Summary
- Bruce Banner tapped into the Hulk's power to 'Hulk-out' just one of his arms, effectively using the Hulk's strength without needing to fully transform.
- This ability offers many advantages, especially to the Avengers, but it has one major downside: it opens the door for a full transformation.
- The Hulk will never allow Banner to use his power without fully transforming, making this a cool ability that fans will likely never see again.
Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Giant-Size Hulk #1! It’s been well-established that Bruce Banner and the Hulk are two separate entities that share one physical body. When Banner is in control, their body remains human, whereas the Hulk transforms their body into a green goliath (which was only made possible by the exposure to gamma radiation from the Hulk’s origin). However, there have been times when Bruce Banner and the Hulk have united into a single entity, or have drawn from aspects of the other when one is in control - but they’ve never done anything like this.
In Giant-Size Hulk #1 by Phillip Kennedy Johnson and Andrea Broccardo, Bruce Banner hitches a ride in a train’s boxcar following the Hulk’s fight against Frozen Charlotte - an eldritch beast that’s been terrorizing the people of New Orleans for generations. Frozen Charlotte turned Banner’s companion, Charlie, into a doll, and Banner can do nothing for her but ensure her new form remains safe until he can find a way to undo what Frozen Charlotte did. And then, Banner is accosted by a sinister stranger, who wants the doll for himself: Patchwork Jack.
Patchwork Jack lives on this train, and he collects a toll from those who hitch a ride. Sometimes he takes their possessions, but mostly Jack steals body parts from those who can’t pay-up, or - if he’s very lucky - he can steal superpowers from any superhumans who find themselves on his train. Here, Patchwork Jack comes across a superhuman, but he’s far from lucky.
After telling Banner he can pay his toll with Charlie, Banner immediately punches Patchwork Jack after Hulking-out his right arm - just his right arm.
Bruce Banner Can Hulk-Out Individual Body Parts While Retaining Control of His Mind/Body
Rather than Hulking-out all at once (which is how these transformations usually occur), Bruce Banner was able to just tap into the Hulk’s power and isolate it to a single arm, allowing him to access the Hulk’s strength without losing himself to a full transformation. This is absolutely groundbreaking, as it means Banner can concentrate Hulk’s strength into a single attack, offering a number of benefits not just for himself, but for the wider superhero community in Marvel Comics.
Banner’s newfound power to access the Hulk’s power without fully transforming could be greatly beneficial for covert missions where the appearance of the Hulk would be a bit too conspicuous. Not only that, but this would be perfect while fighting in a team like the Avengers, as it would mitigate the collateral damage that’s usually synonymous with the Hulk’s participation in any given Avengers battle.
However, there’s one downside to this new ability: it opens the door for the Hulk to take over completely, and the Hulk never misses an opportunity to do so.
While Banner CAN Access Hulk’s Strength Without Transforming, Hulk will Never Let Him
Right now is an especially tumultuous time in Hulk and Banner’s relationship, as Banner tried to harness the Hulk’s strength as his own with ‘Starship Hulk’ during Donny Cates’ previous Hulk run, and that infuriated Hulk beyond compare. In other words, while it would be great if Banner could access Hulk’s strength whenever he wanted, there’s just no way the Hulk would let him do that. Hulk is on a mission to make Banner’s life as difficult as possible to punish him for the ‘Starship Hulk’ debacle, and this new ability is a gift the Hulk is disinclined to give.
Major Hulk Transformation Change Flips His Relationship with Bruce Banner
The Hulk was originally looked at purely as the monster within Bruce Banner in Marvel Comics, but now, that aspect of their relationship has flipped.
While the Hulk will definitely not let Banner keep this power to access his strength himself as their relationship currently stands in Marvel canon, that may very well change once the two reconcile their differences - as they have several times before. But, for now, just knowing that this ability is possible will have to be enough, as Bruce Banner’s new Hulk transformation redefines how he uses his gamma strength.
Giant-Size Hulk #1 by Marvel Comics is available now.
