Considering the Marvel Cinematic Universe's version of the Avengers, I'd have to say that my favorite of the collection of heroes is the Hulk. I particularly enjoy Mark Ruffalo's Hulk, both in his portrayal of Banner and the Hulkalo look.
It's also interesting to note that the MCU cannon includes the events of The Incredible Hulk, complete with Thunderbolt Ross, a disgraced general, eventually getting the Secretary of State position in the Captain America movies. Despite that, the Abomination and Leader (who I had to look up on the internet because I'm not as well versed in Hulk comics as I wish I were) are open characters who are part of the MCU and haven't shown up since their origins back in 2008.
Admittedly, The Incredible Hulk, which I watched last night, is not the strongest entry into the MCU. There isn't anything egregiously wrong with it but there isn't a lot that's right about it, either? The lightness of the dialogue that's become part of the Marvel movies is missing, and the connections to the broader world of heroes and villains isn't there. Of course, that last bit is understandable, since the world wasn't developed yet and there were fewer things to connect with. (Heck, even SHIELD is just an office space with soldiers in uniform, tapping at late-aughts keyboards.)
Still, it's kind of sad that Hulk has been a supporting character in the Avengers films (and the upcoming Thor: Ragnarok) when I feel that he has a lot to explore as a character in his own film.* He's not ignored, but he doesn't get as much time to shine in the ensemble pieces, and that's a shame. Of course, how he'll fit into everything later on is a mystery, and I'm sure they can do some interesting things with him, but, still...
I've had an interest in Hulk since I was little. I remember seeing an episode or two of the cartoon and the live action series. I didn't have the presence of mind or schedule that allowed me to see a lot of them, but enough to catch my interest. I remember running around one day, alternating between wearing a shirt and taking it off to demonstrate the change from mild-mannered Steve to The INCREDIBLE HULK! RAAARR! (Also, I unknowingly relished in the male privilege of being able to take off my shirt and not get in trouble.)
My interest increased in my teen years when I came across a trilogy of Spider-Man books called Doom's Day in which our friendly neighborhood wall-crawler gets tangled up in a large conspiracy against Doctor Doom. In the first novel, he teams up with Hulk; the second, Iron Man; finally, the Fantastic Four. It was in that first one that I got to know Hulk.
In this book, Bruce Banner has control of the Hulk's body. That took me by surprise, but it was exciting to have a character who not only was incredibly strong, but had a personality besides "I punch things good." I also enjoyed the team-up aspect, rather than the all-too-frequent trope of the good guy fighting the good guy because one is being stupid/mind controlled.
During my mission, the film Hulk was released. I didn't see it until afterwards, but that summer, my companion and I went to 7-11 to buy the Hulk cups and we would laugh because he was "so angry!" It amused us, and when I saw the film, I enjoyed it quite a bit. In retrospect, it isn't the best film, but it did some daring, exciting things that were worth seeing.
I purchased Hulk: Ultimate Destruction when it came out for X-Box, and I spent a good deal of time tearing cars in half, punting buses through New York, and smashing the crap out of buildings. (This trailer gives you a good sense of it.)
Since that came out, I've only put some marginal interest into the character. His cousin, Jennifer Walters, is a great character whose origin is as preposterous as anything in all of comics, but her attitude is so different and refreshing from what we see from Banner that she really feels like her own creation.
Anyway, there wasn't any great point or analysis here--though I want to do some more Hulk exposure and put together an essay about the character someday--merely a chance to put down some memories of one of the things that I enjoy.
Yeah, that's it.
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* The same thing goes for Black Widow. I know Joss Whedon had a Black Widow script that he was sitting on before the MCU took off, and as a comic book writer, he's always had a penchant for writing about characters that are too often dismissed. (For more on that, check out Joss Whedon's work on Astonishing X-Men, where he makes Kitty Pride the savior of the planet.) Whedon's recent rough spots with the community are a sad turn, since he understands comics and story and character better than most anyone out there. And while I would be excited for a Black Widow movie, I wouldn't be as interested as I was in Wonder Woman.
 |
| There's a lot of anger here. (Source) |
Admittedly, The Incredible Hulk, which I watched last night, is not the strongest entry into the MCU. There isn't anything egregiously wrong with it but there isn't a lot that's right about it, either? The lightness of the dialogue that's become part of the Marvel movies is missing, and the connections to the broader world of heroes and villains isn't there. Of course, that last bit is understandable, since the world wasn't developed yet and there were fewer things to connect with. (Heck, even SHIELD is just an office space with soldiers in uniform, tapping at late-aughts keyboards.)
Still, it's kind of sad that Hulk has been a supporting character in the Avengers films (and the upcoming Thor: Ragnarok) when I feel that he has a lot to explore as a character in his own film.* He's not ignored, but he doesn't get as much time to shine in the ensemble pieces, and that's a shame. Of course, how he'll fit into everything later on is a mystery, and I'm sure they can do some interesting things with him, but, still...
I've had an interest in Hulk since I was little. I remember seeing an episode or two of the cartoon and the live action series. I didn't have the presence of mind or schedule that allowed me to see a lot of them, but enough to catch my interest. I remember running around one day, alternating between wearing a shirt and taking it off to demonstrate the change from mild-mannered Steve to The INCREDIBLE HULK! RAAARR! (Also, I unknowingly relished in the male privilege of being able to take off my shirt and not get in trouble.)
My interest increased in my teen years when I came across a trilogy of Spider-Man books called Doom's Day in which our friendly neighborhood wall-crawler gets tangled up in a large conspiracy against Doctor Doom. In the first novel, he teams up with Hulk; the second, Iron Man; finally, the Fantastic Four. It was in that first one that I got to know Hulk.
 |
| It wasn't easy to find this image, by the way. Be impressed I found it. (Source) |
In this book, Bruce Banner has control of the Hulk's body. That took me by surprise, but it was exciting to have a character who not only was incredibly strong, but had a personality besides "I punch things good." I also enjoyed the team-up aspect, rather than the all-too-frequent trope of the good guy fighting the good guy because one is being stupid/mind controlled.
During my mission, the film Hulk was released. I didn't see it until afterwards, but that summer, my companion and I went to 7-11 to buy the Hulk cups and we would laugh because he was "so angry!" It amused us, and when I saw the film, I enjoyed it quite a bit. In retrospect, it isn't the best film, but it did some daring, exciting things that were worth seeing.
 |
| I define memories by 7-11 cups, apparently. (Source) |
Since that came out, I've only put some marginal interest into the character. His cousin, Jennifer Walters, is a great character whose origin is as preposterous as anything in all of comics, but her attitude is so different and refreshing from what we see from Banner that she really feels like her own creation.
 |
| I have one trade that features John Byrne's writing and art, and it's pretty awesome. (Source) |
Yeah, that's it.
-----
* The same thing goes for Black Widow. I know Joss Whedon had a Black Widow script that he was sitting on before the MCU took off, and as a comic book writer, he's always had a penchant for writing about characters that are too often dismissed. (For more on that, check out Joss Whedon's work on Astonishing X-Men, where he makes Kitty Pride the savior of the planet.) Whedon's recent rough spots with the community are a sad turn, since he understands comics and story and character better than most anyone out there. And while I would be excited for a Black Widow movie, I wouldn't be as interested as I was in Wonder Woman.