The Religious Affiliation of
The Hulk
Bruce Banner

BELOW: Thor explicitly refers to himself as the "God of Thunder" in response to the Hulk's impious banter: The Hulk was one of the founding members of the Avengers, but his time with the team was shot-lived. The friction between the Hulk and his teammates is evident in this Avengers meeting when the the Hulk calls Thor a "yellow-haired yahoo" and threatens to "boot him up to Asgard for good!" Thor, demonstrating his genuinely godly self-identity, responds: "You dare speak so to the God of Thunder?!! Why, with one blow of my hammer, I--"

Source: The Avengers (vol. 1) #2 (Nov. 1963): "The Avengers Battle... the Space Phantom", pg. 1-2. Written by Stan Lee. Art by Jack Kirby, Paul Reinman. See also: gods; impiety; Norse/Teutonic paganism; The Hulk (Bruce Banner); Thor (Donald Blake)

BELOW: Bruce Banner (The Hulk) believes that General Thunderbolt Ross is "obsessed" with hunting the Hulk: Bruce Banner (The Hulk) recalls yet another time that General Thunderbolt Ross searched for the Hulk: "I'm certain that others were searching as well... But General Ross has played this game many, many times. I hide... He seeks. He's obsessed with it. And, I think, he's obsessed with me."

Source: Marvel Double-Shot #1 (Jan. 2003): "Spinach", pg. 2, panels 1-3. Written by Rob Haynes. Art by Rob Haynes. See also: obsession; idiosyncratic; The Hulk (Bruce Banner); Red Hulk (Thunderbolt Ross)

BELOW: The Hulk and Namor the Sub-Mariner join forces, united in their hatred for humanity: Upon meeting the Hulk for the first time, Prince Namor tells the green behemoth: "We BOTH share a burning hatred for the human race! If we act TOGETHER, we can bring humanity to its knees!" The Hulk concurs, saying, "I hate humans, too!" Their shared hatred for humans is somewhat ironic, given he fact that Namor is half-human and the Hulk's alter-ego is fully human.

Source: The Avengers (vol. 1) #3 (Jan. 1964): "The Avengers Meet... Sub-Mariner!", pg. 17-18. Written by Stan Lee. Art by Jack Kirby, Paul Reinman. See also: hate; The Hulk (Bruce Banner); The Sub-Mariner (Namor)

BELOW: The Hulk's irrational hatred of humanity is not shared by his Bruce Banner, his alter-ego: During a battle with the Avengers, the stress the Hulk is experiencing causes him to revert to his normal form: Bruce Banner. Banner does no hate humanity (he is, after all, completely human). He has no desire to battle the Avengers. He simply flees the scene, leaving his temporary ally the Sub-Mariner to face the super team alone. The Hulk's hatred of humanity may seem irrational, given the fact that the Hulk is actually a human, Bruce Banner. But this hatred is understandable on one level when one considers the fact that the Hulk is not really a distinct individual, but is a manifestation of Bruce Banner's negative emotions, primarily his inner rage and hatred.

Source: The Avengers (vol. 1) #3 (Jan. 1964): "The Avengers Meet... Sub-Mariner!", pg. 24, panel 5. Written by Stan Lee. Art by Jack Kirby, Paul Reinman. See also: hate; The Hulk (Bruce Banner)

BELOW: The alliance between the Hulk and Sub-Mariner is a tenuous one: Although temporarily allied against the Avengers, they are both already thinking about betraying each other.

Source: The Avengers (vol. 1) #3 (Jan. 1964): "The Avengers Meet... Sub-Mariner!", pg. 18, panel 3. Written by Stan Lee. Art by Jack Kirby, Paul Reinman. See also: betrayal; The Hulk (Bruce Banner); The Sub-Mariner (Namor)