Dr. Robert Bruce Banner was a military scientist working on a new weapon called a “gamma bomb”. During the first testing of the gamma bomb, Bruce watched with horror as a teenage boy strolled casually into the fenced test area. Instructing his assistant to cease the countdown, he rushes out to save the teenager. Unknown to him, his assistant is a Russian spy, who, having failed to obtain the secret of the gamma bomb, had received orders to kill the inventor of the gamma bomb. Reaching the teenager in time, Bruce pushes him into a military trench and needed one more second to save himself, a second that was denied him.
Catching the full blast of the gamma explosion, Bruce is wracked with intense pain and he blacks out. Hours later, he wakes up in a hospital bed. Agitated on finding his life’s work sabotaged and his life threatened, he gets worked up and loses his temper and in the process, transforms into the gamma powered being known as the Incredible Hulk. Originally grey and not much larger than a very large person, the Hulk soon mutated into a larger and emerald skinned form.
Bruce Banner has the most unique form of multiple personality disorder, in the sense that his multiple personalities manifest physically as well. The two most dominant personalities, apart from that of Bruce Banner’s, are the Grey Hulk and the Savage Hulk personalities.
The Savage Hulk was the largest and strongest of the Hulk persona and like all the Hulk variations, had immense strength that increased as he got angrier (”The madder Hulk is, the stronger he gets”). The Savage Hulk had the personality of a small child and just wished to be left alone. This personality represented Bruce’s inner child, a product of childhood abuse and emotional scarring caused by his mother’s abuse at his father’s hands. Not very articulate, the Savage Hulk’s frequent quote is “Hulk Smash!!!”.
The grey hulk was smaller than the savage hulk and considerably more intelligent and cunning. Adopting the name Joe Fixit, he worked for some time as an enforcer in Mardipoor, where he had a few run-ins with Logan (aka Wolverine). This persona represented the teenager in Bruce Banner.
Doc Samson, attempting to cure Banner of his disorder, tries hypnotic suggestion, which unleashes yet another persona, which calls itself the Professor. The Professor has the body of the Savage Hulk, with the face and mind of Bruce Banner. However, despite his thinking so, Professor is not Bruce Banner but just another persona of his multiple personality disorder.
Bruce Banner’s life is a sad one, always on the run, avoiding the police and the armed forces, forever hunted for the destruction he causes as the Hulk. The Savage Hulk persona (which is the dominant one of the Hulks) has also saved the Earth on many occassions and is also a founding member of the Avengers. However, his temper caused him to part ways (violently) with his former teammates. Seeking to escape his tormentors, he travels around the globe, wanting only to be left alone.