The Ego, the Id, and the Hulk

The 80s, man…whoa

In 1962, The Incredible Hulk smashed his way onto issue one of the self-titled series which would eventually lend itself to numerous on-screen portrayals, big and small. The giant green rage monster was not, however always that. In fact, in that fateful first appearance, our avenging brute wasn’t sporting his usual green hue, but depending on who you ask, whether due to a printing issue, or a changed mind in the design stage, Bruce Banner’s monster was grey. Also of note, is the fact that hulk was intentionally meant to be a bit of an homage to the classic horror-comic genre of the day. The concept of a grotesque hero is one that I will most definitely be exploring, but in terms of hulk, The original version was potentially far scarier than the modern green Goliath children dress as for Halloween, with his black eyes and tendency to change at night, rather than when doctor Banner became angry. Oh yeah, also he spoke.

Flash forward 22 years, and things were being shaken up for the big guy. In the books, Banner had discovered a way to separate himself from the hulk via some strange mineral bath (science isn’t really a concern in the comic book world), while in the real world, the serial was on the verge of changing writers. It was then that someone decided to do the unthinkable. Rather than a mistake at the printing press, Marvel decided that the original incarnation of the Hulk was an intentional choice, and a completely different character from the green hulk, and from Doctor Banner, in the same way that Hulk and Banner are two different characters. The mineral bath storyline came to a head, but something went wrong. With the Hulk, the green guy, supressed, a new character, Joe Fixit could come out to play.

This new hulk was completely different from the other people he shared a body with. He was intelligent, he came out every single night, no natter how calm Banner was, and worst of all, he was completely aware of his power and invulnerability. At this point, Banner had fled to the Midwest, and Joe, seizing his opportunity, and doing what any true creature of the night would do, decided to take a detour to Vegas. There, he quickly caught a reputation for smashing loud-mouthed bad guys, and soon decided to make a living while doing just that: as an enforcer and gangster.

This went on for a while, but the whole time, Banner was in contact with crime-fighting-psychiatrist Doc Samson, whose green hair is indicative of his gamma-based strength, as well as his caring and healing nature. Samson provided an interesting element to the story however: psychology. Specifically, Freudian psychology, which was in peak popularity in the time these books were written. Slowly, through Freud’s own method of free association, it is revealed that Bruce Banner was the victim of an abusive father, and the reader is even lead to believe that his dad killed his mother. That’s right, whether you thought the 2003 Hulk film was garbage, or you thought it was merely unwatchable, Nick Nolte’s character is ripped straight from the page in terms of character and importance (though making him the absorbing man is still one in a long string of baffling decisions within that hot-mess of a film). It is also revealed through these sessions, that Banner has always had a fractured psyche. The most hard-hitting revelation however, is the Hulk/Banner/Fixit relationship, and how it fits the concepts of id ego and superego.

Joe is, of course, the id. He is all the things that Banner bottles up, as well as all the things he truly wants to be. He is powerful, good with the ladies, and he takes what he wants, and doesn’t tale crap from anyone. He’s also a horrible and selfish person.

Banner and the Hulk are left, but what’s surprising is the shift that Peter David, writer of this particular run, gave to Banner’s personal characterization of the big guy. In the typical canon, Bruce Banner sees the Hulk as a monster. A monster who constantly hurts Banner, and all the people he loves. He is a curse that Banner just wants to be rid of, but in light of Joe, and of these psychological classifications, Banner is truly the ego, the self, as the id is representative of Banner’s uninhibited side. Banner’s wants and desires, not the Hulk’s. Therefore, the Hulk is actually Banner’s superego. He is his protector, and his altruistic side personified. Everything Hulk does, he does first to protect Banner, and has since childhood. He was there for him then, and the took over, almost on the level of an alternate personality, when the gamma bomb hit, and physically manifested as a result of taking a massive blast of a then-unknown radiation.

Of course, the Banner collective realizes in the end that they all need each other to survive, so, after some civil conversation, they all decide to merge into the whole person they should be. Banner’s reverence for the Hulk, and appreciation for him as a protector, though short-lived, was a nice change of pace, and painted the jade giant in an altruistic, and still very green, light. The following books see the Hulk as having the Green body with Banner’s more human face and mind, though he has the confidence one should expect from a superhero. That confidence makes the Hulk seem like a pompous jerk from time to time, but as a super-genius who’s also a literal walking tank… can you blame him?

These books should be recognized for the way in which they took the modern medicine of the time, something which was the latest trend, and applied it in an entertaining way, thus spreading a message of positive self-care, while simultaneously humanizing characters who had been around for over two decades. Peter David made a 24 year-old character feel more real than he ever had, by showing Banner’s flaws for a change, and not just pinning it all on the brute.

For once, the conflict wasn’t solved with violence, but with civil discussion in a caring environment, because even the strongest there are can use a little help sometimes.