The Balance of the Mind, Body and Spirit
Official Teaser
Her name is Korra.
She is the Avatar.
The spirtual embodiment of the planet in human form with the unique ability to wield the four elements: Water, Earth, Fire, and Air.
Her presence brings balance and peace throughout the entire world.
She is headstrong, rebellious, powerful, courageous, and compassionate.
But she still is unable to gain full control over her emotions, one of which that was still managing to cause her and those closest to her vast problems.
An emotion that she is unable to successfully control, one that can overwhelm even the most serene and placid of beings.
Rage.
Korra had once again failed to connect with the spiritual side of her Avatar training. She has overcome so much in her life, individually mastering the four elements, yet it seemed that her spiritual connection to her powers have proven the most difficult to achieve. She was so angry and so frustrated with herself, her clenched fists and shouts of rage confirming her agitation when confronted with failure.
"You must learn to control your anger, Korra. If you let it gain control over you and your actions, it will blind you and consume you entirely. You'll never gain control of the Avatar State, nor will you be able to fully access the spiritual world, until you learn to achieve balance in not only your body, but in your mind and spirit as well.", Tenzin informed, taking a few steps towards the young woman who was like that of a daughter to the elder airbender.
"I know. But it's just so... difficult. I mean, it's not like I can turn off my emotions as easily as I can change my bending from earth to fire!", Korra said with a heavy sigh, lowering her gaze as she temporarily rested her hands on her hips.
"I understand your frustration, Korra. Our emotions can be our greatest strength or our greatest weakness. It takes much time and patience to master control over them. Still, even then, one can be overwhelmed if they were to let their emotions go out of control.", Tenzin calmly stated, resting a gentle hand on her shoulder in an attempt to comfort his troubled pupil.
"Some obstacles, like some problems, cannot be moved nor solved through any display of force, no matter how powerful. Only through peace and understanding, the very embodiments of serenity, can these obstacles or problems be resolved.", Tenzin explains, his voice as wise as it was gentle and reassuring.
For a long time, she couldn't find a single person who could relate to her or her emotions.
She didn't know anyone who could understand her rage.
Until a unique person arrived to her world.
A person who would change everything.
He would become her teacher, her confidant, and one of her closest friends.
Korra cautiously approaches the site of which she had seen the vortex and the blinding flash of lights. Admist the surroundings, she discovers the unconscious body of a man. She took in his appearance, from his messy dark brown hair to his white flesh to his slightly hairy chest and abdomen. His body was neither muscular nor scrawny by any means, though she could tell that he was at least in his mid or late thirties. The only clothing that adorned his body was that of a pair of tan khaki pants, but they were shredded and torn to the point of being nothing but mere rags.
She approached the seemingly unconscious man, kneeling down and lifting his body up. Korra held him in her strong arms, checking to make sure that he wasn't hurt. For a brief moment, the man's eyelids open to reveal his two gentle brown eyes which looked up into Korra's blue orbs. However, as soon as the man seemingly returned from his unconscious state, he just as quickly passes out from sheer exhaustion.
It was at that very moment that Korra knew what had to be done. This man, whoever he is, needed help and a place to stay. She would help him. She was the Avatar. And she wasn't going to turn her back on those who needed her help. He would stay at Air Temple Island, where he could be protected and be given a chance to recuperate from whatever he's endured.
"Naga! Come!", Korra calls for the polar bear-dog that was her friend and loyal companion.
His name is Dr. Bruce Banner.
He is a brilliant, mild-mannered physicist and one of the smartest men on Earth.
While he possesses a vast and immeasurable intellect, he also harbors a dark and dangerous secret.
In an attempt to harness the limitless potential of gamma rays, he unintentionally created a monstrous creature.
A uncontrollable beast, one whose power is capable of shattering mountains with a single blow, power that is greater than that of any mortal or immortal that has ever existed.
Power that can cause great destruction.
Power that can achieve equally great good.
Power that can save worlds... or break them.
He is Banner's greatest triumph... and his most tragic curse.
He is the Green Goliath.
The Strongest One There Is.
The Incredible Hulk.
"Look! He's waking up!", Jinora annouces to her siblings and those within the room.
"He is? Really? That's great! Ask him who is! How did he get here? Ask him why he's only wearing pants! Ask him why his pants all torn and shredded! Is he a bender or non-bender!", Ikki exclaimed in utter excitement, unable to contain her cheerful nature as she began hopping in place.
Bruce let's out a low groan, rubbing his eyes before taking his hands through his messy dark brown hair. Once he regains his senses, Bruce discovers three children, two girls and one boy, watching over him. All three of them were wearing similar gold and red clothing, which was a bit unusual, but then again he wasn't one to judge... especially in his current state.
"Where am I?", Bruce asks as he slowly got up into a sitting position, his eyes scanning the surroundings of the room and all the individuals that resided within its confines.
"Do not worry. You are among friends. However, if you wish for me to be more accurate, you're currently in one of the guest rooms within our home on Air Temple Island.", Tenzin spoke, his voice gentle and reassuring.
"Oh, well, that's good to know. Who are you?", Bruce questions, looking at the tall air bender who stood several feet away from where he was seated.
"My name is Tenzin. And these three young ones are my children: Jinora, Ikki, and Meelo.", Tenzin answered while introducing his offspring, who bowed in greeting as they smiled politely at their guest.
"Nice to meet all of you.", Bruce responded, a warm smile coming across his features.
"Now that you know who we are, perhaps you would be so kind as to tell us of your own identity?", Tenzin offered calmly, extending his hand to the bearded monk.
"My name is Bruce... Bruce Banner.", Bruce informed, grasping the older man's hand and giving it a firm squeeze before rising up to his feet.
"So... who found me?", Bruce asks, looking directly into the monk's eyes, as if trying to seek the answers from within his very soul.
"Uh, that would be me.", A strong, yet feminine voice stated, causing Bruce to avert his gaze in the direction that he heard the response.
"Hi, your name is Bruce, right? Anyways, my name is Korra. I'm the one who found you.", Korra said as she introduced herself, walking over to confront the man she rescued.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Korra. And, by the way, thank you.", Bruce responds with a gentle smile, extending his right hand to the young woman.
"Don't mention it.", Korra chuckles, reaching out and grasping his hand firmly with her own.
She is the daughter that he's always dreamed of having.
He's the kind and understanding friend that she's always wanted when she was younger.
Their familial-like bond grows and becomes stronger with each passing moment.
However, there are those who do not care for the close relationship they share.
They sense something about Banner...
That there is more to him than meets the eye.
That he could put her in mortal danger.
They're fearful of him, but even more concerned about her safety.
"I don't like him.", Mako remarks quite coldly, his fiery eyes narrowing as they focused on Bruce Banner.
"You don't like anyone.", Korra teased, playfully elbowing her male teammate.
"Yeah, but I really don't like him.", Mako states, making his feelings known to both Korra and Bolin.
"Why? He seems like a pretty cool and mellow guy. Not to mention that, unlike you, he's got a wicked sense of humor.", Bolin remarks in his usual cool and humorous attitude.
"I'm serious, Bolin. There's something that isn't right about him. He's more dangerous than he looks. I know it, I can sense it!", Mako proclaims in response to his brother's attempt to lighten the atmosphere.
"I don't want you hanging around him, Korra!", Mako shouts at the top of his lungs.
"What? Why?", Korra questions, confusion evident in her voice.
"You spend too much time with him! I'm telling you, Korra, he's dangerous!", Mako exclaims, trying to get his point across to the young woman that was close to his heart.
"No, he's not! You're just paranoid! He's helping me with my training... and I'm helping him.", Korra explodes in a calm rage, her lessons with Bruce finally paying off as she manages to quickly regain control over her emotions.
"What do you mean?", Mako asks, arching an eyebrow as he crossed his arms over his chest.
"Bruce understands me, probably better than anyone else. He's helping me learn how to control my emotions, helping me learn how to control my rage. He's teaching me so that I'll be able to eventually unlock the spiritual side of my Avatar training. And the only way I can do that is if I can achieve balance of both my body, mind, and spirit.", Korra explained, defending her friend and his importance to her and her training.
"Then how are you helping him?", Mako demanded.
"I'm helping Bruce by giving him something that he deserves.", Korra responds, not backing down an inch to the hot-headed firebender who was one of her closest friends.
"And that is?", Mako questions.
"Friendship and compassion.", Korra answered.
"Let's get this out of the way. First off; I don't like you. And I'm pretty sure that you're not too fond of me, either.", Mako stated bluntly.
"Well, I'm glad that we could at least come to some form of an agreement in regards to our shared animosity towards one another.", Bruce remarked indifferently.
"Second; the only reason that I haven't beat you to a bloody pulp is because of Korra.", Mako continued, managing to garner a brief chuckle of amusement from the physicist.
"I'm sorry. Are you trying to make a point with this conversation, Mako?", Bruce asks in a bored and slightly irritated tone of voice.
"Yeah, I am. I know you're hiding something. And I assure you, I'm gonna find out what it is. But I'm warning you, Banner. If I so much as think that you're a threat... that whatever you're hiding is going to hurt Korra... or if you have any intentions of causing her harm... I won't hesitate in taking you out... permanently!", Mako informed, clenching his hands into fists as he glared menacingly at the scientist, who seemed unfazed by his threat.
"Alright, you've made your threat quite clear. Now you're gonna listen to mine. I care about Korra. And so do you. I understand that. She's a good person and a good friend. But if you would try to take me out, it would only result in putting Korra and everyone else in mortal danger.", Bruce responded, his voice as serious as the expression that masked his visage.
"What did you do?", Bolin exclaims, his voice a mixture of rage and panic.
"It was an accident!", Mako shouts in reply to his brother's accusation.
They watched as Korra rushed to Bruce Banner's side, noticing the large, deep gash across his back which slowly seeped out a familiar crimson fluid. She knew that Mako didn't intentionally hurt Bruce. True, Mako did indeed push Bruce, but he certainly never expected Banner to lose his balance and fall down and roll across the sharp stones of the island's shore.
"Bruce, are you okay?", Korra asks, her voice filled with a deep concern.
"Korra... RUN!", Bruce orders as he snarled in pain, his eyes glowing a bright emerald green.
Mako and Bolin rush forward to pull Korra away from Bruce Banner, their eyes wide with fear as they watched the horrific transformation begin to take place. Flesh and bone morph, growing and tearing, becoming larger and inhumanly green in color. The three individuals can only look on in awe and fear, unable to tear their eyes away from this frightening scene. Banner's screams of total and utter agony are soon replaced with by savage snarls of a fearsome beast, a man-monster whose rage and strength knew no bounds.
The Hulk stands on the shore of Air Temple Island, his jade-hued eyes looking out over Republic City. For a moment, he stares at the giant statue of Avatar Aang before returning his attention back to the bustling metropolis. Unleashing a savage roar of intense volume and ferocity, the Hulk leaps from the shores of Air Temple Island and into the distance.
Rage incarnate has been unleashed.
And this city, along with the rest of the world, would tremble!
"You possess quite a unique gift, Dr. Banner.", Tenzin remarks in his usual calm and collective demeanor.
"More like a curse.", Bruce retorted with a grimace.
"He's a monster, Korra! A savage beast who'd kill you without so much as a second thought!", Mako exclaimed.
"He's not a monster! He's angry, confused, and hurt! He's just misunderstood... and different.", Korra shouts, pushing Mako back with enough force that it almost knocks him off his feet.
"The Hulk could have killed you.", Bruce scolds the young woman, his voice remaining calm and gentle as a summer breeze.
"Yeah, but he didn't. So relax!", Korra retorts with a friendly and confident grin.
"Yeah, okay. It's just that I didn't want to make you angry, 'cause I know what happens when you become angry, and I really, really, really wanna live and...", Bolin continued to ramble on nervously.
"Bolin.", Bruce said with a heavy sigh, placing a gentle hand on the earthbender's shoulder in an attempt to ease his nerves.
"Yeah?", Bolin asked, arching an eyebrow.
"Breathe. Chill out. In other words, calm down before you hurt yourself.", Bruce chuckles in a light-hearted manner.
She is willing to go to great lengths to protect him.
But will she be able to accomplish such a feat?
Will she be able to master and control her own incredible power?
He is concerned for safety, yet continues to be her teacher.
Will he be able to protect her from himself?
Will he be able to contain the incredible, earth-shattering power of the being that dwells within him?
"You don't have to live in fear, Bruce.", Korra suggested calmly.
"Yes, I do. You don't know what it's like! To possess power that you can't even begin to comprehend, power that can't be contained or controlled! The Hulk can't be controlled! He could tear your world apart and nothing would be able to stop him! You could never understand.", Bruce proclaims, getting up from his seat and walking across the room, his back towards the young woman that was his student.
"Trust me. I know and I understand.", Korra said in a voice that's just short of a whisper.
"How could you possibly understand?", Bruce asks, looking directly at her, his brown eyes locking on to her arctic-blue irises.
"I'm the Avatar, remember? I can wield the four elements, something that no one else can do. I can't even begin to understand how powerful I am! I haven't even mastered my control of the Avatar state yet! So, yes, I know what's it's like to possess and wield great power. And I understand what it's like... that fear of losing control and hurting those closest to you.", Korra informed, walking over to the brown-haired scientist.
Korra has entered the Avatar State, unleashing her power as she has never done before... and she's losing control! While the rest of the individuals, her friends and civilians, may fear her power, there is one man who dares approach her. He doesn't fear her nor her power as he continues forward, fighting through the powerful hurricane-like winds and dodging flying chunks of strata that've been ripped from the earth.
"I'm not giving up on you, Korra! I know you can control it! I know you can!", Bruce calls out, barely managing to stand on his feet.
Korra's slowly turns her head towards Bruce, her glowing white eyes settling on his form as he struggled against the force of the winds. He continues to march towards her, eventually reaching her and grasping her hands with his own. He looks into her eyes, pleading with her to gain control.
"Please... don't do this.", Bruce pleads, trying to seek out the young woman he cared so much about.
"Come on. You can control it, Korra! Don't let your emotions control you... don't let the power overwhelm you!", Bruce tells Korra, trying to encourage her to find the strength he knew that she possessed.
Suddenly, the look of indifference disappears from Korra's visage. It is soon replaced by a mask of rage and pure ferocity, her teeth now bared in a savage snarl not unlike the Hulk's own. Consumed by anger and rage, Korra could only respond in one way... by lashing out at the person foolish enough to try to calm her!
"Leave... me... alone!", Korra hisses, striking Bruce directly in the sternum with a powerful blast of her airbending.
The pain is instantaneous, as is the speed in which Bruce Banner soars through the air before he smashes through a small building which soon collapses after the devastating impact. A noraml human being would have been killed, or have most of their bones broken at the least, but all this attack has done is force the transformation from a mild-mannered scientist into an unstoppable, raging man-monster!
"HULK SMASH!", The Green Goliath roars, exploding from the rubble and smashing his fists into the earth with enough force to rip an entire island asunder.
COMING SOON!
Author's Notes
I'm a huge fan of Avatar: The Last Airbender, and despite the years that have passed since the finale, I still consider it to be one of the best animated series to ever come into existence. The animation, the characters, and the storylines were just so awe-inspiring and beautiful. It's simply one of the most entertaining and original animated series to come along in a very long time.
I've been a fan of the Incredible Hulk for as long as I can remember. I remember watching the 1970s Bill Bixby/Lou Ferrigno series as a child, I've been reading and collecting Incredible Hulk comics for nearly a decade, and I've got quite a collection of the infamous Jade Giant that still continues to grow. The Hulk is unique. The Hulk is the Strongest One There Is. He's powerful, not only in a physical sense, but in a psychological/emotional point of view as
well. He's just a truly great and incredible character.
For a very long time, I've wanted to write a crossover involving Nickelodeon's Avatar: The Last Airbender and Marvel's The Incredible Hulk, but I managed to hold off on that idea ... until now! Only in this case, it'll be set in the sequel series "The Legend of Korra", which has quickly become one of my favorite new animated shows.
One of my main conflicts was which adaptation of Bruce Banner/The Hulk should I use for this story? I usually prefer to base my writings on that of the comic version (I love Greg Pak & Peter David's work on the Green Goliath), or the animated version seen in Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes. I was tempted to use the comic version, Pak's Green Scar/Green King Hulk incarnation, for this story. However, I soon changed my mind and decided to use a version that is close in personality to the Savage Hulk persona of the comics, the incarnation of The Hulk seen in Marvel's live-action film adaptation of "The Avengers".
It just seemed right to me to use a version of the Green Goliath that comic fans and non-fans would be familiar with. Not to mention the fact that Mark Ruffalo's portrayal of Bruce Banner is absolutely incredible (no pun intended) and very close to his comic book counterpart.
If you haven't guessed from the teaser, this story will revolve around Korra and her problems dealing with her emotions (especially her anger) and trying to access the spiritual aspect of the Avatar. When it comes to emotions, particularly anger, and trying to find balance of the mind, body, and spirit... who would make a better teacher/mentor for Korra than Dr. Bruce Banner? He knows what it's like to have great power, the consequences of losing control, and knowledge of how to balance the mind & body.
This story will focus on the platonic bond that is formed between Banner and Korra, their relationship like that of father & daughter/master & student/mentor & protege, which is not unlike the bond that Korra has with Tenzin. Bruce is patient with her, and unlike Tenzin, he's not as strict and knows that a little fun is good for Korra. While most accept Bruce and his training of Korra, Mako senses something about Banner. He doesn't know what exactly, only that he feels that Banner will put Korra in danger.
When the Hulk does appear, you can bet it's gonna cause some major tension and mayhem for not only Korra & friends, but all of Republic City as well! Korra will go to great lengths to protect Bruce Banner/The Hulk from harm as the story progresses. This story will be action-packed, dramatic, spiritual (in more ways than one), and at times, quite humerous and heartwarming.
Be sure to look out for it. Until then, I'll talk to you readers later!
The Voice Cast
Korra- Janet Varney
Dr. Bruce Banner- Mark Ruffalo
The Hulk- Lou Ferrigno
Tenzin- J. K. Simmons
Mako- David Faustino
Bolin- P.J. Byrne
Asami Sato- Seychelle Gabriel
Chief Lin Beifong- Mindy Sterling
Pema- Maria Bamford
Jinora- Kiernan Shipka
Ikki- Darcy Rose Byrnes
Meelo- Logan Wells
Naga & Pabu- Dee Bradley Baker