History ComicBook / TheIncredibleHulk

* BareYourMidriff: The Hulk's ComicBook/MarvelNOW costume, which is a suit of armor that shows off his abs when transformed.

** Amazingly both Carl “Crusher” Creel Absorbing Man and his wife Mary [=MacPherran=] aka Titania become this ''ComicBook/GammaFlight'', despite spending the previous decades as major thorns in the sides of Marvel’s heroes and working for Doctor Doom. They turn over a new leaf in ''ComicBook/ImmortalHulk'' upon coming to the conclusion being GoodFeelsGood and actually help Hulk fight against his CompleteMonster father Brian Banner who is the avatar of One Below All as well as save world from Dario Agger’s [[EldritchAbomination Eldritch Abominations]]. They’re still brutish and jerky, but firmly on the side on the angels.

[[caption-width-right:350: "Is he man or monster? Or… is he ''''both?''''"]]

[[caption-width-right:350: "Is he man or monster? Or… is he ''both?'']]

[[caption-width-right:350:''"'''Human??''' Why should I want to be human?!?"'']]

* [[AssholeVictim Asshole Victims:]] He's killed a few people in his time, but they usually really had it coming.
* AsskickingEqualsAuthority: The Hulk's been the king of a surprising number of worlds, most notably Sakaar in ''Planet Hulk''. He was also the president of Australia in ''ComicBook/HouseOfM''.

* AbusiveParents: There's Bruce Banner's father, Brian. He'd been abused by his father, leading Brian to believe his father was a monster, that he had inherited the 'monster gene', and that any children he had [[VillainousLineage would be monsters too]]. Brian initially chose to ignore Bruce, believing him to be a monster in the making. When it became apparent Bruce was a child genius, Brian saw his worst fears confirmed, and started beating both Bruce and his mother, Rebecca. After several years of abuse, Rebecca attempted to escape with Bruce, but Brian killed her and intimidated Bruce into saying Brian hadn't done anything to them. The truth only came out when Brian got drunk and boasted about what he'd done. Brian was locked up in a mental institution, dying shortly after release. End result? Bruce developed [[SplitPersonality multiple personality syndrome]] - and after a certain accident with a gamma bomb, [[SelfFulfillingProphecy his personalities became the various Hulks]]. [[spoiler: And Bruce (accidentally) killed him. In a subsequent story, Banner himself admits it might not have been accidental. He came back from the dead and in Devil Hulk form in the ComicBook/ChaosWar tie-in, but the Hulk sent him to Hell... only to return as a body-hopping spirit to confront his son in ''ComicBook/ImmortalHulk''.]]

->''"[[CatchPhrase HULK]]'' '''''[[HulkingOut SMASH!]]'''"''

** This one is better remembered than it should be because subsequent Marvel writers, particularly in the editorial DorkAge of the 70s, liked to cite it as a "nobody's perfect" precedent when fan letters called them out on their own heinous continuity errors. Marv Wolfman was probably the worst about this; he pre-emptively invoked it in an editor's note attached to a Dracula comic that he '''knew''' was going to tie the timeline of ''ComicBook/TheTombOfDracula'' into a Gordian Knot.

* HuskyRusskie: Mongu (Boris Monguski) subverted the stereotype by actually being a smaller man inside a set of PoweredArmor that ''looked'' like a barbaric giant, which was ultimately trashed by the Hulk. Years later an ''actual'' barbarian [[NamesTheSame named Mongu]] would show up, though as he hailed from another dimension he had no ties to Russia.

* NewOldFlame: A while back, Bruce Banner of all people had an incredibly hot girlfriend in college, but dumped her because he was a neurotic twit. She's now an evil HotScientist, and still bitter about the breakup.

* AnAxeToGrind: Skaar was contends with the aptly-named Axeman Bone.

[[caption-width-right:350:[[YouWouldntLikeMeWhenImAngry You wouldn't like him when he's angry]].]]

** [[Film/{{Hulk}} the movie]] averts this somewhat by combining radiation with several other factors -- the gamma rays only break down his cells, the {{Nanomachines}} try to repair them, and [[GeneticEngineeringIsTheNewNuke his genes weren't really normal to begin with]].

* HulkSpeak: The Hulk, for whom this trope is named, but only the animated version and the "savage" version from the comics. In the movies, Hulk only [[ScreamingWarrior roars]], with a single line in the first three ([[{{Film/Hulk}} 2003 movie version]] has him saying "'''[[MythologyGag Puny human]]'''" in Bruce Banner's dream sequence; [[Film/TheIncredibleHulk2008 in the 2008 movie]], Hulk said "'''[[HulkSmash HULK... SMASH]]'''!" during the final fight scene with Abomination -- [[CatchPhrase because it had to be said at least once]] -- and in ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}'', given ComicBook/{{Loki}} [[AGodAmI called himself a god]] [[MetronomicManMashing before being beaten]], Hulk walks away saying "[[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu Puny God...]]"). For the most part, however, he speaks correct, [[TerseTalker if terse]], English. In ''Film/ThorRagnarok'' he finally starts talking extensively in classic Hulk speak.

''The Incredible Hulk'' is a Creator/MarvelComics character, the embodiment of SuperStrength, UnstoppableRage and, of course, YouWouldntLikeMeWhenImAngry. Emotionally-repressed scientific genius Dr. Bruce Banner, while employed as a weapons designer for the US Army, is exposed to a massive dose of [[ILoveNuclearPower gamma radiation]] in the process of saving teenager Rick Jones from a bomb test, and as a result now changes into a gigantic green musclebound personification of his own agitated emotional state whenever he loses his cool.

** He started out as brilliant physicist Dr. Bruce Banner, before the [[ILoveNuclearPower radiation accident]] that turned him into the Hulk. Different personalities, including that of Dr. Banner himself, took control of the Hulk's body at different points and showed varying levels of brains and brawn, depending on which one was currently running things. They would occasionally borrow each others' skills, with Banner lending Joe Fixit his memories and computer skills when Fixit needed to figure out who had poisoned the Hulk and who was about to kill them. ItMakesSenseInContext.

* GrandfatherClause: As the Hulk's [[ILoveNuclearPower origin involves exposure to gamma radiation]], gamma radiation is always going to be the cause of his transformation, even though the trope has been disproven.

* ILoveNuclearPower: This is how Banner became the Hulk in the first place. ''Immortal Hulk'' suggests one reason gamma radiation can spawn things like the Hulk is that in the Marvel universe, gamma radiation operates just as much by magical principles as it does by scientific ones, turning people into metaphors for their psychological issues.

*** The Leader, whose ''ComicBook/UltimateMarvel'' version combines this with [[GeniusCripple a totally useless body]]. Sometimes, he is even shown needing a metal frame to keep his head from snapping his neck. While other [[ILoveNuclearPower gamma-radiation mutated]] characters had their physical strength enhanced, the Leader instead was given SuperIntelligence.

* PersonOfMassDestruction: The Hulk is one of the earliest examples. Like Franchise/{{Godzilla}}, he was [[ILoveNuclearPower created by a bomb]], and some adaptations literally compare him to the atomic weapon that spawned him; for example, the shockwaves he creates from smashing things are compared to the blast wave of a nuke. Later on this tendency was dropped, but the Hulk remained as one of these since his power increases the angrier he gets and he doesn't seem to have an upper limit.

* WhatAnIdiot: Bruce Banner is a normal guy on the run who tries to stay away from populated areas and stress because when he gets angry, he turns into a giant monster that destroys everything in his way while screaming "Leave Hulk alone!"\\
'''You'd Expect:''' ComicBook/{{SHIELD}} to provide Banner with a map of and free transport to the most deserted locations on earth, and the Army to issue warnings to anyone in Banner's vicinity not to antagonize him and keep their distance.\\
'''Instead:''' The government tries to capture Banner at every available opportunity.
** Connected to the above, General "Thunderbolt" Ross continually exhorts the government to give him men and equipment to wage his private war against the Hulk.\\
'''You'd Expect:''' The government would realize that Ross's crusade is costing them a steady fortune and pull the plug.\\
'''Instead:''' They keep pouring money into his vendetta.

* IconicLogo: TheIncredible Hulk logo, with "Hulk" written in big, blocky letters meant to look like bricks.

* RedBaron: The Hulk lives and breathes these, since his name itself is always an example. He has gained other epithets in the recent past, such as "ComicBook/{{Indestructible|Hulk}}" and "ComicBook/{{Immortal|Hulk}}". His traditional Stan Lee-given kennings are "Jade Giant" and "Green Goliath". His [[ComicBook/SheHulk cousin]], meanwhile, is the [[StatuesqueStunner Green Glamazon]] and is usually accompanied by the adjective "ComicBook/{{Sensational|SheHulk}}". Hulk's ''ComicBook/MiniMarvels'' counterpart is the [[AgeLift Jade Juvenile]].

* TheGoodKing: During his time as the ruler of Sakaar. Also during his time as King of Australia during the ''ComicBook/HouseOfM'' storyline, where he overthrew the mutant government and turned it into one of the last bastions of human freedom.

* TheMainCharactersDoEverything: Really, Banner's troubles with his Hulk condition could have been avoided from the beginning if he simply sent guards at the base to get Rick Jones out of the Gamma Bomb blast zone in the first place instead of going himself.

* TheNicknamer: Hulk's generally not good with names, depending on the incarnation. Sometimes it's out of lack of intelligence, others out of lack of respect, and others it's a sign of affection. ComicBook/IronMan is usually Metal Man or Tin Man (or Tin Head), [[ComicBook/TheMightyThor Thor]] is usually Blondie or Goldilocks, Sentry is Golden Man.

* InASingleBound: The Hulk's primary method of getting from place to place is using his immense strength to leap miles at at time through the air.

* InterruptedSuicide: Banner's tried to kill himself a few times in the past; Hulk will always force a transformation to prevent it, however. Even when Banner finally manages to arrange a successful mercy kill in ''ComicBook/CivilWarII'', he still gets brought back again and again... and then discovers he'll ''always'' come back.

* JekyllAndHyde: Hulk has this trope all over, but the relationship between Joe and Bruce has much more in common with the original tale.

* LikeBrotherAndSister: With She-Hulk. They're cousins, but they treat each other as siblings. They're pretty protective of each other.

* MrViceGuy: Joe Fixit enjoys fine clothes, fine food, and even fine women.

* MusclesAreMeaningful: The Hulk is among the strongest individuals in the Marvel Universe, and is ripped as hell.

* OffingTheOffspring: The Green Scar persona is initially extremely angry with his son Skaar, for causing the death of his mother Caiera. In contrast, Skaar's initial motivation was to become a {{Patricide}}. They both mellowed out eventually.

* PedestrianCrushesCar: You'd have to be [[TooDumbToLive pretty dumb]] to think the Hulk can be [[CarFu taken out by cars]] that are ''smaller'' than him, yet characters still try.

* PowerBornOfMadness: What the Hulk runs on, and heavily implied to be the reason that Banner not only survived the detonation of the gamma bomb, but why the Hulk is so much more powerful than most, if not all of the gamma mutates that have come before or since. His already fractured psyche created a monster based on the trauma he received as a child, and the personae emerged from different stages of his life that Banner denied himself the person he wanted to be (Savage-the angry child; Joe Fixit-the late adolescent, etc.). Adding to this, his long-suppressed rage gives the Hulk the ability to get stronger when he gets madder. Also explains his more varied abilities, like being able to see ghosts, as Banner always feared his long-dead abusive father would come back to torment him again.

* SinglePowerSuperheroes: The Hulk's potential levels of physics-defying sheer strength are unmatched among other superheroes; but it is also his only offensive power.

** In a way, the Hulk is this for the other gamma mutates. Hulk is the first, even though he was created by accident. The others (Leader, Abomination, Madman, Ravage, Red Hulk) were created either by recreating that accident or copying his DNA. Some, such as Abomination and Ravage, have higher base-line strength than the Hulk, and most other gamma beings retain their intelligence(though not necessarily their full personality) while transformed, which could be considered improvements, but the Hulk's potential strength and secondary powers, as well as a somewhat intangible quality that makes the Hulk seemingly impossible to permanently cure, has shown that the Hulk, while flawed, is the most powerful gamma being created.
** Although Doc Green (yet another Hulk persona) once stated that ComicBook/SheHulk is the Hulk's SuperiorSuccessor. The rest of the gamma crew are all a mess in one way or another, with their power and potential squandered by their psychological issues. But Jennifer has proven to be the most stable and heroic of them, which is why she is the only one he doesn't DePower.
** It's hinted in Al Ewing's run that the Hulk may hold a different position vis-a-vis gamma radiation than the mutates who came afterwards, being associated with the idea of the keeper of the gamma door.

* TameHisAnger: He tries. But it doesn't work.

* VoluntaryShapeshifting: At one point Banner had taken complete control of the Hulk's powers, and was able to shift between his basic human form and that of the Hulk at will. There is also his "Joe Fixit" personality, where he would be Bruce Banner by day, and "Mr. Fixit" Hulk by night.

** And while we're on the subject: Dr. Leonard Samson was a nerdy little nebbish scientist who managed to de-Hulkify Hulk, turning him back into Bruce Banner. He then used a portion of the stored gamma energy to turn himself into Doc Samson, who wasn't really an anti-hero so much as he was just kind of an egotistical jerk. When he started wooing Betty, it convinced Bruce (who was initially ''thrilled'' to be himself again) to use the ''rest'' of the stored gamma energy to turn himself back into the Hulk.

* BoringButPractical: Doc Samson has noted that for a fraction of what General Ross and other have wasted trying to build robots/containment/powered armor to take down/control the Hulk, you could just get a satellite array going that would warn people in urban areas to evacuate when he starts getting too close. Naturally no one will consider this.

** Betty Ross is almost as much of a victim of this as Bruce himself, being transformed multiple times over the series into Harpy, Red She-Hulk, and Red Harpy.

* CutApart: At the end of John Byrne's brief run, Bruce Banner and Betty Ross are getting married in a small ceremony in a small church. At the same time Doctor Samson and Hulk are beating the crap out of each other in the desert (Hulk and Banner were physically separated at this point). It so just happens that there is a small church near them... Eventually a hit from Hulk sends Samson flying right towards the church, and he crashes through it - revealing it's been abandoned for years. Meanwhile, the wedding continues elsewhere completely unaffected by the battle.

** Betty Ross died of radiation poisoning, but she didn't really die. She washed up on a beach, was experimented on by Thaddeus Ross, became Red She-Hulk, lost her She-Hulk powers, got shot & died again and came back with her Harpy powers.

** The BrainwashedAndCrazy Betty Ross as Harpy becomes this to M.O.D.O.K., and later as Red She-Hulk to Leader until she's freed.

* EpiphanyTherapy: Doc Samson uses this with Bruce Banner/The Hulk to merge their different personalities into one, creating the Merged/Professor Hulk. This was subverted though, as Samson had insisted on following up with regular therapy sessions, and Hulk kept skipping them. It ''might'' have stuck if he had followed the doctor's advice.
** This was later altogether retconned away with TherapyDoesNotWorkThatWay to establish that Samson had really just created a new, if more stable, alternate.

* EvilFeelsGood: When Red She-Hulk's identity is revealed to be [[spoiler: Betty Ross Banner]], she tells Bruce Banner how she became what she is.
-->'''Red She-Hulk:''' "They filled me with '''rage'''... stripped away my '''will'''... but you know what? I kind of '''liked''' it. '''You''' understand what I'm talking about, Bruce. Maybe you're the only one who really can. That insane rush of really cutting loose, of not caring at all what will happen as a result... just smashing and smashing and '''smashing''' anyone they sent me against."

* FirstGirlWins: Betty Ross was Bruce Banner's first canonical love interest, and the one that the writers will always come back to.

** Betty Ross has become this in modern comics, having become jaded and taciturn due to going through so much pain in her relationship with Bruce. She's quite the AntiHero, but even at her most callous she hasn’t lost her care for Bruce/Hulk and will fight the Avengers to protect him.

** M.O.D.O.K. once turned Betty Ross into a Gamma-powered harpy. After being shot in the head, she then resurrected as a crimson-skinned version of her original harpy person, thus combining her two Gamma Mutate identities into one.

** Betty Ross as Red She-Hulk has pulled one of those in ''ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulks'' sagas "Super Spy Banner" and "Heart of the Monster". She's a Face for good in the end of "Heart of the Monster". And then she seemingly resumes Heel status after becoming Red Harpy, only for it to turn out she is actually Face.

* LightningBruiser: The Hulk is not only the strongest one there is and nigh-invulnerable, but he's also extremely fast. So is his lover, Betty Ross, when she was Harpy and Red She-Hulk.

* LoveCannotOvercome: Being in love with the emotionally withdrawn Bruce Banner is tough enough already, but his onetime wife Betty Ross is often driven away by his monstrous SuperpoweredAlterEgo, the Hulk. By the time of ''ComicBook/ImmortalHulk'', Betty refuses to look Bruce in the face (Hulks and Joe Fixit are exempt - it's ''just'' Bruce she hates).

* LoveTriangle: Betty Ross with Bruce Banner and Glenn Talbot, then with Bruce and disposable love interest Ramon. Throw her and Bruce's alternate personalities into the mix and things get even more complicated.

** Doc Samson, a [[TheShrink psychiatrist]] who has a green-haired GeniusBruiser transformation. Predictably, his hair grows long in his transformed state, and his power is dependent on his hair just like the mythical Samson.

** When M.O.D.O.K. placed Doctor Samson under mind control it produced a split personality. This led to a powerless Leonard who was defined as the good one and an evil Samson whose abilities are greater than She-Hulk's.

** The reason Doc Samson turned evil in ''ComicBook/Hulk2008''; he developed another set of personalities- his current persona, the identity of Doctor Leonard Samson [=PhD=], and the more ruthless 'Samson'- and a 'psychiatric evaluation' in his own mind organised by M.O.D.O.K. saw Samson kill the other two.

** One of Hulk's villains The Abomination, retains his intelligence when transformed, meaning all the destruction and fighting he does has no FreudianExcuse ''and is purely for shits and giggles''.

* ChromeDomePsi: The Leader is telepathic and [[DependingOnTheArtist sometimes]] bald.

** Same goes for his Archfoe The Leader. He hates it when people refer to him by Samuel Sterns.

* TheDragon: The physically mighty Abomination often played the Dragon to the intellectual, and somewhat frail, Leader's Big Bad. The Leader also sometimes used Rock and Redeemer as Dragons.

* DramaPreservingHandicap: the Abomination/Emil Blonsky generally has a default strength level that is greater than the Hulk's, and also retains his human mind where Hulk could be reduced to his familiar DumbMuscle whenever he transforms. However, Blonsky's main weakness in a fight is that his strength level is fixed, with the result that Hulk can theoretically beat Blonsky if a fight lasts long enough for him to get sufficiently angry and thus strong enough to beat his foe.

* EarFins: The Abomination has fins in place of his ears.

** Many of his classic foes have also been examples of the trope; for instance the Abomination is typically portrayed as an embodiment of hubris.

** Samuel Sterns aka The Leader is Hulk’s Evil Counterpart if the gamma radiation had the opposite reaction in Dr Banner. In laymen's terms, Bruce was smart and gamma radiation turned him into a child-like monster with infinite strength while Sterns was dumb and gamma radiation turned him into a monster with infinite intelligence. It’s essentially BrainsEvilBrawnGood.
** Emil Blonsky aka The Abomination is a more traditional counterpart, having been bombarded with gamma radiation and survived like the good doctor thanks to a genetic factor in his body that saved him from being killed, at the cost of turning into a giant monster. However, unlike Bruce, who was horrified by his transformation, Blonsky was [[DrunkWithPower delighted]] and consciously abused his strength for evil purposes. Interestingly, Abomination still retains his normal intelligence, and therefore is that more dangerous.

** The Hulk and The Leader, as raw strength contrasting with enhanced intelligence.

* GollumMadeMeDoIt: Madman is an example of this. He tried to give himself powers like the Hulk. Since gamma radiation's ability to grant powers is based off of the person's personality (e.g. the Hulk represents Bruce Banner's anger and abuse as a child, Doc Samson's powers are a reflection of a desire to live up to his biblical namesake, the Abomination is formed from Emil Blonsky's self-loathing), the Powered form took on its own personality, making the original form his slave.

** Emil Blonsky, The Abomination is also this. A gamma-radiated one at that.

** There was no long lost love between Hulk and Abomination, but once Emil killed Betty, the two fights that occurred between them has Hulk literally caving his face in.

** The Abomination, the EvilCounterpart of the Hulk.

** One of the Hulk's enemies is the super intelligent Leader. The Leader uses pink, rubbery biological androids called Humanoids as MechaMooks. They fall into the "made of rubber" category, being resilient and stretchy enough that punching them doesn't do any harm.

* PostMortemComeback: After the Leader died (circa #345) and before he came BackFromTheDead, he implanted his memories into a loyal follower who had a similar gamma-induced mutation to him.

** Hulk villain Emil Blonsky aka the Abomination. He follows this trope in a different manner. While he has full control of himself, he cannot change back to his human form. His gamma powers are always active. Since his transformation is fueled by his own self-loathing, that really says a lot about Blonsky.

* SmugSnake: The Leader is a textbook InsufferableGenius with an ego the size of a planet. Unlike many of the villains on this list he is capable of learning from his mistakes, and has been the BigBad of multiple arcs, but his arrogance and obsession with the Hulk continue to undermine his plans, no matter how hard he tries to rectify that.

* StalkerWithACrush: [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Madman]], in an AxCrazy vaguely-romantic fashion, which is why he isn't seen much.

** Hulk's villain Abomination possesses vast superhuman strength. Although the Abomination's strength surpasses that of certain classic incarnations of the Hulk such as Mr. Fixit or the Green Savage Hulk, his strength does not fluctuate like the Hulk's.

** The origin of the Abomination owes itself to this. See, Emil Blonsky was a Russian spy in General Ross's unit, when they'd just caught Banner messing with a strange machine, which unknown to them was a means of killing himself. Once everyone's gone, Blonksy decides to poke at the machine. Instead of dying horribly, he gets permanently turned into the Abomination. Many years later, Banner and Ross note that what Blonksy did should by all rights have killed him.

** The Leader died in an explosion in #400, showed up as part of the Home Base organization and died, which may have been a hallucination by Nightmare, showed up at a trial in She-Hulk, and escaped from Hell with no explanation. Much like Samson, his resurrection is finally given an explanation in Immortal Hulk.

* VillainDecay: The Marvel supervillain Abomination has probably lost more bad boy status than almost any other. He started out up-powered even by the Hulk's standards, whomping him down in their first encounter. He then had some gamma power stripped, which was added to the Hulk, thus losing in their next encounter. He then suffered a series of beatdowns at the hands of the Hulk, leading to humiliating exposition as his character developed a fear of even encountering the Hulk anymore. But that was not the end of it. Over subsequent years, he became a chew toy to show how badass the lower bricks in the Marvel universe could be, taking solo beatdowns at the hands of both ComicBook/WonderMan and ComicBook/SheHulk, and even getting bested by ''Comicbook/{{Hawkeye}}'' of all people. [[PhysicalGod Hercules]] even one-shot KO'd him with a traffic light once. Oh, true, they ''pulled out all the stops'' in their demonstration of badassery, but the Abomination just can't get any respect, in spite of still remaining perhaps the physically strongest character without some quasi-infinite trick up their sleeve. He got a slightly better treatment in the ''ComicBook/ChaosWar'' [[Comicbook/TheIncredibleHercules Herc]] [[BatFamilyCrossover family crossover]], where, after having been killed off a couple years ago by the Comicbook/RedHulk, he [[BackFromTheDead comes back]] as a servant for the BigBad [[EldritchAbomination Chaos King]]. After tearing through a team of Hulks, Comicbook/DoctorStrange states that he was "the Underworld's strongest prisoner". He's still dead again by the end of the story, but he definitely got some cred back.

* WellIntentionedExtremist. The "merged Hulk" was an extremely light version, with the best of dedicated altruistic aims, kept relatively very clean and non-extreme in his methods, and having much greater positive than negative effects, to the degree that it is highly arguable whether he was in the right or not. A major story arc during the era involved him joining (and eventually leading) the Pantheon, an organization of good-will that spent their time researching cancer cures and invading countries to depose cruel dictators. During this period, the Hulk got into conflict with other heroes not just because of his anger issues, but also because of conflicting moral outlooks.
** The Leader is most often portrayed as this. He wants to conquer the world and solve all of its problems (in some cases, he doesn't even want to conquer the world, just set up his own utopia). Depending on the writer, he may or may not want to turn everyone in the world into a gamma monster like himself and the Hulk, as well.

** Interestingly for gamma ray mutants, what happens to the subject's mind depends on what part of their personality they had dissociated themselves from. Banner suppressed the rage that came from being abused as a child, ComicBook/SheHulk suppressed [[MsFanservice her sexuality]], Doc Samson suppressed his desire to be a hero, and the Abomination suppressed his self-hatred.

** Even more absurd in ''ComicBook/WorldWarHulk''. New York is mostly leveled and a huge number of people remain despite evacuation orders. Despite this, it is specifically noted that no one was killed.

** During ''World War Hulk'', he also managed to beat Zom, arguably the most powerful known demon in the Marvel Universe, although later issues somewhat retconned this by [[WorfHadTheFlu stating that Doctor Strange was holding it back]].

* HeroicRROD: A variation occurred with the Hulk himself at [[spoiler:the climax of ''ComicBook/WorldWarHulk''. The madder Hulk gets, the stronger Hulk gets. He'd never been that mad before, and he got so strong he actually couldn't control it anymore. He actually ''asked'' the heroes to knock him down before he started, well, [[MikeNelsonDestroyerOfWorlds accidentally ripping the world apart.]]]]

** He does it again during the ''ComicBook/WorldWarHulk'' arc. Hulk's response to an annoying D-lister who describes herself as "practically invulnerable"? Punting her like a football and deadpanning "Go be invulnerable in Jersey."

** The Hulk can go into Juggernaut mode if you really piss him off. During ''ComicBook/WorldWarHulk'', the most powerful characters in the MU, including Black Bolt, [[ComicBook/TheIncredibleHercules Hercules]], ComicBook/IronMan in Hulkbuster Armor, ComicBook/SheHulk, ComicBook/{{Ares|Marvel}}, ComicBook/GhostRider, [[ComicBook/FantasticFour Thing]], ComicBook/DoctorStrange with the power of a demonic superweapon, ComicBook/TheSentry, and the ComicBook/{{Juggernaut|MarvelComics}} himself couldn't stop him! Though Strange lost control and Ghost Rider had a [[BystanderSyndrome lack of motivation rather than ability]]. Still, Hulk defeating Sentry was thought up until then impossible, and when they thought all his energy was used up doing so, he saw who was really responsible for bombing Sakaar and Hulked Out hard enough to nearly break Earth with his ''steps'' before he was finally stopped.

* PersonOfMassDestruction: The Hulk is one of the earliest examples. Like Franchise/{{Godzilla}}, he was [[ILoveNuclearPower created by a bomb]], and some adaptations literally compare him to the atomic weapon that spawned him; for example, the shockwaves he creates from smashing things are compared to the blast wave of a nuke. Later on this tendency was dropped, but the Hulk remained as one of these since his power increases the angrier he gets and he doesn't seem to have an upper limit. He may already qualify during normal, building-demolishing rampages but it's completely inarguable during moments like ''World War Hulk'' when he gets so unfathomably enraged just walking caused ''measurable tectonic shifts'' at every step. They were calling him the Worldbreaker for a reason.

*** In ''ComicBook/WorldWarHulk'' after he loses his family [[DespairEventHorizon and despairs]] Hulk gives nearly every Marvel Hero on Earth a beating (while still holding back [[NeverHurtanInnocent so he won't hurt civilians]]). When he turns into [[PhysicalGod Green Scar]] Hulk nearly destroyed the eastern seaboard ''[[https://qph.fs.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-71f20ee3027caebfea1a86add2b346c6 with a couple of footsteps]]'', but most impressively at the peak of his anger, Green Scar Hulk literally [[EarthShatteringKaboom shatters]] a planet in the dark dimension when clashing with his former love Betty Ross aka Red She-Hulk.

* TechnicalPacifist: The Hulk is this DependingOnTheWriter. Notably shown in ''ComicBook/WorldWarHulk: X-Men'', where while trying to capture Professor X, he brutally disabled virtually every active X-man and woman one after another, taking full advantage of [[GoodThingYouCanHeal their healing factors]] and NighInvulnerability. While he didn't kill any of them, he didn't have a problem ''crippling them''.

** ''ComicBook/WorldWarHulk'' has the Hulk so angry that he becomes calm.
*** "People of New York. [[WhamLine I have come to smash]]." He then proceeded to tear through everyone available, growing so angry at some point [[PersonOfMassDestruction his very steps were causing tectonic shifts]] before he was stopped. Angriest Hulk we've seen, and calmest Hulk we've seen at the same time.

** In ''World War Hulk'' storyline, he's busy with a particularly fit of rage, mopping the floor with ''everyone'' in his way. The truly frightening thing was that he had gone into TranquilFury at the same time, leaving him with enough mind to keep his head and employ strategy and trickery.

* AnAxeToGrind:
** During Hulk's time as a gladiator and rebel leader in the "ComicBook/PlanetHulk" storyline, he favored axes as his main weapon. [[HeroesPreferSwords He dropped them for a sword]] (that he made himself) in "ComicBook/WorldWarHulk", but promotional art shows him with an axe as well.
** After the Hulk left Sakaar, his son Skaar was left to contend with the aptly-named Axeman Bone.

* BatFamilyCrossover: ''ComicBook/FallOfTheHulks'' for ''The Incredible Hulk'' and ''ComicBook/{{Hulk|2008}}'', plus a number of minis and one-shots.

** ''ComicBook/PlanetHulk''. After a fight between the Hulk and the Thing leaves Las Vegas in ruins and a dozen people dead, the Illuminati - specifically Tony Stark, Reed Richards, Doctor Strange, and Black Bolt (Professor X wasn't present and Namor voted no) - decided that Hulk was too dangerous to be allowed on Earth, so they came up with a plan to send him to a peaceful world with no intelligent life. The green behemoth always wanted to be left alone, why not grant his wish? [[UnspokenPlanGuarantee Of course, everything goes horribly wrong.]]

* TheChessMaster: Bruce Banner is this, at least under Greg Pak's pen. As we learn in ''ComicBook/FallOfTheHulks'', Banner's just as dangerous as his savage green alter-ego -- if not more so.

** Zigzagged with the ''Planet Hulk'' arc, which raises the ethical concerns of exiling a person to another planet (even an unstable PersonOfMassDestruction), and ''especially'' doing so without any sort of trial or due process. The goal was to send the Hulk to a "paradise" world where no one would ever hurt him, he'd finally be alone as he always wanted, and have plenty of food. In the main timeline, the Hulk ended up on the wrong planet and the new personality that emerged (the Green Scar) developed [[BloodKnight a preference for]] that sort of DeathWorld. Then ''that'' planet blew up, ending the debate of whether or not the Hulk/Banner would have been happier ''there''. The ''ComicBook/WhatIf'' for ''Planet Hulk'' shows the Hulk's original destination would've been a good place to live, but Banner would still have done his best to signal for rescue. In the end, he would have decided to stay because of a unanticipated factor - namely, discovering a species that was on the road to developing full consciousness, and deciding to serve as their hidden protector as they evolved into humanoid form. However, it doesn't address the initial question of whether it was right to exile the Hulk in the first place.

** Even more so considering that in the ''ComicBook/PlanetHulk'' storyline he literally played the dualistic roles of Savior and Destroyer.

** In the ''ComicBook/PlanetHulk'' storyline, Caiera the Oldstrong served as the Dragon to the Red King before her HeelFaceTurn.

* EarthShatteringKaboom: This is a major threat for the planet Sakaar in the ''Comicbook/PlanetHulk'' saga. The ChekhovsGun finally goes off in ''ComicBook/SkaarSonOfHulk'', as Galactus devours Sakaar.

* EnemyMine: ''Fall of the Hulks'' sees Red Hulk and Bruce teaming up to stop the Intelligencia's plot. Even more so when it turns out Red Hulk is General Ross.

* FashionableAsymmetry: The Hulk's ComicBook/PlanetHulk and ComicBook/WorldWarHulk getup.

* FireForgedFriends: The Hulk and his [[ComicBook/PlanetHulk Warbound]] became friends after experiencing great challenges together as gladiators, and their first moments of cohesion are in the volcanic gladiator training camp, thus being almost literally fire forged. Newer members of the Warbound (such as Caiera and Kate) join the Warbound after similar trying circumstances. In-universe, the term "Warbound" explicitly invokes this trope, having fought side-by-side they have bonded and become bound together.

* ForgingScene: ''ComicBook/PlanetHulk'' ends with the Hulk and Hiroim forging the sword Hulk would go on to use in ''ComicBook/WorldWarHulk''. This is done with the BookEnds narration "This is the story of the Hulk... and how he finally came home." over a shot of the Hulk pointing his still cooling sword at an image of Earth on the screen.

* FourthDateMarriage: The Hulk and Caiera hit it off pretty fast in ''Planet Hulk''. The exact amount of time is hard to pin down but it doesn't seem more than a few weeks, though they are engaged in some fairly intense flirting during their second meeting. [[DroppedABridgeOnHim It didn't last long, though.]]

** The animated adaptation of ''Planet Hulk'' subverts this, with Hulk talking like this for a few early sentences, but speaking fluent English for the rest of the film.
*** The ''Planet Hulk'' comics had that too, but it was explained as a NEW version of the Hulk known as the Green Scar, who was able to tap into Banner's intellect to some degree as far as basic intelligence and strategizing (necessary for his survival on the hostile world). The Green Scar is essentially the classic Savage Hulk (who has the mind of a small child) all grown up. As alluded to above, several of the Hulk's alternate personas (notably The Professor, Gray Hulk/"Mr. Fixit," Doc Green and [[FutureMeScaresMe The Maestro]]) have averted this as well.

** ''ComicBook/FallOfTheHulks'', Samson sacrifices himself to help drain the gamma energy from the hulked-out heroes before it kills them.

* ShockwaveClap: A trademark move of the Hulk, where it's named the "Gamma Clap". In a notable instance, at the end of the ''ComicBook/FallOfTheHulks'' storyline, the Hulk uses this to stop a building from collapsing by using the shockwave to fill the building with sand (he was fighting on the beach).

*** In ''ComicBook/PlanetHulk'' #105 Hulk could [[http://pm1.narvii.com/6116/49a9f28f4f3fbef3a503e3be6de65e7413ce16b9_hq.jpg pull tectonic plates]] (that's 45 quintillion tons each) together on Sakaar (a planet bigger than Earth).

** The gladiators with whom the Hulk formed a Warbound pact in ''ComicBook/PlanetHulk''; they even joined hands together like in the page picture up top. Warbound are new families forged in conflicts, with whom teamwork and understanding are the only ways to survive. This is made all the more significant given that each member of the Warbound has lost their actual family, as Miek saw his entire hive slaughtered before him, Korg was forced to kill his own brothers in the Maw, Hiroim was exiled for breaking a previous Warbound pact, the Brood was separated from her sisters, Elloe's father was killed by the foreman of the Maw, etc.

** This was subverted in the ''Planet Hulk'' arc where Hulk is marooned on the harsh planet Sakaar and finds himself weaker then he'd normally be on Earth due to unexplained environmental differences. Press-ganged into becoming a gladiator, Hulk is forced to develop sufficient skills to survive and claw his way to the top. As a result, by the time the arc ends Hulk has not only gained some combat skills but is even ''stronger'' and smarter than he was before. And also really, ''[[OhCrap really]]'' mad at the people who shot him into space in the first place.

** His third wife, Caiera, started out as an AntiVillain and TheDragon during ''Planet Hulk''.

** Miek from the ''ComicBook/PlanetHulk'' storyline; Though strictly speaking he actually ''doesn't'' speak English and his speech is just translated by Sakaaran talkboxes, he can't seem to grasp verb conjugation at all; "is [verb]ing" is the form he uses for pretty much every verb in every context. In general, his lack of aptitude for speech is implied to be due to his people not naturally communicating verbally, but by "chemming".

* BreakoutCharacter:
** ComicBook/{{Wolverine}} got started as a character created to be a Canadian hero sent to fight the Hulk.
** Not to mention the Hulk himself. The first volume of Hulk was only six issues long. It wasn't until afterward Marvel learnt ol' Jade Jaws was actually popular with college students.

* CommieLand: The original series had the Gargoyle abducting Bruce Banner/The Hulk and bringing him to Russia all the way back in issue ''#1''.

** In the sixth issue of the original series, the Hulk faces off against an alien called [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Metal Master]] who promptly waltzes over Hulk. Hulk comes back for round two with a gun that Banner and Rick Jones have made, which the Metal Master can't control. Hulk promptly knocks him out [[spoiler: because the gun was made of cardboard]].

* {{BFG}}:
** In issue #390, a soldier in a battle mans a high-tech cannon about ten feet long. When a blast knocks the weapon off its legs, pinning the soldier beneath, the Hulk (the really smart version) picks up the cannon, wields it in one hand, and to the enemy says "...let us reason together"
** Hulk himself succumbed to this trope during the Dark Age, when he spent a story arc running around with a huge energy cannon in each hand. Thankfully, that story tends to be ignored these days.
* BackFromTheDead:
** Parodied in Creator/PeterDavid's run. Rick Jones' fiancee Marlo is dead. He goes to ComicBook/DoctorStrange and the following conversation ensues.
-->'''Rick''': Wong, have you returned from the dead?
-->'''Wong''': Well, yes.
-->'''Rick''': And Doc, have you come back from the dead?
-->'''Doctor Strange''': Yes, but I ''am'' a professional.
*** Eventually he [[DealWithTheDevil asks the Leader]] to bring her back from the dead. And the Leader does.
** In issue #434, following the death of Nick Fury at the Punisher's hands, several of Fury's old "Howling Commandos" buddies laugh, drink, and jokingly float numerous theories involving android duplicates, alien intervention, and the like until they reach the casket at the graveside. They're still sitting there speechless and shocked even after the rest of the attendees have left.
** Subverted in ''Fall of the Hulk'', when it appears Glenn Talbot has come back. Eventually, Red Hulk reveals he's just a [[RidiculouslyHumanRobots LMD]]. The real Talbot is still very much dead.

** During Creator/JohnByrne's run on the series, an angry response to writer/artist, particularly his "Man of Steeling" of the Hulk in Annual #1, was responded to in the title's letters page by something along the lines of, "When you not like what happen, do what Hulk do: Pretend it never happened." Thus, the six issues and an annual were simply removed out of existence.

* ClumsyCopyrightCensorship: The trade paper back collection ''Regression'' includes issue 296, which had a guest appearance by Rom, a character based on a Parker Brothers toy. Since Marvel no longer has the rights to Rom, the pages on which he appears aren't reprinted, and instead there's a text summary which refers only to a "heroic alien cyborg".

* CommieLand: The [[ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk1962 original series]] had the Gargoyle abducting Bruce Banner/The Hulk and bringing him to Russia all the way back in issue ''#1''.

* CreditsGag: The credits for issue #467 lists Peter David (who was leaving the book after that issue) as "Ex-writer" and artist Adam Kubert (who was moving on to ComicBook/XMen) as "X-artist".

* CurseEscapeClause: In issue #298-300, the Hulk had reverted to a mindless brute and was sent to "the Crossroads" by ComicBook/DoctorStrange. From this nexus he could go to almost any world (except straight back to Earth), with the caveat that, if he were truly unhappy in a given world, he would be sent back to the Crossroads to choose again.

** In issue #345, The Hulk is killed by a bomb from The Leader, in Middletown, and returns in issue #347.
** The Leader is killed in an explosion in ''Incredible Hulk'' #400, returns as the leader of the Home Base organization, which never happened due to being part of a plot by Nightmare, shows up at a trial in ''She-Hulk'', was killed by the Punisher, revived, killed again by the Punisher, which turned out to be an LMD, was given a permanent Penance Stare by Ghostrider, got sent to Hell by Mephisto, and is now fine.
** Lampshaded ''endlessly'' in issues #397-#400. When a distraught Rick Jones goes to ComicBook/DoctorStrange so that he can resurrect his girlfriend Marlo, Strange explains how it's impossible. Rick goes on to point out how many other characters have died and come back, asking if Strange' assistant had (responding "Actually, yes"). It gets to the point where Marlo does get brought back to life by a magical priest and a crystal chamber simply called the "Deux Ex Machina." She comes back... but is left a complete shell from the experience. (She gets better before issue #418 [their wedding], though.)

** Another Hulk story offers a DoubleSubversion: Old Greenskin (who at the time had Bruce Banner's intellect) acted as best man at Rick Jones' wedding, and Mephisto crashed the party, claiming to have a lien on the bride's soul. He offered the Hulk a deal: His soul for hers. Banner thought it over, looked up at the sky, and sucker-punched the demon so completely that he flew right through the fire-circle wards he'd set up to keep the other superbeings in attendance from interfering. Sputtering, Mephisto screamed that what the Hulk had done was impossible (No mortal, however powerful, should be able to land a blow on a conceptual being without permission). Banner replied, (not an exact quote): "Weren't you listening to what the preacher said? ''We are gathered here in the sight of God!'' What, did you, of all beings, think that those were just words?" While Mephisto leaves the wedding seemingly defeated, his thoughts reveal that he took the beating on purpose to increase the Hulk's hubris. A few issues later, the Hulk's organisation, the Pantheon, went down in flames and Banner suffered a pretty bad nervous breakdown, ruining all of his work with Doc Samson.

* GeniusBonus: In Issue #418, Death herself appears as a guest in Rick Jones' wedding, and gives Marlo, the bride, a hairbrush as a gift. It could be just a joke about a {{Psychopomp}} giving something so mundane as a gift... or it's a reference to the fact that in japanese culture, hairbrushes are considered [[{{Irony}} bad gifts to give]], since their name contains the words for pain ''and'' death. It could however just be a {{pun}} on the phrase "A Brush with Death".

* HarsherInHindsight: In issue #434, Hulk is accosted by the Avengers while trying to peacefully watch Nick Fury's funeral. He had inadvertently caused his death, so he wasn't welcome there. When the ComicBook/ScarletWitch tells him so, he goes on a whole rant about his history of [[HeroWithBadPublicity being hunted down by the government]] and the fact that even though Scarlet Witch is an Avenger ''now'', she was a mutant terrorist working with ComicBook/{{Magneto}} back when ''he'' was an Avenger. He [[NotSoDifferentRemark tells her it'd only take the slightest change for her to be in his position now]]. The Hulk was unambiguously heroic back then, and while he would [[ComicBook/WorldWarHulk occasionally]] [[ComicBook/ImmortalHulk turn against his fellow heroes again]] later down the line, the Scarlet Witch [[ComicBook/AvengersDisassembled was also no slouch]] [[ComicBook/HouseOfM in that regard]].

* HoldingOutForAHero: Justified in a late 1970s issue, with the Hulk rampaging desperately through New York and all the regular authorities like the NYPD can't stop him. As a cameraman is getting this, he is wondering where are The ComicBook/FantasticFour, ComicBook/TheAvengers or ComicBook/SpiderMan to help stop the monster.

* MissingEpisode: Issues #296-297 were only partially reprinted, due to the issues featuring [[ComicBook/ROMSpaceKnight ROM the Space Knight]]. They would have been skipped entirely if not for the fact that they had major plot advancement that was required reading, hence them appearing in TPB form in severely redacted form.

** There is a hilarious moment where Death of the Endless from Creator/NeilGaiman’s ''ComicBook/{{The Sandman|1989}}'' makes a cameo in issue #418 during Rick Jones’s wedding but says she needs to go before “that creep Thanos show ups” looking for her.

* UnknownRival: Issue #393 has the story of Coyote Cash, an arch-criminal who's foiled repeatedly over the years by various versions of Hulk, beginning with the Hulk accidentally crushing his get-away car while escaping from the Army. After a 3rd release from prison, he tracks down Rick Jones and destroys his house with a bazooka. While he makes a triumphant speech about "being ready for the Hulk", Hulk -- who had been house sitting for Rick while he was on vacation -- emerges from the rubble in trademark anger.
-->'''Hulk:''' I hope you're ready now, you stupid two-bit hood!\\
'''Cash:''' [[VillainousBreakdown I... I give up!]]\\
(''Cash is meekly dragged away by police as Hulk watches'')\\
'''Hulk:''' I wonder who that guy was? It's a funny world, when you can be minding your own business and along comes some stranger to complicate your life.

** In issue ''#395'', ComicBook/ThePunisher comes to Vegas looking to take down a hitman named Frost, and happens to see Frost talking with "Mr. Fixit".\\
'''You'd Expect:''' The Punisher would realize that the 7ft plus green "Mr. Fixit" is The Hulk and would avoid getting involved.\\
'''Instead:''' He stalks the Hulk, and then starts blazing away at him with a machine gun when the Hulk confronts him, achieving nothing more than shredding the Hulk's clothes. The Hulk promptly knocks him out cold with a tap of the finger.