Bruce Banner: The chief, reserved core identity. Bruce is highly intelligent but virtually devoid of emotion, although he does show affection for people, including a sexual interest in women; in fact, despite his "problem", Bruce is rather fortunate with women in the matters of the heart, see his romances here. He is the man within the beast, the human manifestation of the Hulk.

Bruce Banner suffers from Dissociative Identity Desorder (AKA multiple personality disorder or split personality). The Hulk's identities manifest the capacity for rage and violence that Banner, in his human form, has repressed all of his life. The extent of Banner's disorder has only recently been appreciated, and a number of identities or personalities have been discovered.

The "Savage" Hulk. Perhaps the most well-known personality, he has childlike levels of intelligence and curiosity, longs for friendship and love, and is prone to violent fits of rage. The Savage Hulk is usually unaware that he is actually Banner, whom he sees as a different person and an enemy. This personality is stronger than most.

Joe Fixit: Also known as the Gray Hulk, this identity lacks Banner's advanced intellect and scientific knowledge, but he is exceptionally clever and crafty, with selfish motives and desires, and similarly prone to violence. His height and original strength level are lower than those of the Savage Hulk. Note: The Hulk was originally gray, not green (TIH #1). Stan Lee, the Hulk's co-creator, intended to make the Hulk's skin gray, but since the printers of that time (1962) did a mediocre job with that color, he changed it to green.

The "Professor" Hulk. Or "merged Hulk." This identity possesses all of Banner's intellect and the savage Hulk's strength, with normal emotional capacity, though still quite prone to violence. Though he is taller and broader than the Savage Hulk, his strength does not increase with rage as much as the savage identity. First appearance: The Incredible Hulk #377

"Mindless" Hulk: This identity showed itself when Banner's influence has been completely removed. He has a bestial look and his intellect is that of a primitive human, but he is capable of showing complex emotions like love or friendship. First appearance: The Incredible Hulk #296

The "Devil" Hulk. Malevolent and destructive, this identity is kept submerged deep within Banner's psyche, but it's constantly struggling to escape and take over. He broke the psyche chains that restrained him (The Incredible Hulk Vol.2 #20), increasing the possibility of his manifesting physically. First appearance: The Incredible Hulk Vol.2 #12

By some accounts, there are dozens, if not hundreds, of different personalilty fragments within Banner/Hulk's psyche. The distinctions between these identities have differed significantly over time, with Banner himself having a variable capacity for emotion.


At times, the Banner identity has had changing levels of control over the Hulk. Similarly, Banner's memories of his actions as the Hulk - and vice versa - vary significantly. Even the alleged "merged Hulk" has seemingly proven to be yet one more splinter identity, a fragment of the whole renamed the "Professor".

His different identities produce outward effects on the Hulk's form, sometimes making him larger or smaller, gray or green, more human or more bestial in appearance, and even stronger or weaker. Among his more unusual transformations:

• Banner has taken on aspects of gray and green Hulks on opposite sides of his body;
• Banner's head has remained atop the savage Hulk's form;
• Banner has been trapped midway between human and Hulk forms, with changes appearing either diffusely or multifocally;
• and Banner's head has even poked out of the back of the savage Hulk's body.

Following a transfusion from Sandra Verdugo, Banner could manifest superhuman strength and durability without transforming into the Hulk.

Banner has even been physically separated from the Hulk's form on occasion, but neither form can long survive without the other.

In addition, Banner's identity disorder is a large reason why efforts to remove the Hulk's powers or to keep Banner's mind in dominance have met with failure.

Under certain circumstances, different aspects of Banner and the various Hulks' personalities can communicate on some sort of psychic plane.

Certain magical spells or scientific equipment - such as the Encephalo-Helmet - have allowed Banner's mind to dominate the Hulk's form for a time.