Recently in the stupendously sensational She Hulk by Slott, Banner testified that he had never killed anyone. Jen vouched for him, more or less, by saying that her cousin is a good man and that he would never knowingly kill anyone as the Hulk, because if he knew someone had died, well... he'd pretty much be his own next victim because the guilt would eat him up too much. Not a nice thought, but the kind of decent thing we'd expect from a character like Bruce Banner. Remorse, guilt, wanting to either redeem or destroy himself so it never happens again (if it ever were to happen). A good man made unfortunate monster, who shies away from people because he doesn't want to hurt anyone.

Well, no, turns out that was wrong. Hulk's a mass murderer. He's killed dozens if not hundreds of people, destroyed countless lives through property damage, and now there's a revenge squad out for his blood because he's a terrifying monster that needs to be stopped at all costs.

In the now current Marvel U, (more current than Slott, apparently) Hulk has killed civilians during his rampages - directly or indirectly, I do not know. But he has killed civilians.

That's why he was sent into space, that's why when he comes back the government is forming a task force called Gamma Corps to elliminate him, that's why World War Hulk is happening.

Now, the story idea sounds cool. Heck, the name sounds cool. World War Hulk causes a flood of potentially amazing, awesome, this-is-why-we-read-comics type moments to flash through my brain - but what does it mean for Bruce Banner?

Do I want to read about a Bruce Banner that, for all intents and purposes, does nothing to stop himself from becoming a murderer every time he gets flipped off? It's like a person who becomes a werewolf and intentionally stays out during a full moon. Or, in Marvel's "let's be real here" approach, it's like a person going out and getting drunk and then intentionally getting behind the wheel of a loaded school bus. Or a plane. A person literally playing Russian roulette with other's lives. Some hero.

So what do you all think - should Hulk be a killer or not?

People here talk about things that if you are thinking about too closely than you shouldn't be reading comics: one of which is arguably why the Hulk has never killed anyone when, for all intents in purposes, his rampages should have ultimately resulted in somebody's death.

Personally, I don't care that the continuity is contradicting itself (I read both Slott's Green Cross arc and Bendis' Illuminati), as I enjoyed both.

No, The Hulk should NOT be a killer.

What has been lost over the years by some writers is that the Marvel Universe Bruce Banner (unlike the sleazy Ultimate Banner) is a good, honest, and heroic man. He is meek in a physical sense, but strong morally. That is why he risked his life to save young Rick Jones.

The Hulk always (except for the times when Banner was somehow seperated from the monterous creature) had Banner as a part of him, keeping the Hulk in check on some level. The early, more brutish, thug-like Hulk still basically only wanted what the child-like later version of the Hulk wanted: To be left alone. He was never about terrorizing innocent people and destroying things for its own sake. He was destructive only when he was being hounded or challenged, as a rule.

It is later writers that made the Hulk kill, even accidentally, innocents (or even villains). Earlier writers always made sure that something kept Hulk from doing so.

So, no, I don't think Hulk kills intentionally.

Does the Hulk kill?  Simple answer for me; no.

Yeah - HULK might do that - but he becomes Bruce Banner again, don't you know? And wouldn't Banner do everything he could to either make amends, keep himself locked up, or something to prevent it from happening again?

Why does he just go on as if nothing matters? Hulk isn't able to control himself, Banner is - if we go the realistic route, then I'm sorry but Banner is an a-hole... and we know he can't be, because he became the Hulk by being prepared to sacrifice himself to save another.

That's what makes him a hero.

Hero.

Not Punisher, not Lobo, not Green Goblin, Bullseye or Venom.