The Hulk Family Tree: Every Banner and Walters Relative Explained

Since his debut in Incredible Hulk #1 (1962), Dr. Robert Bruce Banner hasn’t just been battling the military, he’s been navigating one of the most complex and dysfunctional family trees in the Marvel Universe. While most fans know She-Hulk as his cousin, the Banner bloodline and the “Gamma Family” extend much further, spanning across dimensions, secret resurrections, and even cosmic lineages.

From the trauma inflicted by his father, Brian Banner, to the arrival of his Sakaarian sons, Skaar and Hiro-Kala, the Hulk’s relatives are rarely “normal.” In fact, thanks to modern revelations in the Immortal Hulk era, we now know that even his greatest enemies might share more than just a grudge (they might share his DNA).

Whether you are looking for a breakdown of the Walters family, the truth about the Red Hulks, or how many children Bruce Banner actually has, this 2026 guide explores every branch of the Hulk family tree. Let’s dive into the history of the Banners, the Walters, and the monsters that connect them.

Exploring The Hulk Family Tree

1. The Heart of the Family: Dr. Bruce Banner (The Hulk)
2. The primary cousin: Jennifer Walters (She-Hulk)
3. The “Next Generation” Hulks
4. The Green Weddings (Wives & In-Laws)
5. The “Gamma” Family (Friends of the Hulks)

1. The Heart of the Family: Dr. Bruce Banner (The Hulk)

At that point, introducing Bruce Banner feels a bit unnecessary (we already have an article about Hulk’s origin story). Still, if you are somehow not familiar with him, he is the inventor of the Gamma Bomb. Bruce noticed a teenager named Rick Jones in the explosion zone during a regular test, so he decided to intervene to save Rick’s life. He succeeded, and as a result, he was exposed to gamma radiation, which transformed him into the savage gray Hulk.

He soon became green. However, the monster’s skin color was not his primary problem. Bruce Banner may be a leading expert in nuclear physics and other related fields thanks to his intelligence, but these traits are lost when he transforms into the Hulk, who exists as a physical manifestation of his repressed rage and mental instability, leaving behind him a trail of destruction. Bruce tried to fight the monster in him and failed many times.

Check out our complete Hulk Reading Order to explore Hulk’s explosive adventures.

The Banner Bloodline

• Brian Banner: Bruce’s father, but also a brilliant scientist in his own right. His expertise in nuclear research was what pushed him on a dark road. Brian had an obsession. He believed that his radiation experiments had transformed his son into a monster. This led him down a destructive path with Rebecca, his wife, paying the ultimate price. His violent behavior left an indelible mark on Bruce’s psyche. And even in death, Brian found a way to torment Bruce.
• Rebecca Banner: Bruce’s mother was his primary source of love and protection against the escalating rage of his father. However, Brian’s delusional jealousy of Bruce led him to view Rebecca’s maternal love as a threat, eventually resulting in Brian murdering her in front of a young Bruce when she tried to get away with her son. 

2. The primary cousin: Jennifer Walters (She-Hulk)

Jennifer Walters, She-Hulk

She-Hulk first appeared in The Savage She-Hulk #1 (1979). In need of assistance, Bruce Banner went to see his young relative, Jennifer Walters, who became a lawyer in Los Angeles. After criminals shot Jen, Bruce gave her his own blood to rescue her. Nothing occurred at first, but when the hitmen arrived at the hospital to complete the job, Jennifer Walters grew large, deadly, and green.

Jennifer Walters assumed the name She-Hulk and chose to use her newly discovered talents to become a crime-fighting attorney after realizing she could transform into a more powerful version of herself anytime she wished. Unlike her cousin, she has superhuman power when she is She-Hulk, but she still keeps her personality and intelligence.

We are going deeper into this in our article about the origins of Jennifer Walters. You can also check out our She-Hulk reading order for all sorts of legal and savage adventures. 

The Walters Branch

• Morris & Elaine Walters: Elaine Banner was the sister of Susan and Brian Banner. She married Morris Walters, a Sheriff in Los Angeles, who was targeted by the crime boss Nicholas Trask, but the hitmen made an error and Elaine lost her life in a “car accident.” This tragedy mirrored the Banner family’s history of loss. However, unlike Bruce, Jennifer had the benefit of her father’s guidance and resilience to help her stay grounded.

3. The “Next Generation” Hulks

Skaar & Hiro-Kala: The Twin Sons of Sakaar.

First appearing in World War Hulk #5 (2008), Skaar is the son of the Hulk and Caiera the Oldstrong, an extraterrestrial native of the planet Sakaar. When he emerged from a cocoon, his father had left the planet. Skaar grew up quickly and had to face the coming of Galactus, in vain. Leaving behind him the ashes of his world, Skaar came to Earth to kill his father, but soon realized that the Hulk he met was not the same as the one who came to Sakaar. A depowered Bruce Banner offered to mentor him and helped Skaar to become a hero.

Introduced in Skaar: Son of Hulk #2 (2008), Hiro-Kala is Skaar’s twin brother, and he led a different life, not having inherited his father’s powers, but his mother’s. Enslaved at a young age, he followed another road but also fought to save the people of Sakaar when Galactus came. That was only the beginning of the adventure for him, one that molded him into a villain whose desire to destroy Earth will lead to his downfall.

Lyra: The daughter from a future timeline

Introduced in Hulk: Raging Thunder #1 (2008), Lyra is the Hulk’s daughter who comes from a dystopian future. Her mother was Thundra, a warrior from an alternate future Earth, who traveled through time to collect the Hulk’s DNA and used that genetic material to fertilize her own eggs artificially. As a result, Lyra was born with his father’s gamma-irradiated genetic traits. Eventually, Lyra also traveled to the past. Her initial mission was to find Earth’s greatest hero to save the future. When she learned that her mission had been a success, she became a hero and an agent of A.R.M.O.R.! She eventually spent some time with her father, and she even went to live with her aunt.

Amadeus Cho (Brawn): The “Adopted” successor and genius-level Hulk.

Amadeus Cho is a young Korean-American and the seventh-smartest person in the world, but he also became the Totally Awesome Hulk. At first, he was the Green Monster’s sidekick, then Hercules’s sidekick, but that didn’t last as he found a way to take over the Hulk’s power. He started chasing monsters, made mistakes, and began to learn from them as he realized that controlling his powers may be more difficult than he initially thought.

Eventually, Amadeus chose to be called Brawn in this new form and joined The Champions and Agents of Atlas. You can follow our reading order to read all of Amadeus Cho’s adventures.

4. The Green Weddings: Wives, Romantic Interests & In-Laws

Betty Ross (Red She-Hulk/Harpy): The primary love interest and wife

While working at the federal nuclear research facility at a missile base in the New Mexico desert, where he became The Hulk, Bruce Banner was befriended by Betty Ross, who, despite her father’s objections, took an interest in the shy scientist. After the accident, she stayed by his side and the two finally married, but the Hulk was always between them. Worse, the proximity to Bruce exposed her to gamma radiation. In Incredible Hulk #168, she was transformed into the fearsome Harpy. This was only her first transformation. She was cured, killed, resurrected, and even became Red She-Hulk … then later the Red Harpy. No matter how many times Betty tried to get her own life together, next to or far away from Bruce, her gamma-filed life never let her rest for so long.

General “Thunderbolt” Ross (Red Hulk): The Father-in-law turned nemesis

General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross disliked Bruce Banner from the beginning, and things didn’t get better once he started to hunt down the Hulk. In fact, this hunt became an obsession that led him beyond whatever anyone would have thought he was capable of. His downfall made him even more unstable. He finally saw the error of his ways … just before dying. But that’s a particularity of the family: death, resurrection, monsters. He would eventually come back, and at one point, he also changed into a monster, the Red Hulk.

Caiera the Oldstrong: The mother of Bruce’s sons

Caiera the Oldstrong was a member of the Shadow People on the planet Sakaar, first introduced in Incredible Hulk (Vol. 2) #92. A formidable fighter, she wielded the Old Power, a force that allowed her to channel energy from the planet itself. Initially a loyal enforcer of the Red King, she opposed the Hulk before coming to believe he was the prophesied “Sakaarson,” destined to transform their world. Caiera becomes queen alongside him, and their union produces twin sons, Skaar and Hiro-Kala. Her apparent death in the catastrophic destruction of Sakaar (caused by the detonation of the shuttle that originally brought the Hulk to the planet) serves as the emotional and ideological catalyst for the subsequent “World War Hulk” storyline.

Jarella: The microscopic queen

Introduced in The Incredible Hulk (vol. 2) #140, Jarella is the green-skinned princess of K’ai, a subatomic world accessed through advanced technology and mystical means. Empowered by sorcery that enhances her intellect and physical capabilities, Jarella forms a profound emotional bond with Bruce Banner after he is transported to K’ai. She accepts both Banner’s intellect and the Hulk’s strength, often enabling Banner’s consciousness to guide the Hulk’s body within her world. 

5. The “Gamma” Family: Friends of the Hulks

Rick Jones (A-Bomb): The “Honorary Brother”

Rick Jones is the ultimate sidekick in the Marvel Universe. But before he joined forces with Captain America and Captain Marvel, his life took a dramatic turn the day he ended up at the missile base during a test of the gamma bomb. Saved by Bruce Banner and realizing what the good doctor became because of his actions, he decided to help him as much as he could. Rick soon became the bridge between Bruce and the Hulk. He didn’t always stay with the green monster, but he regularly came back and, at one point, was turned into the Hulk! Rick Jones certainly has a crazy life.

Doc Samson (Leonard Skivorski Jr.): The “Family Psychiatrist”

Leonard Skivorski Jr. is Doc Samson, a Gamma-powered psychiatrist who made his debut in The Incredible Hulk vol. 2 #141 (1971). He was working with the Hulk when he exposed himself to the radiation that turned his hair green and gave him a lot of physical strength. This development introduced complications to his relationship with the Hulk, but the two went on and, through the years, Doc Samson always tried to help his patient. He is, after all, a psychiatrist first, then a green-haired hero second.

If you thought the Hulk’s family issues were complicated, the rest of the Marvel Universe has even more complex extended family dynamics to offer! Continue your journey through Marvel’s most famous lineages with our Guide to the Spider-Verse or explore the origins of Marvel’s enigmatic royal family: The Inhumans.