Sep 9th, 2009

Why ‘The Hulk’ is a Broken Character, and How I’d Fix It

I think the idea of the Hulk should terrify us. Banner is an interesting and compelling character exactly because the consequences of his anger are so enormous. As long as the enemy is his anger, the premise has meaning, but as soon as the villain is another, and all that anger is responsibly and predictably channeled, the premise changes entirely. Rage is replaced by strength, and we’re left with He-Man–a nice guy who needs a slap to get his fight on, and a kiss to turn him back. It’s suddenly about Superman’s glasses instead of a compelling and dangerous internal struggle. Here's how I would retell this myth.