Guilt Hulk is a

supervillain A supervillain, supervillainess or supercriminal is a major antagonist and variant of the villainous stock character who possesses Superpower (ability), superpowers. The character type is sometimes found in comic books and is often the primary ...

appearing in

American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical literature originating in the United States, commonly between 24 and 64 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publ ...

s published by

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...

. The character is usually depicted as an antagonist to the

Hulk The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of ''The Incredible Hulk (comic book), The Incredible Hulk ...

. Created by writer Peter David and artist Dale Keown, the character first appeared in '' The Incredible Hulk'' vol. 2, #377 (January 1991) as a malevolent representation of Bruce Banner's abusive father Brian Banner that manifests itself in Banner's childhood memories.

Fictional character history

A malevolent alternate personality of Bruce Banner, the Guilt Hulk embodies all of Bruce's guilt, shame, and regrets. Existing within Bruce's mind, the entity seeks to manifest and run amok in the real world. In the 1991 storyline in which the Guilt Hulk first appears,

Doc Samson Doc Samson (Leonard Skivorski Jr.) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is usually depicted as a superhero and psychiatrist in the Marvel Universe, known as a supporting character in ...

employs the Ringmaster's expertise with hypnosis in an attempt to unify Banner's fractured mental state. This allows Banner to experience aspects of his own mind, including childhood memories, from both an objective and participatory viewpoint. During these hypnosis sessions, Banner interacts with his warring split personalities, the Savage Hulk and Joe Fixit. The Guilt Hulk interferes with the treatment, tormenting Bruce and the Hulks by replacing Bruce's abusive father

Brian Brian (sometimes spelled Bryan (given name), Bryan in English) is a male given name of Irish language, Irish and Breton language, Breton origin, as well as a surname of Occitan language, Occitan origin. It is common in the English-speaking world. ...

in traumatic memories. By confronting the source of his mental illness, Banner is able to banish the Guilt Hulk, and cause the emergence of the Professor, a more stable personality initially assumed to be a fusion of Banner, the Savage Hulk, and Fixit. The Guilt Hulk, possessing a slightly altered appearance, returns years later as Banner is dying of ALS. Empowered by the guilt felt by the dying Bruce for the death of Betty Ross, Guilt Hulk tries to overtake Banner's mind, a process made easier for it due to the other Hulks being suppressed by Banner. Using a machine created by

neuroscientist A neuroscientist (or neurobiologist) is a scientist specializing in neuroscience that deals with the anatomy and function of neurons, Biological neural network, neural circuits, and glia, and their Behavior, behavioral, biological, and psycholo ...

Angela Lipscombe, Banner enters his own subconscious and frees Fixit and the Professor, though the two are outmatched by the Guilt Hulk until Banner seeks the aid of the Savage Hulk. Together, the three manage to overpower the Guilt Hulk. When Brian Banner is released from Hell during the 2010-2011 " Chaos War" storyline, he becomes a fusion of the Guilt Hulk and the Devil Hulk.

Powers and abilities

While the Guilt Hulk has not manifested in the real world, in Banner's mind it was enormous in size, possessed claws and fangs, and was capable of fending off two other Hulks. In its debut, the Guilt Hulk was covered in spikes, could breathe fire, and torture Banner and the other personalities through Banner's memories.

Other versions

In an issue of '' What If?'', Banner's initial confrontation with the Guilt Hulk ends with him "killing" the entity himself which leads to him gradually transforming into Maestro.

References

{{Hulk Hulk (comics) Marvel Comics mutates Characters created by Peter David Comics characters introduced in 1991 Fictional characters with fire or heat abilities Marvel Comics characters with superhuman strength