While fans might know Hulk as a big green wrecking machine, originally the character was supposed to be gray. But when the printer at Marvel Comics struggled to consistently print the same shade of gray, creators Stan Lee and Jack Kirby decided to change the Hulk’s skin color to green. Now that you know this super interesting fact, let’s move onto the question at hand – how did Hulk get his powers?
How Hulk got his powers
The Hulk’s origin story varies depending on whether you’re talking about the comics or on-screen version of the character. Luckily we’re going to discuss both.
In Marvel Comics
While working at a federal nuclear research facility at a missile base in the New Mexico desert, Bruce Banner was tasked with building a bomb that used gamma radiation. One day, during a test detonation, a man named Rick Jones, who worked with Bruce, wandered onto the test site within radius of the blast zone. Banner saw this and sprinted to try and remove his friend from the field. Unfortunately for the duo, the base had an undercover operative working against them who was supposed to stop the detonation but never did.
After the explosion went off, Bruce had been exposed to the incredibly high levels of gamma radiation but he was somehow still alive.
Later that same evening, Bruce Banner transformed into a freakishly large monster and was nicknamed ‘Hulk’ by one of the soldiers at the base.
In Marvel Cinematic Universe
Bruce Banner’s origin story in the MCU is different to that in the comics. This version of Bruce worked in a Virginia University lab researching the effects of gamma radiation on humans. Without him knowing, his work was being used by General Thaddeus Ross to create a super-soldier serum to create soldiers for the military. Bruce on the other hand, thought his work was being used to prevent radiation poisoning in people.
When Bruce decided to test his new gamma infused formula he transformed into the big green wrecking machine known as The Hulk. This is how Bruce Banner hot his Hulking powers in the MCU.
Conclusion
So how did Hulk get his powers? In the comics he got them from a high concentration gamma radiation blast. In the MCU he got them from injecting himself with gamma-infused super soldier serum (without knowing that’s what it was).
