Let's talk about Bruce Banner

     After my rant about how great a character Tony is I started thinking about each individual character and how they have progressed. One character in particular was standing out to me: Bruce Banner. While quiet and sarcastic tends to describe him, most people forget about his sense of humor. Remember the scene in Ultron where they were all trying to lift the hammer and he kind of pretends to turn into the hulk and no one gets it? He's funny and smart and just a typical person like you and me. The difference is just don't catch him off guard. It's only when he's caught off guard that he really is a threat to people.
     People tend to tiptoe around him, scared of setting him off and unleashing his rage. The thing with Bruce though and we see it a bit in Ultron is that he does control the hulk to a certain extent. He can control and channeling his anger and actions to help the Avengers. This has to do with what he said in the first Avengers film when he tells cap that his secret is tha he's always angry. And it's true. Banner is sick of everyone being scared of him and tip toeing around him. That's one reason him and Tony (Science Bros forever!) get along so well and become such fast friends. Tony isn't afraid of him and jokes around him. He treats him like a normal person. I'm pretty sure I mentioned in an earlier post about Ultron that the only persons behavior that makes sense throughout the movie is Dr.Banner. His quote "I could strangle you and not turn a single shade" really shows how much self control he has and that the only time you need to worry is when he's caught off guard. People tend to think of the Hulk as angry and destruction and associate him those things. For me though I think of him as more a protector and fearful. The Hulk is there to protect Banner from things that could hurt him like a bullet or falling onto concrete. He's a protector. He's like a father who goes on a rampage whenever his son is upset; or, a son going on a rampage to defend his father. Either way there is a protective instinct there, even with people other than Bruce himself. In the first Avengers movie it's the Hulk that saves Tony's life. Granted you can make the argument Thor was about to go too, the Hulk got there first and then screamed when he didn't immediately wake up. The hulk saved Tony for Banner and helped wake him up for Banner.
     So now back to the character himself and his actions around others. Bruce is sick of being used for the Hulk plain and simple. He's angry. He's really angry. That's where the I could strangle you line comes in. He knows what they are doing but no one will actually admit it. Then there is Natasha and the love story that makes no sense what so ever and is basically poorly written fan fiction by Whedon. Natasha blatantly uses him at the end and even says "I need the other guy". That was the absolute last straw for him. He's done. After the battle he takes a stealth plane and flies away, ignoring Natasha's transmissions to try and help him change back. He's done and running away again.  Bruce is constantly taken advantage of and its destroying him emotionally. He can't take it anymore. People see him as quiet and usually in the background and yes he tends to blend in and people tend to forget about him which is tragic. He's a beautifully complex character and Mark Rufflao does an incredible job of portraying him. There's so much eye acting with him and if you haven't before you really should pay more attention to him and the things he does and how he says them. Banner is a terrific character and I could go on for days about him. But for now I'll just wrap up with 3 paragraphs.