The Culpability Problem

"You won't like me when I'm angry," says the nerdy looking man in the lab coat. This statement is readily acceptable by the reader, after all there are not many situations where you like a person more when they are giving into their anger, it makes sense that this man is no different. He is. When Dr. Bruce Banner becomes angry, he undergoes a fantastic transformation: from man into a monster.

The Hulk, often accompanied by the adjective 'Incredible' is probably familiar to most of you (he has been the subject of two movie, one forgettable and one pretty good, in the last several years) but for those of you who are lost, the basic premise is this: Dr. Bruce Banner for one reason or another (originally absorbing massive amounts of gamma radiation in a bombing and most recently as a result of experimentation on himself in an attempt to create a super-soldier) has had his very cells mutated by science and because of that when he loses control of himself (often as a result of his rage) he becomes the massive Hulk, capable of impressive feats of strength. However, when Banner becomes the Hulk he is no longer in the driver's seat; the Hulk is driven by his rage, destroying anything in his path, and only reverting to the mild-mannered doctor when his rage subsides.

This modern-day Jekyll and Hyde story contains several problems almost as big as the monstrous Hulk himself. While superheroes are often responsible for great deals of destruction in their pursuit of justice and saving lives, the Hulk is in a league of his own in this regard. Banner's alter-ego is capable of taking down entire buildings with a blow or crushing a tank in his bare hands. In spite of the overwhelming destruction that the Hulk is responsible for, he is usually painted as the hero because of the lives he saves. It seems to be another one of those 'greater good' cases, but one that is more easily justifiable as it is an instance of human life over property. Unfortunately, in the recent incarnation of the Hulk presented in the first volume of Ultimates, (this decade's re-telling of the classic Avengers teams)the story is very different. The Ultimates, a team of superheroes assembled by the United States government has become something of a joke; the public is crying out for the team to be dissolved after the government invests billions of dollars in them in the name of national defense despite the fact that there is no threat the country seems to need superhuman protection from. So, Bruce Banner, a scientist working as part of the team, injects himself with the serum that will turn him into the Hulk so that he can become a threat worthy of the Ultimates and therefore justify their existence. As the Hulk he kills hundreds of people.

Banner is eventually stopped by the combined might of the Ultimates, and the super-team becomes instant celebrities in the eye of the public. However, it is later revealed to the masses that the Hulk was Dr. Banner. There is a massive outcry for justice and the Hulk/Banner is put on trial.

The court scene above reminds me of many of the court proceedings that go on in our country on a regular basis. It seems that too often the pursuit of justice is too often deflected by people seeking to find loopholes in the system. The lawyer above asks if Banner is culpable for his actions because of the state he is in. Is this scenario really much different from all the instances where criminals escape a sentence by being ruled insane? Is someone responsible for their actions if they are under the influence of alcohol or other drugs? People see this as a gray issue (oddly enough, gray is the color that the Hulk takes on in many instances, though he is most often shown to be green) because of all the various minutia that comes up as supposedly significant facts. Perhaps the traditional version of the Hulk, one where his initial mutation comes as a result of saving a young man's life and where he truly has no control over himself, can be taken off the hook. However, I believe the Hulk seen in Ultimates is a commentary on what has become an issue in the justice system. Banner is eventually found guilty (obviously having committed the atrocious acts he is being tried for), but also found to be culpable (worthy of blame, something the court system sometimes seems to ignore), and as such is sentenced to execution. He is rendered unconscious, placed on an empty aircraft carrier in the middle of the ocean, and seemingly killed by bombing.


This implies a belief by the writers that there should be no loopholes, guilty is guilty regardless. One must answer for crimes committed. Banner made the conscious choice to inject himself with the serum that would turn him into a mindless monster, as such he is responsible for how he acted in that condition. One might not have control of oneself under the influence of drugs, but there is always a point of control where the individual is faced with a choice. If the make the wrong choice, they are responsible for what happens. Of course if a person is really insane (as I'm sure the case is in many insanity pleas) there is a difference, but this 'temporary insanity' garbage is exactly that: garbage. Justice should not be polluted by loopholes.

The silver lining is forgiveness. It should not be escape from justice.

'Nuff Said? (I feel as though I may have been more harsh that I intended in this case. I believe we should love our enemies and pray for those who hurt us. My only issue is that I dislike seeing the justice system perverted. However, as in all things I think a desire for justice should be paired with a mindset of love.)
-Cable