Warning! Spoilers for Hulk #1 ahead!
As Bruce Banner takes the captain’s seat of “Starship Hulk” in his newest series, his struggle to control the Hulk takes a complete left turn. It’s hard to tell if man overcomes monster or becomes it in Hulk #1 by Donny Cates, Ryan Ottley, and Frank Martin. In a head-spinning psychological thriller, Marvel Comics dissects and rebuilds Hulk’s character from the ground up. Even the Avengers are baffled by Hulk’s terrifying strength in his new form. One thing is for sure: Bruce and the Hulk will never be the same again.
Bruce Banner and the Hulk have a long and complicated history. Multiple identities occupying the same brain rarely get along, especially in pop culture. However, Immortal Hulk by Al Ewing and Joe Bennett turned that concept around. The thought-provoking Marvel masterpiece redefined the Hulk, uncovering the trauma theory behind the beast. The work defined Banner’s various Hulk personas as psychological defense mechanisms born from childhood abuse. Essentially, the Hulks exist to protect Bruce Banner. Bruce’s gamma accident gave them a physical form, and they take their role as protectors too far. However, in Immortal Hulk, the Green Goliath reconciles with Banner, and the two agree to work together as a hero. That is until Banner undoes everything in Hulk’s new series.
Hulk #1 completely changes Banner’s relationship with the Hulk by using a “mind palace.” A mind palace is a complicated mental technique involving the construction of an imaginary location where a person can deposit memories. Banner, however, uses the method for a far more sinister purpose. He constructs a mental spaceship, the complexity of which baffles even Doctor Strange. Using unknown methods, Bruce splits his psyche into two distinct parts. On the command bridge sits Bruce Banner, while his Hulk persona remains trapped in the “engine room.” Banner torments his other half, sending “infinite armies” to inflict pain on the beast. Hulk’s anger fuels the “ship,” while Bruce controls Hulk’s cybernetically upgraded body. Bruce’s literal mental breakdown has his friends wondering if the Hulk was protecting the world from Banner all along.
Banner often finds himself at odds with his Hulk persona. However, this level of hostility is unprecedented. It explores the permanent damage that childhood trauma can inflict on a person. Bruce has a lot of psychological baggage, and dialogue throughout the comic suggests that Starship Hulk is some form of emotional outburst. Tired of others using the Hulk as cheap muscle, he takes over. In a shocking reversal of roles, Bruce Banner “protects” the Hulk by trapping him in his own body. Even for the Immortal Hulk, the future is terrifying.
For better or worse, Bruce and Hulk will never be the same. Fans have polarizing views on the character’s new direction, but competing storylines aside, Hulk #1 is thought-provoking. A mad scientist and a rage monster trapped in the same body is a recipe for disaster, and disaster has struck. Unfortunately for the Avengers, they have no way of stopping the destruction. Everyone was so busy planning contingencies for the Hulk that nobody prepared for Bruce Banner.
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