Why Hulk Is Secretly The Most Peaceful Avenger

Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) has a reputation as the most destructive and dangerous Avenger, but the green goliath is actually far more peaceful in nature than the films make him out to be. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the dual roles of Hulk and Dr. Bruce Banner were originated by Edward Norton, who starred in 2008’s The Incredible Hulk. Since then, Mark Ruffalo has played both roles in all four Avengers movies, Thor: Ragnarok, and had a cameo in Iron Man 3. Ruffalo will return in Disney Plus’ She-Hulk, which stars Tatiana Maslany as Banner’s cousin, Jennifer Walters.

Hulk’s solo movie (as well as the previous, non-MCU Hulk film directed by Ang Lee in 2003) was defined by the military, led by General Ross (William Hurt), hunting Banner and Hulk because of the danger the gamma-radiated monster poses to humanity. At the end of The Incredible Hulk, Banner was able to escape capture after a showdown with the Abomination (Tim Roth) in Harlem, and Banner was shown using meditation techniques to calm and control the raging beast within. When Hulk joined the Battle of New York in The Avengers, Banner confessed that his “secret” as the Hulk was that he was “always angry”. In Avengers: Age of Ultron, Banner’s love interest Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) used a lullaby – “Hey big guy, the sun’s getting real low…” – to calm Hulk’s rage and ease him back into Banner, which Thor hilariously tried to use on both Hulk and Banner in Thor: Ragnarok.

Contrary to Hulk’s original reputation as an uncontrollable engine of destruction, the Strongest Avenger was actually surprisingly safe to be around as long as you aren’t a supervillain, alien monster, or a member of the military actively hunting Hulk. In The Avengers, a janitor tells Banner that it looked like the green giant aimed for the empty building he crashed into, instead of any of the more populated ones around the area. This supports a theory around the Hulk that exists both in the films and in the comics; that the Hulk does care about civilian casualties, and is actively attempting to avoid them, even if it’s only to appease his human alter ego. In fact, in the first two Avengers movies, it was actually more dangerous to be around Banner, since Hulk was at his most irrationally angry when he first Hulks out. As Hulk evolved in the MCU, fans learned in Thor: Ragnarok he gained more and more intelligence the longer he remained as the Hulk. While the Grandmaster (Jeff Goldblum) banked on his unstoppable rages when fighting as his unbeatable champion, Hulk was perfectly calm in his off-hours, and he was downright playful with his training partner, Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson).

In Marvel Comics and in his movies, Hulk’s driving force when he’s in his savage state is to be left alone. Hulk only wants to smash when he’s threatened or provoked – which is why you don’t see him rampaging after innocent civilians, as even a fully enraged Hulk doesn’t seem to want to hurt random people. It can be said Hulk subconsciously avoids where people are so that he’s able to find a peaceful location where he can calm down, which usually led to him transforming back into Banner. However, the big green giant’s value as a superhero is his unmatched strength, which is driven by his rage, and since the madder Hulk gets the stronger he gets and the more he’s able to smash, keeping the big guy angry means Hulk will usually end the fight and win. This is why Banner always warned not to make him (or Hulk) angry.

By Avengers: Endgame, the MCU got around the problem of Banner ‘Hulking out’ and the threat that poses. Banner, who always saw Hulk as a disease, began looking at him as the cure, and he combined the brains and brawn to become Smart Hulk. Hilariously, Smart Hulk is so safe to be around in Endgame that children have no qualms coming up to him for selfies. However, even then, the raging beast was still bubbling beneath the surface, and there were moments in Avengers: Endgame where Smart Hulk was struggling to control his inner fury. Still, Smart Hulk is as safe and peaceful as Hulk is likely to get, but anything is possible with the big green giant’s next appearance in She-Hulk.

About The Author