How do you prefer the Hulk? Dumb,smart or inbetween?

[Doctorwhovian]

The Hulk is often portrayed in cartoons, TV series and movies as not being very intelligent/brutish, sometimes almost or completely mute. This is mainly based on the popular 'savage' version who was the Hulk for most of the late 60s and 70s (as well as a few times since then). Most recently Mark Waid's Hulk followed this incarnation.


However starting in the 80s-and with some precedent in the early 60s (as the character was still 'evolving' in writing)-the Hulk's intelligence would often shift. Sometimes he'd be more intelligent, but still brutish, surly and often destructive, as we see with the Gray Hulk (Aka "Joe Fixit") and at various times with the Green Hulk (Such as post-Onslaught, and the Planet Hulk (as well as many of the stories that followed).

However sometimes they've gone even further with the intelligence, with the "Banner Hulk" who was mostly Banner's persona in the Hulk's body (This happened a few times in the 60s and 70s too) the Merged Hulk (Who was originally the Green and Grey Hulk personas merged with Banner, but that's sort of been retconned) and most recently the current "Doc Green" incarnation who is a seperate persona from Banner but one that's perhaps even smarter than he is, from the events of the Original Sin crossover.

 

[bbjeg]

I voted for dumb but I do like seeing him aware and practicing common sense.

 

[Kelthaz]

I voted inbetween. I don't want a genius Hulk, but neither do I want a Hulk that's too stupid for basic reasoning or common sense. A big monster that only knows how to smash things gets boring. I thought the Avengers handled Hulk's intelligence perfectly in final battle.

 

[Mr Light]

Smart Hulk. Mindless brutes are not dramatically interesting as central characters.

 

[shivkala]

Smart Hulk. Mindless brutes are not dramatically interesting as central characters.

They got their mileage out of dumb hulk, I feel. Peter David's "Professor Hulk" really made things interesting again. I like a Hulk that's not necessarily Bruce's brain in Hulk's body, which is what made the Professor Hulk so interesting. It was Bruce, unrestrained.

Of course, it was at its best when it first happened, and they could get mileage out of people being surprised when they expected to encounter the dumb Hulk and got the Professor!

 

[Dr. Funkenstein]

World War Hulk intelligent. Not a genius by any stretch, but fully aware of who and what he is and capable of choosing what to do.

 

[borgboy]

I am a big fan of Peter David's run on the Hulk, which has a lot of focus on the Professor Hulk version.
The dumb Hulk is iconic, it's the one the general public knows, but I think there's a limit to how much interesting stories can be done with "Hulk smash!" He's more a special effect than a character.
I haven't followed the Hulk comics for a few years, so I haven't heard about this Doc Green persona. That sounds interesting, and makes me want to check it out. The DID story with Banner's personalities brings a lot of depth and drama into the Hulk series.

 

[kirk55555]

I voted inbetween. I like Professor Hulk fine, and I'm not totally opposed to dumb Hulk, but I like a good mix. A Hulk that speaks easily and has common sense, but not necessarily a genius is my favorite. Dumb Hulk can get annoying. I was reading some old Defenders comics, and it got old really fast when Hulk just started smashing things because he was impatient, or he wouldn't help people he called friends because he decided he was taking the day off to eat, regardless of the situation. When Hulk's friends can only get his help by getting him angry and leading him through the city, its just ridiculous.

I think the Avengers movie got intelligence right (from what we could tell, since he never really talked to make his intelligence level more obvious), they just need to give him more lines and not have him as a borderline mute. Honestly, the live action movies are the only version I've seen/read where Hulk didn't regularly talk, and I think they could maybe give the Hulk himself a bit more to do than just show up, smash, and leave.

 

[RoJoHen]

I like the idea of Hulk starting off as a dumb brute but gradually getting smarter over time as Banner figures out how to deal with his situation.

 

[M'rk son of Mogh]

My favourite was the merged Hulk (I really hate the "professor" retcon), there was so much potential there and it was really quite clever in how it took the monstrous nature and made it more of an internal struggle than external.

What I also love about the Hulk is that you CAN have all of these variations depending on what story you want to tell. Change is the only constant for that character (more than any other I think!) and really allows a sky's the limit approach!

I also am really enjoying what's going on now. It feels like the merged Hulk but with the ego and everything else ramped up to 11, doing what he thinks is right (just like back in the PAD days) but with questionable executions.

 

[zakkrusz]

I like the idea of Hulk starting off as a dumb brute but gradually getting smarter over time as Banner figures out how to deal with his situation.

Yeah so do I. I would prefer his intelligence and common sense to be a separate person; at first childlike, dumb, naive, and subject to his emotions but able to learn and eventually think things through avoid past mistakes, and better control those destructive urges the more that personality emerges. So potentially each time he is transforms he becomes smarter and more worldy. I think that would also fit with character's ability to evolve itself physically.

 

[Nightowl1701]

How about something like this:

When Banner chooses to transform, but isn't rushed into it (via meditation, as in the end of The Incredible Hulk film), we get Doc Green.

When he chooses to transform but has to do it right that minute, we get essentially the Hulk we got at the end of The Avengers except more verbal (Gray Hulk level intelligence).

When he's pushed into transforming by losing his temper or panicking, we get the "Hulk Smash" child-like version that can just as easily turn on friends as well as foes.

When his transformation is triggered by direct injury/pain, we get the savage mute Hulk (from the mid-point of The Avengers) that smashes everything (and everyone) in sight.

 

[Saga]

i have no preference really. just tell me a good story. i too am a big fan of Peter David's run. that is the Hulk i grew up with.

 

[DaddlerTheDalek]

My favourite Hulk is from the The Avengers: Earth Mightiest Heroes show.

 

[shivkala]

How about something like this:

When Banner chooses to transform, but isn't rushed into it (via meditation, as in the end of The Incredible Hulk film), we get Doc Green.

When he chooses to transform but has to do it right that minute, we get essentially the Hulk we got at the end of The Avengers except more verbal (Gray Hulk level intelligence).

When he's pushed into transforming by losing his temper or panicking, we get the "Hulk Smash" child-like version that can just as easily turn on friends as well as foes.

When his transformation is triggered by direct injury/pain, we get the savage mute Hulk (from the mid-point of The Avengers) that smashes everything (and everyone) in sight.

This makes a lot of sense and it would allow the writers to use the Hulk they wanted to, as long as the explained it through the method of transformation.

 

[Skellington]

In between. Green, a bit surly and smart but not intellectual as such. Basically a "savage" Hulk with a wider lexicon, and really the way the character was depicted in the comic's original six-issue run. I might have voted for the "savage" version, but my opinion writers frequently get this one wrong, making him stupid or treating him merely as the personification of Bruce's anger rather than a proxy for Bruce's inner toddler. I think a sweet spot for the childlike version was hit in the mid seventies to early eighties.

I kind of like the Doc Green version. Might be interesting to see where it goes.

 

[I amnot Herbert]

i voted: dumb, but i don't like that label...

i like: "Hulk RAGE!!!"

 

[RJDiogenes]

I voted "Other" for the childlike Hulk of the 70s. He mostly wanted to be left alone, but only because so many bad things had happened to him-- attacks, betrayals, and so forth. But he was really looking for friendship and would try to help people if a situation came up. Unfortunately, he was easily confused and quick to anger. He would hang around with the Defenders when the opportunity arose because they were nice to him.

I also liked the intelligent Hulk plotline, when he had Banner's mind and was pardoned; but I didn't really see that as a permanent situation. Unfortunately, after that it sort of fell into a confused mess.

 

[Doctorwhovian]

They're hinting a bit that Doc Green might become "The Maestro", an evil future version of the Hulk from the "Future Imperfect" miniseries (and also a few other storylines since).

Granted, Maestro's origin in Future Imperfect was a bit different than the current storyline, which is the Hulk pretty much depowering the other Hulks which were mostly created during the Jeph Loeb/Greg Pak era.

 

[Blamo]

Well not smart as that rather negates Banner and the dichotomy is what makes them interesting.