Bruce Banner Was Never the Best Hulk (But This Is)

The Hulk is considered the strongest one there is, a hero with near infinite power. Over the years, the character has changed drastically. What started out as a Doctor Jekyll/Mister Hyde pastiche mixed with Silver Age sci-fi superheroism has morphed into what can best be described as psychological cosmic horror. Bruce Banner has changed from one of the intrepid Cold Warriors of the early Marvel years into something more complex and scary. The Hulk has become one of Marvel’s most popular heroes (even though calling him a hero doesn’t exactly feel right), and Marvel has tried to use the ideas behind the Hulk — a gamma powered titan — to create new versions of the character.

Beginning with the debut of She-Hulk, Marvel has done their best to create Hulks that would appeal to fans in different ways than Bruce Banner’s Hulk. The Hulk is often his own worst enemy, but the same thing can’t be said for other versions of the Hulk. These other versions of the Hulk have taken the concept in new directions, and for my money, one of the newer Hulks is the best Hulk — the Red Hulk. The Red Hulk started out as a villain, but has become something more and allows the Hulk concept to be used in ways that Bruce Banner as the Hulk can’t.

The Red Hulk Is Everything That the Hulk Can’t Be

General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross has always been Hulk’s greatest enemy, using the power of the US military to battle against the man who he blames for basically every problem the Ross family has had. Ross is an interesting character on his own, a man whose obsession with the Hulk drives him to places that he almost certainly never thought he would go. Eventually, after years of defeats, even losing his daughter to gamma poisoning because of the Hulk, he allows himself to be made into the thing that he’s hated for years of his life. As Red Hulk, Ross realizes the amazing power of the Hulk and uses it to run through the entire post-Civil War Marvel Universe. The mystery of the identity of Red Hulk was one of the best parts of Marvel at the time, and his battles against characters like Thor showed that he was one of the most dangerous beings on Earth. As the Red Hulk, Ross used his tactical know how and intelligence, along with the sheer power of a Hulk, to wreck everything in his way. Red Hulk became extremely popular and he was eventually made a member of the Avengers, which is where we finally got to see a new version of the character, one who was more heroic.

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Red Hulk has all the power of a Hulk, but he’s not burdened by the mental issues that have made Bruce Banner’s Hulk such a compelling character. Instead, Red Hulk has had to find a way to balance his obsession with the Hulk with his desire to be a hero of his country. One of the problems with the Hulk is that his stories have become sort of the same; they’re often about the way his mental issues define his life as the Hulk, while also dipping into the monster ideas that have always been a part of the Hulk. However, Red Hulk doesn’t have any of that. Red Hulk has many of the same anti-villain tendencies of the Hulk, but there’s much to him as a character that can be used in the stories. If you need a villainous smart Hulk, there’s Red Hulk. If you need a Hulk that can destroy the heroes, Red Hulk is your man. If you need a Hulk who can actually be a heroic character, Red Hulk does it better than the Hulk. Red Hulk as a character has way more utility to the Marvel Universe than the Hulk, especially since The Immortal Hulk has made Hulk fans really only want one of type of Hulk story. Bruce Banner is a great character, and there’s no doubt about that in my mind, but the Red Hulk is a more useful character. The character can grow in directions that the Hulk really can’t or directions that have been tried with the Hulk and discarded. That makes all the difference.

Red Hulk Can Take the Hulk In New Directions

The Red Hulk was one of the hottest Marvel ideas from the hottest period for the publisher in the 21st century. He was a monster villain that we hadn’t seen the likes of in ages, and his story was the focus of the Hulk titles for years. The popularity of the character meant that he was definitely going to stick around, and Marvel made him into an Avenger, giving him more spotlight than ever. Since then, the Red Hulk has changed in many ways, and currently is starring in his own series, battling against Doctor Doom under the pens of the great creative team of Benjamin Percy and Geoff Shaw.

Writers like Peter David, Greg Pak, and Al Ewing have made the Hulk a better character than ever. However, as great as the Hulk can be, the character doesn’t have nearly as many uses as he once did. Red Hulk, on the other hand, is a character with all the potential in the world. Thaddeus Ross as a Hulk is a very cool idea, and it has legs that make the character the best version of the Hulk.

Who do you think is the best Hulk? What are your thoughts on the Red Hulk? Sound off in the comments below.