Bruce Banner’s Latest Death is So Pathetic Even Hulk is Embarrassed

Warning: contains spoilers for Immortal Hulk: Time of Monsters #1!

Bruce Banner was just killed by a Marvel supervillain in a way so pathetic that even the Hulk was embarrassed. Ever since The Immortal Hulk essentially rewrote Bruce and the Green Goliath’s relationship with life and death, Hulk has an unsettling advantage against any villain they face. In this case, Banner’s confrontation with Ebenezer Laughton, aka the Scarecrow, is so terrifying that Bruce Banner literally dies from fear.

Bruce Banner’s ability to transform into his infamous alter-ego when angry is well-documented, but over the last few years, writer Al Ewing, artist Joe Bennett and their creative collaborators have rewritten the rules when it comes to gamma-powered characters. While Bruce does whatever he can to survive and keep moving during the day, the night is the Hulk’s time, whether Banner is alive or dead when the sun sets. If Bruce should find himself mortally wounded or dying, his death is avenged by the Hulk, who turns back into Banner at dawn, effectively resurrecting the tortured scientist.

In “A Little Fire” from Immortal Hulk: Time of Monsters #1 – by David Vaughn and Kevin Nowlan – Bruce Banner’s travels through America take him to Verdigris, Kansas, where the town seems abandoned except for the Emerald Cinema theater where Scarecrow welcomes Bruce and takes him to his seat. Scarecrow has taken control of the entire town through mass hypnosis and gathered them in the movie theater to watch their greatest fears on the big screen. While the town whittles away to a few dozen, Scarecrow gleefully consumes their fear but considers them mere appetizers to Bruce’s main course. Although the reader gets hints of what Bruce sees, the fear is so overwhelming that it kills him, with the satisfied Scarecrow striding off to look for a little dessert in his remaining patrons. Unfortunately for Ebenezer, his story takes a tragic turn when Bruce transforms into the Hulk, who remarks, “Scared to death. That was puny even for Banner.”

In Immortal Hulk, the dominant Hulk personality called the “Devil Hulk” – depicted in this story – is both intelligent and ruthless, but also considers himself Banner’s guardian. Whether Banner dies accidentally or deliberately, the Hulk takes the murder personally and isn’t afraid to enact his own personal justice. In Immortal Hulk #1, Hulk punished a criminal who shot Banner in a gas station robbery by breaking almost every bone in his body. In Immortal Hulk #8, Hulk kills a scientist who hurt Bruce by healing his vivisected body around the villain, smothering him. Regardless of the circumstances, the Hulk is there to support and avenge his other half, even if he thinks the way Bruce died is “puny.”

When the Hulk appears, the comic itself shifts from old-fashioned black and white to a technicolor horror movie as the townspeople flee and the villain is left to deal with the vengeful monster who relishes Scarecrow’s suffering and fear. Immortal Hulk has taken huge strides in clarifying the relationship between Bruce Banner and his various Hulk personas, and while both he and Devil Hulk are currently out of action, “A Little Fire” serves as a reminder that while Bruce’s alter ego might not always like him, he will always seek vengeance on anyone who hurts him. Hopefully, Hulk‘s consideration stretches to not giving Bruce Banner too hard of a time when he awakens the next day.

About The Author