Warning! This article contains spoilers for Immortal Hulk #48
While multiple versions of the Hulk exist inside the psyche of Bruce Banner, one of the strangest versions just revealed his true colors, admitting he’s not as innocent as fans pretend. The Hulk is famous for disappearing after a fight, usually claiming it is for his own safety and for the protection of others. Years of being hunted by the U.S. military gives stake to this claim, though the Hulk just admitted there may be a deeper, more selfish reason as to why he's always on the run.
In The Immortal Hulk #48 by Al Ewing, Bennett, Ruy Jose, and Belardino Brabo, the Hulk and Betty Ross are recovering from a night out fighting the Avengers. That battle came after Joe Fixit and Savage Hulk came back to life by fighting off the Leader’s hellspawn. While in their hotel room, Fixit admits to Betty that he knew Bruce was in the Below-Place, but when the time came to escape he didn’t save him. Betty becomes furious with Fixit saying that he and the rest of the Hulks always run away when things get tough, a tough criticism that Joe can't disagree with.
Fixit opens up about the abuse Bruce Banner suffered as a child at the hands of his father resulting in the fractured personality that created him and the rest of the Hulks before the gamma radiation gave them true life. The origin of Fixit’s existence came from a Black and White movie Bruce would watch after his father finished beating him, a movie from which he learned how to be a man. Of course, the lessons derived from that movie didn’t create a man with healthy emotional control, rather one who bottles his emotions deep within himself to appear tough. This coping mechanism was successful in creating a Hulk who is tolerant of a great deal of pain, but also one who is constantly expecting pain, reacting to situations with either fight or flight.
Betty listens to the Hulk and empathizes with him, but also tells him that his past is no excuse for his own actions in the present. Betty tells Hulk how she is hurt when he leaves her, sometimes for extremely long stretches of time. The Hulk recognizes and admits that while his actions may have felt justified due to his upbringing, the continuation of them is unacceptable if he hopes to maintain strong relationships with Betty and anyone else he is close to.
At his core, the Hulk is just a scared little kid who is afraid of getting hurt, but at this point in his life that ignorant innocence is just continued selfish behavior. Fans have seen time and again in comics, films, and television series the Hulk fighting a battle then running away. People always chalked it up to the Hulk being the Hulk, but now the strongest Avenger has officially owned up to his actions and how they impact those he loves and says he is ready to actively change his ways. After admitting he’s not as innocent as fans pretend, the Hulk tells Betty that he wants to be with her, and will never leave her again.
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