Superheroes — A lesson in control

"Don't make me angry. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry." — Bruce Banner, "The Hulk"

There are quite a few different superhero stories, but few are as confounding as "The Hulk." Is he a hero? Is he a villain? Is he a cautionary tale? The answer, at different times, is yes to all three.

There are a few lessons to be taken away from the story of The Hulk, but it's not exactly the most fun to watch. That's why there have been two different movie attempts (with two different actors) and yet another actor appearing as the Hulk in "The Avengers." My theory is that the Hulk is better as a supporting character and will be relegated to appearing in other hero's movies.

The problem is, there is only so much to say with the Hulk. He's a giant green rage monster. The end. But in that, there is something to consider.

To me, there are two ideas in this story. One is familiar to many superhero stories, and that's the inherent danger of playing God. What makes this one different is that this time its the hero that learns that painful lesson. Bruce Banner becomes the victim of his own experiments. Often in these films its the villain that becomes the victim of his own experiment, or hubris, and it turns them into something evil. That happens with Hulk, but the difference is that Banner seems to be trying to control his condition and channel his condition for good. Still, it's a cautionary tale about letting your reach out stretch your grasp.

Second, Hulk is about learning to control, focus, and harness all the negative emotions we all experience. This, of course, is a very exaggerated example. But the morale of the story is the need to control our anger.

The Hulk, literally, turns into something uncontrollable and unnatural when he gives into his anger. His whole life becomes about learning to control his emotions and respond reasonably to challenges put in his way. That might sound a little dumb, but in essence you could look at the Hulk as a lesson in decorum.

Again, that's part of what makes it a tough sell as a movie. It's basically the journey of a man who is learning to control his own emotions. I guess that's why they gave it to director Ang Lee to take the first crack at making it a movie in 2003...