How did Bruce Banner become the Hulk at will?

Question

In the Avengers movie,

Bruce Banner came to Manhattan on a motorbike after the portal had been opened. Moments later, Iron Man arrived followed by a big alien ship. Bruce Banner started to move towards that coming ship.

I thought Dr. Banner would become the Hulk during his collision, but he became the Hulk just before the collision when he was not angry (or, similar emotion). How?

Answer 1

The basic premise of Hulk is that when Bruce Banner becomes angry, harmed, or life is in danger, he turns into the Hulk. At the end of the Incredible Hulk (2008), it is shown that Bruce can willfully turn into the Hulk.

The scene below we see Dr. Banner meditating, at peace.

Soon after, his eyes turn green. He's starting to turn into the Hulk. This shows that he doesn't have to be physically harmed to turn, he can control it.

In the Avengers movie, during the scene mentioned, Captain America says:

"Doc... I think now is the perfect time for you to get angry."

Bruce Banner responds:

"That's my secret Cap, I'm always angry."

I don't believe it was meant literally. It's more of a jest or catchphrase before doing something incredible. But the meaning behind it is that he can turn at will, which from the previous 2008 Hulk movie, he trained himself to do.

Answer 2

"That is my secret captain, I'm always angry"

That is what he said in the movie.

Answer 3

No offense but I disagree with Sunpech's analysis that Banner was joking when he said "I am always angry." In the realm of psychology there are symptoms in perfectly ordinary people of increased adrenalin, i.e. adrenalin barely above normal range. The effect of this can very easily lead to a kind of "contained rage syndrome" where the individual tends to feel oddly "angry" and irritable without any necessary outside stimulus to make them feel this way. We are talking a truly microscopic amount of increased adrenalin as the substance is in fact insanely potent and powerful, which is why the human body has so many mechanisms for CLEARING adrenalin from the blood stream as fast as possible when it is even the tiniest bit above normal. One sees similar symptoms in cases of a very slight-but-constant increase in testosterone (the famous "roid rage") and also in very down to earth cases of too much exposure to a constant high-stress environment (commonly leading to hypertension and high blood pressure).

Consider that Banner's chemical change is that his body goes from just-above-normal to insanely off-the-chart huge amounts of adrenalin in milliseconds (as adrenalin works that fast, and any stressful environment can cause release, e.g. getting bonked on the head when the heli-carrier propeller exploded in AVENGERS). Once the adrenal release begins, the trouble is stopping it, so consider that Banner's physiology got messed up and the normal pathways to clear the adrenalin do not function properly for hours at a time, leaving him full of this catalyst for the big green change.

Cross-referencing this with a typical study of Anger Management (which includes meditation at times) and you get a picture of someone very much like us who constantly has just the tiniest drop too much adrenalin coursing through their blood At All Times. The feeling of "Being Angry" would be a perpetual battle for their rational mind to abate and transform by way of self-control to a calmer, less angry state via standard Anger Management techniques which numerous Hulk references say Banner requires to stay Banner. Thus he is always on the edge, and all he has to do is take the smallest millisecond to STOP trying to control that anger and WHAM - Hulk.

ADD to this Banner's comment that "it's like being a giant exposed nerve" and you get the sense that - also an occurrence of adrenal release and sympathetic nervous system arousal in perfectly ordinary humans - he is in a state of hyper-sensitivity, which in his human form means he has to work hard to concentrate. People who have this condition also often develop varying degrees of OCD, which can very well manifest into pouring oneself into a mind-absorbing world like Science, especially if one is already a scientific genius. Thus Banner's obsession with Science is one of the ways he cope's, handles all the input coming in through his hyper-aroused senses, and stays calm.
Really all he has to do is stop all this work at staying calm for one split second and the Hulk chemistry takes over. Thus his comment, "I am always angry" (subtext - "but I spend all my energy keeping that anger contained.")

Answer 4

When Mark Ruffalo uttered the phrase

That's my secret Cap, I'm always angry

in the Avengers movie, it was as revolutionary a synthesis for the character as was his initial subjection to gamma radiation.

The idea fundamentally changed how we view the Hulk. Since his inception, we have always assumed that the Hulk was the creation and Banner its creator. Equally implied is that the term of alter ego was attached, singularly, to the Hulk. This single uttered line turns that notion on its head. It is Banner that is, in fact, the alter ego. Banner is not controlling the Hulk so much as the Hulk is trying to have himself controlled by Banner. In other words Banner (post gamma incident) is now essentially the Hulk. Banner is a skin he dons to protect his psyche (as his body, obviously, needs no protecting) from society, or if you prefer, protect society from himself.

This notion seemed all but ratified when Ruffalo, earlier on in the movie, informed the others of his attempt at suicide which resulted in "the other guy" simply spitting the bullet out. It is not that Banner has that amount of control over the Hulk, so much as, the Hulk simply reverted to his natural form to protect himself from a bullet to the brain.

Answer 5

Consider what Bruce Banner does when he's not Hulking. He is out helping the weak and vulnerable, those abandoned by others who could be helping. He lives among them and puts his brilliance to work for them.

He is angry for many reasons. Truly angry. All of the time. But not just about the condition that fate gave him. He's angry about the condition of the weak and vulnerable caused by greed, corruption and mindlessness.

All of the time.

Answer 6

Well actually, the way the transformation into the Hulk is described is first required in order to understand how this is willfully done.

The process by which Banner usually transforms into the Hulk is presumably the result of the chemical catalyst, adrenaline (a.k.a. epinephrine). As in normal human beings, Banner's adrenal medulla secretes large amounts of adrenaline in time of fear, rage, or stress, which hormonally stimulates the heart rate, increases blood-sugar levels, and inhibits sensations of fatigue. Whereas the secretion heightens normal physical abilities in normal human beings, in Banner's case it triggers the complex chemical-extra-physical process that transforms him into the Hulk. The total time of transformation falls anywhere between seconds to five minutes, depending on the initial adrenaline surge, which will be determined by the original stimulus. Soon after the transformation, the amount of adrenalin in the Hulk will return to more normal, reduced levels. However, there have been instances in which Banner became the Hulk without any discernible increase in heart rate or adrenal levels, suggesting that the true trigger mechanism into the Hulk is far more psychological than physical"

-Marvel Wiki

In the 2008 Incredible Hulk movie, Banner is learning to control his breathing. Breathing and heart rate are connected. Your heart and lungs work in tandem. Presumably, if this effect is physical, he simply controls his breathing to increase his heart rate and quickly boost his adrenaline in order to transform.

If this is psychological, you have to look at the fact that the Hulk is an entity. The Hulk is a part of Banner's psyche which, according to the canon comic universe, is shattered due to a form of Dissociative Identity Disorder. Each part of Hulk is one of these identities. For example, the Savage Hulk, or the Hulk most people are familiar with represents Banner's anger. Banner himself is the emotionally repressed core state. Another example completely from the comics is "The Beast" which represented Banner's guilt, the mindless Hulk which was what Banner would fear the Hulk would become etc. etc.

So, presumably in his time meditating on the Hulk, he either became aware of the fact that Savage Hulk is an entity, and came to an agreement with him, thus being technically "always angry", or realized he can channel the Hulk's desire to simply be "left alone".

Answer 7

He didn't learn to control the hulk. With meditation he learned to suppress his anger in the Edward Norton Hulk film, taught to him by his instructor. In avengers he showed what he learn from that instructor that through meditation and practice he can control his anger through any situation. Then he choose to let it out at will. Kinda like holding feelings inside then lashing out when you choose.

Answer 8

Throughout the film he has tiny little outbursts of anger. He has learned to live angry. It's like alcohol tolerance. The more you drink on a regular basis the higher your tolerance goes up. So having 5 beers a night for a few months will eventually result in that five beers having no effect on you. So then you go to 7 beers, continuously climbing. My thinking is that he truly is always angry, but never to a point that'd be dangerous. He keeps himself angry near his breaking point so he can use that built up rage whenever he needs it to change. That being the case, being near boiling point at all times also made it easier to control the Hulk while transformed. Punching Thor shows that he doesn't have 100% control though, but close enough.

Answer 9

The Hulk can change at will. If you go back the the 2008 version with Ed Norton, he started out only changing when angry or threatened. Once the scientist(Mr. Blue) who was transformed in the villain know as The Leader tried to cure Banner with his gamma treatment, it altered Banner's genetics to where he could control his transformation at will. He still changes automatically as a means of preservation which is why Banner stated in the Hulk 2012 that when he tried to shoot himself in the mouth his alter ego the Hulk spit out the bullet. Sunpech is 100% correct! Banner can change at will, however his alter ego the Hulk will automatically come out if either are threatened. This is in line with the comic book with the exception that in the comic book, his exposure to the radiation that gives him this control comes from radioactive meteor storm when he was returning to earth after being sent into space as the Grey Hulk.

Answer 10

Ok. it took me a while but I got this (i haven't been thinking about it since April. I lived my life and stuff...)

We think Banner is himself 90% of the time and turns into Hulk when he's angry (hurts himself changing a tyre, stuck in traffic). He's not. He's angry 100% of the time (at his situation, even suicidal per the film). Why isn't he Hulk 100% of the time? He's suppressing it. Yoga etc per end of the Ed Norton film.

He can turn into the Hulk at will, because he stops trying to suppress it. He's always angry.

Answer 11

He learned to control his anger. Remember he says "That's my secret - I'm always angry".

Answer 12

you are all missing the point behind his words...""THATS MY SECRET"". He might have learned to control his anger. He might not. Its irrelevant to simple fact he does not disclose the true purpose of his ability. Don't overlook the simplicity of hos awesome nature. It is a condition he learned to live with the same way that any of us learns to live with things that we don't like. Just accept his awesome power and do not think to understand that he is God like. You do not question God and his intentions or power. Hulk is true power that is unstoppable, still suppressable, but amazing. Settle for that.

Answer 13

To put it in simpler terms for normal humans to understand; Imagine yourself taking a laxative and then trying as hard as you can to contain the inevitable. Remaining Banner requires all of his energy and focus. Turning into The Hulk is a release!