"Emotions. The side effect of this serum actually affects people's emotions," Stephen proposed, reaching a conclusion that Banner and Connors had never considered.
"I took a close look at the formula and the data from those test subjects. I found that the mix of hormones in the serum caused emotional changes, making the subjects prone to anger and violence, and even hallucinations. It's like..." Stephen couldn't think of the right words to describe it.
Banner picked up where he left off. "Like injecting several thousand milliliters of heroin into your brain."
"Exactly. It's something like that—you described it perfectly!" Stephen said excitedly.
Banner smiled wryly. He'd experienced it firsthand, so of course his description was spot-on. Stephen had only put forward a theory, but it made everything click for Banner.
He'd always thought that his emotional changes had caused his body to mutate. It had never occurred to him that after being exposed to gamma radiation and all that energy, his emotions had been affected too.
Thinking about it now, there really was a big difference from before. At the very least, even when he was calm, Banner's heart rate was faster than a normal person's, and he had a harder time controlling his extreme emotions.
Because of this, he'd had to learn meditation, yoga, and other methods to regulate his mind and body. But even so, his anger kept building.
When he'd been preparing to evade General Ross, Banner had hidden out in Brazil. Even when nothing was happening, he'd still felt increasingly unable to suppress that restlessness.
What if the mutation had left him angry every moment of every day, and what he'd truly been suppressing wasn't his anger, but the energy of the gamma radiation?
If Stephen hadn't proposed this theory, Banner might not have realized the