The Hulk is often viewed as a reaction to war . As well as being a reaction to the Cold War , the character has been a cipher for the frustrations the Vietnam War raised , and Ang Lee said that the Iraq War influenced his direction . In the Michael Nyman edited edition of '' The Guardian '' , Stefanie Diekmann explored Marvel Comics ' reaction to the September 11 attacks . Diekmann discussed The Hulk 's appearance in the 9/11 tribute comic '' Heroes '' , claiming that his greater prominence , alongside Captain America , aided in " stressing the connection between anger and justified violence without having to depict anything more than a well-known and well-respected protagonist . " In '' Marvel : Five Fabulous Decades of the World 's Greatest Comics '' , Les Daniels addresses the Hulk as an embodiment of cultural fears of radiation and nuclear science . He quotes Jack Kirby thus : " As long as we 're experimenting with radioactivity , there 's no telling what may happen , or how much our advancements in science may cost us . " Daniels continues , " The Hulk became Marvel 's most disturbing embodiment of the perils inherent in the atomic age . " In '' Comic Book Nation '' , Bradford Wright alludes to Hulk 's counterculture status , referring to a 1965 '' Esquire '' magazine poll amongst college students which " revealed that student radicals ranked Spider-Man and the Hulk alongside the likes of Bob Dylan and Che Guevara as their favorite revolutionary icons . " Wright goes on to cite examples of his anti-authority symbol status . Two of these are " The Ballad of the Hulk " by Jerry Jeff Walker , and the '' Rolling Stone '' cover for September 30 , 1971 , a full color Herb Trimpe piece commissioned for the magazine . The Hulk has been caricatured in such animated television series as '' The Simpsons '' , '' Robot Chicken '' , and '' Family Guy '' , and such comedy TV series as '' The Young Ones '' . The character is also used as a cultural reference point for someone displaying anger or agitation . For example , in a 2008 '' Daily Mirror '' review of an '' EastEnders '' episode , a character is described as going " into Incredible Hulk mode , smashing up his flat . " The Hulk , especially his alter-ego Bruce Banner , is also a common reference in rap music . The term was represented as an analogue to marijuana in Dr. Dre 's '' 2001 '' , while more conventional references are made in Ludacris and Jermaine Dupri 's popular single " Welcome to Atlanta "
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
Hulk