Hulk

    You've probably heard of him, you've probably seen him in films, video games, and tv shows, and know his famous catchphrase. For me, the Hulk has been one of the greatest heroes that Marvel has ever created and deserves a lot more love from audiences for both the films and comics. While I could go on for hours and hours of all the crazy feats of strength that Hulk has pulled off over the years in the comics, I thought I should focus on what he means to me and why his character and Bruce Banner's are one the greatest. When I think of Hulk, I not only think of the rampaging green (sometimes Gray) monster, I also think of the tortured soul of Bruce Banner and the sadness that both he and Hulk have been through together. 

    For a little backstory, Bruce was abused by his father Brian as Brian believed his work with radiation caused Bruce to be a monster as he was smarter than kids his age and when Bruce and his mom tried to flee, Brian killed her. Brian was eventually put into a mental hospital but was later released as it seemed he had seen Bruce as a person and not a monster. This however wasn't true and Brian later attacked Bruce at his mother's grave, which ended with Bruce killing Brian in self-defense. Later on in his life, Bruce is contracted by the government to build a gamma bomb. Just before the test is started, Bruce discovers a teenager named Rick Jones on the site and rushes to get him to safety before the bomb goes off, despite his efforts, the bomb goes off and while Bruce gets Rick to a trench that shields him from the blast, Bruce is bombarded with gamma radiation which then caused him to turn into the Hulk and the rest is history. After these events, Hulk becomes his own character and goes through many developments along with Bruce, such as Hulk losing his girlfriends Jarella which showed that despite all the rage and hatred, Hulk wants to be with people that accept him for who he is. Bruce also goes through these events and even ends up marrying Betty Ross (General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross's daughter). However, this too would come to a shocking and sad ending as Hulk's arch-enemy the Abomination (Emil Blonsky) would poison her. This eventually led Hulk and Bruce to become depressed and also attempt suicide on multiple occasions. However, Betty is resurrected as Red She-Hulk and now joins Bruce on his adventures.

    I've been reading Hulk comics for years and after seeing all the tragedy that's unfolded in his life, I feel that I related to Banner in how it felt to lose people closest to you. I've felt sadness and anger that I wasn't able to have my dad, grandpa, or best friend around longer as they passed away to disease and an accident. I felt Bruce and Hulk's pain and sadness in that the people they cared for were gone and that there was nothing they could do to have them with them for a long time. Despite all the tragedy, I was able to find happiness with my mom, sisters, and friends that I made over the years while also partaking in activities that helped clear my head. To this day, Hulk is one of my top favorite characters in Marvel as despite being the strongest hero in existence, both he and Bruce Banner have experienced tragedy and done it in such a way that you can feel for them and relate to them. All in all, Hulk is a character that has impacted me almost as much as Spider-Man and I wish many more people would see this too and show more love and appreciation for in both the MCU films and the comics.