explains the huge problem with Cap’s famous anti-bullying motto in their new comics.
Steve Rogers has always been the champion of the underdogs, likely because he used to be an underdog himself. Even before he was turned into a super soldier, Steve always stood up for what he believed in, which included taking no flak from bullies - something that hasn’t changed to this day. In the recently released Captain America #26 by Ta-Nehisi Coates, Captain America: The First Avenger, when Steve is asked about how he feels about the Nazis. Having been mocked and tormented all his life due to his scrawny stature, Steve recognizes that supervillains are just bullies with more power... but what does that say about the heroes?
In Immortal Hulk #41 by Al Ewing, the Thing from ends the last way fans expect. Since he's in a weakened state, Hulk doesn’t have the strength to do any real damage, and the Thing repeatedly clobbers him with ease. “ when he beat me into a coma on my honeymoon?” Grimm says, “Next to how he wuz then…he’s almost puny!” Ben continues to mock Hulk as he beats him, relishing the fact that he’s the stronger one for once and using it as an opportunity to get even. The childish Hulk actually starts crying, but Ben has no sympathy. “Guess it's true what they say about bullies,” he says, “ya get a little of yer own medicine and out come the waterworks…Yer just like the punks in the alley when I wuz a kid. Ya think it’s fun to dish it out, but ya can’t [take it].”
Driven to his lowest point, Hulk begs the Thing to stop hitting him, but even that doesn’t quell Ben’s rage. Fortunately, Hulk transforms back into Joe Fixit, who berates Ben for his behavior. “He’s a kid!” Joe says, referring to Hulk, “He’s a kid you piece of crap! Yer beatin’ up on a kid!”
While the Thing’s desire to get back at the Hulk for all the disasters he’s caused is somewhat understandable, his actions ultimately do more harm than good, and his behavior makes him seem like a real monster. If a child breaks something, hitting them as punishment isn’t a solution; it only exacerbates the problem. The same logic can be applied - albeit on a larger scale - to Hulk, who literally has the brain of a child. By taking advantage of Hulk’s weakened state to beat him up and get even, Ben is continuing the cycle of bullying and violence from his own childhood. Even those “punks in the alley” from when he was a kid were likely just emulating behavior they had seen elsewhere in an attempt to fit in or feel powerful. All this to say, Captain America’s tendency to use the word bully synonymously with villain is a bit problematic, as bullies themselves often start out as victims of bullying.
The Thing's beatdown on the Hulk doesn’t outright make him a bad guy, but it does illustrate the complexities of bullying, which opens Captain America’s motto up to more scrutiny. Standing up to bullies sounds great on paper, but perhaps the modern era calls for a more nuanced approach than old-fashioned fisticuffs.
