Brian Banner
Encyclopedia
Brian Banner is a fictional villain
from the Marvel Comics
Universe
created by Bill Mantlo
and Mike Mignola
and first appearing in print in late 1985. Brian Banner is the abusive father of Bruce Banner, the Incredible Hulk
, and his mistreatment of his own wife and son is a major contributing cause of Bruce's mental illness linked to his Hulk condition.
a "monster gene
" from him, Brian promised himself that he would never have any children, for fear of bringing another Banner into the world.
In college, Brian meets Rebecca, with whom he falls in love and marries. Brian earns his PhD
in physics
and finds a job in Los Alamos, New Mexico
working for the United States government on a project developing a clean way to create nuclear energy
. The stress of his job eventually leads Brian to become an alcoholic
and begin to develop anger problems, lashing out at others. While drunk at work one day, Brian accidentally overloads some machinery, causing an explosion that costs him his job. Even though his doctors concluded that the explosion caused him no permanent harm, Brian becomes convinced it affected him on the genetic level.
Despite his vow never to have children, Brian impregnates Rebecca, who gives birth to Bruce Banner. Brian believes Bruce has inherited both the "monster gene" and genetic defects due to the accident in Los Alamos, so he ignores him completely and attempts to keep Rebecca away from him. He frequently leaves Bruce in the care of the neglectful Nurse Meachum. When Bruce wakes up one Christmas
morning and opens a present from his mother, a complex model, he assembles it easily despite his young age. This convinces Brian that his assumptions about Bruce were correct. He beats Bruce and, after she comes to her son's aid, Rebecca as well. After enduring several years of frequent abuse from Brian, Rebecca attempts to escape from him with Bruce. Brian discovers his wife and son packing the car just before their escape, and he smashes Rebecca's head against the pavement, killing her in front of their young son. Brian manages to stop Bruce from testifying against him at his trial for Rebecca's murder, saying that if he did so, he would go to hell
. Bruce lies to the courts out of fear, testifying that his father never abused him or Rebecca, stating that his mother tried to run away for no reason. Brian escapes conviction due to lack of evidence, but is later arrested when he drunkenly boasts about beating the law by bullying his son. Brian is imprisoned and later placed in a mental institution.
After fifteen years of confinement, Brian, who is believed fit for reintroduction into society, is released into a reluctant Bruce's care. Living with Bruce causes Brian's delusions to begin again and, on the anniversary of Rebecca's death, Brian and Bruce engage in a verbal and later physical fight at Rebecca's grave on a stormy night. During the fight, Bruce accidentally kills Brian by knocking him headfirst into Rebecca's headstone. Bruce represses
the memories of Brian's stay with him and his subsequent death, making himself believe that, as the two of them fought at Rebecca's grave, Brian had simply beat him and left, later being killed by muggers
.
Brian's ghost would continue to haunt Bruce's alter-ego, the Hulk, after his death, often appearing to taunt him, stating that Bruce was no better than he himself; villains such as Mentallo
, the Red Skull
, Devil Hulk
, and Guilt Hulk
would also use the image of Brian Banner against the Hulk in an attempt to weaken him.
When Bruce Banner and the Hulk are fused back together after the events of Heroes Return
, Bruce finds himself in Hell, where he meets several former adversaries, including his father, Brian. Bruce is terrorized by Brian, Leader
, and Maestro. He eventually stands up to his father, attacking and strangling him before being returned to Earth by an image of his wife, Betty Ross. Having faced his father, Bruce's haunting by him ceases.
When the Hulk began to suffer from Lou Gehrig's disease
, Mr. Fantastic
, in order to cure him, has Brian Banner's corpse exhumed, so as to collect some of his DNA
. With it, Mr. Fantastic manages to cure the Hulk; Bruce subsequently visits his father's grave and laments his confusion over his feelings for his father, noting the fact that he now owes his life to the man despite his old issues with him.
In Avengers: The Initiative
, the hero Trauma
, who has the power to change into an opponent's worst fear, adopts the guise of Brian Banner to use against the Hulk during the World War Hulk
.
Recently, Bruce has implied that killing his father wasn't actually an accident, noting during a confrontation with Daken
and Wolverine
that he has managed to avoid causing any innocent deaths when he is rampaging as the Hulk- save for those occasions when he is under the control or influence of something else-, and suggesting that it is unlikely that he would make such a 'mistake' in his more limited human form. In an indirect manner, Brian's memory also resulted in Bruce stopping his fight with his son Skaar
after the Hulk was restored following the final battle with the Intelligencia
, Bruce recognising that he couldn't continue the fight with Skaar- regardless of how much either side might 'deserve' to die- without becoming his father all over again.
During the Chaos War
storyline, Brian Banner returns from the dead and ends up facing Hulk again alongside Abomination
after what happened to the death realms. Brian transforms into creature resembling a mix of the Guilt and Devil Hulk
s as he does. When Brian tries to kill Rebecca again, Hulk ends up fighting him alongside Skaar
. Brian feeds on the Hulk's anger towards him, becoming stronger. It is only when the Hulk's lost love Jarella
tells him to remember his love for her that the tide turns. Hulk instead focuses on the positive emotions inspired by the rest of his allies and defeats Brian Banner.
When Brian Banner was resurrected during the Chaos War
storyline, Brian Banner gained the ability to turn into a hybrid replica of the Guilt Hulk and the Devil Hulk.
timeline created by the Scarlet Witch
, Dr. Brian D. Banner believes Bruce to be a mutant created through the radiation he experimented with and attempts to kill him. He murdered Rebecca when she gets in his way. Before he can harm the young Bruce, Brian is shot to death by the police who arrive at the scene. This is very similar to the scenario involving in the Hulk film (see below).
Villain
A villain is an "evil" character in a story, whether a historical narrative or, especially, a work of fiction. The villain usually is the antagonist, the character who tends to have a negative effect on other characters...
from the Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
Universe
Marvel Universe
The Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Entertainment take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and the Avengers.The Marvel Universe is further...
created by Bill Mantlo
Bill Mantlo
Bill Mantlo is an American comic-book writer, primarily at Marvel Comics, best known for his work on two licensed toy properties whose adventures occurred in the Marvel Universe: the Eagle Award-winning Micronauts and the long-running Rom. An attorney, he also worked as a public defender...
and Mike Mignola
Mike Mignola
Michael Joseph "Mike" Mignola is an American comic book artist and writer who created the comic book series Hellboy for Dark Horse Comics. He has worked for animation projects such as Atlantis: The Lost Empire and the adaptation of his one shot comic book, The Amazing Screw-On Head.-Career:Mignola...
and first appearing in print in late 1985. Brian Banner is the abusive father of Bruce Banner, the Incredible Hulk
Hulk (comics)
The Hulk is a fictional character, a superhero in the . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #1 ....
, and his mistreatment of his own wife and son is a major contributing cause of Bruce's mental illness linked to his Hulk condition.
Fictional character biography
As a child, Brian Banner and his mother were physically and emotionally abused by Brian's father; regarding his father as a monster and believing that he had inheritedHeredity
Heredity is the passing of traits to offspring . This is the process by which an offspring cell or organism acquires or becomes predisposed to the characteristics of its parent cell or organism. Through heredity, variations exhibited by individuals can accumulate and cause some species to evolve...
a "monster gene
Gene
A gene is a molecular unit of heredity of a living organism. It is a name given to some stretches of DNA and RNA that code for a type of protein or for an RNA chain that has a function in the organism. Living beings depend on genes, as they specify all proteins and functional RNA chains...
" from him, Brian promised himself that he would never have any children, for fear of bringing another Banner into the world.
In college, Brian meets Rebecca, with whom he falls in love and marries. Brian earns his PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
and finds a job in Los Alamos, New Mexico
Los Alamos, New Mexico
Los Alamos is a townsite and census-designated place in Los Alamos County, New Mexico, United States, built upon four mesas of the Pajarito Plateau and the adjoining White Rock Canyon. The population of the CDP was 12,019 at the 2010 Census. The townsite or "the hill" is one part of town while...
working for the United States government on a project developing a clean way to create nuclear energy
Nuclear power
Nuclear power is the use of sustained nuclear fission to generate heat and electricity. Nuclear power plants provide about 6% of the world's energy and 13–14% of the world's electricity, with the U.S., France, and Japan together accounting for about 50% of nuclear generated electricity...
. The stress of his job eventually leads Brian to become an alcoholic
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
and begin to develop anger problems, lashing out at others. While drunk at work one day, Brian accidentally overloads some machinery, causing an explosion that costs him his job. Even though his doctors concluded that the explosion caused him no permanent harm, Brian becomes convinced it affected him on the genetic level.
Despite his vow never to have children, Brian impregnates Rebecca, who gives birth to Bruce Banner. Brian believes Bruce has inherited both the "monster gene" and genetic defects due to the accident in Los Alamos, so he ignores him completely and attempts to keep Rebecca away from him. He frequently leaves Bruce in the care of the neglectful Nurse Meachum. When Bruce wakes up one Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
morning and opens a present from his mother, a complex model, he assembles it easily despite his young age. This convinces Brian that his assumptions about Bruce were correct. He beats Bruce and, after she comes to her son's aid, Rebecca as well. After enduring several years of frequent abuse from Brian, Rebecca attempts to escape from him with Bruce. Brian discovers his wife and son packing the car just before their escape, and he smashes Rebecca's head against the pavement, killing her in front of their young son. Brian manages to stop Bruce from testifying against him at his trial for Rebecca's murder, saying that if he did so, he would go to hell
Hell
In many religious traditions, a hell is a place of suffering and punishment in the afterlife. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hells as endless. Religions with a cyclic history often depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations...
. Bruce lies to the courts out of fear, testifying that his father never abused him or Rebecca, stating that his mother tried to run away for no reason. Brian escapes conviction due to lack of evidence, but is later arrested when he drunkenly boasts about beating the law by bullying his son. Brian is imprisoned and later placed in a mental institution.
After fifteen years of confinement, Brian, who is believed fit for reintroduction into society, is released into a reluctant Bruce's care. Living with Bruce causes Brian's delusions to begin again and, on the anniversary of Rebecca's death, Brian and Bruce engage in a verbal and later physical fight at Rebecca's grave on a stormy night. During the fight, Bruce accidentally kills Brian by knocking him headfirst into Rebecca's headstone. Bruce represses
Repressed memory
Repressed memory is a hypothetical concept used to describe a significant memory, usually of a traumatic nature, that has become unavailable for recall; also called motivated forgetting in which a subject blocks out painful or traumatic times in one's life...
the memories of Brian's stay with him and his subsequent death, making himself believe that, as the two of them fought at Rebecca's grave, Brian had simply beat him and left, later being killed by muggers
Robbery
Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take something of value by force or threat of force or by putting the victim in fear. At common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the person of that property, by means of force or fear....
.
Brian's ghost would continue to haunt Bruce's alter-ego, the Hulk, after his death, often appearing to taunt him, stating that Bruce was no better than he himself; villains such as Mentallo
Mentallo
Mentallo is a fictional comic book supervillain, a mutant who appears in books published by Marvel Comics.After having been fired for cause after attempting a covert takeover of S.H.I.E.L.D., he has since operated as both a freelance criminal and subversive and a high-ranking agent of...
, the Red Skull
Red Skull
The Red Skull is a name shared by several fictional characters, all supervillains from the Marvel Comics universe. All incarnations of the character are enemies of Captain America, other superheroes, and the United States in general....
, Devil Hulk
Devil Hulk
-Publication history:The Devil Hulk was created by Paul Jenkins, Ron Garney, and Sal Buscema. He first appeared in The Incredible Hulk Vol.2 .-Fictional character history:...
, and Guilt Hulk
Hulk (comics)
The Hulk is a fictional character, a superhero in the . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #1 ....
would also use the image of Brian Banner against the Hulk in an attempt to weaken him.
When Bruce Banner and the Hulk are fused back together after the events of Heroes Return
Heroes Reborn
"Heroes Reborn" was a 1996-1997 crossover story arc among comic-book series published by the American company Marvel Comics. During this one-year, multi-title story arc, Marvel temporarily outsourced the production of several of its most famous comic books to the studios of its popular former...
, Bruce finds himself in Hell, where he meets several former adversaries, including his father, Brian. Bruce is terrorized by Brian, Leader
Leader (comics)
The Leader is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Tales to Astonish #62, and was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. In 2009, The Leader was ranked as IGN's 63rd Greatest Comic Book Villain of All Time.Actor Tim Blake...
, and Maestro. He eventually stands up to his father, attacking and strangling him before being returned to Earth by an image of his wife, Betty Ross. Having faced his father, Bruce's haunting by him ceases.
When the Hulk began to suffer from Lou Gehrig's disease
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis , also referred to as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a form of motor neuron disease caused by the degeneration of upper and lower neurons, located in the ventral horn of the spinal cord and the cortical neurons that provide their efferent input...
, Mr. Fantastic
Mister Fantastic
Mr. Fantastic is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero and a member of the Fantastic Four. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby, he first appeared in Fantastic Four #1 ....
, in order to cure him, has Brian Banner's corpse exhumed, so as to collect some of his DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
. With it, Mr. Fantastic manages to cure the Hulk; Bruce subsequently visits his father's grave and laments his confusion over his feelings for his father, noting the fact that he now owes his life to the man despite his old issues with him.
In Avengers: The Initiative
Avengers: The Initiative
Avengers: The Initiative was a comic book series from Marvel Comics. Written by Dan Slott and Christos Gage with artwork initially by Stefano Caselli, Steve Uy and Harvey Tolibao, the series dealt with the aftermath of Marvel's Civil War crossover Avengers: The Initiative was a comic book series...
, the hero Trauma
Trauma (comics)
Trauma is a fictional comic book character. He is a teenage superhero in Marvel Comics' shared universe, the Marvel Universe...
, who has the power to change into an opponent's worst fear, adopts the guise of Brian Banner to use against the Hulk during the World War Hulk
World War Hulk
"World War Hulk" is a comic book crossover storyline that ran through a self titled limited series and various other titles published by Marvel Comics in 2007, featuring the Hulk....
.
Recently, Bruce has implied that killing his father wasn't actually an accident, noting during a confrontation with Daken
Daken
Akihiro, also codename as Daken is a fictional comic book supervillain appearing in books published by Marvel Comics. Daken is the mutant son of Wolverine and his deceased wife Itsu...
and Wolverine
Wolverine (comics)
Wolverine is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Born as James Howlett and commonly known as Logan, Wolverine is a mutant, possessing animal-keen senses, enhanced physical capabilities, three retracting bone claws on each hand and a healing...
that he has managed to avoid causing any innocent deaths when he is rampaging as the Hulk- save for those occasions when he is under the control or influence of something else-, and suggesting that it is unlikely that he would make such a 'mistake' in his more limited human form. In an indirect manner, Brian's memory also resulted in Bruce stopping his fight with his son Skaar
Skaar
Skaar is a fictional comic book character appearing in books published by Marvel Comics, usually as a supporting character to Hulk. He is the son of the Hulk and the extraterrestrial Caiera, who conceived him during the "Planet Hulk" storyline...
after the Hulk was restored following the final battle with the Intelligencia
Intelligencia (comics)
The Intelligencia is a name of a fictional supervillain team that appears as an antagonist in the Hulk comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team first appeared in Fall of the Hulks: Alpha ....
, Bruce recognising that he couldn't continue the fight with Skaar- regardless of how much either side might 'deserve' to die- without becoming his father all over again.
During the Chaos War
Chaos War (comics)
"Chaos War" is a Marvel Comics storyline that began publication in October 2010 across nine comic book series: the five-issue miniseries Chaos War, written by Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente, supplemented by seven branded miniseries or one-shot publications, and by three issues of Incredible Hulks, a...
storyline, Brian Banner returns from the dead and ends up facing Hulk again alongside Abomination
Abomination (comics)
The Abomination is a fictional character, a supervillain that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics...
after what happened to the death realms. Brian transforms into creature resembling a mix of the Guilt and Devil Hulk
Devil Hulk
-Publication history:The Devil Hulk was created by Paul Jenkins, Ron Garney, and Sal Buscema. He first appeared in The Incredible Hulk Vol.2 .-Fictional character history:...
s as he does. When Brian tries to kill Rebecca again, Hulk ends up fighting him alongside Skaar
Skaar
Skaar is a fictional comic book character appearing in books published by Marvel Comics, usually as a supporting character to Hulk. He is the son of the Hulk and the extraterrestrial Caiera, who conceived him during the "Planet Hulk" storyline...
. Brian feeds on the Hulk's anger towards him, becoming stronger. It is only when the Hulk's lost love Jarella
Jarella
Jarella is a fictional character from Marvel Comics. Along with Betty Ross Banner and Caiera, she was one of the Hulk's great loves. The character was introduced in The Incredible Hulk #140...
tells him to remember his love for her that the tide turns. Hulk instead focuses on the positive emotions inspired by the rest of his allies and defeats Brian Banner.
Powers and abilities
Brian Banner has genius-level intellect.When Brian Banner was resurrected during the Chaos War
Chaos War (comics)
"Chaos War" is a Marvel Comics storyline that began publication in October 2010 across nine comic book series: the five-issue miniseries Chaos War, written by Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente, supplemented by seven branded miniseries or one-shot publications, and by three issues of Incredible Hulks, a...
storyline, Brian Banner gained the ability to turn into a hybrid replica of the Guilt Hulk and the Devil Hulk.
House of M
In the House of MHouse of M
House of M is an eight-issue comic book limited series and crossover storyline published by Marvel Comics in 2005. Written by Brian Michael Bendis and illustrated by Olivier Coipel, its first issue debuted in June 2005 as a follow-up to the events of the Planet X and Avengers Disassembled...
timeline created by the Scarlet Witch
Scarlet Witch
The Scarlet Witch is a fictional comic book character that appears in books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in X-Men #4 and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby...
, Dr. Brian D. Banner believes Bruce to be a mutant created through the radiation he experimented with and attempts to kill him. He murdered Rebecca when she gets in his way. Before he can harm the young Bruce, Brian is shot to death by the police who arrive at the scene. This is very similar to the scenario involving in the Hulk film (see below).
Television
- In 1979, the Incredible Hulk television series aired an episode called "Homecoming" featuring Banner's family. John MarleyJohn MarleyJohn Marley was an American actor who was known for his role as Phil Cavalleri in Love Story and as Jack Woltz— the defiant film mogul who awakens to find the severed head of his prized horse in his bed—in The Godfather...
played Banner's father in the episode, but his character is otherwise unrelated to the comic-book character created by MantloBill MantloBill Mantlo is an American comic-book writer, primarily at Marvel Comics, best known for his work on two licensed toy properties whose adventures occurred in the Marvel Universe: the Eagle Award-winning Micronauts and the long-running Rom. An attorney, he also worked as a public defender...
and MignolaMike MignolaMichael Joseph "Mike" Mignola is an American comic book artist and writer who created the comic book series Hellboy for Dark Horse Comics. He has worked for animation projects such as Atlantis: The Lost Empire and the adaptation of his one shot comic book, The Amazing Screw-On Head.-Career:Mignola...
six years later.
Film
- In the 20032003 in filmThe year 2003 in film involved some significant events. Releases of sequels took place with movies like The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, 2 Fast 2 Furious, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions, Pokémon Heroes, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines,...
Hulk filmHulk (film)Hulk is a 2003 American superhero film based on the fictional Marvel Comics character of the same name. Ang Lee directed the film, which stars Eric Bana as Dr. Bruce Banner, as well as Jennifer Connelly, Sam Elliott, Josh Lucas, and Nick Nolte...
, Brian, renamed David Banner (a reference to the television series), appears as the main antagonist in the film and is portrayed by Nick NolteNick NolteNicholas King "Nick" Nolte is an American actor whose career has spanned over five decades, peaking in the 1990s when his commercial success made him one of the most popular celebrities of that decade.-Early life:...
, and Paul Kersey in the film's prologue and subsequent flashbacks. The character's antagonist name, as stated by Ang LeeAng LeeAng Lee is a Taiwanese film director. Lee has directed a diverse set of films such as Eat Drink Man Woman , Sense and Sensibility , Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon , Hulk , and Brokeback Mountain , for which he won an Academy...
, is simply called The Father. In the film, David is a genetics researcher who, in his quest to improve on humanity, experiments on himself; after his wife, Edith Banner gives birth to Bruce, David sees that Bruce is not normal, and feels that he is responsible. He realizes his experiments on himself have affected Bruce, who barely shows emotion and gaining patches of green skin when he is hurt or angered. While attempting to find a cure for Bruce's condition, David has his research shut down by General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" RossThunderbolt RossGeneral Thaddeus E. "Thunderbolt" Ross is a fictional character appearing in books published by Marvel Comics, usually as an adversary of the Hulk, sometimes as a supervillain. Ross is a United States military officer, the father of Betty Ross, ex-father in-law of Glenn Talbot and the father in-law...
; in his rage over the loss of his work and the hopelessness of Bruce's situation, David accidentally destroys his laboratory and tries to murder Bruce (believing that Bruce would mutate out of control). Instead, he accidentally kills Edith when she tries to stop him. Bruce is taken into foster care, with the memories of his mother's death blocked outRepressed memoryRepressed memory is a hypothetical concept used to describe a significant memory, usually of a traumatic nature, that has become unavailable for recall; also called motivated forgetting in which a subject blocks out painful or traumatic times in one's life...
, and David is confined to a mental institution. Years later, after being released from the institution and after Bruce becomes the Hulk, David, convinced the Hulk to be his "true son", tests the Hulk by sending three "hulk-dogs" to kill Betty Ross. While the Hulk defeats them, David attempts attempting to replicate the Hulk's powers, giving himself Absorbing ManAbsorbing ManThe Absorbing Man is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Journey into Mystery #114 The Absorbing Man (Carl "Crusher" Creel) is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first...
-like abilities. After both he and Bruce are captured by the military, David bites into an electrical wire (referencing to ZzzaxZzzaxZzzax is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in The Incredible Hulk #166 and was created by Steve Englehart and Herb Trimpe.-Fictional character biography:...
), and engages the Hulk in a fight that rages through the sky, on land and into a lake. David takes form of a being composed of stones, and then of lake water. When David attempts to absorb the Hulk's power, he is unable to contain the newly acquired power, causing him to swell into an energy bubble, which is destroyed by General Ross with a Gamma Charge Bomb. Bruce survives the explosion, but David is killed.