercules and his allies charged at her. A quick glance out the window allowed Amadeus to plot Hercules' line-of-sight to Artume, letting him calculate exactly where to shoot upwards through the ship to hit the villain. He can also compute vectors for any projectile, letting him throw objects or otherwise set them into motion for a series of coordinated bounces and ricochets, like Cap's shield or Daredevil's club, and also enabling him to dodge bullets, shrapnel and other assaults by predicting their flight path.

For more advanced pattern recognition, Amadeus can also observe and catalogue behaviorisms and reactions in others, predicting how they will react in different situations to certain stimuli. This enables him to anticipate the actions of other people (he can do so to a substantially greater degree the more familiar he is with them), and even influence their behavior by knowingly introducing stimuli that he knows will guide them towards performing certain actions. Cho's intelligence has allowed him to absorb and store vast amounts of information in his young life, giving him encyclopediac knowledge on multiple subjects and skill sets.

The ultimate expression of Amadeus's hypermind, however, is his ability to read and measure the quantum probability acting upon the universe. By recognizing the outcomes of any given situation, Cho can choose from the potential quantum states available and engineer the outcome most favorable to him. Although quantum mechanics would technically define this as the observation and manipulation of reality, Amadeus cannot influence probability or events simply by willing it -- his hypermind only allows him to calculate the infinite of possible actions he could take at any given time, read the outcome of each of his actions, and then actually carry out the most favorable action in reality. For some reason, Amadeus Cho's hypermind is dependent on saturated fats and sugar to function. Excess calculation can drain his intelligence, giving him normal mental abilities until he manages to "recharge" by eating more junk food.

Amadeus was known for using different forms of technology to supplement his intelligence and activities. He carried a specially-modified GameBoy able to hack into virtually any nearby system, allowing him to monitor security systems, access encrypted information, or remotely seize control of various forms of computers or technology. He employed modified versions of BannerTech and LeaderTech teleportation and personal force field equipment. Amadeus also carried a version of Hercules's Adamantine mace capable of absorbing energy from attacks striking his force field and rechanneling the energy as blasts from the mace's head. For a time, Amadeus incorporated some of his technology into a Calvin Klein business suit. The on-board A.I., "Calvin", was capable of performing environmental scans to identify and analyze threats, detect energy surges, provide encyclopediac information, etc. It also controlled his force field, minimal self-levitation, and other features.

After absorbing gamma radiation from Bruce Banner, Amadeus became capable of achieving his own Hulk form. In this state he seemingly possesses Class 100 strength as well as superhuman endurance, long-distance leaping ability, regenerative powers, and is nearly invulnerable to physical harm. Like previous Hulks, he gains increased strength and physical power from his rage. The gamma radiation heightens his natural personality and emotions, which in Amadeus's case means increased egotism, cockiness, and libido in either form, but especially as the Hulk. Typically, Amadeus and the Hulk share the same mind and personality between forms. However, a second aspect of Amadeus's mind exists, "his Hulk", which he metaphorically keeps locked up and under control.

SASQUATCH

 

SASQUATCH

Real Name: Walter Langkowski

First Appearance: The Uncanny X-Men (Vol. 1) #120, April 1979

Powers: Dr. Walter Langkowski was a physicist attempting to recreate the gamma exposure that turned Dr. Bruce Banner into the Hulk, but under controlled laboratory conditions. This resulted in a massive explosion in the northern Canadian wilderness. This explosion was severe enough that it briefly created a tear in the inter-dimensional barrier protecting Earth from the Great Beasts, and one of the Beasts named Tanaraq reached through to "touch" Langkowski. Awakening after the explosion, Walter discovered that he now had the power to transform into an orange-furred bigfoot creature. He reasoned that he had become a gamma mutate, and the normal green coloration caused by gamma radiation was altered by the methods he employed. In fact, Sasquatch was actually Tanaraq's body, and Walter was transpositioning his own mass with that of the Great Beast himself, and each time he did so, Tanaraq's influence on Earth was becoming stronger and stronger. As Sasquatch, Walter stood over 7' tall and was covered with shaggy orange fur. His strength level reached Superhuman Class 100, in addition to increased foot speed, agility, endurance, reaction time, and tremendous resistance to physical injury. He did possess some level of enhanced senses and his fingers ended in claws, but he was rarely interested in employing them. After Tanaraq eventually waxed full control over the Sasquatch body, Snowbird was forced to kill Walter's physical form in order to annihilate the Great Beast. His spirit was recovered and placed inside the Box Mark II robot for a time, but was later lost on the Crossroads to All Realities. Eventually, Walter's spirit found its way into the void inside Shaman's medicine pouch, and possessed the diminutive body of the brain-dead Smart Alec, who was being stored in there. Crawling out of the pouch, Langkowski then transferred his mind briefly into the Box Mark III to combat Pestilence, an evil spirit who had possessed Snowbird's body, which at that point was both dead and transformed into a recreation of Langkowski's Sasquatch body.

After Pestilence was driven out, Walter possessed the Snowbird-Sasquatch and impulsively attempted to transform back into his human self. Snowbird's power was that she always transformed into female, white-haired versions of different animals. By attempting to morph into his human self, Walter ended up transforming into a female version of himself with white hair. This process seemed to disrupt Snowbird's powers, and so Langkowski was never able to access any of Snowbird's other morphing or psionic powers. Now, the he//she combination could only morph back and forth from the white furred female Sasquatch to the white haired "Wanda Langkowski". In the end, though, Narya's patron gods intervened and remove all traces of Snowbird from Sasquatch's body, restoring him to his male human form and orange-furred Sasquatch form. Since that time, Walter has referred to himself as a gamma mutate again, so it seems that the gods transformed him into the very thing he originally thought himself to be. The second Sasquatch was an actual "missing link", one of a hidden race of creatures resembling Langkowski's altered form. He had considerable mass, standing over at least 7' tall, in addition to superhuman strength, running speed, endurance, and resistance to physical injury. He also possessed razor sharp claws and teeth, and presumably had enhanced senses as well.

Walter Langkowski holds a Ph.D. in physics and is also a genius-level intellect with expertise in the effects of radiation on human physiology. He also has extensive knowledge of physics and was a talented football player.

DOC SAMSON

 

DOC SAMSON

Real Name: Leonard Samson (born Leonard Skivorski, Jr.)

First Appearance: The Incredible Hulk (Vol. 1) #141, July 1971

Powers: Dr. Leonard Samson was a baseline human who worked with Bruce Banner as a psychiatrist and harbored interest in Banner’s transformation into the Hulk. Banner had managed to temporarily cure himself of his conditioning by siphoning a substantial portion of gamma radiation from his being. Samson, motivated by scientific curiosity and a desire for superhuman powers, exposed himself to the siphoned energy. The result was that the slight, brown-haired psychiatrist was transformed into a massively muscled, green-haired superhuman.

Doc Samson possesses superhuman strength (Class 75), endurance, and resistance to injury. The gamma radiation that transformed Doc Samson fortified his cellular structure, adding roughly two hundred pounds of enhanced muscle, bone, and connecting tissue to his body, and turned his hair green. The source of Samson's added mass is unknown, but probably extra-dimensional. While not exposed to as great a dosage of gamma radiation as Banner or Emil Blonsky (the Abomination), Samson nevertheless gained superhuman strength from the transformation. Samson's legs possess sufficient strength to enable him to leap approximately 580 feet straight up into the air, and to a maximum reported distance of 910 feet. His gamma ray enhanced body is resistant to penetration wounds of any sort up to a high caliper bullet. His bones and muscles are strong and resilient enough to be able to survive a fall at terminal velocity (reached after free-falling 4,000 feet in a feet-first altitude: 145 miles per hour) against sidewalk concrete, provided he lands upright. Unlike the Hulk, Doc Samson neither loses his memories nor his cognitive abilities while in his gamma ray-mutated state, nor does he periodically revert to a non-superhuman form.

It's noteworthy to mention that in comparing the mutated forms of gamma-irradiated subjects such as the Hulk, the Abomination, Doc Samson, the She-Hulk, Patchwork, and the Leader, different frequencies of gamma radiation affect different human beings in different ways. The effect that intensive gamma radiation has on most people is cellular deterioration and eventual death, but there are others whose genetic constitution enables them to mutate so as to gain superhuman powers. The type and extent of mutation is determined by four factors: The frequency of the gamma rays, the amount of the gamma rays, the subject's latent mutant potential, and the subject's psychological make-up. The subject's potential for mutation is dictated by certain mysterious "interstitial" segments of DNA (DeoxyriboNucleic Acid), the molecules which carry a living organism's genetic code. Under the action of mutagenic influences, such as gamma rays, the segments can trigger many body wide restructuring events. As for the subject's psychological make-up, it has been theorized that the gamma radiation somehow acts to mold the subject's mutated form according to repressed desires within his subconscious. Hence, Doc Samson's mutated form is the physical embodiment of his own long-buried desire to become a super heroic figure. Hence, these four factors contributed to the extremely non-human appearance of the Abomination, the neanderthalic appearances of the Hulk, and the relatively normal appearance of Doc Samson, whose only aberration is his hair color. Why gamma radiation tends to produce mutate forms of a greenish hue is not yet known. Also, Doc Samson's strength is at least partially governed by the length of his hair, but that governing itself is at least partially psychological in nature.

Dr. Leonard Samson holds an M.D. with a specialty in psychiatry and is a skilled theoretical technician. He is a gifted psychoanalyst and inventor of various medical devices.

ABOMINATION

 

ABOMINATION

Real Name: Emil Blonsky

First Appearance: Tales to Astonish (Vol. 1) #90, April 1967

Powers: Emil Blonsky bombarded himself with a more concentrated and intense dosage of gamma radiation than Bruce Banner himself had received from the nuclear explosion that had first turned him into the Hulk. Like Banner, Blonsky had some unknown genetic factor in his body that saved him from being killed by a great dose of gamma radiation. Instead, the radiation had an immediate mutagenic effect upon Blonsky, transforming him into the monster whom General Ross's daughter dubbed the Abomination.

The Abomination has two toes on each foot, webbed ears, and a ridged brow. He was once doused in toxic waste, giving his skin a melted appearance. He possesses Superhuman Class 100 strength that surpasses that of the Hulk at the Hulk's normal "calm" functional level. But whereas the Hulk has a specially adapted adrenal gland whose secretions trigger the release of far greater amounts of physical strength than that of the Hulk's normal level to correspond to his heightened emotional states, the Abomination does not. Hence, the Abomination's strength does not fluctuate like the Hulk's. The gamma radiation that mutated Blonsky's body fortified his cellular structure and added, from some as yet unknown source, over 800 pounds of bone marrow and tissue to his body. Unlike the Hulk, the Abomination is a standard gamma mutate possessing a single form and intelligence, rather than switching between an original and altered form and personality like the Hulk.

In addition to great strength, the Abomination's body possesses a high degree of resistance to injury, pain, and disease. The Abomination's skin is capable of withstanding great heat without blistering (up to 3,500° Fahrenheit), great cold without freezing (down to -175° Fahrenheit), and great impacts without injury (he can survive direct hits by field artillery cannon shells). It is possible to injure him, however: for example, the Abomination could not survive the detonation of a nuclear warhead from ten feet away. The Abomination's highly efficient physiology renders him immune to all terrestrial disease. The Abomination can hold his breath for long periods, the limits of which have yet to be defined. Extreme pain or cold (beneath the limit mentioned above) or extended lack of oxygen can cause him to enter a coma-like state of suspended animation, in which he can survive, perhaps indefinitely. Like the Hulk, the Abomination can use his superhumanly strong leg muscles to leap great distances. The Abomination has been observed to cover 2 miles in a single bound.

It's noteworthy to mention that in comparing the mutated forms of gamma-irradiated subjects such as the Hulk, the Abomination, Doc Samson, the She-Hulk, Patchwork, and the Leader, different frequencies of gamma radiation affect different human beings in different ways. The effect that intensive gamma radiation has on most people is cellular deterioration and eventual death, but there are others whose genetic constitution enables them to mutate so as to gain superhuman powers. The type and extent of mutation is determined by four factors: The frequency of the gamma rays, the amount of the gamma rays, the subject's latent mutant potential, and the subject's psychological make-up. The subject's potential for mutation is dictated by certain mysterious "interstitial" segments of DNA (DeoxyriboNucleic Acid), the molecules which carry a living organism's genetic code. Under the action of mutagenic influences, such as gamma rays, the segments can trigger many body wide restructuring events. As for the subject's psychological make-up, it has been theorized that the gamma radiation somehow acts to mold the subject's mutated form according to repressed desires within his subconscious.

Hence, Emil Blonsky's mutated form is the physical embodiment of his own self-loathing. Hence, these four factors contributed to the extremely non-human appearance of the Abomination, the neanderthalic appearances of the Hulk, and the relatively normal appearance of Doc Samson, whose only aberration is his hair color. Why gamma radiation tends to produce mutate forms of a greenish hue is not yet known. Also, Doc Samson's strength is at least partially governed by the length of his hair, but that governing itself is at least partially psychological in nature.

LEADER

 

LEADER

Real Name: Samuel Sterns

First Appearance: Tales to Astonish (Vol. 1) #62, January 1964

Powers: Samuel Sterns was a manual laborer handling some radioactive materials one day when they exploded and bombarded him with gamma radiation. Recovering in a hospital, he began to read and retain every book and piece of information he found. A high school dropout, he found that his appetite for knowledge became more voracious when he developed superhuman intelligence and brain power due to the gamma radiation. Initially, his transformation caused his skin to turn a shade of green, and his brain and skull to stretch upwards, giving him a head that looked like an upright cylinder. Later, after temporarily losing his gamma-spawned power, the Leader arranged to siphon off gamma radiation from Rick Jones, who had temporarily been turned into a Hulk-like creature. After this process, the Leader's brain now expanded up and out, with two oversized hemispheres clearly visible, with a cleft in-between.

The Leader's superhuman intelligence has affected both his logical and intuitive mental capabilities. Like a computer, he is capable of storing large amounts of information in his brain and retrieving any of it on command. He possesses a total recall of everything he has seen or experienced while mutated. The Leader not only stores data, but can connect it in his mind as well, recognizes patterns and connections far faster and at a far more minuscule level than normal people. His intuitive faculties and ability to make leaps of logic have been increased to simplify highly complex scientific situations for his benefit, and enable it so that his guesses are far more probable to be correct than any normal person's. Following his second transformation, the Leader gained the power to mentally control anyone he touches, and maintained a psychic link with Rick Jones following the gamma process they underwent together, allowing him to read Jones' thoughts at will and experience things through Rick's senses.

The Leader's most serious weaknesses are his immaturity and impatience; several times his malevolent selfishness has caused him to lose sight of necessary precautions, or he has acted prematurely, causing the ruin of his schemes. His egotism has led him to embark on mad, impractical schemes to turn the rest of humanity into green-skinned beings like himself.

RICK JONES

 

RICK JONES

Real Name: Richard Milhouse Jones

First Appearance: The Incredible Hulk (Vol. 1) #1, May 1962

Powers: Rick Jones is typically a normal human. All of humanity, however, have a potential in their genes to achieve vast power over time, space, matter, and energy. All forms of benevolent mutation among super-beings on Earth are theoretically micro-expressions of this potential. Rick's mind has a greater connection to the ultimate potential of this "Destiny Force" than nearly any other human. He can rarely access this power consciously or repeatedly, but it has manifested temporarily in various ways. He has demonstrated telepathic and clairvoyant awareness across galaxies, summoned people from various points in time and space, frozen time around two space armadas, in addition to feats like levitation, healing, energetic discharges, size-changing, and more.

Rick Jones's first super-hero career was as the new Bucky. Lacking super-powers, he trained extensively for weeks with Captain America to improve his athleticism and martial prowess.

After his partnership with Cap ended, Rick found himself linked to Captain Marvel of the Kree. Mar-Vell's atoms had inverted into anti-matter, trapping him in the Negative Zone. Rick was guided to a set of Kree Nega Bands that created a psionic and molecular link between him and Mar-Vell. By striking the bands together on Earth, Rick could exchange places with Mar-Vell in the Negative Zone. The two could also communicate psychically during their connection. They separated their connection when Mar-Vell used the Negative Zone portal in the Baxter Building to retrieve Rick at the start of the Kree-Skrull War. It was here that the Supreme Intelligence first triggered Rick's Destiny Force, and he nearly died. Mar-Vell sacrificed himself to save Rick, allowing his atoms to bond with Rick's in order to restore his broken body.

Mar-Vell later re-emerged from within Rick thanks to a series of solar treatments that restored his body. Mar-Vell was now positive matter again, and Rick was forced to release him from the Negative Zone at least once every 12 hours. Over time, their bond grew, allowing each partner to animate the other's body across dimensions if they were unconscious. Mar-Vell and Rick could separate at will and rejoin on contact, with Rick's presence doubling Mar-Vell's powers when they were linked. However, their enhanced link was disrupted by a black hole, leaving them completely unable to contact each other anymore, and forcing them to change every 9 hours. Mar-Vell finally separated from Rick by tricking the Super-Adaptoid into duplicating his Nega Bands, then slapping them together to banish the Adaptoid to the Negative Zone and reclaim Rick.

When Bruce Banner and the Hulk were separated, a gamma nutrient bath was designed to merge them back together. Rick fell into that bath with them, absorbing a sizeable amount of their gamma radiation. As a result, he developed a secondary gamma form that copied many of the traditional Hulk changes. Rick transformed into the Hulk at nightfall, manifesting a "Rick smash!" personality based on the classic Savage Hulk. He possessed roughly Class 75 or higher strength, superhuman endurance, durability, and leaping ability. His gamma power was later drained by Samuel Sterns to restore his powers as the Leader, and a psychic link between Rick and the Leader remained for several years after that.

Rick later underwent molecular bonding with Mar-Vell's son, Genis, making him the partner of the next generation of Captain Marvel. Their abilities to communicate and exchange places using the Nega Bands were roughly the same as the original partnership. Because of cosmic happenstance, however, Rick and Genis exchanged places between Earth and the Microverse instead of the Negative Zone.

After separating from Genis, Rick was subjected to the prototype gamma/cosmic process used by the Leader and MODOK of the Intelligencia to create Red Hulk and Red She-Hulk. Rick became a new version of the Abomination, although his "Rick smash!" personality meant he shortened the name to "A-Bomb" for convenience. Rick initially transformed between his normal self and the mentally deficient "A-Bomb" before stabilizing with his normal personality in the A-Bomb body, unable to change back and forth. Eventually, his transformation ability returned as well. As A-Bomb, Rick possessed Class 100 strength, superhuman endurance, leaping ability, and hardened scaly skin with virtual invulnerability to physical harm. He also had a power not possessed by the original Abomination, the chameleon-like ability to alter his skin's appearance and blend in with his surroundings.

When Banner’s Doc Green Hulk persona/form exposed Rick to a process that removed his gamma power, it temporarily augmented his brain power. He turned his enhanced learning capabilities towards computer and communications technology. The effect eventually faded, but his new knowledge remained, making Rick a self-taught genius in the field of computer hacking and cryptology under the new name of the Whisperer.

Rick Jones is also a self-taught musician highly skilled in performing guitar-driven folk and rock n’ roll.

RED HULK

 

RED HULK

Real Name: Thaddeus E. Ross

First Appearance: The Incredible Hulk (Vol. 1) #1, May 1962 (As General Ross); Hulk (Vol. 2) #1, March 2008 (As the Red Hulk)

Powers: Lieutenant General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross had his consciousness absorbed by the electro-psionic entity known as Zzzax. The creature traditionally fed off of the neuro-electricity of the human mind, but Ross's willpower was so strong he essentially overpowered, possessed and directed Zzzax against the Hulk. Even after having his mind restored to his proper body, Ross maintained the ability to project some amount of electrostatic energy.

Upon becoming the Red Hulk, Ross was subjected to a revolutionary gamma-cosmic process envisioned by M.O.D.O.K. and the Leader. This allowed him to transform from Ross to a red-skinned, massively-proportioned Hulk at will. He mentally controlled his transformation, would not revert when angered, relaxed, or unconscious, and maintained the same mind and personality throughout the process. As the Red Hulk, he possessed a baseline Class 100 strength, superhuman stamina, and was virtually impervious to physical impact, injury, temperature and radiation extremes, etc. He could generate shockwaves by clapping his hands together and leap over a mile with his powerful leg muscles. If injured in some way, the Red Hulk also had a healing factor that rapidly restored his body. When angry or agitated, the Red Hulk began producing excess radiation to various effects. Some of this radiation manifested as heat, making his skin burn to the touch and even hot enough to melt metal on contact. This was also a symptom of the Red Hulk's body processing radiation at an accelerated rate, increasing his strength, stamina, durability, and healing powers like a traditional Hulk. However, it also meant he was consuming energy at an accelerated rate. So while an angry Red Hulk did become more powerful for a time, if he became too angry or remained angry and active for an extended period, he could exhaust his radiation levels for a period of time, forcing him to revert back to his human form.

The Red Hulk initially had a programmed secondary ability to absorb and manipulate outside sources of energy or radiation. He could de-power Bruce Banner or other Hulks, draining away their gamma radiation into himself to refill his own radiation storage. The gamma-cosmic process also allowed him to harness cosmic energy sources, wielding them for his own purposes or reflecting them back on the source. It was through this ability that he temporarily controlled the Silver Surfer's surfboard while de-powering the Surfer himself, as well as striking the Watcher unconscious. Bruce Banner eventually removed this ability from the Red Hulk after testing showed excess use of the power would ultimately stabilize the Red Hulk's physiology, locking him permanently as either Ross or the Red Hulk.

"Thunderbolt" Ross is a lieutenant general in the United States Air Force. With decades of military experience, Lt. General Ross is a skilled organizer, strategist and leader.

HULK

 

HULK

Real Name: Robert Bruce Banner

First Appearance: The Incredible Hulk (Vol. 1) #1, May 1962

Powers: Robert Bruce Banner is a nuclear physicist of genius-level intellect who experienced physical and psychological abuse from his early childhood to his pre-adolescence at the hands of his alcoholic father. After witnessing his father kill his mother, young Bruce began to repress his emotional feelings even well into his adult life. His inability to deal with emotions stemmed from a subconscious desire to avoid becoming like his violent father. However, his avoidance of emotion developed into a dissociative identity disorder (aka ‘multiple personality disorder’). This disorder began manifesting itself externally after Bruce was exposed to a massive dose of gamma radiation from a bomb of his own devising. Over the years, he has transformed into a wide variety of behemoths collectively known as “The Incredible Hulk”, each with varying levels of physical power.

Each Hulk is a massive physical specimen, possessing Class 75-100 strength, superhuman endurance, nigh-invulnerability backed by hyper-regenerative powers, and the ability to leap up to three miles in one bound. The Hulks have the capacity for superhuman strength ranging beyond the limits of any known humanoid being. The gamma radiation that mutated Bruce Banner's body fortified his cellular structure and added some as yet unknown (presumably extradimensional) source, several hundred pounds of bone, muscle, and other tissue. In times of stress, the Hulk's adrenaline level escalates, causing a corresponding escalation of strength. Thus, the madder the Hulk gets, the stronger he becomes. This is usually not accompanied by an additional gain in mass, but does appear to promote increased levels of energy efficiency. The Hulk has not let found an endpoint to his maximum strength, so its upper limit remains a mystery, While described at Class 100 strength, the Hulk has proven capable of exceeding this parameter several times over; following exposure to the warp core breach on Sakaar, his baseline strength was even higher.

The Hulks also have the ability to perceive astral forms, part of a subconscious fear that Bruce Banner has of his father returning to life to torment him. The Hulk also demonstrates a homing ability that allows him to pinpoint the desert in New Mexico where he was first “born”. This ability also gives the Hulk an uncanny accuracy and intuitive sense of direction. The Hulk has an incredible lung capacity, enabling him to last for over an hour without having to take a breath, and some incarnations have even manifested the ability to breathe underwater.

Although Banner has many splinter personalities existing solely in his mind, the Hulks that he’s manifested over the years represent the core personalities. Banner excluded, the core personalities also represent repressed aspects of Bruce Banner, sides of himself and even his ideal self. The core personalities that manifest as Hulks have had sufficient real-world experience to allow them to develop as individuals more so than the splinter personalities.

Bruce Banner is the central core identity. He’s meek, mild-mannered, reserved and filled with repressed emotions. Despite his insecurities and psychological hang-ups, he is one of the most intelligent men on Earth and has been shown to be affectionate with people (and capable of relationships with the opposite sex). He became interested in science at a young age, seemingly preferring the cold rationality of it to protect him from emotions. Banner’s childhood abuse molded him into the mild-mannered man he is as an adult. He views himself as weak and puny, which are obvious Freudian defense mechanisms to keep him from losing control and transforming into the Hulk. Since gamma-irradiated humans are molded by their own psychology, Bruce is an interesting case since his own psychology is broken. His own self-loathing (instilled by his father) split his repressed emotional sides into multiple personalities, the gamma rays that turned him into the Hulk(s) put him in a constant state of flux with those different aspects of his psychology fighting for dominance.

The grey-skinned Hulk was the first Hulk to appear after Banner’s exposure to gamma radiation. Initially, Banner began transforming into a gray-skinned Hulk every day at sunset, and returning to normal at sunrise. This Hulk was 6'6", with considerably larger muscle mass, giving him Class 75 strength. The Gray Hulk has at times been said to represent Banner's ego, or his repressed libido and desires from high school and college. Though not possessed of Banner’s genius intellect, he is exceptionally clever and crafty. He emerges at day and disappears at daybreak because of Banner's desire to hide this aspect of himself away in the dark. Initially, this Hulk's personality was also dependent on the phases of the moon, with the Hulk side of his mind being strongest when away from sunlight, even reflected sunlight off of the moon. And so, the Hulk was at his most savage and brutal during the new moon, and most reasonable during times of the full moon. Banner's transformations were completely controlled by an internal clock -- the Hulk was frequently locked up in a windowless cell during the night-time hours, yet even without a window or clock to know the time, he always reverted back to Banner at sunrise. The Hulk's skin turned green very early in his manifestations, giving rise to a splinter personality sometimes termed "Gravage Hulk" (halfway between grey and Savage). The Gravage Hulk's personality was similar to but somehow distinctive from the core personality of the grey Hulk, later referred to as "Joe Fixit". It wasn't really evident at this time, but as the grey Hulk developed into a distinctive and individual personality, the Gravage Hulk version still remained and occasionally surfaced on its own.

General Thunderbolt Ross attempted to get rid of the Hulk early in his career by launching him into space on board a rocket. Rick Jones made radio contact with the Hulk on the rocket ship, and an unexpected energy surge affected both men. When the rocket crashed back down to Earth, the Hulk remained active in daylight for the first time. In addition, he was now completely responsive to Rick's verbal commands, due to some psychic connection formed between them during the radio contact. Rick eventually managed to guide the Hulk to Bruce Banner's hidden lab in the New Mexico desert, and employed a gamma ray projector to transform the Hulk back into Banner. This became the set-up for the next few months: Whenever there was a threat, Bruce would go to his lab and blast himself with gamma rays, changing into the Gravage Hulk. Though their psychic connection was gone now, it was Rick who was responsible for ensuring that the Hulk eliminated the threat then returned to get bombarded by gamma rays and turned back into Banner. This was the period of time when Hulk helped form the Avengers. After a while, though, Banner decided that letting the Hulk out at all was ineffective, and began repressing the creature again. This just caused the Hulk to manifest in a new way, and the green-skinned Savage Hulk was born.

The most well-known Hulk, he was a larger, more powerful version of the Gravage Hulk, standing 7 feet tall and possessing Class 90 strength. He was unleashed whenever Banner began to experience intense stress, panic, anger, etc. Interestingly enough, though, the original reverse transformation was triggered in the same manner: Hulk would change back into Banner whenever he became significantly enraged or stressed by a situation. This was the beginning of the classic "Hulk Smash!!" personality, occasionally referred to as Banner's child-like id given form, his mind from when he first supposedly fractured mentally, when he was beaten by his father on Christmas morning during his childhood. At one point, Banner was shot in the head as he was changing into the Hulk. The bullet lodged there, somehow causing Banner's mind to remain in control of the Hulk once the transformation was complete. Realizing that he could not turn back without dying, the Banner-Hulk began using gamma ray bombardments to stabilize his physical state and prevent himself from changing back to Bruce Banner. Eventually, the bullet was removed with the help of the Leader, and Banner returned to his human form. This series of events catalyzed the last remaining factor of the classic Hulk scenario: Now, the angrier the Hulk became, the stronger Hulk became. Additional anger and stress released gamma-irradiated adrenaline throughout the Savage Hulk's body, geometrically increasing his strength level to Class 100 and beyond. This also affected his endurance and regeneration, increasing them to the maximum in the same way. The Hulk now would only revert to Bruce Banner when he relaxed to a certain degree, and his anger cooled.

Nothing would change for Banner and the Hulk for quite a long period of time, until Bruce began to actively search for a cure for his condition. During a period of gamma bombardments he was administering to himself, Banner was taken away for a series of space adventures, involving him confronting an old enemy who used gamma rays as a weapon against him, and culminated in him being teleported home to Earth using a matter transmission beam powered by gamma rays. All these various exposures to different forms of gamma radiation somehow affected Banner's condition, giving him total control over the Hulk. Bruce could now transform into the Hulk and back at will, and maintained the personality of Bruce Banner when he did so. Though possessing the Savage Hulk's body and powers, the Banner-Hulk was a bit weaker for practical purposes since he couldn't build up the same amount of rage as his counterpart could. Still, this was the best possible set-up for Banner, and could've lasted forever if not for the demon Nightmare coming up with a plan to turn the Hulk against his nemesis, Doctor Strange. Invading Bruce's dreams, Nightmare tormented him psychologically and ultimately triggered the manifestation of a new Savage Hulk more destructive than ever. Banner attempted to stop his other self by committing psychic suicide, literally willing himself to die. He succeeded to some degree, but the Hulk didn't die. It simply became a mindless, raging monster destroying everything in its path without thought or reason. Dr. Strange was forced to exile the Hulk to the Crossroads of Realities so that he wouldn't hurt anyone or himself. As time passed, Banner's mind actually "regrew" from his attempted suicide, but this only produced a slight calming influence on the Hulk, which was now somewhere between Mindless and Savage. He returned to Earth, and Doc Samson saw an opportunity in the making -- Banner and the Hulk were now mentally separate from each other thanks to their recent experiences, leaving open the possibility for physically separating them as well. A gamma-irradiated nutrient bath was constructed, and succeeded in separating off a portion of the Hulk's mass to create a separate body for Banner. Unfortunately, this once again created the Mindless Hulk scenario, and Bruce Banner was ironically the founder of a new Hulkbusters team. Their separation also wasn't the best of things, and soon both Banner and the Hulk began to grow incorporeal, each one dying without the other. The gamma nutrient bath was prepped to reverse the splitting, but interference by Thunderbolt Ross created chaos and it ended up that Banner, the Hulk, and Rick Jones fell into the bath. The end result was that Rick siphoned off some of the Hulk's gamma radiation, leaving Banner clearly the stronger of the two minds and bringing about the return of the weaker, grey Hulk for the first time since the earliest weeks of his transformations.

Banner's system was still unstable at this point, and the grey Hulk could potentially manifest itself at night or at times of great stress. Most of the time, however, Banner remained strong enough to prevent the Hulk from being unleashed by sheer force of will. However, during the night of the new moon, when the grey Hulk was strongest, he was able to influence Banner's mind, subliminally convincing him that another blast of gamma radiation would rid him of the Hulk forever. Just the opposite occurred, and the Gray Hulk now had full control of their shared body at night. The Gray Hulk was still only 6'6" and Class 75 strength, but now had the madder-stronger factor as well. When a nuclear detonation left the world thinking the Hulk dead, he was actually transported to Jarella's world in the Microverse. Helping the local priests deal with a problem, they sent him back to Earth under a spell that prevented Banner from emerging at all. Now in full command, the grey Hulk became a mob enforcer in Las Vegas, taking a name for himself as "Joe Fixit". The magicians' spell eventually began to falter, though, and for a time Joe was weaker during the day and suffered if sunlight directly touched his skin. After about three months since the nuclear detonation, Banner regained control of the daytime from Fixit. This continued until the Hulk was possessed by a being of strange matter from another dimension. In order to deal with the threat, Banner unleashed the Savage Hulk within his mind. It worked, but this upset the delicate balance of his psyche, always fluctuating between two personalities. Now Banner changed into Joe Fixit at nightfall and during the day would transform into the Savage Hulk when stressed or angered. This chaos was too much for his system, and his personalities began to go to war with one another, mentally and physically (Banner's body with one giant grey arm and one giant green arm, both trying to strangle himself). Doc Samson began some emergency psychotherapy for Banner to treat his mental disorder. Using the hypnosis talents of the Ringmaster caused Banner to accept Samson’s presence into the interactions between his personalities and prevent them from attacking each other. During so, Doc Samson forced Banner, Joe Fixit, and the Savage Hulk to confront each other inside their mind for a “group therapy” session. They reached an understanding over the love of their mother, their collective fear of their father, and the recognition that they were tearing Bruce Banner apart by fighting. Finally, Samson seemed to convince the three personalities that it was in their best interests to merge and become a unified, whole mind.

This new Merged Hulk was a homogeneous mixture of traits. He stood 7’6″ with the Savage Hulk’s body, but Joe Fixit’s facial features. He possessed Banner mind and intelligence (without his emotional issues), but with a large portion of Fixit’s crass humor and craftiness. He was stronger than any previous Hulk, having a base strength of Class 100 even when perfectly calm. The Merged Hulk could increase his strength in the same manner as the Savage Hulk, but if he ever became too angry or stressed, he would transform into “Savage Banner”: The body of Bruce Banner possessed by the mind of the Savage Hulk. This was his self-imposed defense against him ever losing control and hurting people around him. However, it was later revealed that this was not, however, the perfect Bruce Banner that he and everyone else thought he was. This merged Hulk is who Bruce Banner wishes he could be.

While the merged Hulk contained many of the united qualities of the three other personalities, he was really just a stopgap measure devised by Samson. The Hulk was dangerously unstable at that point, and Samson needed to create at least a temporarily stable version of Banner to prevent a total meltdown. So he lied about “curing him” and instead had Banner engineer a new dominant personality that would repress the others until a truly healthy merger could be achieved. That never happened since the merged Hulk realized that he was just another facet of Bruce Banner, a mentally ill man’s notion of his ideal self. While this Merged Hulk (now calling himself "Professor") had considerable psychic and emotional armor that prevented him from feeling too strongly or too openly about anything, that armor cracked once he met the Maestro, a tyrannical future despot version of himself. Seeing what he might become created uncertainty in Banner's mind, and caused him to subconsciously create a defense mechanism against himself. The Merged Hulk was now capable of feeling things stronger than before, but if he ever became too angry or stressed, he would transform into Savage Banner: The Savage Hulk's mind possessing the body of Bruce Banner. This was his defense against him ever flying out of control and hurting people around him. Sometime later, though, Savage Banner (believing himself to be the near-invulnerable Hulk), through himself on a grenade and had a blast of shrapnel penetrate his brain. He did manage to turn into a real Hulk to save his life, but it was a different version of the Hulk, as indicated by his skin being a different shade of green. This version of the Hulk wasn't really explored before Onslaught struck, splitting Hulk and Banner into two separate beings again. Banner dove into the Onslaught effect with the rest of Earth's Heroes to defeat the creature, but while Banner traveled to the Franklinverse, the Hulk remained on our Earth.

On the Heroes Reborn Earth, the reincarnated Banner was exposed to gamma radiation and became a reborn version of the Savage Hulk. Back on our Earth, the Bannerless Hulk operated as a form of the Gravage Hulk. No transformations occurred, and while his separation from Banner made this Hulk physically more vulnerable, his strength level continued to increase due to an odd connection to the Heroes Reborn universe. The Hulk eventually proved to be a major factor in bringing the Heroes back from the Franklinverse, and Banner and the Hulk were reunited. The Gravage Hulk remained the dominant Hulk, and now their transformations were controlled entirely by the two personalities in control. If both Hulk and Banner wanted to change or not change, then things were easy. If they disagreed, however, it became a battle of wills as to whether or not the transformation occurred or did not. Following Betty's death, however, Banner began manifesting the merged "Professor" Hulk again and, after a disastrous period of mind control by Tyrannus and diagnosing himself with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), Bruce's system became even more unstable. Ultimately, Banner made a pact with his three core splinter personalities (Savage Hulk, Joe Fixit, and the Professor), so that they would take turns sharing the body and would eventually take over completely when "Bruce Banner" succumbed to his disease irreparably. Bruce ended up being cured, though, and Fixit and the Professor somehow completely disappeared.

Banner began training his mind through yoga techniques and self-hypnosis so that he could control his transformations, turn into the Savage Hulk at will, and undo the changes almost just as easily. After having a reanimation drug delivered into his bloodstream, Banner developed even greater control over the Hulk and its power than before. By concentrating, his eyes would glow with gamma radiation and "Puny Banner" would become superhumanly strong and resistant to physical injury all on his own. He also could transform into the Savage Hulk while maintaining his regular personality, though the Hulk wasn't always completely under his control. This period of Banner's life has since been revealed as either fully or partly a lie, implanted on his mind by Nightmare. How much of the "Zen Banner" period actually happened remains unknown.

Since then, Bruce Banner began changing regularly with a version of the Hulk that possessed a quiet demeanor, wily intelligence, and a mean streak. This Hulk took over almost completely on the planet Sakaar, at Banner's allowance. He grew stronger and more powerful on that world and, after everything he built there was destroyed, the Hulk's rage reached unprecedented and sustained levels, making him stronger than ever before during World War Hulk. The Green Scar's rage reached uncontrollable levels when he learned one of his own Warbound was responsible for the devastation on Sakaar, and Banner had to shut him down to prevent Hulk from venting his rage on the entire planet. Instead, Banner settled into a transformation cycle with the old Savage Hulk -- still prone to rages, but without the intellect or memory to fully comprehend the Green Scar's fury.

Faced with the energy-absorbing Red Hulk, Banner was drained of all his body's gamma charge, leaving him powerless and the Hulk effectively "dead". Still possessing many enemies, Bruce Banner armed himself with a number of gadgets and technology which he carries in a simple satchel. The satchel contains a pocket teleporter reverse-engineered off of the Leader's technology, enabling Banner to reach into the bag and out into his laboratory, pulling a wide variety of items out at any given time. Banner can also use the teleportation tech more traditionally, transporting himself (and other people in close proximity) around the globe in an instant. His BannerTech shield array provides Bruce with considerable protection from all manner of harm. He can even absorb Hulk-class body blows without injury. By expanding and redirecting the shields, Banner can simulate superhuman strength to some degree. The shields are powered by ambient energy, including the gamma rays and Old Power bleeding off from his son, Skaar. Bruce also carries a simple remote device capable of executing BannerTech computer virus, nanoparticles, and software programs. This lets him quickly hack into many kinds of electronic systems. He can access government databases for information on different people and subjects, intercept and reroute phone conversations, jam tracking equipment, override security systems, and assume remote control over technology like orbital satellites and computer-guided missiles. His remote also connects him with Spy-Eyes, tiny flying cameras capable of transmitting real-time video back to him. Banner can hear and speak through the Spy-Eyes, and also use them to perform medical monitoring scans on other people. Finally, Banner carries an Old Power "taser" which channels the tectonic force of the planet into energy bolts that register on the Richter scale.

When Banner's gamma levels were restored, he and the Green Scar Hulk began co-habitating, switching back and forth as circumstances required. After being transformed into one of the Serpent's Worthy, however, Hulk went to Doctor Doom for assistance and physically separated himself from Banner. Bruce went mad during this period, as the heroic aspects of his character remained in the Hulk. During a gamma bomb explosion, Banner disintegrated in the Hulk's arms, ultimately being reabsorbed into his system. Hulk developed an antagonistic relationship with Banner where he reverted to his weaker self whenever suited relaxed or unconscious, until the two once again made peace inside their mental architecture.

Banner tried a new method of controlling the Hulk by using him in controlled, cathartic exercises to relieve stress and aggression. By releasing the Hulk on a regular basis to exert himself, Banner experienced a peaceful cohabitation with his two sides. The Hulk's exact disposition and intelligence level varied during this period, but he proved largely cooperative with the Avengers, SHIELD, and Banner's needs. Only when Banner lost control of his emotions would he produce an uncontrollable Hulk.

Later, Banner was near-fatally wounded by a bullet to the brain. Although he somehow survived, it resulted in a brain damaged Banner and an extremely dangerous rampaging Hulk. Short of killing Banner, Tony Stark decided the best option was an upgraded Extremis Virus dosage, designed to repair the missing parts of Banner's brain. Banner himself then further tweaked the Extremis dosage, resulting in his already prodigious intelligence boosting to superhuman levels, but also producing a new, super-intelligent version of the Hulk, dubbed "Doc Green". Unlike other "smart Hulks" of the past, Doc Green is not Banner's mind in the Hulk's body, but the basic Savage Hulk persona made super-intelligent. Doc Green rejects both Banner and past versions of the Hulk, citing himself as unique. His strength level appears to meet or surpass any past incarnation of the Hulk short of the Worldbreaker. He still needs to "smash", almost pathologically: When experiencing a setback, he demonstrated an uncontrollable desire to sublimate his anger through destruction, although all he needed was breaking a pencil to calm down. Doc Green also apparently does not or cannot sleep without allowing Banner to emerge, and took steps to prevent Banner from regaining control during these periods.

Robert Bruce Banner is a genius level intellect with Ph.D.'s in nuclear physics and two other areas. He possesses extensive knowledge of the subject, particularly gamma radiation.