Summary
- The Hulk's first words were surprisingly coherent and cruel, hinting at a hidden darkness within Bruce Banner's psyche.
- The Immortal Hulk series explores the shattered mind of Banner, revealing Devil Hulk as the protective persona manifested from childhood abuse.
- The idea that Devil Hulk was the original Hulk challenges fans' assumptions, suggesting a complex origin for the iconic character.
The Hulk is one of the most iconic characters in Marvel Comics, so much so, in fact, that it's fair to say that even the most casual Marvel Comics fan will not only recognize the Hulk, but have a pretty good understanding of who he is. However, the first words the Hulk ever spoke would make even the most hardcore Hulk fan question if they really know him, as this quote indicates a hidden darkness that wouldn’t be explored until decades later.
In The Incredible Hulk #1 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, readers are introduced to Bruce Banner, who gets hit with the full might of his own gamma bomb while trying to save Rick Jones, transforming him into the Incredible Hulk. After Banner turned into the Hulk, Rick Jones asked him if he was okay, only for the Hulk to knock Rick to the side and say, “Get out of my way, insect!”.
Based on what fans now know about the Hulk, this quote seems odd, retrospectively. Not only is it strangely coherent, as opposed to the more ‘caveman-esque’ way the Hulk normally speaks, but it’s also cold and cruel. However, after the Hulk’s lore was explored to its fullest extent in The Immortal Hulk, there seems to be a perfectly good reason behind the supposed strangeness of this quote.
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.
Immortal Hulk Highlights the Many Hulks Within Bruce Banner’s Psyche (& May Have Confirmed the First)
The Immortal Hulk by Al Ewing and Joe Bennett
The Immortal Hulk explores the deepest corners of Hulk lore, including the many facets of Banner’s shattered psyche and the supernatural origins of the Hulk itself. Green Scar (World War Hulk), Joe Fixit (Grey Hulk), and Devil Hulk. Out of them all, Devil Hulk is easily the ‘star’ of this particular series, as it’s revealed that he was the first Hulk Bruce Banner manifested as a child while suffering endless abuse at the hands of his father.
Devil Hulk became a protective alternate persona/imaginary friend for Banner during his childhood, as he was the manifestation of Banner’s inability to process love without pain. Banner craved a father figure, but the only one he’d ever known abused him, which led to Banner subconsciously developing a protective yet evil persona: Devil Hulk. So, what does this have to do with the Hulk’s first words? Well, everything.
Immortal Hulk Alludes to the Idea that Devil Hulk was the Original Hulk
While fans have assumed that the original Hulk introduced in The Incredible Hulk #1 was Savage Hulk (with others concluding that it was Joe Fixit, due to the coherence and gray color), The Immortal Hulk alludes to the idea that the first Hulk fans were introduced to was, in fact, Devil Hulk. The gray color notwithstanding, the fact that the Hulk was speaking in full sentences, was initially cruel to those around him, and was enjoying free rein of Banner’s body matches what fans saw from Devil Hulk in Immortal Hulk.
Devil Hulk had been lurking in Banner’s mind long before the gamma explosion, and it’s hard to imagine an entity like that would miss his chance to escape the metaphysical shackles of Banner’s mind when the opportunity presented itself.
Of course, the real-world answer for why the Hulk was gray, coherent, and cruel was because his character hadn’t yet been fully established in Marvel Comics, and Stan Lee and Jack Kirby were going for a more ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ approach to the character. Not only that, but the Hulk’s first human encounter being with Rick Jones was also initially more significant than fans knew, as it was the start of one of the Hulk’s most important relationships in his publication history.
However, the most shocking thing about the Hulk’s first words aren’t the real-world reasons behind them or who they were directed towards, but what they reveal about who was actually saying them. These first words weren’t spoken by the version of the Hulk fans thought, but by a version of himself born of pain, and perpetuated by misery, not just a dim-witted rage-monster with a heart of gold - and that’s enough to shock even the most hardcore Marvel Comics fan out there.
