First Sam article I gotta write because this is a key part of his whole writing that a lot of people doesn't know and I'll often use it for a lot of further posts about him.
I don't really mind if my theories are just theories, if it's just overthinking, a reach. It makes me happy to think about a great connected story that makes totally sense and it's all that matter.
But once is a while, though, your theories get validated by another writer who apparently saw the same thing as you and your theory is no longer a theory, it's a canon fact.
This is what happened with Sam.
Quick gamma reminder : As I just say it's complicated to make one straight definition of anything comics, so explaining properly how gamma mutation works would pretty much be impossible but everyone agree on this : it's about wanting. Bruce wanted to protect himself and people he likes so he became stronger, Jen wanted to be confident so she went stronger and taller with long hair, Sam wanted knowledge so he got a gamma brain.
But did he ? Was it his wish ?
There's another thing with gamma that a lot of people are missing, it's about showing your true self. Hulk was always here, Bruce has an undiag DID since he was a kid, people would just assume that his alters were imaginary friends (I'll make a full article about Bruce's DID and his alters later that I'll link here once it's done) but that's the thing, his gamma mutation didn't create any of his Hulk, they were always here, it just gave them a new form that shows how Bruce sees his alters and himself : as a monster.
%20-%20Page%2077.jpg)
Incredible Hulk vol. 2 78 (2005) written by Peter David
But once is a while, though, your theories get validated by another writer who apparently saw the same thing as you and your theory is no longer a theory, it's a canon fact.
This is what happened with Sam.
Quick gamma reminder : As I just say it's complicated to make one straight definition of anything comics, so explaining properly how gamma mutation works would pretty much be impossible but everyone agree on this : it's about wanting. Bruce wanted to protect himself and people he likes so he became stronger, Jen wanted to be confident so she went stronger and taller with long hair, Sam wanted knowledge so he got a gamma brain.
But did he ? Was it his wish ?
There's another thing with gamma that a lot of people are missing, it's about showing your true self. Hulk was always here, Bruce has an undiag DID since he was a kid, people would just assume that his alters were imaginary friends (I'll make a full article about Bruce's DID and his alters later that I'll link here once it's done) but that's the thing, his gamma mutation didn't create any of his Hulk, they were always here, it just gave them a new form that shows how Bruce sees his alters and himself : as a monster.
So what about Sam ? Well, in the first part of Thunderbolts it was said that Sam was always "very clever", doing incredibly smart shit for a child, so chances are Sam was always very smart but because of the years of abuse he went through just thought he was stupid and weak.
Incredible Hulk vol. 2 78 (2005) written by Peter David
Thunderbolts vol. 2 4 (2013) written by Daniel Way
That's the second point we need to talk about : Sam's childhood
We really don't know a lot about Sam's past, he wasn't that developped outside of his relation with Bruce as an antagonist but it's canon that he was rejected by his parents for not being as "smart" as his brother (and by this they meant "failing at school"). Sam is, like Bruce, pretty much neuroatypical so it's not really a surprise having a very smart kid with terrible grades. We don't really know what kind of abuse and pressure he went through but we do know his brother would often bully him and that Sam eventually dropped out school and left his home to escape abuse and pressure. We also know that he grew up alone, never had friends or anyone and that it's the reason he's so obsess with Hulk, he suffers from his loneliness and to get rid of it, again, you need to be loved.
We really don't know a lot about Sam's past, he wasn't that developped outside of his relation with Bruce as an antagonist but it's canon that he was rejected by his parents for not being as "smart" as his brother (and by this they meant "failing at school"). Sam is, like Bruce, pretty much neuroatypical so it's not really a surprise having a very smart kid with terrible grades. We don't really know what kind of abuse and pressure he went through but we do know his brother would often bully him and that Sam eventually dropped out school and left his home to escape abuse and pressure. We also know that he grew up alone, never had friends or anyone and that it's the reason he's so obsess with Hulk, he suffers from his loneliness and to get rid of it, again, you need to be loved.
Before his mutation Sam was a very shy and insecured lad but he was also very good hearted, so what happened ? How could he turned this bad ?
Third point : Sam is seeking love and recognition
Ok lots of people assume that Sam went smart 'cause he was dumb and wanted to be like his brother. It's not completly false (in fact it's 100% canon), Sam really wanted to be "smart like his brother" and suffered a very strong love/hate kind of affection for him, he was both the man he admired the most and the reason he had to go through so much suffering. Sam wanted to be as loved as his brother and his parents kept telling him that if he was unloved that's because he was dumb so of course his deepest wish would be to be smart, but not smart just for the sake of being smart, smart to be loved, smart to get recognition, to get the right to exist. But that's the thing, the limit between love and hate is so thin they often flirt together.
That's how the Leader was born, out of ressent and bitterness for a world and people he loved but who never loved him back and made him suffer alone in silence, but also out of hate for himself. We often sees the Leader blaming his old self (more like alter but again, we'll go back to that another time) and he blames him more than he blames the entire world because to him he was everything he despise about humans, weak. So he became what he thought he needed to be to be accepted, an evil Leader.
That's the thing with Sam, his name isn't related to his brain, it's the Leader, "someone who can inspire", someone who is admired, someone who is loved and accepted. But he grew up with a very twisted vision of what a person should be to be accepted, the only exemples he had were very toxic manipulative people, like his brother, "a good Leader is a liar who pretends to care while being the most selfish egocentrical cunt" basically, so that's what he became. And also to protect himself from other, to stop loving and caring because his kindness only brought him pain and despair.
Incredible Hulk 129 (1970) written by Roy Thomas
That's the thing with Sam, his name isn't related to his brain, it's the Leader, "someone who can inspire", someone who is admired, someone who is loved and accepted. But he grew up with a very twisted vision of what a person should be to be accepted, the only exemples he had were very toxic manipulative people, like his brother, "a good Leader is a liar who pretends to care while being the most selfish egocentrical cunt" basically, so that's what he became. And also to protect himself from other, to stop loving and caring because his kindness only brought him pain and despair.
Ok, that being said, let's talk Bruce for a second.
Bruce and his Hulks are about anger. Stress and emotions as a whole but mostly anger. Bruce can't deal with his emotions since his mother died and the emotion he fears the most is anger because it reminds him of his father. It also opposes what he and his alters always wanted : peace. So the angrier he gets, the stronger but the less in controle he is.
Well for Sam it's the same, but with hate. The more he hates, the stronger he gets (remember that strength isn't only about big muscles and for Sam it's basically his intellect) but the less controle he has over himself and the colder and more heartless he becomes.
Bruce and his Hulks are about anger. Stress and emotions as a whole but mostly anger. Bruce can't deal with his emotions since his mother died and the emotion he fears the most is anger because it reminds him of his father. It also opposes what he and his alters always wanted : peace. So the angrier he gets, the stronger but the less in controle he is.
Well for Sam it's the same, but with hate. The more he hates, the stronger he gets (remember that strength isn't only about big muscles and for Sam it's basically his intellect) but the less controle he has over himself and the colder and more heartless he becomes.
That's a theory I always loved, that every mutated are about "a feeling", an emotion, whatever. I never liked the copy/paste gamma writing, gamma folks being just copycat of other gamma folks. I like when they're different, unique and when they mean something.
But through some writing I developped that idea and theory that, just like Bruce's Hulk is fueled by anger, the Leader is fueled by hatred, Jen's Hulk (so the version when she's not in controle) about fear/doubt (opposing confidence) which is pretty much canon in Mariko's run etc etc
But through some writing I developped that idea and theory that, just like Bruce's Hulk is fueled by anger, the Leader is fueled by hatred, Jen's Hulk (so the version when she's not in controle) about fear/doubt (opposing confidence) which is pretty much canon in Mariko's run etc etc
And considering how much Sam suffers from his loneliness and how obsess he is with the idea of being admired and recognized I thought it made sense that he would be about hate, opposing his desire for love. After all everytime he became "stronger" it was through hate rather than anger (though these two emotions are very connected and similar).
And then Immortal Hulk happened
%20-%20Page%2014.jpg)
Immortal Hulk 13 (2019) written by Al Ewing
Immortal Hulk made a crazy good work making that "a big consistent story" work, respecting everything that has been done, adressing some plot hole, even adding new lore and turning everything one coherent gamma story. But I'm not going to talk about all this today, you'll have plenty of time to hear more about Immortal Hulk here.
One of the main lore point Immortal Hulk added is gamma origin. It's no longer just an accident and mutation through science, it's also magic and Hellish and destiny. All gamma spawns are connected to the One Below All and I don't want to say more right now because I'm trying to stay focus on what this post is about but that's basically the "Mother" of all irradiated, the source of their powers, a creature that only seek destruction.
One of the main lore point Immortal Hulk added is gamma origin. It's no longer just an accident and mutation through science, it's also magic and Hellish and destiny. All gamma spawns are connected to the One Below All and I don't want to say more right now because I'm trying to stay focus on what this post is about but that's basically the "Mother" of all irradiated, the source of their powers, a creature that only seek destruction.
But an interesting thing about that creature is how it's related to hate and anger and needed both Sam and Bruce. So if Bruce is Anger...
Immortal Hulk 34 (2020) written by Al Ewing
But the important thing here is how it focused on Sam's hatred. He will mention it a few time and everytime it was at the most important part of his own chara dev. His hatred is fueling him.
And I love that. It makes so much sense to everything related to him, from his mutation to his obsession for Hulk, his evilness etc... And it also has a huge Diablo vibe (but that's another story).
And it has you wonder. If Bruce can get his controle back if you calm him down, would the Leader stop existing if he was loved ? Well, I guess so. It was kinda implied in Incredible Hulk vol. 2 31 (in Hulk's canon it happened right before the Hate screen above), it was a very moving moment between Sam and Bruce but basically Sam wanted to go to the other side to find eternal peace (if that makes sense) and wanted Bruce to stay by his side until his last breath to reassure him (as he had to die) because he is the closest thing he has to a friend or family. Surprisingly Bruce accepted and Sam was ready to leave peacefully and leave the Leader and his evil shenanigans behind forever. But shit happened and it ended up in Sam thinking Bruce "rejected" him (these are his own words) and that's why he gave up to the One Below All and his own Hate, through that ultimate rejection (ironically and sad enough it was just misunderstanding, Bruce didn't reject him). So yes, theorically if Sam was loved he could definitly be freed from his Leader and turn into something else, 'cause that's what he did for a short moment back then, probably similar to Jen and her She-Hulk. But for now the closest thing we'll ever get to that good ending would be the now dead mobile game Avengers Academy were Sam found love through friendship and became a strong Avengers. Though I think the only way to really save him would be to teach him self-love, as it is his self-hatred that made him fall Below, but to teach him self-love you have to love him first (and by love I mean any kind of love, friendly, brotherly, romantic, whatever).
But that lead to another question, is it possible to save him ? Does he deserve it ? How could you teach love to a fallen angel who gave his soul away and helped the Devil destroying everything out of hate ? And that's another marvelous thing with Immortal Hulk, while it directly asked "does he deserve forgiveness", through three characters (one who forgave, one who didn't and one who said "I don't know") they let an open door so it's up to everyone to have their own answer.
But that lead to another question, is it possible to save him ? Does he deserve it ? How could you teach love to a fallen angel who gave his soul away and helped the Devil destroying everything out of hate ? And that's another marvelous thing with Immortal Hulk, while it directly asked "does he deserve forgiveness", through three characters (one who forgave, one who didn't and one who said "I don't know") they let an open door so it's up to everyone to have their own answer.
(idk I wanted to end that lil' post with something dramatic haha), enjoy~
