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Grey Hulk | Mr. Joe Fixit (Doctor Robert Bruce Banner) (Comic Book Character)

  • Grey Hulk | Mr. Joe Fixit aka Doctor Robert Bruce Banner

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In issue #324, while reemerging Bruce Banner and the Incredible Hulk who had been physically seperated, to save Banner's life, a interesting side affect occurred. The reappearance of the Gray Hulk who hadn't been seen since the first days of the Hulk's existence.

With the recreation of the Gray Hulk also came the new Hulk Rick Jones. Rick had managed to get thrown into the same tank that Banner and the Hulk were in during the reemergence process.

The gray Hulk had one interesting quality that the green Hulk did not. He was a arrogant smart alec to some extent, but he lacked the same amount of power as the green Hulk.

The gray Hulk would be involved in many memorable battles. The most interesting was the encounter with Wolverine. The Gray Hulk would do something the old Hulk couldn't comprehend. He would use his power for financial gain becoming Mr. Fixit , muscle for hire.


Publication History The Hulk debuted in The Incredible Hulk #1 (May 1962), by writer Stan Lee, penciller and co-plotter Jack Kirby, and inker Paul Reinman. In the first issue, the Hulk was gray rather than green. Writer and Marvel editor-in-chief Lee had wanted a color that did not suggest any particular ethnic group. Colorist Stan Goldberg, however, insisted to Lee that the coloring technology at the time could not present the color grey clearly or consistently, resulting in different shades of grey, and even green, in the issue. From issue #2 (July 1962) on, Goldberg colored the Hulk's skin green.[2] Green was used in retellings of the origin, even to the point of reprints of the original story being re-colored, for the next two decades. The Incredible Hulk vol. 2, #302 (Dec. 1984), reintroduced the grey Hulk in flashbacks set close to the origin story. This was reaffirmed in vol. 2, #318 (April 1986), which showed the Hulk was grey at the time of his creation. Since then, reprints of the first issue have displayed the original grey coloring.

Hulk and Banner physically separated under John Bryne's writing in the 1980's. Separated from the Hulk by Doc Samson, Banner was recruited by the U.S. government to create the Hulkbusters, a government team dedicated to catching Hulk. Banner and Ross married, but this change in the character was reversed by Al Milgrom, who reunited the two personas, and with issue #324, returned the Hulk to his grey coloration after a second visit to K'ai and his one time love, Jarella.

Shortly after returning to Earth, Hulk took on the identity of "Joe Fixit," a shadowy behind the scenes figure, working in Las Vegas on behalf of a crooked casino owner, Michael Berengetti. For months, Banner was repressed in Hulk�s mind, but slowly began to reappear. Hulk and Banner began to change back and forth again at dusk and dawn, as the character initially had, but this time, they worked together to advance both their goals, using written notes as communication. In The Incredible Hulk #333, the Leader describes the Grey Hulk persona as strongest during the night of the new moon and weakest during the full moon. Eventually, the green Hulk began to re-emerge.

Peter David became the writer of the series with issue #331 (May 1987), marking the start of a 12-year tenure. David's run altered Banner's pre-Hulk characterization and the nature of Banner and the Hulk's relationship. David returned to the Stern and Mantlo abuse storylines, expanding the damage caused, and depicting Banner as suffering dissociative identity disorder (DID). David's stories showed that Banner had serious mental problems long before he became the Hulk. David revamped his personality significantly, giving the grey Hulk the alias 'Joe Fixit', and setting him up as a morally ambiguous Vegas enforcer and tough guy. David worked with numerous artists over his run on the series, including Dale Keown, Gary Frank, Terry Dodson, Mike Deodato, Jr., George P�rez, and Adam Kubert..

In issue #377 (Jan 1991), David revamped the Hulk again, using a storyline involving hypnosis to have the splintered personalities of Banner and Hulk synthesize into a new Hulk who has the vast power of the Savage Hulk, the cunning of the gray Hulk, and the intelligence of Bruce Banner.

Following David's departure, Joe Casey took over as writer though the series' relaunch after issue #474 (March 1999). Hulk vol. 2 began immediately the following month, scripted by John Byrne and penciled by Ron Garney. Byrne departed before the first year was over, citing creative differences. Erik Larsen and Jerry Ordway briefly filled scripting duties in his place, and the title returned to The Incredible Hulk vol. 3 with the arrival of Paul Jenkins in issue #12 (March 2000).

Jenkins wrote a story arc in which Banner and the three Hulks (Savage Hulk, Grey Hulk, and the Merged Hulk, now considered a separate personality and referred to as the Professor) are able to mentally interact with one another, each personality taking over their shared body. During this, the four personalities (including Banner) confront yet another submerged Hulk, a sadistic Hulk intent on attacking the world for revenge. Jenkins also created John Ryker in issue #14 (May 2000), a ruthless military general in charge of the original gamma bomb test responsible for the Hulk's creation, and who plans to create similar creatures. Ryker's actions briefly result in Banner becoming the sadistic Hulk, but the four other personae beat it back.
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