BRIAN BANNER
Real Name: Brian Banner
Identity/Class: Normal human
Occupation: Former scientist, later none
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: None (see comments)
Enemies: Bruce Banner, Rebecca Banner
Known Relatives: Bruce Banner (son), Rebecca Banner (wife), Bruce Banner (father, presumably deceased), unidentified mother (presumably deceased), Elaine Ann Banner-Walters (sister), Morris Walters (brother-in-law), Jennifer Walters (niece, aka. She-Hulk), Susan (mother-in-law, presumably deceased)
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Formerly Los Alamos, formerly an unnamed suburb, formerly a mental institution
First Appearance: Incredible Hulk II#312 (October, 1985)
Powers/Abilities: None, but was cruel enough to abuse his son so much that he got multiple personality disorder.
History: (Ultimate Hulk Novel (fb)) - When he was just a small child, Brian's father abused Brian and his mother both mentally and physically. Brian thought of his dad as a monster, and was afraid that he had inherited a "monster-gene" and was convinced not to have kids and bring another monster into the world. In college, Brian met Rebecca, and married her. He graduated with a PhD in physics at a young age. After college, he went to Los Alamos and worked for the government trying to find a clean way to produce nuclear radiation. Unfortunately, Brian snapped under pressure from his job and started drinking, and the drinking led him to be abusive toward other people. One night while drunk, Brian accidentally overloaded some machinery and was fired. Afterward, he was examined by doctors who determined he had no ill effects from the overload. Brian however, was convinced his DNA had been changed and was even more against having children.
(Bts) At some point, despite his fervent wishes to not have a child, Brian and Rebecca conceived a child.
(Incredible Hulk II#312 (fb)) - Brian was with his wife as
she gave birth. He didn't even want the kid and had the doctor informed that his
wife took priority and the baby was second. Brian thought to himself that
perhaps the research affected him genetically even further and he had created
another monster. Brian always found reasons to get away from his young son,
Bruce, and never spend time with him. On Christmas morning one year, Brian
caught Bruce putting together a toy far too complex for a young child to
construct and started yelling that Bruce was a monster. When Rebecca tried to
get him to yield, he hit both her and Bruce. 
(Incredible Hulk II#377 (fb)) - Rebecca tried to leave Brian. She took Bruce and tried to sneak away, but Brian caught them. Upon learning what they were doing, he smashed Rebecca's head into the pavement, killing her.
(Incredible Hulk II#403 (fb)) - Brian threatened Bruce not to testify to the judge that Brian had killed his own wife. He told Bruce if he spoke against his father in court, he would go to hell.
(Bts) - Brian went to the mental hospital.
(Incredible Hulk II#312, Incredible Hulk II minus 1 (fb)) - Brian was deemed fit for society and released from the mental hospital after 15 years. Brian stayed with Bruce for a little while even though Bruce didn't think that Brian was better. After Bruce recommended that Brian get more therapy, Brian yelled at Bruce some more. Bruce left and went to his mother's grave on the anniversary of her death. Brian followed and started calling Bruce a monster, evil, and other things. Then the two started having a physical altercation, and in self defense, Bruce pushed his father back. Brian stumbled, fell, and broke his neck on Rebecca's gravestone (hope the irony isn't lost on anyone). Bruce however, went away with a false memory that the fight had never occurred and Brian had simply left.
(Incredible Hulk II#456) - After Hulk agreed to become a horsemen for Apoclypse, he underwent a process to transform him. During the process, Hulk saw Brian's ghost (see comments). Brian asked Bruce if he thought turning into a horsemen for Apoclypse would help Bruce get away from him. Brian told Bruce that no matter what, he would never be rid of him.
(Incredible Hulk II#457) - After Hulk, as War, injured Rick Jones, Brian's ghost appeared again and said that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
(Incredible Hulk II#458) - As the Hulk was saving a damaged plane, Brian's ghost appeared yet again and a Hulk if he was trying to make up for past sins or some type of penance. Hulk just told him to shut up.
(Incredible Hulk II#460) - After Bruce merged with the Hulk, he had a hallucination in which he was dead. In the hallucination he found Brian eating a meal, and Brian simply told Bruce he was dead and that he was haunting him before to get an early start. Brian said that he had won. Bruce ran, but Brian chased him, saying that he would pay back Bruce for what he did to him, calling him a monster etc. Bruce told his father that he always hated and feared him, but no longer. Bruce tossed Brian and the car he was in, and then proceeded to choke him, before tossing him aside once again, and finishing the merger.
(Incredible Hulk III#32) - To help cure Bruce Banner of ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease), Reed Richards had Brian Banner's corpse dug up and extracted DNA from it which was instrumental in Reed's cure. Afterward Bruce visited his father's grave and though he hated his father his whole life, he didn't know what to feel.
Comments: Created by Bill Mantlo and Mike Mignola.
Needless to say, this character is essential to everything that is the Hulk in any incarnation.
In Incredible Hulk II#404, Hulk was being mentally controlled by the Red Skull and saw Juggernaut as his own father. He realized it wasn't his father when Juggernaut complemented Hulk, which his own father would never do.
His appearances in Incredible Hulk II#456-458 and 460 were only hallucinations/delusions, and Brian did not actually appear, but rather Bruce just saw Brian in his mind. Therefore I am not listing him as affiliated with anybody he was affiliated with in the delusions such as the Maestro and Leader, who were also tormenting Bruce since he never even actually met them.
In Incredible Hulk III#27, Bruce Banner had a hallucination of his perfect world. In it, he was married to Betty and had kids, and was friends with his father and General Ross.
I think it is really stupid that Bruce even considered forgiving his father for his role in Bruce's cure of ALS. Had Brian been alive, he would never have helped Bruce willingly. For those unfamiliar with ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease, it is the disease Steven Hawking has. I don't know anything more about it, but if you're curious, go to www.diseases.nu/gehrig_disease.htm.
Of all crimes, I think the most terrible are those against a child, and there are really people just like Brian out there who do these horrible things and abuse their wife and/or children. In fact, the problem is not as uncommon as you probably think. For more information of domestic violence and what you can do if you are such a situation, visit any of the following sites:
www.domesticviolence.org/
(Domestic Violence Handbook)
www.ncadv.org (National
Coalition against Domestic Violence)
www.ndvh.org/ (National
Domestic Violence hotline website)
Thanks to The Incredible Hulk: Engine of Destruction for the picture and some valuable info.
CLARIFICATIONS: Brian is the father of:
He is the husband of:
He is the father-in-law of:
But has no connection to:
Appearances:
Incredible Hulk II#312 (October, 1985) - Bill Mantlo (writer), Mike Mignola (pencils), Gerry Talaoc (inks), Carl Potts (editor)
Incredible Hulk II#377 (January, 1991) - Peter David (writer), Dale Keown (pencils), Bob McLeod (inks), Bobbie Chase (editor)
Incredible Hulk II#403 (March, 1993) - Peter David (writer), Gary Frank (pencils), Cam Smith (inks), Bobbie Chase (editor)
Incredible Hulk II#-1 (July, 1997) - Peter David (writer), Adam Kubert (pencils), Mark Farmer (inks), Bobbie Chase (editor)
Incredible Hulk II#457 (October, 1997) - Peter David (writer), David Brewer (pencils), Cam Smith & Andrew Pepoy (inks), Bobbie Chase (editor)
Incredible Hulk II#458 (November, 1997) - Peter David (writer), Adam Kubert (pencils), Mark Farmer (inks), Bobbie Chase (editor)
Incredible Hulk II#460 (January, 1998) - Peter David (writer), Adam Kubert (pencils), Mark Farmer (inks), Bobbie Chase (editor)
Ultimate Hulk Novel (October, 1998)
Incredible Hulk III#32 (November, 2001) - Paul Jenkins & Sean McKeever (writers), Joe Bennett (pencils), Tom Palmer (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Last updated: 03/13/11
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Non-Marvel Copyright info
All other characters mentioned or pictured are ™ and
© 1941-2099 Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved. If you
like this stuff, you should check out the real thing!
Please visit The Marvel Official Site at: http://www.marvel.com