Bruce Banner/ The Hulk

player name: Pat
player journal: thatpatguy
playing here: N/A
where did you find us? I know a few people who play here.
are you 16 years of age or older?: Yep!



character name: Bruce Banner
Fandom: Marvel movie-verse
Timeline: shortly after The Avengers
character's age: 42

powers, skills, pets and equipment:

Due to his exposure to gamma radiation Bruce Banner has the ability to Hulk out, meaning he’s able to transform into a giant green rage monster. He can take this form on willingly or unwillingly thanks to his extended period of time with the condition.

Hulk has a variety of special abilities. None of which are as prevalent as his enhanced strength. In the movies it hasn’t been shown just how powerful the Hulk is although it’s been made clear he isn’t as strong as his comic book counterpart. For example in the comics Hulk has lifted Thor’s hammer Mjolnir based on his strength but in The Avengers film he was unable to do the same thing. However they made it clear it wasn’t so much for lack of strength as it was… not his hammer. At least this way his strength isn’t plot breaky.

Hulk’s strength also lends itself to his enhanced speed and dexterity. He’s by no means a speedster but he has been shown to have incredible reflexes and the capability of keeping up with humvees on foot. He’s also able to leap incredible distances with precise landings. This serves as his main mode of transportation and is very effective. PARKOUR!

Hulk also has superhuman durability and enhanced regeneration. In the current movie canon it hasn’t been shown just how enhanced his regenerative capabilities are but his recovery rate from internal injuries seems to be impressive. As for his durability Hulk almost seems to be invulnerable. He’s capable of withstanding almost any sort of ammunitions bombardment from normal firearms to Tesseract produced Chitauri weaponry with nearly no injury. He’s even capable of taking hits from Mjolnir as well as physical blows from a demigod.

As himself, Bruce Banner appears to be, and I quote, an unassuming man. He seems to be in good shape for a man in his forties, having outrun special agents, and knows some basic self defense. However it isn't his physicality that sets Bruce apart from most others. It's his mind.

Bruce is a recognized genius scientist, specializing in gamma radiation (boy, does he ever). He was even chosen, along with Betty Ross, to lead the reawakened Super Soldier project. It was his involvement with this project that lead to his exposure to gamma radiation. Of course his knowledge isn't limited to gamma. In fact his knowledge is so widely spread that during his time trekking the globe he served as a makeshift doctor and a handy man in a soda factory.

Also, according to Tony Stark Bruce's work in anti-electron collisions is unparalleled, which is pretty amazing. Not because anti-electron collisions sound complicated but because... Tony Stark complimented someone.*

 

canon history: Bruce Banner - Marvel Movies Wiki and Hulk - Marvel Movies Wiki

personality:

Bruce’s character is full of contradictions. He’s cruel but only to himself, awkward yet endearing. He has no self-confidence yet he trusts himself to not Hulk out around other people. He’s even distant yet he does his best to help others. His time in Calcutta illustrates these contradictions almost perfectly. He behaves as a medical doctor for the financially challenged yet he still accepts money. The reason he accepts any money is only to further his research in finding a cure for his “condition.” Curing himself isn’t exactly selfish either. It’s a nightmare for him, of course, but he also realizes the harm he causes to others when he loses control. It’s a bit of an awkward, sometimes vicious, cycle.

Because of his condition Bruce has become a little self-absorbed. That’s understandable when if your first concern isn’t your mood you run the risk of killing everyone and everything around you. Even inanimate objects. Those can be killed, right? Hulk will find a way I’m sure. Because of this he always seems to judge his surroundings by the standards he’s created for containing the Hulk. If he doesn’t like them you’re going to hear about it in an incredibly snarky way. Just… don’t put him in a pressurized metal container… or something much worse than that. You won’t like the outcome.

Bruce feels the Hulk isn’t a part of his psyche which isn’t hard to believe, referring to him as “the other guy.” However the Hulk IS part of him. This was proven when Bruce’s underlying selflessness considered committing suicide to be an end to all the struggles. An end not just for him but for everyone he had and would hurt. The attempt showed just how dark and desperate Bruce had gotten. Fortunately, or unfortunately, the Hulk part of him wouldn’t allow the attempt to succeed. Hulk rose up from within and protected himself.

Over time Bruce has learned ways of trying to contain the Hulk. In the Avengers he states “I’m always angry.” Taken at face value that statement seems a little odd but when you delve deeper it makes much more sense. For years, especially the while being hunted by General “Thunderbolt” Ross, he believed the key to containing Hulk was to remain calm and docile. This however gave him next to no control of the Hulk when he was forced to transform. Now, rather than allowing things to shock his system, he tries to always remain vigilante and aware of what’s being done. In a way it’s very similar to the saying “The closer we are to danger the farther we are from harm.” Yes, I just used a LotR quote. Because of this new way of life Bruce has become a bit snarkier and more physically withdrawn rather than emotionally withdrawn.

The Hulk aspect of Bruce has a bit of his own personality. Put simply Hulk can be summed up as having the mental process of “HULK KING OF THE MOUNTAIN!” Hulk can also be surprisingly tender, especially with Bruce’s former lover Betty Ross. He retains so much of Bruce’s feelings for Betty that she’s even been able to calm Hulk and help him revert back to Bruce’s normal state. Hulk’s even shown a certain level of camaraderie with others such as Steve Rodgers and Tony Stark. Even though with Thor… that fellowship was a bit more violent than the others. Sorry, Thor but you should know better than to stand on his mountain.

As seen in The Avengers Bruce can exhibit a certain level of control over the Hulk when he willingly transforms. Contrary to earlier in the movie the Hulk is much more of a team player, focusing his assault on the Chitauri and Loki rather than running around and fighting his teammates in a blind rage. This control was also shown near the end of The Incredible Hulk film when Bruce willingly turned into the Hulk to combat the transformed Emil Blonsky (The Abomination) in Harlem.

why do you feel this character would be appropriate to the setting?

 Bruce is an extremely adaptable character as he's shown in his canon and Marvel's no coward when it comes to multiple universes. Due to his snark and vulnerability he easily fits into a lot of situations and is a lot of fun to play and play off of (or so I've been told).

 

Network Post Sample:

Dear Mun post

Third Person Sample:

Bruce hadn’t even been back that long but here he was, already running through the streets of Calcutta. Hard to believe he just helped save the entire world yet here everything remained the same. Here the other guy couldn’t help. This was all about what he could do. Bruce Banner. Not… not the Hulk. Infection and disease couldn’t be cured by pounding it with a giant green fist. Well, some diseases needed to be grabbed by the ankles and repeatedly bashed against the floor like a rag doll. He couldn’t help but grin a bit as that through crossed his mind.

The grin disappeared as soon as he made it to the top of the stairs a little boy had lead him up. It was replaced with nothing but an analytical seriousness as he surveyed the room. They boy’s father, he guessed, was laying on the floor. He knelt next to the man, rolling him over onto his back and shining a flashlight in his eyes.

A short time later Bruce stood over the lone sink in the tiny apartment, splashing his face with what passed for cold water here. Somehow the man was diabetic and had fallen unconscious. All Bruce could do for him was give him a small dose of insulin and explain to the little boy to keep his father hydrated and watch what he ate. It would make it a lot easier if he was able to prescribe the insulin but Bruce was lucky enough to have even had it in the first place.

He looked down at the small, crumpled pile of bills the boy had given him. In the U.S. it probably amounted to no more than six dollars. He looked at it for a long time, knowing it was more than likely the family’s life savings. Still, he needed the money desperately. He took two bills, setting the rest back down on the sink and headed back to the main area. The little boy had fallen asleep on his father’s chest. Bruce’s head hung low as he made his way back down the stairs and out into the bustling streets of Calcutta.

Anything else? That should be it!