Amadeus Banner (Earth-SD01)

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

- -Amadeus Banner

Doctor Amadeus Banner is a renowned scientist and prodigy in the fields of Biochemistry, Nuclear Physics, and Gamma Radiation. He is one of the scientists who tried to recreate the Super Soldier Serum which originated Captain America in World War II, but when an exposure to high levels of Gamma Radiation instead of Vita Radiation went awry, the mild-mannered scientist found himself plagued with a peculiar condition; when angered or provoked, he would transform into the rage-fueled and nearly mindless green-skinned monster known as the Hulk.

Fearful of the damage that Hulk could inflict, Banner chose to live a discreet life in remote parts of the world, working to cure the sick and help the poor while trying to elude those who would take advantage of his ability to change into the enormous green menace.

After the Avengers were formed, he became good friends with Vic Stark and was also given the freedom to live in the world without being hunted down.

After the HYDRA Uprising, the Avengers regrouped to battle the growing threat of HYDRA. To make it so that the Earth could be safe without constantly needing the Avengers to protect it, Banner assisted Stark in creating Ultron, an artificial intelligence. The AI quickly turned against them, trying to cause the extinction of humanity. Hulk helped in the fight against Ultron and decided to go off the grid after the team successfully defeated him.

Early Life
Amadeus met Susan Storm while in college, where they fell in love. At Harvard University, the couple participated in an experiment involving hallucinogens. They soon graduated and moved on to Willowdale, Virginia, working together at Culver University as instructors, where Amadeus specialized in Nuclear Physics, Biochemistry, and was a member of the Bio-science Department. During that time, he was involved in a praised work on anti-electron collisions and Gamma Radiation, becoming one of the foremost geniuses of his generation. Banner later met Erik Selvig, another one of the university's instructors.

Gamma Accident
In 2005, Banner and Susan were recruited by the United States Armed Forces to work on a top-secret research project under the guise of a research of radiation resistance, called the Bio-Tech Force Enhancement Project, a subprogram within Infantry Weapons Development. However, the project's true intention was to duplicate the results of Project Rebirth by making Super Soldiers using a combination of Bio-engineering and Gamma Radiation, replacing Abraham Erskine's original formula of Vita Radiation. The project was run under the watch of General Franklin Storm, the father of Banner's then girlfriend, Susan.

A few months later, Banner became so confident that, in order to prove his work's worth, he decided to test it upon himself, injecting a promising version of what was really a replication of the Super Soldier Serum, made along with military scientists using his radiation-resistance formula. However, wanting to impress Storm, Banner upped the dosage of the radiation. The combination of the serum and an above lethal amount of Gamma Radiation caused Amadeus to undergo a violent transformation. The effects of the procedure provoked Amadeus Banner to develop the alter ego, Hulk, transforming him into a giant, green-skinned, muscle-bound titan with incredible strength, but who posed very little intelligence and was driven by fits of extreme rage; however, his transformations were temporary, being sporadically triggered by the release of adrenaline when he became intensely excited or angry.

An enraged, nearly mindless Hulk caused an explosion on the campus and destroyed the lab, hospitalizing his lover Susan, killing two scientists and an army officer, and crushing General Storm's arm. In the wake of the accident, the military closed the entire lab building for a year and shut down the entire Bio-Tech Force Enhancement Project. Banner tried to visit Susan while she was in the hospital, but her father made him leave. Storm admitted to Banner that the project was being developed as a weapon, not just defense, also telling him that if he refused to let the Army use Hulk for military purposes, then his troops would come after him.

Three days after the accident, Storm met Banner in the destroyed lab, offering him to take him to another workplace in Maryland. Banner refused and blamed himself for all the people he hurt, including Susan Storm. Banner ran off, hiding in the janitor's room and using the clothes available for disguise, while prompting Storm to order his troops to chase after him, only to find that Banner was gone. Now a fugitive from the United States Army, Banner went on the run.

The Chase
Banner, while escaping from Franklin Storm's troops, hid inside a trailer, unbeknownst to the driver. When reaching the Canadian border, the driver was pulled over for a vehicle inspection. Upon opening the trailer, the border patrol officers found Banner and brought him in for questioning. Enraged, Banner transformed into Hulk and tore up the freeway, before making his way to Canada.

In 2006, Banner tried to contact Susan one last time, but the email was intercepted by the military and she never received it. During his run, Banner traveled through the Dakotas and towards Idaho, where an encounter with some State Troopers led to violence.

Some time later, the scientist was spotted via satellite recon photo in Canada and Hulk was sighted by locals along the United States/Canada border, who mistook him for a “green Sasquatch.”

Meeting Nick Fury
While Banner was on the run, he visited a bar, not knowing he was being followed by Nick Fury, who was trying to find him to learn what General Franklin Storm's "Super-Soldier Program" did to him. He tried to earn Banner's trust by buying him a beer but he refused, saying he was "sort of a mean drunk."

Fury continued to try to gain his trust, until he eventually tried to test his abilities by making two S.H.I.E.L.D. agents appear to be dating, with one cheating on the other with Banner, which made Banner confused about the situation. Agent Peterson started to fight Banner, but Fury tried to act like he was going to help him and the disguised spy punched the Director in the face.

This turned Banner into Hulk and he went on a rampage. Everyone else in the bar was surprised by his transformation. Fury tried to calm him down, but Hulk yelled at him causing nearly all of the glass in the room to shatter. Fury didn't move at all. Hulk then ran out through the wall.

Two days later, Fury called a meeting of several S.H.I.E.L.D. operatives, including Phil Coulson. He told them that Hulk was only a secondary threat.

Failed Suicide Attempt
Seeing no end to his run from Storm, Banner went up to the top of a mountain in the Arctic region of Greenland to shoot himself. He fired with his gun in his mouth but transformed into Hulk, who spat out the bullet. The enraged monster caused a quake followed by an avalanche and fell on the ice. Hulk then walked along the bottom of the ocean until he reached land.

This incident was detected by satellite, and this was the last sighting of Bruce Banner for at least five months, before being spotted in Rome, Italy, with information provided by Interpol.

Arriving in South America
Banner wandered the world avoiding population centers, eventually heading to South America, where he would look for vascular plants that could inhibit radiation and therefore, find the key to cure his condition. On the way, he visited a Tibetan monastery, where a rug dealer got Internet access and he learned about a cellular biologist using the pseudonym "Mr. Blue", that could help him in his search.

In South America, Banner discovered a lost boy named Miguel on his travels through the jungle. He offered to help the child and take him to a nearby village for directions soon before being attacked by the criminal leader Espinoza and his men, under the impression that he was a spy working for the government. After being beaten into telling the 'truth' and confessing, Banner transformed into Hulk and destroyed the terrorist hideout.

Glenn Talbot and his team later arrived at the village discovering a path of destruction left by Hulk, whose whereabouts were still unknown.

Brazil
Banner eventually settled in the Brazilian slums of the Rocinha favela, Rio de Janeiro, working as a handyman in a soft drink bottling factory that produced Pingo Doce while attempting to find a cure for his condition, with the help of his Internet friend, "Mr. Blue". He also studied martial arts and meditative breathing techniques with an Brazilian Jiu-jitsu expert to help control his emotions and heart rate, and because of this, had not suffered a transformation for 158 days.

Although avoiding the daily stress, he was constantly victimized by xenophobia of his coworkers, being supported by the friendship of his colleague and neighbor Martina, also by the company of his mutt, Ricky.

The search for a cure for his condition drove Banner to study a flower described in the book "Inventory of Rare and Endangered Tracheophyta of Amazônia," and he finally received it that day. Banner contacted "Mr. Blue," to inform him of the discovery. His friend advised him to try a high dose of the component extracted from the plant, and he was able to produce a serum using homemade laboratory equipment.

Banner tried the serum on a drop of blood, and while it seemed to be successful at first, it triggered a reaction that made the cells explode. Informing "Mr. Blue" of the failure, the scientist insisted on meeting Banner in person, as living with Gamma poisoning could be more dangerous than the eventual risks of their meeting, and convinced him to send a blood sample.

A few days later, Banner received news from "Mr. Blue," that preliminary blood tests showed significant gamma reduction, but that in order to develop an appropiate antidote for Banner he would need more data. Banner realized he should return to Culver University to retrieve it.

Ambush in Rio de Janeiro
After Banner was cut while working in the factory, his blood dripped into a soda bottle where it was eventually drunk by an ill-fated consumer in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. General Storm used this incident to discover Banner's location, and sent a team to capture him, led by Glenn Talbot.

General Storm and his unit located Banner's house and burst in to shoot him with tranquilizer ammo, but Banner fled through the window and momentarily hid with Martina at her house, in order to deceive the military. Talbot and the other soldiers pursued Banner through the streets and rooftops of Rocinha, while Banner tried to slow down his heart rate to prevent his transformation.

While fleeing, Banner came across General Storm, realizing he was the man behind the chase, and also a man who almost got into a fight with him when Banner prevented him from harassing Martina earlier at the factory. This man also pursued Banner with his friends to the bottling factory in order to beat him. Talbot located Banner in the factory and approached to witness the appearance of Hulk, as the transformation was triggered by the men beating him. Following a ferocious battle in the soft drink bottling plant, Hulk incapacitated the men and the soldiers except Talbot, who watches the green titan in astonishment. Banner escaped from the factory and fled into the jungle, awakening in Guatemala the morning after the incident.